Tag: faith

Be Ye Transformed

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Myrtle Fillmore’s Healing Journey

The Unity Movement was founded on prayer. Myrtle Fillmore, one of our co-founders, was a frail child who suffered from tuberculosis and was not expected to live a long life. She grew up hearing that her disease was inherited and there was nothing she could do about it. As an adult, she attended a lecture by Dr. E. B. Weeks, who was a student of Emma Curtis Hopkins, a noteworthy name in early New Thought. Dr. Weeks made a statement that changed Myrtle’s life. He said, “You are a child of God and you cannot inherit sickness.” This captured Myrtle’s attention. She spent the next several years in designated prayer time speaking affirmative healing statements to her body. She kept an empty chair in front of her and imagined Jesus sitting in it, offering healing guidance.

Her healing was not instant. She devoted herself to changing her mind. Imagining healing energy directed by her own words was a powerful change of thinking. Envisioning Jesus as a great healing presence became a strong aid in her healing process.

It is also worth noting that prior to her spiritual approach, she tried every medication available, but to no avail. Her healing journey supports our basic understanding that prayer changes us, not God. Her change of mind, her healing affirmations, and her powerful visualizations brought her complete healing and the ability to live a very full life to age 86. At the end, she told her fellow workers at Unity that she felt it was time for her to move on, that she could be more effective working from the other side.

Myrtle has been an inspiration to millions of people. She was very down to earth, very practical, and totally committed to the spiritual truth taught through Unity. In terms of her writings, I’ve always considered her more accessible than Charles, who did most of the writing. Before Unity became a movement, she conducted healing services from her home, we’re told, with marvelous results.

Paul said, “Be ye transformed by the renewal of your mind.” Myrtle Fillmore truly exemplified this principle.   

Praying For Others

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Last Sunday’s talk on The Prayer Principle sparked the very good question about praying for others. If prayer changes us, not God, how does praying for others work?

In the ministry of Jesus, we see many examples of healing. On several of these occasions he would tell people that their faith made them whole. This illustrates the importance of individual expectation. We can apply this to prayer, a visit to the doctor, a drug intended to accommodate healing, or even a placebo. Many improvements in health have been attributed to the placebo effect. When we say prayer changes us, not God, we are really saying that we are opening our mind and heart to the healing, prospering, balancing presence of God.

When you call or write to a prayer service like Silent Unity, something significant happens within you. Knowing others join you in your quest for a solution to a problem increases your expectation, or faith. You set in motion an energy level that bolsters your faith in a favorable outcome. In all likelihood, this has a direct and favorable impact on your body. If your prayer request involves unfavorable conditions in finances or relationships, your increased expectation also increases your awareness of opportunities you may otherwise miss.

Knowing others are praying for you and with you boosts your faith. Letting others know you are praying with them boosts their faith as well. I sometimes tell people that I will hold them in prayer at a specific time, and I’ll encourage them to join me at that time. This, I believe, is a good way to boost faith. Jesus said where two or more are gathered in my name, I will be there in the midst of them. He obviously understood the power of people praying for one another.

The important point is to remove all feelings of supernatural connections and communications with God. We are expressions of God and prayer is one way of affirming this truth. When you pray for another, release the negative energy you may hold and affirm the truth of who they are and what they are capable of expressing. We are not, in any way, praying to overcome God’s reluctance. We are affirming God’s presence. Simply telling someone you are holding them in the highest light is one of the most powerful prayers you can offer. Expressing your belief in them will bolster their belief in themselves. This is the faith that makes us whole.   

The Prayer Principle

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Someone has said, and I believe rightfully, that prayer does not change God, it changes us. This seems to agree with the statement of James, who referred to God as the “ … Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change” (James 1:17). If we accept this, then we want to know how we are to change if our prayer is to be effective.

In Matthew 5:37, Jesus emphasized the importance of simplicity in our words by saying, “Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’.” This principle holds true with prayer. Saying “yes” affirms a truth, while saying “no” denotes denial. In our prayer, we acknowledge the truth and release any negative energy we may have attached to a certain situation. Fear, as the most prevalent form of negative energy, often requires our attention and release during prayer.

