Tuesday, October 28, 2008

The Greatest Miracle in the World

by Dale Shumaker
4spirit@gmail.com

The Greatest Miracle in the World by Og Mandino is one of several of Mandino's inspirational business achievement books. We are all miracles and Mandino's shares insight from the conversation he had ongoing with a "ragpicker.".... an unusual person we would not quickly recognize as a mentor. Especially, an apparent pauper, counseling a wealthy magazine and book publisher. Here's a flow of thought in The Greatest Miracle which then concludes with the God Memorandum. This is commendably inspiring, and like the ragpicker expressed, I too found this book at a used book store, where the ragpicker said he got most of his books for his wealth of knowledge and wisdom.

"Every noble work seems impossible at first," Thomas Carlyle.

Every generation has talented, special people bearing a message in one form or another... that every human is capable of performing the greatest miracle in this world. Unfortunately many suffer from low self-esteem, settled for a life of mediocrity, live in despair and fight nights of tears. They are living in death, yet they need not remain in that state. They can come back from that state and live a life as they wish and attain all the true riches of life. The hand of God is on you and He can bring you out of living death.The ragpicker, Simon, found in stacks of old books the works of the "hand of God" that can help immensely to bring great miracles to your life.

The secret is to control your mind and how you think. We bring into life what we think about and dwell on the most. How is this done? Control what you allow to enter your mind. What we put in our minds will then bear fruit. By hearing and reading a thought or an affirmation over and over again will eventually imprint our thoughts and they will become a permanent part of our personality, and we will act on it in the future.

When we get down, it seems that self-help books became in great demand and they actually turned people around and then our country around. Books like Wake up and Live,The Power of Positive Thinking, How to Win Friends and Influence People. Our lack of self esteem has produce failure and is a universal sickness which always originates from anxiety, guilt or inferiority. Then people thrown themselves on the junk piles of life thinking no one cares about them. Although there are still two who care: "God and me; one in Heaven and one on earth," said Simon. Be the one on earth who cares with God in Heaven.

Simon created a "memorandum from God." This is a condensation of all the books he had stacked along the walls of his small apartment. He said to take 20 minutes every night and read it right before you go to sleep. Each day when you wake up these will be more and more the imprint of your mind. Each day you will change more and more and get more and more ideas, taking actions that will transform your life. Your miracle will show up.

Everything is attainable in life if you are prepared to give up, to sacrifice, to get it. Whatever you want to do, you can do it, if you want it badly enough. "How can you achieve any degree of self-esteem when you must spend most of your time and effort merely trying to survive." Our strength grows out of our weakness. You can resurrect yourself from a living death, to perform the greatest miracle in the world. Make this a better world for all of God's creatures. We have the power to control our minds and decide how our life is lived.

For earth to survive we each must be our own ragpicker, and pull people out of the junk piles of life. It must start with you first, then teach others.

The book has a surprise ending as the person Mandino was talking to, Simon, the ragpicker had mysteriously disappeared. He left a package for Mandino. It was the original copy of the God Memorandum. He said to follow four steps in using it.
1. Mark out 100 days on your calendar.
2. Take a safety pin and small piece of cloth, about an inch square, and wear this amulet on your label. This symbolizes that you are changing your life from the pins and rags of failure to the treasures of a new and better life.
3. During the 100 days, do not divulge the meaning of the pin and rag amulet.
4. Read the God Memorandum every night before you go to sleep during these100 days. Sleep in peace as the message goes deep into your mind that never sleeps. Let no excuse or reason cause you to fore go reading it every night.

Gradually over days, then weeks you will see changes emerge in your life.
The God Memorandum has four laws that will, over time, influence these changes:
Count your blessings.
Proclaim your rarity.
Go another mile.
Use wisely your power of choice.

The God Memorandum.
http://www.wowzone.com/godmemo.htm

Then this version of the God Memorandum has the Scriptures from the Bible they are based on. Read this one and look up the Scriptures. http://famguardian.org/Subjects/Spirituality/Inspiration/GodMemorandum.htm

The Scriptures say to meditate on His word Day and Night and all the greatness of God will be part of your life. (Joshua 1). All things you do will prosper and you will have victories in all of life's battles. To renew our minds takes a constant daily exposure to the principles of Spirit God reveals to us in the Scriptures. Read this every day and see what transpires as you become a totally new and transformed person.

