When you examine the lives of the most influential people who have
ever walked among us, you discover one thread that winds through
them all. They have been aligned first with their spiritual nature and only
then with their physical selves. Albert Einstein (1879–1955)
Teach them the decrees and laws, and show them the way to live and
the duties they are to perform, Exodus 18:20 I will praise you with
an upright heart as I learn your righteous laws, Psalms 119:7 I have
chosen the way of truth; I have set my heart on your laws, Psalms
119:30 Your laws endure to this day, for all things serve you, Psalms
119:91 “This is the covenant I will make with them after that time,
says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write
them on their minds.” Hebrews 10:16
What are spiritual laws and how do we use them?
A law, or principle, is simply a basic plan in which to make something work.
This applies to all laws, whether spiritual, societal, physical, or natural. You have
to know where you are headed and agree to a plan in order to get there. In spiritual
matters, the plan comes to us naturally when we understand Spiritual Laws.
You may wonder why some people seem to glide through life while others
struggle with even the smallest of ideals and details. In every work, regardless of
its nature, there is a plan, a format, or design. The significant difference in those
who succeed and those who do not is that successful people stick to the plan.
They know and practice God’s divine laws whether they are aware of it or not.
If you are not sure where you are going, you will probably end up somewhere
else.
—Ancient Chinese Proverb
There was a man in the construction business who decided that he wanted to
own his own business of building homes. He had many years of construction
experience and the house plans. He talked constantly about how great life would
be if he could just realize this dream. His problem was that he liked to start work
late and get off early to meet his buddies at the local bar. He would sit for hours
talking about his dream to build homes rather than the repair work he currently
did. He had the knowledge to build the homes, but he did not have the format
that was required to get the business off the ground. His natural desires were not
in sync with his spiritual desires. He did not seek the divine plan first.
Men never plan to be failures; they simply fail to plan to be successful.
—William A. Ward (1921–)
An architect cannot erect a building without a set of blueprints, a coach
doesn’t win a game without a series of plays or strategies, nor does a salesman
make a production without knowing the set quota. Where there is success, there
is a plan to succeed. Had that man established a plan in order to realize his dream
of building homes, rather than only talk about it, he could have been successful.
Persistence is the twin sister of excellence. One is a matter of quality; the
other, a matter of time.
—Marabel Morgan (1937–)
In our Universe there are immutable laws in all branches of study; the sciences,
philosophy, theology, psychology, literature, the arts, and so on, including
spiritual or sacred laws. The spiritual or sacred laws are also called Universal
Laws. An immutable law is absolute, it cannot change. For example, in our
earthly realm, gravity is an absolute law: what goes up must come down. Polarity
is another example: like attracts like but opposites repel each other.
Without the spiritual world the material world is a disheartening enigma.
—Joseph Joubert (1754–1824)
We often think of the laws of the Spirit, or Universal Laws, as something ethereal,
or not of this world, when in fact these laws are concrete. You may wonder
where you can find these Spiritual Laws. It might surprise you to know that Spiritual
Laws have been a part of every religion, every culture, and society since the
beginning of time. They are tucked neatly within the pages of the Bible and
many other ancient manuscripts. These laws have been with us for eternity. They
are the laws that teach right thinking, right emotional responses, and right living—
and they are included in Part Two of this book.
In the last one-hundred years many books have been written about Spiritual
Laws. Society, as a whole, has now become more interested in how to live life
more fully. The past decade has exploded with thousands of seminars, speakers,
books, and movies that teach these laws. In this book, although there are additional
references listed in Appendix A, we will mainly look at some of the more
common laws. When we understand and practice these principles, life becomes
the rich blessing it was intended to be.
Do you know the laws of the heavens? Can you set up God’s dominion over
the earth?
—Job 38:33
While it is true that there are some who are successful without God being a
major part of their awareness, the principles of success they use are still a part of
God’s word and divine design. Some people have an innate knowledge of these
principles and because the guidelines are immutable, they work regardless of a
person’s spiritual or religious beliefs. Other people are trapped in a box of old,
hand-me-down thinking. They feel that life is hard and that nothing they do
matters. This type of thought and emotion goes against the truth of Spiritual
Law. What they do not realize is that with this old thought pattern, even in their
despair, they are also following a path governed by spiritual laws.
