I was raised a Christian. I learned to pray as soon as I was able to talk. I learned about things like “faith” and “inspiration” by the time I was three or four years old. As a result, I believe that I have enjoyed my life far more than most people do. I learned at a very young age that I could pray for comfort when I was scared, and I could pray to find a toy that I had lost. Somehow, I was always comforted, and perhaps even more miraculously, I always found my lost treasures (toys).
While growing up with this type of understanding was clearly an advantage for me, it has been extremely refreshing to relearn some of the principles as an adult– and using different words to describe the principles. The problem with learning how to pray at such a young age is that I grew up assuming that I understood what prayer really was. Because I assumed that I already knew how to pray, I never felt the need to discover meditation or ridding the mind of “clutter” before and during prayer. I assumed I knew how to pray and receive answers to those prayers, and because of that belief, I never spent the time to go beyond the very basics of prayer. Similarly, I never spent time trying to really identify other important principles like faith.
In teaching the law of attraction, I’ve found it very useful to use the Bible and at times to bounce back and forth between “church vocabulary” and “new-age movement vocabulary.” I’ve found that when Christians see the principles clearly, they are able to overcome some of their assumptions about God and religion, and inevitably the relationship they have with Divinity is strengthened enormously. This post is for anyone who believes in Christ, but doesn’t know if the law of attraction is real.
The premise of the law of attraction is a request-with-a-promise found dozens of times throughout the bible: “ask and ye shall receive.” The King James Version of the Bible says in Matthew 21:22 “And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” The “secret” or law of attraction says that anything you think about long enough and with enough emotion, you will attract to you. If someone were to be born in some far away land, and never once read the Bible, would they still have access to that blessing described throughout the Bible? Should they be able to receive anything they want badly enough to pray for it and believe it is coming? I believe in a just and loving God, and I believe that God creates perfect systems to run the universe. If there is a promise so clearly and commonly laid out in the Bible that says “ask and you shall receive,” I believe that the promise is valid for anyone on earth who asks. Of course God created a system to allow His promises to be fulfilled, and somehow in this magical universe, we vibrate on frequencies that attract back to us our true desires.
So why is it that so many people pray for things they want, and don’t seem to get answers? Why is it that so many people pray for success, but continue to fail? If you ask a preacher, 99 times out of 100, he or she is going to tell you the answer lies in the word “faith.” James 1:6 says “But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering.” Again, I learned the word faith when I was too young to be able to analyze what it really meant. So all these years I always assumed I knew what faith was. Teaching the law of attraction has truly opened my eyes here. Many teachers of the law of attraction talk about subconscious limiting beliefs and counter intentions that keep people from attracting the very things that they consciously desire. Christ taught that “perfect faith casteth out fear” (1st John 4:18). Limiting beliefs are often described more simply as “fear.” In order to have true faith, you need to be rid of your internal fear. Fear and faith cannot occupy the same space in your mind or in your soul. In church I was taught to “have more faith” all the time, but no one ever really taught me how to build faith. Now I realize that removing fear and replacing that space with trust is faith. I’ve learned to trust the inspiration I feel. Because I trust those promptings, I can act without fear.
The law of attraction also touches on the idea that if your vibrational state, or your internal energy, raises to a new, higher level, then the world around you will magically change to fit that vibration. Conversely, if you operate on a lower vibrational frequency, your surroundings will match that as well. I’ve spoken with some people who, before speaking with me, felt like this obvious contradiction by itself proved that the whole premise of the law of attraction was hogwash. The best way to to help these people is with a scripture from the Bible. Titus 1:15 explains “To the pure all things are pure: but to them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.” I think that is amazing. A person with a pure heart can be in the same geographical location as another with a defiled soul. The pure will see and experience nothing but purity, and in the exact same physical environment, the defiled will see and experience nothing but filth.
The great justice (and at the same time, mercy) in all of this is that we are in the driver’s seat. If you want to be pure, if you want a better life, it is completely up to you. When life gets so difficult that you decide you don’t want to continue living the way you are, you will naturally begin to curse life, possibly curse God, and decide that something’s got to change. You can question your beliefs, you can question your fears. You can decide to ask for a better life, and then acting accordingly. As you remove each fear that gets in the way of faith, you co-create a better life for yourself.
I realize I’m leaving a lot out of the equation here, we could make this far more complex, but ultimately I believe that Christ was the most effective teacher of the law of attraction. If you want to have a better life, declare it! Decide what you want. Be as clear as possible. If you know how to pray, pray for it. If you don’t, stay tuned and we’ll talk about that later. Once you decide what you want, start listening for inspiration from the Divine. It is already coming to you, and as soon as you are ready to hear and listen, you can receive. As long as you have removed the fears that keep you from acting on that inspiration, you will act. Without faith you will not act on the promptings. But with faith, you will act, and following that inspiration will lead you to the life you have asked for.
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