MESSAGE
A summary of the Sunday worship message delivered on March 8, 2015
Every one of us is born with an impulse to grow and succeed. In the same way that a seed has the genius and wisdom to grow into something when it is placed in the soil, we all have an innate impulse to grow into the best we are meant to be.Mar
So with that natural impulse and desire inside, why do so many of us get “stuck” in life? What is it that stops us from achieving the kind of life we want, and experiencing the kinds of change and improvement that we seek?
For most of us, it comes down to one simple principle that we don’t always understand and use … a principle that affects the quality of our relationships, financial success, peace of mind and fulfillment. Earl Nightingale, in his program “The Strangest Secret,” expressed it beautifully when he said, “You become what you think about.” He said, “Our environment, the world in which we live and work, is a mirror of our attitudes and expectations.”
We’ve heard this principle expressed in so many different ways in Scripture, as in the verse, “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.” A key Unity principle states, “Thoughts held in mind produce after their kind.” Numerous books like The Power of Positive Thinking and The Power of the Subconscious Mind have all underscored this same principle.
Popular Unity minister and author Eric Butterworth says the mind is actually the difference between man and the infinite: that it is through our thinking that we are able to tap into the mind of God … to the infinite wisdom, inspiration and unlimited possibilities of God! Our minds are the greatest gift that God has given us; they grant us the power to create and attract greater things in our lives. In Sanskrit the word “man” actually means “to think.” We are here to be creative thinkers! Our thoughts create our beliefs, our reality and our experiences. As we think, so we become. As we think a new thought, we are becoming a new experience. Our thoughts create in this way over and over and over again!
Studies show, however, that we don’t always use the power of our minds positively or constructively. The National Science Foundation estimates the average person has up to 50,000 thought a day … and only 20% are positive. The other 80% tend to be negative in nature: obsessing over mistakes we’ve made; worrying about the future; regretting the past; battling guilt, shame or unworthiness; or simply nonsensical and unproductive.
Moreover, studies show that 95% of the thoughts we think on a given day we also thought the previous day! So we have patterns of thinking the same thoughts over and over and over again!
So, when we want to change and improve our lives, it’s really not surprising that we don’t progress a quickly or effectively as we would like.
Scripture tells us over and over not to have thoughts of worry, fear and anxiety, because like attracts like. If we are worried and anxious, we attract and create more worry and anxiety in our lives. Job in 3:25 says, “What I have feared has come upon me; what I dreaded has happened to me.” This demonstrates the principle in action: we become what we think about. If we’re afraid we’ll get hurt in a relationship, we will get hurt in a relationship. If we’re afraid that we’ll lose our money, we will lose our money. When we hold fearful thoughts, we actually attract the things we fear!!! That is why it is so important to always think positive thoughts that are worthy, honorable, loving and successful, because those thoughts will attract more good into our lives.
That’s what the Apostle Paul meant in Romans 12:2 when he said,“Do not conform to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Our thoughts truly can transform our lives!!!
This week we are in the third week of our seven-week Easter/Lenten worship series, “Preparation for Transformation.” The series is based on the 40 days that Jesus spent in the wilderness praying and preparing himself for his ministry, which culminated in the miraculous event of Easter. That time in Jesus’ life is a model for us all to do the inner work and spiritual preparation necessary to create miracles in our lives. Everyone has the will to win but not everyone has the will to prepare; we all want the result without having to do much work. This series is about doing the inner work that will allow us to have breakthroughs in our own lives.
The first week of the series we talked about the importance ofbreathing deeply to slow down, become calm, open our heart, and connect with God’s Spirit. The second week we talked aboutfasting: the discipline of giving up, not only food, but whatever we have been cramming into our lives that isn’t good for us.
This week, we are talking about feasting. When we fast/clear ourselves of things we don’t need, we open ourselves to more good and free up energy that we can start directing toward better, more fulfilling activities. What can we do with all of that new energy? What positive ideas can be focus and feast on to create and attract greater things into our lives?
Many of us buy into a lot of limiting thoughts about life and ourselves that simply aren’t true. We have been taught that life is hard; life is unfair; the world is a dangerous and scary place. We’ve been conditioned to believe that there’s not enough love, time, energy and money for everyone. It’s important to free ourselves from these limiting thoughts beliefs. That’s why Jesus said in John 8:32, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
The basic things that keep us from being happy are the false beliefs we hold about life. We believe we need other’s approval to be happy. We believe that we can only be happy when we achieve certain material or external things, like money, a relationship, a good job, a big house, or when we lose weight or get an education. We believe we can only be happy when everything is going our way. We think we can’t be happy if we have suffered something horrible in our past. These type of beliefs are what actually prevent us from prospering and progressing with our lives.