Most people grow old within a small circle of ideas, which they have not discovered
for themselves. There are perhaps less wrong-minded people than
thoughtless.
—Marquis de Vauvenargues (1715–1747)
When you think thoughts of despair, you act and feel despairing and hopeless.
It becomes a circle or cycle that must be broken in order for you to realize the
abundance that God intended His children to have. You may wonder why it is
important to have abundance.
We have inherited this trait, or desire for abundance, from our heavenly
Father. When you look at the world God created, it is evident that we come from
a long line of inherited prosperity. The trees, grass, flowering plants are all growing
in profusion. There are massive quantities of fish in the seas and animals on
the land. The population is exploding. There are more natural resources than we
could ever use. There is plenty of everything and that is abundance.
God created a planet of abundance and He did not intend for us to live with
scarcity or lack. He repeatedly told man to go forth and subdue the earth, the
plants, the animals, and everything that He had created for the welfare and edification
of humankind. God proclaimed it good, and it is all good.
God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening,
and there was morning—the sixth day.
—Genesis 1:31
Are you ready to inherit your good?
We have many misconceptions of wealth, abundance, and prosperity. Abundance
and prosperity is nothing more than having all you desire without limitations.
It is about having the freedom to do all that you desire, but mostly it is
about being all that you were meant to be. Wealth is the natural byproduct of
abundance. Wealth allows you to attain your higher purpose and calling.
Yes, you do have a higher purpose and calling! The desires of your heart lead
you to it. Life is meant to be joyful and enjoyable. Many today are living life in a
proverbial rut. They get up, go to work, wait for the payday on Friday, pay the
bills, buy the groceries, and do all the chores around the house over the weekend.
Then, back to work on Monday and work another week to have enough money
to pay more bills and buy more groceries. There is not even enough left at the end
of the month to take the family to the movies or the zoo.
It is a bare bones existence!
If you fit into this category, as many people do, you may not even be aware of
a higher calling. When you have your head down so far, it is difficult to see anything
higher than the ceiling. You may even feel that the idea of a higher purpose
is a luxury that you cannot afford. As a child of The King, life was not meant to
be drudgery for you.
Prosperity is not just having things. It is the consciousness that attracts the
things. Prosperity is a way of living and thinking, and not just having money
or things. Poverty is a way of living and thinking, and not just a lack of
money or things.
—Eric Butterworth (1916–2003)
What is s higher purpose and how do you find yours? You may wonder how
you would even recognize it. A calling or higher purpose is the very thing that
only you can do. It is an idea that you imagine doing with great joy. It is your
dream job or lifelong accomplishment though you have yet to accomplish it. You
have had glimpses of it over the years. Perhaps as a child it was the very thing you
wanted to be or do when you grew up. Maybe it still flashes through your mind
during quiet moments of reflection. You may look at it with longing but feel that
you can never attain it. Somehow this dream was forgotten or put aside as you
became busy raising a family and making a living.
When you look at the entirety of your life, past, present, and future, and see
yourself doing some action, service, or line of work that brings you a great joy,
this is ultimately your higher purpose. You are here to do that one thing because
no one can do it like you. Start to make a life, seek it, reach for it, and attain it!
Don’t be afraid of the space between your dreams and reality. If you can
dream it, you can make it so.
—Belva Davis (1932–)
“How?” you ask.
Hold onto it with your most passionate intent and desire. Let go of the limited
beliefs that have prevented you from realizing your dream. For example, you may
think it is too late to do the thing that sets your heart on fire. This is a limited
belief. You may feel that you don’t have what it takes anymore to realize your
dream. This is also a limited belief. You may feel you are too old or that you
haven’t done it in so long, you wouldn’t know where to start. This, too, is a limited
belief.
In Exodus 4:10-13, Moses expressed his fears when he told God that he was
not an eloquent speaker and that he could not possibly go to Pharaoh and speak
on behalf of the children of Israel. Moses begged God to send another to do the
very thing he was put on this earth to do. After Moses stepped forward to do as
God asked, he found what it took to do the job he had been groomed to do since
his youth.
