Spiritual Solutions

Just a few weeks ago my wife and fellow Unity minister, Kathryn, and I were in Roanoke, Virginia, to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of Unity of Roanoke Valley, the ministry we founded and developed there. At the Sunday service, we were privileged to share some of the memories from the early days of our experiences in establishing that precious work and some of the challenges and joys in bringing it about.

Kathryn was the original founder of that church and I joined her a few weeks later, leaving my position as associate minister in Akron, Ohio, where I had served for just a short while. We were married in front of the budding congregation after a Sunday service that Kathryn presented on October 24, 1971.

Kathryn’s first Sunday message to the initial congregation was “The Nourishing of an Idea,” an appropriate title for what was to become a highly successful Unity ministry. The anniversary provided an opportunity for us to share some of the steps we took in those early days, weeks, months and years of the ministry to follow through and nourish the idea that is Unity, both within the individual and as a church. Let me just say it takes daring to step out with a deep inner desire and to follow through on an inner guidance as to what to do next. It most often seems that one step must be taken before the next step is revealed, and the outcome is not always certain.

I recall a top salesman talking about people asking him how he learned to sell, and I could readily identify with his response. He said: “I hardly know what to say. I have no formal education, or at least very little. I am far from being a smooth talker. But, I remember I wanted to sell so much I could taste it. And despite my seeming lack of qualifications, I kept daring to knock on doors daily. I read everything I could find about selling. I went to lectures and sales clinics. At first, I barely made enough to get by, but gradually I developed something like a sixth sense. The words I needed at a given time somehow seemed to flow into my mind seconds before I required them. Somehow from within I know how to present my product to different types of people in order to arouse their enthusiasm. Suddenly, instead of dreading my work, I came to look forward to it. Sales became more regular and I have to say it, and I say it without any idea of ego, I became one of the top men on the company’s list with the pay to match for many years.”

He put it very clearly when he said he developed a sixth sense. That’s what you and I need to develop. Can you imagine how different our lives could be if the words we needed at any given time, or the ideas, or guidance would flow into our minds seconds before we required them? I’m here to tell you that you can develop such a sense, call it what you will. Developing this sense is what the whole process of Truth is all about. There is a creative process that is within us all; this process when challenged by our daring efforts promptly reveals the answers we need.

 It is possible to live and work with such perfect accord with spiritual law that inspiration goes beyond present knowledge. However, the Infinite can do no more for you than it can do through you. A kind of preconditioning of your mind is required in order that the divine ideas may flow. Inspiration comes only to those who are thoroughly prepared. The impulse of inspiration is perfect at its source, but without preparation its appearance in the human mind into manifestation may be distorted and, therefore, valueless.

Charles Dickens explained that often his interior consciousness would tell him a story piece by piece like a serial, and all the time keep him ignorant of the ending. This happened only after Dickens had prepared himself through years of conscious story-plotting. Even after he received his inspiration, Dickens’ smooth writing was the result of hard, conscious work, rearranging scenes, rewriting phrases, and eliminating unimportant material. Inspiration was of value to Dickens only because he had prepared himself to make use of it.

The cultivation of the inner genius within us is a logical, intensive preparation for success. There is a great, all-encompassing, intelligence in the Infinite which surrounds and penetrates; this intelligence is not only around us, but it is our own higher potential. It is our privilege to employ as much of this intelligence as we can successfully channel through our own minds. We study, not to acquire knowledge, but to condition our minds to perceive and use knowledge. What is required of us is a continual endeavor of its expression, and finally a readiness to learn from experience.

There is no way of knowing for sure when we may be blessed with fulfilling inspiration, but we do know that there is only one real creator. To succeed in the fullest we must dare to express the innate perfection of the Infinite. It is up to us to follow through on our desires, on the inspirations that come to us in regard to them. We must do everything within our power to prepare ourselves for the fulfillment of our desire. If we appear to fail, we must not give up, but must try again and again. The power to fulfill our heart’s desire is always present, but its activation is dependent upon sincere effort.

Remember, God is Blessing You, Right Now!

Rev. Alan A. Rowbotham

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Rev. Alan A. Rowbotham, a Unity minister for over forty years, invites you to enjoy more articles and/or subscribe to his free inspirational newsletter, “Spiritual Solutions,” at www.spiritualsolutionsblog.com

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In a recent article, I referred to this scripture found in Proverbs,

“Where there is no vision, the people perish; but blessed is he who keeps the law.” (Proverbs 29:18)

In that article I focused on the first part of the proverb, and today I want to focus on the second half of the proverb, “. . . blessed is he who keeps the law.”

What does it mean, to “keep the law”? The scripture is referring not to man-made law, but to Divine Law.

We live in a Universe of Law, the same law that enabled Jesus to do the great works attributed to him. He said, “I came not to destroy the law but to fulfill it.” Jesus did not abrogate Divine Law, he simply revealed a higher potential of Divine Law or spiritual law that as yet humankind is for the most part unaware of. It’s really up to us to become more aware of spiritual law and its influence in our lives and affairs.

When Jesus said, “I came that you might have life, and that you might have it more abundantly,” he meant what he said. It’s up to us to have a greater awareness of God and have a greater demonstration of God’s good in our lives, for then we are “keeping” the law and we are truly blessed in every aspect of our lives.

Let’s take a look at a couple of examples in the scriptures which outline an important key to demonstration. The first is one of “keeping the law.” In II Kings, chapter four, there is the story of the woman who came to the prophet Elisha in desperation. She was a widow, and her creditors were threatening to sell her children into slavery. Elisha said to her, “What do you have in the house? And she answered, “I have nothing in the house, except a jar of oil.” He told her to borrow vessels from all her neighbors and pour out into these vessels from the jar of oil. She did this and filled all the empty vessels, and upon Elisha’s further direction she sold the oil and paid her debts and lived on the rest of the income. This was “keeping the law” through the working of the Law of Abundance.

The other example of Divine Law is a promise found in the fourth chapter of Philippians, where Paul says, “And my God shall supply every need of yours according to His riches.”

The Law is: There is abundance. The promise, or blessing, is: And my God shall supply every need of yours. The supply is always equal to the demand. But we must make the demand upon the supply before it can be received by us; in other words, we must provide the vessels by which the oil will be increased. You must create a demand so that the supply that is there can fill it. A need is a demand upon supply; it is a vacuum, and nature abhors a vacuum. Get rid of what you don’t want to make room for what you do want.

My wife and I are in that process as we speak, getting rid of some things that we don’t want so that new good substance can begin moving in. We are creating a vacuum.

Know this: whenever we dare to form a vacuum – whether visualized in the mind or in tangible form – the substance of the Universe rushes in to fill that empty space. This is a fundamental spiritual law. It’s a very simple principle, but it is very important.

Remember this – if you want to make change in your life, you must make room for the improvement. Root out those false beliefs and fears of lack, eliminate those thoughts. Make your demand upon the limitless supply. Blessed are you, for the promise is: God shall supply every need of yours.

Use the substance you have; make room for more to come to you. You are blessed indeed.

God is Blessing You, Right Now!

Rev. Alan A. Rowbotham

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Rev. Alan A. Rowbotham, a Unity minister for over thirty-seven years, invites you to subscribe to his free inspirational newsletter, Spiritual Solutions, at www.spiritualsolutionsblog.com

To subscribe for free weekday inspirational quotes, Rich Words, go to www.alanrowbotham.com

Feel free to share this article in its entirety with a friend.

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