Behind every problem or difficulty lies the Truth of Being. This means that in spite of the appearance, you must believe that divine Mind is already healing the situation. Jesus said that when you pray, believe that you have received. Often we are so close to a problem that, spiritually speaking, we accept the cloudy day as a permanent state of climate, forgetting that the sunshine of divine Love and Power has never ceased to shine, although obscured for the moment.In prayer we remind ourselves again that, no matter how bleak or overcast the picture may be, we believe that in divine Mind there is nothing but good and therefore only good can express itself in these circumstances. The important thing is to raise your consciousness above the level where the difficulty seems to be, and put God there instead.Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father (Matthew 13:43).Actually, God is already “there” within the apparent problem(s). When we look for God where the problem is, we will find God “there”. Our desire should always be to see God in all things, even when God’s will does not mold itself to our wishes. This is the true spirit with which we are to confront life’s stormy times, according to the Bible.
Seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened; ask and it will be done.But first we must look; so we can see God in “there”.Seeing there,Z gardener
Archive for July, 2013
The Sunshine of God’s Love
Posted in Good Morning, tagged Faith, Spiritual on July 31, 2013| Leave a Comment »
Capitalize Your Disability
Posted in Good Morning on July 26, 2013| Leave a Comment »
Success consists in the overcoming of difficulties. All men and women who have made a success of any kind have done so by overcoming difficulties. There was a time when laying a telegraph line from New York to Boston presented many difficulties. Then there was a time when doing that was easy, but laying the Atlantic cable presented difficulties. Later on, marine cable laying became a routine business, but radio across the ocean presented problems that for a time were insuperable.
If you have a personal disability that seems to keep you from success, do not accept it as such, but capitalize on it and use it as the instrument for your success. H. G. Wells had to give up a dull underpaid job because of ill health, so he stayed at home and wrote successful books and became a world-known author instead. Edison was stone deaf and decided that this would enable him to concentrate better on his inventions. Theodore Roosevelt was a sickly child, very shortsighted and nervous. However, he worked hard to develop his body and became, as we know, a strong husky open-air man and big game hunter.
The owner of a fashionable dress business in London was the wife of a struggling clerk, who was stricken with tuberculosis. She had never been in business, and had no training, and found herself having to support a husband and two children. She started with nothing but good taste in clothes and a belief in prayer.
… To him that overcometh with I give to eat of the tree of life (Revelation 2:7).
We all face difficulties in our lives. It is the reality of physical existence. Yet, this too is part of God’s plan for us. It is how we deal with these rough times that define us and our problems. You see, without the tension and stress that comes with material existence, we would never grow or develop into the spiritual beings God created us the become.
When we see God in the midst of the difficulty, we then can see the blessings therein. Then, we can seek those blessings by following God’s will in how we respond to the trouble. We overcome the problem by using them to draw closer to God and God’s will for us.
Ask not “why me, Lord?”, but say “your will be done, Lord”. Then do it.
Capitalizing,
Z Gardener
When God Does Not Act
Posted in Good Morning on July 25, 2013| Leave a Comment »
We all believe that the love of God is invincible. We all believe that His intelligence, His knowledge, and His power are infinite. We all believe that God cares for us to a degree beyond imagining, and that each one of us is equally precious in His sight. Yet, in many cases healing and harmony do not follow from this knowledge. Why is this?
In more cases it is because we have forgotten that these qualities have to be embodied in ourselves before they can appear in our lives. To know of them as existing in God is not sufficient. We must be seeking to express them in our personal lives before they can do anything for us.
The only way to know God is to seek to express Him in our lives.
It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord … to show forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night (Psalm 92:1-2).
To express God in our lives we must live according to God’s guidance and will. Then we will demonstrate all of the power and promise that God gives us. Then we will walk in the garden created for us.
Expressing God,
Z gardener
The Spiritual Basis
Posted in Good Morning on July 24, 2013| Leave a Comment »
One is on the Spiritual Basis or he is not, for there is no half-way house in this.