The way we perceive things and think about them affects how we engage with the creative life force that we refer to as God. When we seek healing through prayer, for instance, we begin by acknowledging that deep down, our soul is already complete. We embrace our inherent wholeness and reject any conflicting appearances. Rejecting these appearances does not imply that we deny or disregard them. Rather, it signifies that we let go of any uncertainty surrounding our healing, and instead, we fully trust that it is already manifesting. There are no barriers or hindrances. Just like a river, God’s energy flows in a single direction: from within ourselves outward. This same principle applies to any other need we may have.

Whenever we notice any sign of lack, we take it as a reminder to embrace the power of prayer. As we live in a physical form, our prayer practice might also require us to make adjustments in areas such as our diet or overall lifestyle. I noticed my car was leaking oil, for example. My prayer for healing involved taking it to a mechanic. As much as I would like such an issue to self-heal, such things usually involve participation at the physical level.

If we think of the prayer principle as the act of putting everything in motion, beginning with our state of mind, then we are open to the perfect outworking of our need at all levels.  

The Gift

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When we think of the gift Jesus gave to humankind, our doctrinal conditioning will take us to his death, the notion that he gave his life as a sacrifice for our sins. I like to think of this gift in a dramatically different way. He dedicated his life to teaching the truth of our oneness with God.

The Franciscan monk, Richard Rohr, made a very telling observation that he calls the great comma. It refers to a statement found in the Apostle’s Creed. The line and comma in question is this:  

“…I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried …”

The comma Rohr points to is the one between the “…born of the virgin Mary, He suffered under Pontius Pilate…” That comma represents 33 years, the entire life and teachings of Jesus. This is the gift he gave and the creed passes right over it.

Matthew’s account of the immaculate conception embodies the gift of Jesus’ teaching. This conception, imparted by the Holy Spirit, is symbolic of our receptivity to the deeper aspect of our own soul. Jesus taught his followers to go into the inner room, close the door, and pray to the Father in secret. That is, lay aside for a time the influence of the intellect, the Joseph aspect, and assume an intuitively receptive attitude. Advocating a direct experience with God was a refreshing approach. For those who were raised believing they were separate from God, the notion of the kingdom of God within would not have been an easy concept to grasp. But once that seed was planted, it would not be easy for the new believer to return to the old way of thinking.

The Christmas story is our story. I am not convinced that Jesus envisioned his message reaching beyond the world that he knew, but I think he would have found great satisfaction in knowing that his gift is still being given to people like you and me.  

Gateway To Intelligence

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Call upon the wisdom of the Infinite

This week we’re exploring divine intelligence and its expression through us as order.

Life and enthusiasm were the first topics for our Advent season. Love and understanding were the subject of last week. Today we’ll look at power and strength as the third of this four-part, pre-Christmas series. Intelligence and order will be the fourth.

How do we come to identify and name a characteristic of God? We can look for biblical passages such as this one: “Ah Lord God! It is thou who hast made the heavens and the earth by thy great power and by thy outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for thee” (Jeremiah 32:17). We can look at tradition that declares the omnipotence (all power) of God. Or through simple observation we can see countless expressions of power in everything from the volcano to the seed growing silently.

The power of God empowers us with the strength we need to carry on with our life. Those times when we feel our strength is waning, we affirm God’s limitless power works in and through us to give us the boost we need, when we need it. We remember Jeremiah’s inspiring words, “Nothing is too hard for thee” and we might add, “for thou art centered in me.” As an inlet and outlet to the everlasting power of God, I meet each day knowing that nothing is too hard for me.

Visualize God as a power center within your being. Imagine this power radiating out through your every atom and cell, expressing as the strength of optimism. One of Charles Fillmore’s favorite affirmations goes as follows:

“I fairly sizzle with zeal and enthusiasm and spring forth with a mighty faith to do the things that ought to be done by me.”

Such an empowering prayer! As we saw in our first lesson on life, we know that life, zeal, enthusiasm, power, and strength are all interconnected, one power expressing in a variety of ways. This one power is our God center, our very center of power. Stir up this power with words, visualizations, meditations, actions, and any way that comes to you. A simple smile given to a passing stranger can empower them in ways you never know. Remember, nothing is too hard for thee, and thou art centered in me.