Make a separate list of all the Scriptures cited in the second version above, and read these every day too... Read the Og Mandino version in the evening and start your day with the Scriptures. Life transformation takes a dedicated focus over time. The longer and more the dedicated, concentrated time devoted to this, the greater the levels of transformation and power coming into your life.


Those who seek God He will show deep secrets of His Kingdom and power to do great things, to do miraculous things. You will become a person of miracles.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

The Secret of the Ages... Jesus in Us

by Dale Shumaker
4spirit@gmail.com

The Secret of the Ages by Robert Collier is a book that those who were reading Think and Grow Rich, had right along side it. It was somewhat lost in the shuffle since first published in 1925, but has been republished. Collier was a minister who then began writing life success principles, and business success principles. Here's his view on things, which interestingly are also reflected in contemporary works of cutting-edge business success dynamics. As you look at the success series of Napoleon Hill, W. Clement Stone, and Robert Collier they all make frequent mention of Spiritual and Biblical principles. They saw Spiritual power as the deciding edge to exceptional accomplishments.

Life Principle is Collier's theme throughout. We are dynamic beings who create and can do it at much higher levels than we realize. We need only to use all that is make available to us to do it. He covers the dynamic of the mind principles and Spiritual principles into One cooperating system. The Life Principle is part of our existence on earth. It has unlimited resources, unlimited energy, unlimited LIFE! The whole purpose of existence is Growth... expression. This life source or Vital Force, as Collier calls it, exists to meet your needs when you need it, and at the level you need it.... not restricted by time, conditions, or magnitude.


The power to be what you want to be, to get what you want, to accomplish what you want is in you. You must learn how to tap it, but first you must realize that you possess the power, so your first objective is to get acquainted with it.


Our minds are made in three functions... the conscious mind, the subconscious mind, and the superconscious mind. The most powerful are the subconscious mind and superconscious mind.They work effortlessly, but we need to know how they work to reap the benefits of their power. Referring to the superconscious mind as the Universal mind, Collier points out the Universal mind is omnipotent. Given any desire that is in harmony with the Universal mind and you hold that desire in your thoughts, conscious mind, with a confident and serene faith to attract from the invisible domain the things you need to satisfy it. In the beginning was the "Word." God with the word, an invisible image of the God mind, created everything in the universe.


Today this is prayer. An image implanted of a desire, with faith that you ARE RECEIVING it, the thing you asked for, is fulfilled by Vital Force (or what the Bible calls Spirit) and brings it into being. Jesus cured the sick in the New Testament. He promised that we can do greater things than these. Where comes such power. It comes from the Divinity we all can connect to and utilize. And it can have a positive effect on others a distance from us. Jesus healed the Centurion's son by merely announcing the man's son was healed... without going to the Centurion's house where the boy was. In prayer, we can do the same.

To create anything of good requires four things:
1. The mental image of what you want.
2. Knowledge of the power you can consciously draw and pour that power into your mental mold.
3. Faith in your creative power, the ability to create, until what you see in your mental mold, the invisible, becomes reality.
4. Do something to make the subconscious believe that you have received what you believed. Taking a step, in this faith, about what you prayed for as if it already exists.

This is what created the universe, and we have this as part of our existence to do creation like this as well. God created the universe from nothing. We can exercise the same privilege and have His Force at work still today.

There is a power within you. You must first realize it exists and it is the source of all supply. This is the primal cause for everything. Then know what you want, and center your thought upon it with singleness of purpose. You start by knowing you can do anything. Ask and it will be done unto you.
Desire is the first law of gain. You can have anything you want badly enough. Find your desire, impress it on your thought, and it will begin opening doors for opportunity. This intensity of thought is prayer. Prayer is your sincere heart's desire. It starts with belief and ends with gratitude. Prayer is effective and it will be done if it is right for you to have it. According to your level of faith is the level it will be answered.

Successful prayer has within its formula.
1. Center your thoughts on the thing you want. Warm it with faith and nurture it with belief.
2. Read Psalm 91 and the 23rd Psalm that remind you of God's power and create a readiness in you to receive your answer.
3. Be grateful for God granting the favor you are asking for.
4. Believe and see it accomplished as fact. Remind yourself that "God is attending to that" and know that He is.

As this sincere conviction registers in your mind the Universal Mind brings you the answer to your prayers. Once your subconscious mind is convinced, you have what you ask for . You can forget it and go on to your next problem. Your mind will attend to bring what you ask for to you.

