“If when one prays his prayer is a recognition of Spirit’s Omniscience, Omnipotence, and Omnipresence, and a realization of man’s unity with Spirit, then his prayer is a spiritual treatment.” – Ernest Holmes

It’s been a primary part of my work recently to remind others that the “go to” spiritual practice for us in New Thought is affirmative prayer, more commonly referred to, among those of us who are practitioners, as spiritual mind treatment. When I was studying to become a licensed practitioner, and ultimately a minister I spent a lot of my time looking at the use of prayer in faith traditions, and considering how it agrees or differs from the method we teach.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus offers this, which I believe is an explanation of affirmative and scientific prayer:

“Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for bread, will give a stone? Or if the child asks for a fish, will give a snake? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask them?” – Matthew 7:7-11

That is really the way it works. To activate the law of cause and effect purposefully we must set our specific intention and requirement in motion. This is done by asking, searching, knocking. The nature of the law is to provide in return the exacting demonstration of that thing in mind.

The law is infallible. It always gives in precise measure, and will never return a “stone” when we ask for “bread.”

I think sometimes we get lost in the asking, and let our willy nilly thoughts take precedence. As we begin the study of New Thought it is important to remember this adage: “You can’t get the ‘yes’ unless you ask.”

In the asking, I think it is important to understand one caveat: do not ask for anything that brings harm to another, and do not purposefully act in a way that brings harm to another. This brings us to this next part of the sermon.

“In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets.” – Matthew 7:12

If we were to scrap all other commandments, this would be the one to retain. This is, for me, the most important guidance to follow. This same idea, the Golden Rule, is also echoed in all faith traditions.

Is it easy to do all this? Not always. It’s work, but the payoff is a life of joy. But it IS work, until it’s not – and as you work to embody the principles they become a part of your being. When this happens, the work is no longer work, it’s just your being-ness!

“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who would take it. For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it.” – Matthew 7:13-14

We can easily get lost on the easy path, yet it may not be the most productive. To keep our minds focused on the constructive life is our work.

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns or figs from thistles? In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will know them by their fruits.” – Matthew 7:15-20

There are two things to know here. First, we must be on high-watch to release those things which lead us to believe in any sense of separation from the Infinite. The degree to which we give power to those things is the degree to which we live in disharmony.

The second part of this is to let go of that which doesn’t work for us in life (the bad fruit) and willingly accept the constructive (the good fruit). It is our work to make these determinations but to do so free of condemnation. We will know what works for us, and what doesn’t.

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name?’ Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers.” – Matthew 7:21-23

Seems harsh, huh? Well, remember that these are metaphors. Here’s what I really believe is being offered here: Our work is to personally embody, not to simply intellectualize. We can learn so much from our study, but until we activate our lives from the conscious perspective of the constructive, and purposeful use of creation for the “upliftment” of all humanity we are just spinning our wheels.

If there is a Divine will, I think it is this: LOVE, and act from love. When we do this we activate the creative process for the good of all. The time to start the journey of embodiment is right now.

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against the house, and it fell—and great was the fall!” – Matthew 7:24-27

The words of this sermon are guides and possibilities. It is up to those who hear the words to decide what to do with them and how to live them. Will they be rooted in our hearts like the house on rock, or are they just lovely considerations like the house built on sand?

Faith is the key to the entire teaching. We chose whether we rise or fall.

“Now when Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.” – Matthew 7:28-29

And we’ve reached the end of the Sermon on the Mount. I think, just as the crowds did, that it is an astounding call for us all to embody. I am grateful for the wisdom contained within, and strive daily to embody the principles as I understand them.

I look forward to what is next as we continue down this path of new thought, and deepened understanding together.