Tapping Your Center of Power

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Life and enthusiasm were the first topics for our Advent season. Love and understanding were the subject of last week. Today we’ll look at power and strength as the third of this four-part, pre-Christmas series. Intelligence and order will be the fourth.

How do we come to identify and name a characteristic of God? We can look for biblical passages such as this one: “Ah Lord God! It is thou who hast made the heavens and the earth by thy great power and by thy outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for thee” (Jeremiah 32:17). We can look at tradition that declares the omnipotence (all power) of God. Or through simple observation we can see countless expressions of power in everything from the volcano to the seed growing silently.

The power of God empowers us with the strength we need to carry on with our life. Those times when we feel our strength is waning, we affirm God’s limitless power works in and through us to give us the boost we need, when we need it. We remember Jeremiah’s inspiring words, “Nothing is too hard for thee” and we might add, “for thou art centered in me.” As an inlet and outlet to the everlasting power of God, I meet each day knowing that nothing is too hard for me.

Visualize God as a power center within your being. Imagine this power radiating out through your every atom and cell, expressing as the strength of optimism. One of Charles Fillmore’s favorite affirmations goes as follows:

“I fairly sizzle with zeal and enthusiasm and spring forth with a mighty faith to do the things that ought to be done by me.”

Such an empowering prayer! As we saw in our first lesson on life, we know that life, zeal, enthusiasm, power, and strength are all interconnected, one power expressing in a variety of ways. This one power is our God center, our very center of power. Stir up this power with words, visualizations, meditations, actions, and any way that comes to you. A simple smile given to a passing stranger can empower them in ways you never know. Remember, nothing is too hard for thee, and thou art centered in me.

The Love Dynamic

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Love, expressed as understanding, is our topic for this second week of Advent. As we consider the love dynamic, it should become clear why new understanding for a word so familiar is important.

Most of you are probably aware of the statement I make concerning the action of love:

Love draws to me that which is for my highest good, and dissolves that which is not.

When asked about the greatest commandments, Jesus said to love the Lord your God with all your mind, heart, and soul. The second is to love your neighbor as yourself.

God is love (1John 4:8), drawing to us that which is for our highest good and dissolving that which is not. To love the Lord our God is to recognize this is happening now and always. This is the ultimate affirming attitude toward God. To hold this same thought for others is the highest, most freeing form of prayer we can utter. To pray, Love draws to you that which is for your highest good and dissolves that which is not, is freeing both to you and to the one for which you speak it.

Think of love, not as a thing that can be given or withheld but as a perpetual action. At this very moment, as you read or hear these words, know that the action of love is drawing to you that which is for your highest good. Do there appear to be obstacles to your peace, success, health, prosperity, or harmony in relationships? Then know that these obstacles are being dissolved right now. If we are tempted to feel undeserving, we let love dissolve this feeling. Love is not a thing we earn. It is the very nature of the creative life force that is loving us into existence. All feelings of undeserving are based on our misunderstanding of the unconditional nature of God as love.

Affirming this love dynamic is active in us and in our life right now is key to experiencing the spiritual birth we celebrate during this Christmas season. With this understanding, we open our minds and hearts to the more abundant life that we know can be ours.

Manifestation Principles

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J Douglas Bottorff

It occurs to me that the ministry of Jesus focused on helping people experience better health, prosperity, and more harmonious relationships by applying spiritual principles. As I began jotting these down, I quickly came up with twelve. To begin, he emphasized the spiritual nature of God, the importance of forgiveness, acknowledging the intuitive promptings of the Father, accepting that it’s the Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom, the need for faith, the attitude that you have already received what you ask for in prayer, singleness of eye (imagination), letting go of spiritual preconceptions, the need to be born of spirit, persistence, don’t follow the crowd, and break the worry habit.

These ideas are scattered throughout the gospels and are not presented as a specific formula to follow. We’ll drill down into each one of these ideas in today’s talk. Here, I want to point out the mental and emotional emphasis Jesus put on his teachings. As a mystic, he would have focused on the importance of a firsthand experience with God. However, he would have also understood that many in his audience would not make this kind of breakthrough, but that would not prevent them from reaping the benefits of a spiritual change of mind.