Continue to create pictures and put objects in display before you that remind you the answer is on the way. Before you go to sleep enjoy the pleasure of what you desire. Don't let doubt and fear come in. But confidently know your wish is working itself out and if there is nothing harmful in it, it will work out. Act on it by giving what you want. If you need money, give to a charity. Emerson said to do the thing, and you shall have the reward. Do this every night as you will see the wish you have will start to come into being in your life.

During the day see things as you desire them, not as they are. Daydream through out the day of what you want them to be. Practice daydreaming with a purpose. Get the picture fixed in your mind, see it. There is no limitation, only supply. But constantly throughout the day see it being carried out as you wish. We are Temples for the living God. Ask and receive and your joy will be complete, believe it.

The world without is a reflection of the world within, so what you think you are you become. The Scriptures say "as a man thinketh so he is." The successful man has no time to think of failure. He is too busy thinking up new ways to succeed. "There is nothing either good or bad," said Shakespeare, "but thinking makes it so."
"All things were made by Him (God), and without Him was not anything made that was made." Practice looking forward and always looking forward to something better. Your mind is like a radio tuned in to something all day long. Keep it tuned in to happy thoughts. Whatever you are tuned into is what the Vital Force will take you to.

The law of the universe is the law of supply. Nature is lavish in everything it does. Look at the heavens, just millions of stars. Nature supplies the birds and wild animals bountifully with everything they need. There is more than plenty for everyone. The world is our estate. It not only owes you a living but everything good you desire. You must demand it though. Learn to contact the power within that everyone is privileged to have and all these things will be added to you. Seek the ideas of the universe because it is there where there is great abundance. Use the resources of the universe purposely.

The essence of the law of supply is that you must think abundantly, see abundance, feel abundance, believe abundance. Let no thought of limitation enter your mind. Picture what you want, believe it, and forget your fears. Belief in limitation is the only thing that causes limitation. Supply is where you are and what you need. It is your position "All that the Father has is yours," said Jesus. What your heart desires is already yours. You can do anything right now that you may wish to do. The more you have to offer, the more flows to you.

Control your thoughts and you control your circumstances is the formula for success. It takes belief and the power of belief is faith. You can do anything you think you can. The mind will do every good thing for you and it will remove the mountains for you. Bring all your thoughts, your desires, your aims, your talents, into the storehouse... the law of infinite supply... and prove these blessings.

Reach out, stretch your mind, try to comprehend unlimited thought, unlimited supply. Plant the seed of desire, nourish it with a clear visualization of the ripened fruit, water it with sincere faith, but leave the means to the Universal Mind. Keep yourself in a state of receptivity and constantly be expecting good. Know that you can do it, and you will. You must see yourself doing it. Understand and believe. The chances of success are always measured by your belief in yourself. As you go to sleep, concentrate on your thought of the thing as you desire it. Believe that you have it, see yourself possessing it, feel yourself using it. Do this every night until you actually believe that you have the thing you want. When you reach this point, you have it.

Collier continues with what he calls the law of attraction. The law of attraction is service. We receive in proportion to what we give out. Cast your bread on the waters and it will return to you one hundred fold. So give out whatever you seek, and what you give out will come back many times the value or amount you gave out. Keep this thought on giving out greater value for what you get, and you'll never need to worry about making more for yourself.

There are three requisites in business.
1. The confidence in yourself and the knowledge of your power.
2. Initiative or courage to start the thing.
3. The faith to go ahead and do the thing in face of obstacles. We have the right of dominion over everything. Whatever you work for wholeheartedly, confidently, with singleness of purpose... you can get it.

You can overcome bad luck when you apply sincere desire, seeing yourself doing it, faith which is believing you have it, and gratitude for receiving it. Trust in the Lord, delight yourself in the Lord, and commit all your efforts to the Lord.

Your needs are met and their is an ark for every flood. Forget your worries, forget your fears and keep impressing to your subconscious and superconscious that your needs have been met. When you do, the superconscious mind will proceed to make it true. "Believe then you have received it and it will be yours." This is God's covenant to enact the Universal Mind unlimited in power and supply. Suggestion with belief is the agent through which all gifts are received, through which you can expect and receive all gifts.

The message of Jesus was that all men are equally children of God, with the same privileges and power of God's most honored son Jesus. Jesus came to reveal man to Himself. The Holy Spirit is a tongue of fire on you. Say aloud, "the Holy Spirit within me goes before me and opens the way. Infinite wisdom tells me just what to do." Say it and believe it.

