How I Used Truth - Lesson 8 - Annotation 4
What is our responsibility? What is God's responsibility?
4. Our responsibility, as the text points out on page 83, is "to speak the words of life, of Truth, of abundant supply, and we are to act as though the words were true." God's responsibility is to honor the word we have spoken, that is, to bring our word into manifestation. God as Principle stands ready to fulfill the law in every detail of our life. Our speaking the word, affirming or decreeing the Truth of any situation, sets the law in motion for good in our own individual life. Before the light switch is pressed, the power is already there, but the act of pressing the switch to make a connection causes the light to shine in the room. Until a faucet is turned on, the water in the pipes cannot come forth for our use.
Our responsibility, as well as God's, is very well expressed in the following words of Scripture:
"Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee;
And light shall shine upon thy ways" (Job 22:28).
Our responsibility begins and ends when we have decreed the Truth and acted accordingly. The "establishing" belongs to God. The result of the decree does not stop here, for we are told, "And light shall shine upon thy ways." Intelligence, wisdom, and understanding continue throughout all the experiences of life. However, because we are seeking to "trust and rest" in God, our decree must go beyond mental science into the realm of spiritual treatment. We need to watch the type of words we use so that we choose only those which express the good we desire to see established in our life.
"Remember always your words are forerunners of your circumstances. Be careful to speak only those words which you are willing to see take form in your life" (Prosperity's Ten Commandments 46).
It remains with us to open our hearts to God so that He may fill our life with His goodness.
"Our word or decree is the expression of the mental image we are holding in mind. God's laws establish it -- bring it into manifestation. Our part is decreeing or speaking the word; God's part is establishing in our lives the fulfillment of the word.
"We cannot change the law but we can always change the decree. The thing to remember is this: What man decrees God fulfills. This is a statement of partnership. Words of Truth deliver God's good into our life when we speak them with conviction" (Prosperity's Ten Commandments 43-44).
God never forces His will upon us. He has said to us through the prophet Jeremiah,
"Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee (Jer. 31:3).
It is vital that before we "decree a thing" in our life we know God as the source of all good. We live in a universe governed by spiritual law. When we do our part by decreeing good in mind, body, or affairs, God's law of good will bring the outer manifestation in divine order. There has to be room in the consciousness for acceptance of good. When the mind is cluttered with doubts, fears, anxieties, these error beliefs have to be erased through the process of denial, so that when we make our decree (or affirmation) there is receptivity in consciousness.
If we are asked to decree the Truth for another person through treatment, we cannot place the entire responsibility on God. Our consciousness has to be prepared to receive the desired good, and we need to make it clear to the person we are treating that he too has a responsibility. The seventh Annotation of Lesson Six of this part of the course (also page 67 of the text) deals with the centurion's remark to Jesus, "Only say the word, and my servant shall be healed" (Matt. 8:8). This can be applied to the subject of our responsibility and the responsibility of the one for whom we pray. We must "say the word." The centurion apparently had great faith in the decree that Jesus would make, for Jesus said of him,
"I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel" (Matt. 8:10).
We are co-workers with God, and for effectual results we are to work together in reciprocal relation. As mentioned in this Annotation, our responsibility is to speak the Truth, and God's part is to fulfill our declaration. Thus as the responsibility is divided between us we become conscious co-workers with God.
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Preceding Entry: What is "tension," and what is its effect on us and those for whom we pray?
Following Entry: Give the metaphysical interpretation of the following Bible verses quoted in the text: "Jehovah will fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace" (Exod. 14:14); "For the battle is not yours, but God's (II Chron. 20:15).