You are on the Spiritual Basis:
If you definitely give all power to God, in the most literal, practical, and matter-of-fact sense of the phrase.
If you really believe that prayer can do anything.
If you really believe that your happiness and well-being are vitally important in the eyes of God.
If you realize whatever ideas and beliefs you accept must be expressed in your surroundings, and in all your relationships and activities.
If you try to see the Presence of God everywhere.
If, in short, you understand that you are in a mental universe, that things are thoughts, and that one’s life history is fundamentally the expression of his belief about God.
Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you (James 4:8)
Spirituality is the true reality. Our material lives are merely the physical effect of the spiritual cause. Similarly, thought is the cause of which material manifestation is the effect.
Being spiritual,
Z gardener
Prayer Is Always The Answer
Posted in Good Morning, tagged Faith, Spiritual on July 23, 2013| Leave a Comment »
Prayer is always the solution. No matter what kind of difficulty may be facing you, no matter how complicated your problem may seem – prayer can solve it. Of course you will also take whatever practical steps seem to be indicated, and if you do not know what steps to take, prayer will show you. Prayer is constantly bringing about the seemingly impossible, and there is no conceivable problem that has not at some time been solved by prayer.
When we remember that God really is omnipotent, untrammeled by what we call time or space or matter, or the vagaries of human nature, it is easy to see that there can be no limit to the power of prayer. You can pray about a problem and solve it at any stage, but of course, the earlier you tackle it the easier will your work be.
… The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much (James 5:16).
Note, the scripture refers to “effectual” prayer of a “righteous” man. This is key and it by no means indicates the need for someone to be perfect. It simply means that the prayer must be heartfelt and charged with feeling. It also means the person saying the prayer must be acting rightly in their prayer. In other words, properly motivated. When we pray with proper intent and pray because our hearts move us to pray, then it”availeth much”.
Now a witness. In the past month, this writer’s garden has been visited by a family members untimely loss, ravaging illnesses and debilitating traumas striking beloved infants, middle aged and mature friends and family. Through it all, God’s miracles have been visited upon this writer’s garden upon anyone’s request and oftentimes, instantly. These miracles were not sought for self by anyone, but always for others and their needs. While these miracles came instantly in critical cases, in other cases they came just in time for the best good of all.
Then, these same miracles began healing those who prayed for the others. And now, they continue to grow into a brilliant garden blossoming with loving thoughts, selfless acts and true heartfelt love. These “effectual” prayers of “righteous” ones availed not only the direct miracles, but also those that sprouted in the garden of each prayer’s heart.
Prayer is always the answer.
Amen,
Z gardener
Mental Drudgery Is Not Prayer
Posted in Good Morning, tagged Faith, Spiritual on July 17, 2013| Leave a Comment »
Expect more from you prayers. The power of your prayer depends upon the amount of faith that you yourself have in it. To pray in the spirit that “even if this prayer does not do any good at least it cannot do any harm,” is not, really, to pray at all.
Have enough faith in the love of God to believe that a short heartfelt prayer is just as good as a long one. Too long a session of prayer usually means the in your heart you really doubt the love of God, and think that a great deal of effort and toil will be necessary to move Him. Pray quietly and sincerely for a reasonable time – and then leave the matter, expecting success.
O Lord, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou has done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth (Isaiah 25:1).
We should not believe in prayer because we pray hard or well. We should believe in prayer because it demonstrates our dependence on God’s promise to answer them. Prayer is our response to God’s invitation. When we say yes and turn to God for our help, then we demonstrate belief and God responds to our faith and belief.
Praying with faith,
Z gardener
Is It Selfish?
Posted in Good Morning, tagged Faith, Spiritual on July 16, 2013| Leave a Comment »
Is it selfish to pray for yourself? Some people think that it is, and say that you should pray only for others, but this, of course, is a foolish idea.