Keep your tracks clear in your thinking. A River of Life wants to flow continuously and abundantly through you... supplying fresh water constantly. God is as we see Him and so according to our faith in Him will He be to you. The River of Life is a river of plenty. Be confident in it, believe in it, and it will carry you to the Isle of Plenty.

You have a right to be rich. The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand and Jesus said, I came that you have life and have it abundantly. Be unselfish, serve freely, and your spiritual development will keep pace to the what takes place within. You can do it and your obstacles will melt away as you apply the unlimited supply of life through the life principles. Start today and you will see the benefits start to unfold in your life right away.

More from Robert Collier at
http://robertcollier.wwwhubs.com/

In the Secret of the Ages, Collier outlined many principles that he called the secret of the ages.
The origin of most of his principles came from the New Testament teachings of Jesus.


Paul the Apostle said that the message through Jesus has been kept secret for ages. But goes on to say, here is the secret: Jesus lives in you. Colossians 1:27
Paul says that this secret kept secret for generations is now revealed through Christ.

"This message was kept secret for centuries and generations past, but now it has been revealed to God's people. For God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too."
(Colossians 1:26, 27 NLT)

And we do share in the riches of all there is in the Universe created by God Himself. There is unlimited supply, power, happiness in and for all.

Paul explains how significant this is when he explains how significant Jesus is to all the universe and everything ever created. This power is In Us.

"Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.
He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation,
16 for through him God created everything
in the heavenly realms and on earth.
He made the things we can see
and the things we can't see—
such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world.
Everything was created through him and for him.
17 He existed before anything else,
and he holds all creation together.
18 Christ is also the head of the church,
which is his body. He is the beginning,
supreme over all who rise from the dead.
So he is first in everything.
19 For God in all his fullness
was pleased to live in Christ,
20 and through him God reconciled
everything to himself.
He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth
by means of Christ's blood on the cross.
(Colossians 1: 15-20, NLT)

Now, think of what this indicates... Jesus actually living in you.
If all of the universe is created through Jesus who lives in us, what does that mean for us. And it is not just an individual thing.

Jesus came back in Spirit to dwell in another body. That body is now all of us united in His Spirit which form His body, a Spiritually connected body. So as we form relationships in this Spiritual connection, we do take on all of who Jesus is and was.

"All of you together are Christ's body, and each of you is a part of it."
(1 Corinthians 12:27, NLT)

We also have all His power as a body, a group, a tied together in mind and spirit group of people. When we are One in His Spirit, we have all the resources at our disposal that Jesus had and now has through us.

So when two or three come together in prayer, united in this Spirit Mind, we are Christ's expression now in all. Jesus then genuinely, and in all of His Power is in us, through us, and we can manifest its characteristics in all elements of our lifestyle.

If two of you agree here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you.
(Matthew 18:19, NLT)

God recognizes this as if Jesus Himself was making the request... when we share love as one. Ask, and it will be given to you, of even greater proportions that you can even imagine.
We can pray for someone at a distance from us and see the power of God perform miracles.... just like Jesus did for the Centurion's son. In faith, in belief, we just say the word and they are healed, the circumstances are transformed.

What's the secret... it's in our bonding, our unity, closeness in love, sharing all things with each other as not our own, our unity as one.... that's the secret. This is more effectively achieved through two people than 20. So the power is in the relationship, not the numbers. Power is released supernaturally through united love... as one. Loving someone as you love yourself. That's the secret to earth changing miracle power.

Uniting voice with just one more believer, can create transformation in any place, for anyone, about any condition that faces us. Jesus, as us, is indescribably powerful. We can't explain it as to why it works. When done in faith, and we are connected in love with those we pray with, all power of God's Heavenly Spirit is released to attend to the matter.

The result is miracles.
Let love abound in your life and really love others, by action, with your attitude from deep in your heart. This love bond creates miracles when we unite with this person we are in Love with, sharing love with, have this unbreakable bond of love between us. Expect miracles in your life. Love each other as Jesus loves and loved.Then you can pour all your faith out and expect miracles as you pray.

As Collier emphasized, when you pray, and see it fulfilled in your mind, hold to believing it is done and have unmovable faith... and then it IS done for you.