Outer success and achievements can never feed our souls. True happiness can only come from within. The only thing that will bring us lasting joy and true fulfillment is to connect with God and know our Oneness with the Divine. Seeking God with all of our hearts is what brings us a level of peace, clarity, wisdom and fulfillment that nothing else in life can. The soul is always seeking more of itself. That’s why the Beatitudes say, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.”
We spend a lot of our lives seeking external things that we think will make us happy, but what we are really seeking and searching and thirsting for is God! This is what Jesus meant in Matthew 6:31-33 when he said, “Do not worry, saying ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you, as well.”
If you want happiness, joy and fulfillment, seek the very Source that makes everything possible. Seek God, and all the good you seek will flow effortlessly into your life. Stop chasing the outer elements, and start turning within, and you will begin to be filled in an amazing way. Psalm 37:4 says, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Would you be willing to take some time to stop, quiet your mind, and just delight yourself in God? To fill yourself with the infinite goodness of Spirit? To feed yourself from the Source of all things and feel the peace that surpasses all human understanding?
There is nothing else in the world that can bring us that level of peace, joy and wisdom. And the more you feast upon God, the more will begin to know and experience true joy and happiness.
Delighting in and feasting on God also re-connects us to the truth of who we are. We are amazing spiritual beings! We have been created in the image and likeness of God! We have been created in the image and likeness of love, joy, peace, wisdom, unlimited abundance and all that is good. That is who we are!!! But too many of us still believe that we’re damaged, flawed, unlovable and unworthy. We limit ourselves with beliefs that we don’t deserve greatness or success or money. Many of us have been taught that we are miserable sinners who don’t deserve the grace of God. That is profoundly untrue and unhealthy, and causes us to sell ourselves short on the magnificence of who we are. It causes us to sabotage our own success because at some level we don’t feel we’re worthy of it.
Feeling completely worthy is about connecting with the Spirit within. When we connect with that Spirit, it changes our awareness and perspective of ourselves. We understand that we don’t have to prove ourselves, because we’re already whole, perfect and complete. There is no separation; we are in perfect alignment with Spirit, the Source, with all that is good.
Scripture tells us, “You are the light of the world.” “You are the temple of the living God.” “God’s Spirit dwells in you.” “The kingdom of God is within you.” We are not helpless, weak, incapable, inferior beings. We need to feed our minds on the truth that we are perfect children of God. Each and every one of us is a brilliant spiritual being, created to accomplish miraculous things.
A famous Marianne Williamson quote states, “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.“
Do you realize how absolutely powerful you are? Are you willing to own your own magnificence, and let your light shine? Each of us has a responsibility to own our greatness and let it shine. Hiding our light and rejecting our own greatness doesn’t serve the world. It limits not only us, but the people around us. It limits our families, our children, our world. We are here to let our light shine and to help liberate one another. The truth shall set us free!!!
There is something great in you that the world is counting on you to express. And the more you feel worthy of that greatness, the more you are able to allow, accept and express it. Feed your mind with the truth of who you are, and delight yourself in God!
We all get “stuck” in life from time to time. But the way to get “unstuck” is to remember that our lives are a reflection of our thoughts. We become what we think about. All we need to do to change our lives is to begin to transform our minds through the things that we think.
This week, take time to anchor into the truth of who you truly are, and the truth that God is your Source. Seek God with all your heart, delight yourself in the Lord, and it will uplift and open you to greater joy and peace. God has granted you a spirit of power, love and self-discipline, and the ability to create an amazing life. Every one of us as the power to remove obstacles or to stay stuck … the power to create the good we desire, or to create more than what we want.
In the play, Auntie Mame, the title character says, “Life is a banquet, but too many suckers are starving to death.” Life is, indeed, a banquet filled with abundant blessings … it is a feast! Take time to realize just how abundant your life is, and how amazing you are. Take time to delight in God, and be fed by the truth of how worthy and magnificent you are! Open your heart and enjoy the feast!
God bless you all!
PRAYER
I open my heart, mind and soul to God, and seek the Source of all love, peace, clarity, inspiration, guidance and goodness. The kingdom of God is within me, and I am blessed with an infinite feast of all that is good. I feed myself with the truth of who I am. I am a child of God. I am worthy of God’s love. I am worthy of God’s best. I am an amazing spiritual being. I am the light of the world! I am brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous, and I am here to shine my light in the world. Thank you, God, for the ability to embrace your goodness, and create a miraculous life. Thank you for the gift of my mind, and its power to create and attract all that I desire. Thank you for the discovery of that power, and for the joy of allowing it to go to work in my life. Thank you, God. Thank you! And so it is. Amen.