This tract was publicized in Unity magazine of December 1917. It was published by Unity as part of The New Prosperity Series announced in the November 1918 issue of Unity Magazine That series included Prosperity and Success by Sofia Van Marter, Wealth and Wisdom Through Mind Action by Jennie Croft and Giving and Receiving by Charles Fillmore.
This tract was scanned and sent to me by Nancy Norman, The Unity Joy of Life Ministry. She says "This is the best little prosperity booklet I have seen." Thank you, Nancy!
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WEALTH and WISDOM
THROUGH MIND ACTION
JENNIE H. CROFT
Unity Prosperity Series
Booklet Three
THE BEST
Most of us are going through life shorn of at least one-half of our birthright, the fullness of peace, power and plenty and all that goes to make up this unprecedented trinity of riches inherited from our Father. We are robbed of our peace because we are full of fears which, in truth, are caused by lack of love. “Perfect love casteth out fear.” We are weaklings because we do not lay hold of the strength of the Lord and the power of his might, those divine qualities latent in the soul of everyone. We are lacking along every line because we are neither whole-minded nor whole-hearted, but believe in both good and evil, a dual state of consciousness which produces conditions, each after its own kind. If we would perceive and know the good, the better and the best only, we would find nothing but the best of all good in our world, and plenty of it.
The Truth student should be satisfied with nothing but the best, and should know that life holds the best of everything for him if he but expect it and it only. He would then be filled with high aspirations, his thought would be of the highest character, and in his daily life he would render naught but the best and most perfect service, wherever it was required of him.
The world progresses only as man desires the best in every way and constantly strives to improve himself in body, soul, spirit and affairs. Nothing inferior can then appeal to him, and cheapness, littleness and all weaknesses can find no place in him or in his environment. The best of all good is his.
Many persons complain of their financial straits without realizing that it is the very complaint which fastens the conditions upon them. “As he thinketh, ... so is he,” is an absolute law. Knowing this, the wise one looks within his mind for the source of his troubles and, discovering the specific idea at fault, he turns about in his thinking and takes the opposite course.
Reasoning from this premise it is but natural to conclude that if one wants prosperity he must think and talk and expect prosperity and abundance constantly, and then there will be no room in his mind for thoughts of lack with their productive quality for adverse conditions. We certainly create conditions for ourselves according to the character of our habitual thought. The confident, expectant attitude of mind opens a channel for the coming of that which is looked for:
Every individual should exercise a systematic method of thought, purpose and practice if he would gain the end desired. To think prosperity today and poverty tomorrow creates a dual state of mind which brings into manifestation conditions in which both plenty and lack appear.
There is no power which can prevail against the God-given, righteous will. The “I Will,” when spoken from the Christ consciousness, precludes failure. This righteous, intelligent “I Will” belongs in the inner kingdom of the soul, and is in constant touch with the Spirit, which always guides aright. There is no hesitancy, all doubt is banished, and the individual claims with undaunted faith that abundance, yes, opulence, which is his of his Father. If our faith be real, we have the perfect confidence that, when problems confront us, we shall be shown the way to solve them.
For Meditation and Realization:
I WILL do my best each day, and each tomorrow finds me equipped for still better things.
EXPECTATION
“The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong.” He who goes forth with confidence, expecting to succeed, counting no effort too great, and all time well spent which is devoted to gaining the desired end—to him shall the palm of victory be given.
Our mental attitude toward any proposed plan is a sure indication of the kind of result which will be attained. Doubt of success or fear of failure will inevitably open the way for failure to reach us.
How shall we proceed to gain our ends and see our purposes fulfilled? By expecting fulfillment and expecting nothing else, and by working along every line which we believe will lead to its attainment. If one way does not bring desired results, then we are to choose another with equal faith and expectancy, and continue until we achieve our purpose.
The expectant mood, when based on absolute confidence in the indwelling Power which works with and for us, never fails to bring to us whatever we set out to gain.
This proves to us the power of thought in all of the affairs of life. Even if one has not yet the expectant attitude, he can cultivate it, and thus open up a channel through which his good comes to him.
The one who knows himself and his powers is steady, self-reliant and confident of his ability to succeed. He is not influenced by the opinions of those about him. He has learned to govern his life from Principle, and not from people’s opinions. He knows his inner strength and trusts himself, relying upon the power which is the divine birthright of every man to accomplish that whereto he bends his energies. The self-reliant man is not content with mediocrity; he expects to attain to the highest in whatever he attempts.
Why should we expect to have our desires fulfilled? Because we heed the bidding of him who said, “Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” Also, “Commit thy way unto Jehovah; trust also in him, and he will bring it to pass.” (Psalms 37:4-5) It is this unreserved commitment of all our ways unto God, and our loving trust in the One Power, which bring to pass that for which we looked and expected. Our ways are then God’s ways, our desires are the workings of righteousness in our hearts, and the outcome is satisfaction full and complete. We desire only that which is right for us, and we expect God’s approval to be expressed in the consummation of our purpose.
For Meditation and Realization:
I HAVE faith in my God-given ability, and expect unlimited good in every way.
DEMAND
I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.—Job 42:4
Concerning the work of my hands command ye me.—Isaiah 45:11.