Be positive in your mental images as you pray, unite with another who does the same, and miracles will become common for you... in love, money, relationships, lifestyle, business, healings, emotions, and all we face in life.

Monday, October 06, 2008

Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude... Faith that Prevails

by Dale Shumaker
4spirit@gmail.com

Success through a Positive Mental Attitude by Napoleon Hill and W. Clement Stone is the civilization rebuilding sequel to Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. Hill originally wrote the Laws of Success in 1928, after 20 years of research as recommended by Andrew Carnegie, one of the richest men in the world. Then 7 years later he wrote his wealth building classic, Think and Grow Rich.

Stone picked up Think and Grow Rich in 1937 as America was digging its way out of a great depression. He distributed copies to all of his sales representatives. In 1951, Stone met Hill and they collaborated on Success through a Positive Mental Attitude. A life and business revitalizing work unprecedented in its long term contribution to the growth of wealth in America.

S. B. Fuller was one greatly influenced by Think and Grow Rich. Believing that poverty was only a mind set, of which he grew up in, Fuller followed the principles of Think and Grow Rich and bought a company of cleaning aides. He had no money to start. He sold soap for 12 years and saved all he could while living very frugal. His belief was that desire is the first step to obtaining wealth. He did, in buying a company for $150,000 and getting his final stage of the investment late into the night right before the offer expired.

He said three books highly influenced his life as he established the Fuller Brush company.The three books were the 1) Bible, 2) Think and Grow Rich, 3) and The Secret of the Ages. Fuller said, " you have everything to gain and nothing to lose by trying. Success is achieved and maintained by those with a Positive Mental Attitude."

Success with a Positive Mental Attitude has these precepts outlined throughout.
Develop inspirational dissatisfaction. With PMA and desire you can do better.
With a positive mental attitude, you live life believing that every adversity has a seed of an equivalent or greater benefit. Greatness comes to those who have a burning desire to achieve high goals. Success is achieved and maintained by those who try and keep on trying with PMA. To become an expert achiever in any human activity takes practice, practice, practice.

Man's greatest power lies in the power of prayer.

Apply a positive mental attitude with the 17 success principles, of which PMA is the first.
1. Positive Mental Attitude
2. Definiteness of purpose
3. Going the extra mile
4. Accurate thinking
5. Self-discipline
6, The master mind (harmony of two or more minds)
7. Applied faith
8. A pleasing personality
9. Personal initiative
10. Enthusiasm
11. Controlled attention
12. Teamwork
13. Learning from defeat
14. Creative vision
15. Budgeting time and money
16. Maintaining sound physical and mental health
17. Using cosmic habit force (universal law, i.e., Spiritual power)

Create a positive picture of your future along with a definite purpose. What is your goal? What do you really want? When you fix this in your mind, it pushes into your subconscious mind. Then Universal Law goes to work for you. And things you want begin coming your way. You naturally start heading in right directions. Work becomes fun, with less stressful effort and results start mounting up. So with PMA all along you way, you begin attracting wealth.

When faced with a problem that involves another person, "I must first clear that up. This then opens the way for other benefits to make their way to me. Honesty is inherent in PMA. "Negative passions, emotions, feelings, habits, prejudices need to be cleaned from the mind, and these negative mental attitudes converted to positive mental attitudes. It takes positive, conscious auto suggestion to train your subconscious to be ready to receive the wealth that will come its way. You can then do anything, if you believe you can.

So what the mind can conceive and believe it can achieve through PMA.

With a Positive Mental Attitude we move from complaining or blaming to problem solving and idea innovation.
When faced with a problem use PMA...
1. Ask for Divine guidance. Ask for help in finding the right solution.
2. Engage in thinking time for the purpose of solving the problem. Remember that every adversity has the seed of an equivalent or greater opportunity, when you maintain a positive mental attitude.
3. State the problem, analyze and define it.
4. State to yourself enthusiastically... "that's good."
5. Ask yourself some specific questions: What's good about it? How can I turn this adversity into a seed of equivalent or greater benefit;or how can I turn this liability into a greater asset?
6. Keep searching for answers until you find at least one answer that can work.

The key to motivating yourself is hope. Hope is the desire of the expectation of obtaining something that is desired and belief that it is obtainable. Motives that inspire human action are self-preservation, love, fear, sex, life after death, freedom of body and mind, anger, hate, recognition and self-expression, and material gain.