We are sometimes like Moses. We think we cannot do the very thing we are
called to do. Whether it is start that new business, get that degree, write that
book, compose that song, or start the project we have wanted to do for
years—you have what it takes. You can dispel your fears and open yourself to the
possibility of new and unlimited beliefs. You can reach the desired goals and do
the very work you were created to do. Understanding the Universal Laws well
enough to incorporate them into your daily life is the beginning knowledge that
sets you on the path of reaching those goals, whatever they may be.
It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to
embrace the new. But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful.
There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement
there is life, and in change there is power.
—Alan Cohen (1940–2004)
What is the Universe, anyway? The Universe is all that you see and all that you
are. Everything in the Universe is energy or motion; every human being, every
plant, every tree, every animal, simply everything is energy. Universal energy is
constantly in motion, it is endless and eternal. It cannot be created nor destroyed.
It goes on and on and on. It cannot be contained or put in a box. Universal
energy is the life force of all living things. It is God’s energy! The summation of
God and everything in creation, including you!
Spiritual energy flows in and produces effects in the phenomenal world.
—William James (1842–1910)
Things are a lot less complicated than they first appear. The Universe, like
everything else in our ordered world, is governed by laws or guidelines. In the
public eye, when we follow the laws and guidelines, we are thought to be responsible.
For example, when you follow the laws of government such as, observe the
speed limits, wear your seatbelt, you experience safety for yourselves and for others.
When you follow society’s laws, work to provide for your family, be a nice
guy, and pay taxes, you experience respect from your peers. In following the Universal
laws or guidelines, you experience growth in all areas of your lives, spiritual
as well as physical and mental.
In experiencing spiritual growth, you cannot help but become more Christlike.
You give more and expect less. You help others and become your brother’s
keeper. You love more freely and easily without expecting anything in return.
To become Christ-like is the only thing in the whole world worth caring for,
the thing before which every ambition of man is folly and all lower achievement
vain.
—Henry Drummond (1851–1897)
By becoming more Christ-like, you prosper in all that you do. There is no
other way for the law to work. What you give comes back to you. If you give
more love, you receive more love. When you give more money, more money
returns to you. In the eyes of fellow Christians, to become more spiritual deems
respect and admiration. Aspiring to become more spiritual or Christ-like does not
necessarily relate to being pious or religious. Being more spiritual relates to the
vital life force of all things and becoming God-conscious.
People see God every day; they just don’t recognize Him.
—Pearl Bailey (1918–1990)
To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an
example that you should follow in his steps.
—I Peter 2:21
How can we become more Christ-like in today’s world? In the Bible, there are
verses here and there that become a roadmap to follow. We can emulate Christ if
we follow the same footsteps. Here are some examples:
• Isaiah 9:6-7 tells us to live a life of peace so that there will be no end to
peace on earth.
• Isaiah 53:3 lets us know there will be sorrow and grief to overcome.
• Zechariah 9:9-10 reminds us to be just, fair, and impartial in all things, to
desire peace for all people everywhere regardless of nation or race.
• Matthew 8:27 tells us we have inherited our Father’s qualities for we have
dominion over the elements, the wind, and the sea.
• Ephesians 1:22 reminds us that man is the head over the church. The
church does not head the individual.
• 1 Peter 3:22 tells us that we have authority over all things in heaven, even
the angels.
• Matthew 1:1 tells us that we are all the children of Adam, just as Jesus was
the descendant of the line of David and Abraham who were of the line of
Adam as well.
• Galatians 4:4 states that we were all born of a woman in the natural way
of things, just as Christ was.
• Philippians 2:8 reminds us that, like Christ, we will all die and return to
our Father.
• 1 Timothy 2:5 tells us that we should mediate for others through prayer.
• Romans 8:3 tells us that we are no longer under the Old Testament law of
physical and spiritual regulations or diet and separation from others.
• Philippians 2:7 tells us to serve in any manner that we can by using the
talents and gifts at our disposal. If you sing, sing; if you hammer, hammer.
• Luke 9 tells us that we have the same power to perform miracles as Jesus
Did
Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and myself founded empires; but what
foundation did we rest the creations of our genius? Upon force. Jesus Christ
founded an empire upon love; and at this hour millions of men would die
for Him.
—Napoleon Bonaparte (1769–1821)