The prophet Job did not hesitate to demand of God that which he desired or deemed necessary in substantiating his trust in the Almighty. According to Isaiah, Jehovah is awaiting our commands, that the works of our hands be employed, under Divine guidance, in the fulfillment of all that is potential within. Demand and command are native powers which are to be utilized in our spiritual advancement. Prentice Mulford says that “the strongest prayer is not the prayer of petition or supplication or entreaty; it is the prayer of imperious demand.” He cites the Lord’s Prayer as an example. Jesus taught that positive demand accomplishes desired results. “Give us this day our daily bread” is an arbitrary demand, and, “Be thou healed” was spoken from the high altitude of demand. It was Jesus’ demand that brought the dead to life and caused demons to depart from their victims.
All that is in this universe is in response to the demand for expression inherent in Divine Mind. Demand for something to satisfy the inner craving for knowledge opened the way in consciousness to the Source of wisdom, and man’s spiritual powers, the work of God’s hands, answered to his demand.
Expectations are silent demands. Day by day we should demand and expect to be filled with more faith, for faith is the eye of the soul which perceives and then obtains for the individual’s use all of the divine forces which are seeking expression through the human soul.
In all of the undertakings of life, wisdom and the power to execute are necessary, but chief and absolutely indispensable to complete accomplishment, is the principle of Faith. No matter what our purpose, there can be no greater help than faith. The obstacles in the way may seem impassable, but faith surmounts them all and leads the way to success.
Faith is a spiritual power, and when we are imbued with it, our doubts and fears vanish and we realize that we are living in a finer and larger current of life, where we may draw upon greater spiritual forces for the fulfillment of our desires and, in the spirit of faith, press on to greater victories.
The greater our demand upon faith, the greater our supply becomes. We may live so absolutely in the spiritual illumination of faith that we shall reach the highest goal we may set before us.
For Meditation and Realization:
I DEMAND of life the opportunity to express what I really am, and life demands of me that I improve every occasion offered for this purpose.
HOW TO SUCCEED
There is a definite cause of success, just as there is a definite cause of failure, and to man is given the choice of which of these causes he will set into operation for himself.
In the story of creation man was the last and the chief of all that God brought into being, made after his image and like unto him, and man was given dominion over all things. If man today understood his own divine power, there would be nothing in all this universe which could defeat him when he makes up his mind that he will succeed in that which he undertakes.
Understanding his inherently divine forces, he is able to bring into activity the powers of spirit, soul and body, and not only prevent failure and all in-harmony from entering into his life, but defeat the onslaughts of all such ideas seeking to trespass upon his mind. He knows that it is an admission of ignorance to say “I cannot,” or, “I can’t afford,” or, “I don’t know how.” He knows that such statements as these produce weakness, and that the one who uses them fails because of the limitations which he places upon himself.
If we would place more dependence upon our spiritual forces and less upon external conditions as sources of success, our lives would not be lived in such a haphazard manner, with ensuing disastrous results. Would we know success? Then we will think and talk of perfection and prosperity, and not of fatality and failure.
When we learn to put on the whole armor of God and fill our minds with spiritual facts, we will cease from hoping and will rejoice in having. Jesus, who laid hold of the Truth, and of the abiding things of life, thought it right to look upon himself as equal with God; there is no reason why we should not rise to the full value of our equally divine nature, that we, too, may come into harmony with the Divine Will and find riches and honor following us all the days of our life. To come into perfect harmony with the Divine Mind is to come into the possession of spiritual power. We will “resolve highly and venture greatly,” and our greatest success is accomplished, because we know that in the kingdom of God now established within us there is no such thing as lack or failure.
To be successful in any undertaking, it is necessary to have a living interest in it and in all that pertains to it. It is most important for everyone to be interested in something, not a halfhearted, feeble interest, but a real, intense interest.
For Meditation and Realization:
MY FAITH IN GOD AS MY SUCCESS AND PROSPERITY IS UNLIMITED.
NOW
“If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.” There is more reason than rhyme in this old saying, for it calls the attention to the fact that if a person would succeed in accomplishing that which he attempts, he must be faithful in patient, persistent and concentrated effort.
Many good resolves are made, many an enthusiastic start on the way, but so often we lose interest and allow ourselves to be hindered by every little obstacle. It may be that we fail to sufficiently concentrate our thought and effort upon the end to be attained, or, we may permit other interests to come in and, because of a divided heart, we fail in accomplishing our purpose.
All anxiety, doubt and fear must be put away most absolutely, and unwavering confidence in our God-given ability must be constantly maintained; then only may we be sure that we will win.
Delay is dangerous, and once the mind is made up and the course to be pursued determined upon, then is the time to begin. Goethe gives us this advice:
“Are you in earnest?
Seize this very minute
What you can do, begin it
Boldness has genius and magic in it.
Only engage and the mind grows heated.
Begin and then the work will be completed.”
What better time can be found to begin than Now? The conscious life of the soul is continual advancement from one height of understanding to another, with ever greater heights before us to be reached. By patient perseverance and unfaltering faith in our inner Guide, and by willingness to follow where it leads, we are able to continue faithful to the charge entrusted to us and fulfill its purpose according to the standard of perfection.
In both our outer business with the things of the world and in our inner busy-ness with the things of the Spirit, this law of unfaltering and undaunted pursuit of the object to be gained will bring to us the fulfillment of our desire.
Nothing can hinder but we ourselves, and whole-hearted continuance in well-doing never fails to reach the goal we set before us.
Nor must interest be centered wholly in one’s self. Faith in our fellow men and a desire to help them to get on, will enlarge our concept of life and enrich our character. The real achievement is not what one accomplishes for himself alone, but the good he has brought to others also.
For Meditation and Realization:
I DO NOT hesitate. My success is in following the inspiration of indwelling Wisdom.
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