Keep your mind on the things you should and do want and off the things you shouldn't and don't want. Practice the personal action starter, "Do It Now!"

Motivate others by motivating yourself. Give them inspirational books and activity knowledge. Stories of others and increasing the knowledge of the product or service helps others stay motivated. The more we learn and skills we acquire, the more we want to put them to work.

The shortcut to success is to think always with PMA and apply it to all the 17 success principles. When you master the 17 success principles with PMA, success is inevitable.

You attract wealth by giving of what you have. The more you give, the more it reciprocates in a greater number back to you. Write your goals, give yourself a deadline, set high standards, aim high and use PMA along the way. Take the first step, and apply PMA in difficulties as well as when things go well.

If you don't have money for an investment, you can use PMA and OPM, other people's money, to secure money you need. OPM is the way to acquire wealth. You must operate with the highest personal ethical standards with OPM.... that's with integrity, honor, honesty, loyalty, consent and the Golden Rule.

Riches beyond your wildest dreams will come when you have a Magnificent Obsession. Your magnificent obsession is developing an obsession to serve others. Share yourself without expecting a reward, payment, or commendation. Keep your good turn a secret. Try as you will to avoid payment for your good deed... blessings and rewards will be showered upon you. Share what is good and desirable and withhold what is bad and undesirable. Be part of a great cause.

There is something better than making a living, it is making a noble life. Anything in life worth having is worth working for. Money is not evil but the love of money is. The evil is not using money for noble things. What you share with others will multiply, what you withhold will diminish.

HIll and Stone show how PMA gives you endless energy, brings good health and contributes to living longer, attracts happiness and living with a sense of happiness, and it rids guilt feelings. Listen to advice and count your blessings. Character can be caught and taught.

They provide a test on your own success quotient. With a positive mental attitude you awaken the giant within you. The highest ideal of man is the will of God. Hill and Stone conclude Success through a Positive Mental Attitude with a biography of must read books to stay in the positive frame of mind. The first recommendation is the Bible followed by 64 other titles. When you need to sharpen your PMA, read a good inspirational, self-help book. They constantly recommend, in about every chapter of Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude, to read PMA inspired books and constantly taking action on the thoughts you get when reading them.

This is an inspiring work with a never ending influence since written in 1960 and will probably remain as a constant re-read to have the power of a positive mental attitude working in your life. Just picking it up and reading a chapter, renews a spirit of belief and hope and action to make a difference in life and the world. Note the Napoleon Hill Foundation website:
http://www.naphill.org/
And their outline of the 17 success principles...
http://www.naphill.org/points/

Faith That Prevails
God wants us to live with a stubborn positive mental attitude. The Bible calls it faith. The Belief and Knowing something will turn out good even though the resulting image is still in the mind. But even though the positive image of the outcome we want is in the mind, we just know it will happen that way.

It is equally important to dispel the thoughts that are destructive, non-productive. We must not only expel them but literally kill it. As Jesus said that we must die to the world of criticism and defeatism, and live in faith and hope for things greater than what He did will prevail. Jesus said there will be problems in the world, but to be of good cheer, because He has overcome the world. Have Faith in Jesus working on your behalf.


Smith Wigglesworth wrote about Faith that Prevails, online at
http://www.smithwigglesworth.com/sermons.htm#ftp

Faith in God's Spirit at work in and around you, and throughout the universe, is the other dimension beyond the mental ability and capability, which is beyond comprehension. Here are Wigglesworth's views on Faith from Faith That Prevails, a positive mental belief in Spirit and its tremendous power at work in us.

"Without faith it is impossible to please Him; for he that comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is rewards them that diligently seek him." "I can see that it is impossible to please Him on any line but faith, for everything that is not of faith is sin. God wants us to see that the plan of faith is the ideal and principle of God. In this connection I love to keep in my thoughts the beautiful words in the 2nd verse of the 12th chapter of Hebrews: "Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith." He is the author of faith. God worked through Him for the forming of the world.

"All things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made." And because of the exceedingly abundant joy of providing for us so great salvation, He became the author of a living faith. And through this principle of living faith, looking unto Him who is the author and finisher of our faith, we are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even by the Spirit of the Lord. God has something better for you than you have ever had in the past. Come out into all the fullness of faith and power and life and victory that He is willing to provide, as you forget the things of the past, and press right on for the prize of His high calling in Christ Jesus."