If we think of God as Spirit, the creative life force that stirs in and through us at all times, we want to be aware that our mental and emotional atmosphere influences the way this creative energy displays in our life. When Jesus said it’s the Father’s good pleasure to give us the kingdom, we accept the truth that this creative process is bias toward our highest good. We do not think of prayer, as someone has suggested, as a means of overcoming God’s reluctance. We think of prayer as a way of cooperating with God’s willingness.

In light of the twelve principles I’ve listed, our prayer is grounding ourselves in these ideas at different times throughout our day. We develop a general attitude of optimism, or faith that greater good is now unfolding through our life. Jesus, of course, highlighted many other principles we can add to this list, but the important thing is to stay aware of how we are using our faculties of faith and imagination. Just the single thought that it is the Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom is enough to raise your level of expectation to a healthy place. The more of these principles work through your mind and heart, the better off you will be.

The Reluctant Messiah

Podcast: Episode 3: The Reluctant Messiah

In this episode we explore the notion of Jesus as Messiah. Even though the gospel writers portrayed him in this way, we explore some of the reasons Jesus himself might have rejected the role.

“Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself” (John 6:15).

He would have known that every self-proclaimed messiah had met the same tragic fate. Recalling that Jesus was a Jew, we look at the differences between Jewish and Christian concepts of the Messiah. Modern scholars know that the Christian Messiah was pieced together from various Old Testament passages those early followers of the Jesus movement insisted supported their belief.

Many sayings attributed to him suggest that Jesus was not the typical apocalyptic prophet but a Jewish mystic, a teacher whose ministry was dedicated to the mission of helping “break every yoke” and lift open-minded members of his peasant class from the drudgery of daily life. He introduced his audience to a new, spiritually empowering way of thinking of the kingdom of God as an underlying, ever-present reality, whose point of contact was centered in every individual. Because the region in which Jesus was raised was Hellenized—imposed Greek culture, language, and philosophy—it is not inconceivable that his understanding of the kingdom of God was influenced by Plato’s Theory of Forms. This major paradigm shift required a new birth, a new way of seeing and thinking of themselves and their relationship of oneness with God. This mission he drew from Isiah, which, according to Luke, he read at the outset of his public ministry.

“Is not this the fast that I choose:
    to loose the bonds of wickedness,
    to undo the thongs of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
    and to break every yoke?” (Isiah 58:6)

Breaking the Sin Connection

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The Jews of Jesus’ day saw a strong connection between disease and sin. The best example of this belief is when a young man, blind from birth, was brought to Jesus with the question, Who sinned, this man or his parents that he was born blind? We notice they did not inquire about his belief regarding the connection of the boy’s condition to sin. They made the assumption, and they wanted Jesus to name the guilty party. Jesus, of course, dismissed their question and took steps to bring about the healing.

On several occasions, before he spoke a healing statement, Jesus would tell the person that their sins were forgiven. I do not believe he was asserting special power over sin. He was breaking the sin connection, erasing the lifelong belief that their problem resulted from an offense against God.

I have pointed out that much of what we consider sin, our legal system would call a process crime, a crime, not against a person, but against the legal system itself. None of the so-called seven deadly sins—pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, and sloth—are actually illegal. They are considered sins against God, but they are really only sins against the religious system. Jesus made clear in his prodigal son parable that the Father does not take into account the sins of his son.

Jesus was a spiritual educator. His conscious connection with God gave him direct insight into what was true of God. When he said, for example, that you are judged by how you judge, he was saying that if you believe you sinned against God, then the first malady that pops up will prove you correct. If you live as if your sins are forgiven, or, better still, not even acknowledged by God, then you will relieve yourself of the associated anxiety.

It is good for each of us to see if we have some kind of sin connection going on. Do we associate negative conditions with negative thoughts or other shortcomings on our part? If so, let’s make sure we get God out of that formula. God is that consistent one presence and one power that we call upon to restore order where chaos may have erupted. Nothing we say our do changes God’s changeless behavior. In other words, our sins are forgiven.