You must pray for yourself constantly. How could it be otherwise? We worship God by believing in Him, trusting Him, and loving Him wholeheartedly – and we can attain to that only through prayer. The sole object of our being here is that we may grow like him – and we can do that only through prayer.
The more we pray for ourselves the more power will our prayers have for any other purpose whatever; so praying for ourselves is the reverse of selfishness – it is truly glorifying God.
Bow down thine ear, O Lord, hear me: for I am poor and needy … Rejoice the soul of thy servant; for unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul (Psalm 86:1, 4).
Lord, let each of us learn to pray for every child of God including ourselves. Let those prayers become the language we develop to speak with you. And, Father, let those prayers perfect in each of us your Holy Spirit. Amen.
Praying for all,
Z gardener
What Is Seeking The Kingdom?
Posted in Good Morning, tagged Faith, Spiritual on July 11, 2013| Leave a Comment »
Seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you (Matthew 6:33).
The principle that Jesus expressed in these words is the basic law that underlies all answer to prayer. Many people know this in theory but are confused about putting it into practice. They think, “I will ignore this problem and think about God instead.” Here there is a subtle mistake, because they are really thinking of their problem as existing in one place, of God as existing in another, and of themselves as going in thought from the first place to the second place. This, of course, is by implication to reaffirm the existence of the problem in its own place, and such a belief will not heal.
What we have to do is to seek the Kingdom in the very place where the trouble seems to be. We have to know that in Truth and reality it is not there, because God is there. When we succeed in doing this, the difficulty disappears.
Even in the midst of our worst troubles God is there. God is ready to show us our blessings, even those wrapped in our greatest heartbreaks. God is also hurting with us in our pain; suffering for us, just as our loved ones here suffer with us.
So, if we look for God in the midst of our troubles, he will be there. When we find God there, our troubles will become our blessing.
Looking for God,
Z gardener
A Treatment Is An Operation
Posted in Good Morning, tagged Faith, Spiritual on July 9, 2013| Leave a Comment »
The word treatment is usually applied to a prayer that is made for some specific purpose, as distinct from a general prayer, which is really a visit with God. You must remember that a treatment is a definite practical action, having a definite object and a definite beginning and end. It is in fact a surgical operation on the soul.
Let us suppose that you decide to heal a certain difficulty by prayer. You know that your difficulty must be caused by some negative thought charged with fear and located in the subconscious mind. You therefore turn to God, and remind yourself of His goodness, His limitless power, and His care for you. As you work the fear will begin to dissolve, and the awareness of the Truth corrects the erroneous beliefs themselves.
Thank God for the healing that you believe will come – and then keep your thought off the matter until you feel led, after an interval, to treat again.
He sent his word, and healed them … (Psalm 107:20).
Father, we know your goodness, limitless power and love for us is infinite. We know that this goodness, power and love is capable of all things. We are facing a difficulty charged with fear that is in our subconscious and conscious selves. We thank you for the healing that we believe will come. Send your word and heal us. Amen.
In treatment,
Z gardener
God Works With Joy
Posted in Family Faith, tagged Faith, Spiritual on July 8, 2013| Leave a Comment »
Don’t pray or meditate as a duty. Realize that prayer is a visit with God and should be joyous.
Neither must you pursue your secular activities as necessary duties to be gotten over, that you may return to your prayer. In the light of Truth, there are no secular activities.
You must have regular recreation or you will become stale. Recreation, also, is to be enjoyed – as an expression of God – and not as a task to prepare yourself to pray better. An understanding joy in living is the highest prayer of all.
…in thy presence is fullness of joy… (Psalm 16:11).
If our relationship with God is not joyful, its not God’s fault. If our relationships in life are not joyful, it is not someone else’s fault. We chose to live with joy or not. Its just that simple.
If we want more joy in our lives, then we must chose joy, live with joy and spread joy to others. That all starts with a thought. Think joy and live in the garden God created for us.
Thinking joy,
Z gardener
Good Morning Garden 