"In Mark 11:24 we read, "What things you desire, when you pray, believe that you received them, and you shall have them." The previous verse speaks of mountains removed, difficulties cleared away. Veneering won't do. We must have reality, the real working of our God. We must know God.

We must be able to go in and hold converse with God. We must also know the mind of God toward us, so that all our petitions are always on the line of His will. As this like precious faith becomes a part of you, it will make you so that you will dare to do anything. And remember, God wants daring men, men who will dare all, men who will be strong in Him and dare to do exploits.

How shall we reach this plane of faith? Let go your own thoughts of defeat, and take the thoughts of God, the Word of God. If you build yourself on your own imaginations you will go wrong. You have the Word of God and it is enough. A man gave this remarkable testimony concerning the Word: "Never compare this Book with other books. Comparisons are dangerous. Never think or never say that this Book contains the Word of God. It is the Word of God. It is supernatural in origin, eternal in duration, inexpressible in value, infinite in scope, regenerative in power, infallible in authority, universal in interest, personal in application, inspired in totality. Read it through. Write it down. Pray it in. Work it out. And then pass it on."

"I want to tell everyone about the Lord's healing power. Have you no tracts on this subject?" "Matthew, Mark, Luke, John--they are the best tracts on healing. They are full of incidents about the power of Jesus. They will never fail to accomplish the work of God if people will believe them.

"All lack of faith is due to not feeding on God's Word. You need it every day. How can you enter into a life of faith? Feed on the living Christ of whom this Word is full. As you get taken up with the glorious fact and the wondrous presence of the living Christ, the faith of God will spring up within you. "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God." (Rom. 10:17)

"Humanity is a failure everywhere. But when humanity is filled with divine power, there is no such thing as failure; and we know that the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is not a failure. There are two sides to this Baptism: the first is, that you possess the Spirit; the second is that the Spirit possesses you.

This is my message at this time--being possessed by the Baptizer, and not merely possessing the Baptizer. There is no limit to the possibilities of such a life, because it has God behind it, in the midst of it, and through it. I see people from time to time very slack, cold, and indifferent; but after they get filled with the Holy Spirit they become ablaze for God.

Surely, this is the ideal and the purpose of this great plan of salvation for man--that we might be filled with all the fullness of God, and become ministers of life, God working mightily in us and through us to manifest His grace--the saving power of humanity.

So you will find out that, with the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, you will be in a position to act when you have no time to think. The power and working of the Holy Spirit is of divine origin. It is the supernatural, God thrilling and moving one with the authority and power of almightiness, and it brings things to pass that could not come to pass in any other way.

"It is no longer I that live, but Christ lives in me." I believe that God wants to make real to us all this ideal of humility where we so recognize human helplessness and human insufficiency that we shall rest no more on human plans and human devices and human energy, but continually look to God for His thought, for His voice, for His power, for His all-sufficiency in all things.

A man filled with the Holy Spirit is no longer an ordinary man. A man can be swept by the power of God in the first stage of the revelation of Christ so that from that moment he will be an extraordinary man. But to be filled with the Holy Spirit, he has to become a free body for God to dwell in, and to use, and to manifest Himself through.

So I appeal to you, you people who have received the Holy Spirit, I appeal to you to let God have His way at whatever cost; I appeal to you to keep moving on with God into an ever increasing realization of His infinite purpose in Christ Jesus for His redeemed ones until you are filled unto all the fullness of God. The child of God must catch the vision anew every day. Every day the child of God must be moved more and more by the Holy Spirit. The child of God must come into line with the power of heaven so that he knows that God has his hand upon him.

Here it is, the blessed Word of God, the whole Word, not part of it, no, no, no! We believe in the whole of it. We really have such an effectiveness worked in us by the Word of life, that day by day we are finding out that the Word itself gives life; the Spirit of the Lord, breathing through, revealing by the Word, giving it afresh to us, makes the whole Word alive today. Amen. So I have within my hands, within my heart, within my mind, this blessed reservoir of promises that is able to do so many marvelous things.

God is making people hungry and thirsty after His best. And everywhere He is filling the hungry and giving them that which the disciples received at the very beginning. Are you hungry? If you are, God promises that you shall be filled.

Seek this vision from God, and keep it ever before you. Pray the prayer that the apostle Paul prayed for the Ephesian believers, as recorded in Ephesians 1:17, 18, 19, "That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, having the eyes of your heart enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what the exceeding greatness of His power is to us who believe."