Expect the Best and Get it - 3
Let me give you four words as a formulation of a great law—faith power works wonders. Those tour words are packed with dynamic and creative force. Hold them in your conscious mind. Let them sink into the unconscious and they can help you to overcome any difficulty. Hold them in your thoughts, say them over and over again. Say them until your mind accepts them, until you believe them—faith power works wonders. I have no doubt about the effectiveness of this concept, for I have seen it work so often that my enthusiasm for faith power is absolutely boundless. You can overcome any obstacle.
You can achieve the most tremendous things by faith power. And how do you develop faith power? The answer is: to saturate your mind with the great words of the Bible. It you will spend one hour a day reading the Bible and committing its great passages to memory, thus allowing them to recondition your personality, the change in you and in your experience will be little short of miraculous.
Just one section of the Bible will accomplish this for you. The eleventh chapter of Mark is enough. You will find the secret in the following words, and this is one of the greatest formulas the Book contains: "Have faith in God (that’s positive, isn’t it?) for verily I say unto you, that whosoever shall say unto this mountain (that’s specific) be thou removed (that is, stand aside) and be thou cast into the sea (that means out of sight—anything you threw into the sea is gone for good. The Titanic lies at the bottom of the sea. And the sea bottom is lined with ships. Cast your opposition called a "mountain" into the sea) and shall not doubt in his heart (Why does this statement use the word heart? Because it means you are not to doubt in your subconscious, in the inner essence of you. It isn’t so superficial as a doubt in the conscious mind. That is a normal, intelligent questioning. It’s a deep fundamental doubt that is to be avoided) but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass, he shall have whatsoever he saith." (Mr 11:22-23) This is not some theory that I have thought up. It is taught by the most reliable book known to man. Generation after generation, no matter what develops in the way of knowledge and science, the Bible is read by more people than any other book. Humanity rightly has more confidence in it than any other document ever written, and the Bible tells us that faith power works wonders.
The reason, however, that great things do not happen to some people is that they are not specific in their application of faith power. We are told, "Ye shall say to this mountain." That is to say, do not address your efforts to the entire mountain range of all your difficulties, but attack one thing that may be defeating you at the moment. Be specific. Take them one by one.
If there is something you want, how do you go about getting it? In the first place, ask yourself, "Should I want it?" Test that question very honestly in prayer to be sure you should want it and whether you should have it. If you can answer that question in the affirmative, then ask God for it and don’t be backward in asking Him. And if God, having more insight, believes that you shouldn’t have it, you needn’t worry—He won’t give it to you. But if it is a right thing, ask Him for it, and when you ask, do not doubt in your heart. Be specific.
The validity of this law was impressed upon me by something that a friend of mine, a Midwestern businessman, told me. This man is a big, extrovertish, outgoing, lovable gentleman, a truly great Christian. He teaches the largest Bible class in his state.
In the town where he lives he is Mr. "Town" himself. He is head of a plant employing forty thousand people.
His office desk is full of religious literature. He even has some of my sermons and pamphlets there. In his plant, one of the biggest in the United States, he manufactures refrigerators.
He is one of those whole-souled, rugged individuals who has the capacity to have faith. He believes that God is right there in his office with him.
My friend said, "Preach a big faith—not any little old watered-down faith. Don’t be afraid that faith isn’t scientific enough. I am a scientist," he said. "I use science in my business every day, and I use the Bible every day. The Bible will work. Everything in the Bible works if you believe in it."
When he was made general manager of this plant it was whispered around town, "Now that Mr. ——is general manager, we’ll have to bring our Bibles to work with us." After a few days he called into his office some of the men who were making this remark. He uses language they understand, and he said, "I hear you guys are going around town saying that now I am general manager, you will have to bring your Bibles to work with you."
"Oh, we didn’t mean that," they said in embarrassment.
He said, "Well, you know, that’s a good idea, but I don’t want you to come lugging them under your arms. Bring them here in your hearts and in your minds. If you come with a spirit of good will and faith in your hearts and minds, believe me, we’ll do business."
"So," he said, "the kind of faith to have is the specific kind, the kind that moves this particular mountain."
Suddenly he said to me, "Did you ever have a toe bother you?"
I was rather astonished by that, but before I could answer he said, "I had a toe that bothered me and I took it to the doctors here in town, and they are wonderful doctors, and they said there wasn’t anything wrong with the toe that they could see. But they were wrong, because it hurt. So I went out and got a book on anatomy and read up on toes. It is really a simple construction. There’s nothing but a few muscles and ligaments and a bony structure. It seemed that anybody who knows anything about a toe could fix it, but I couldn’t get anybody to fix that toe, and it hurt me all the time. So I sat down one day and took a look at that toe. Then I said, ‘Lord, I’m sending this toe right back to the plant. You made that toe. I make refrigerators and I know all there is to know about a refrigerator. When we sell a refrigerator, we guarantee the customer service. If his refrigerator doesn’t work right and if our service agents can’t fix it, he brings it back to the plant and we fix it, because we know how." So I said, "Lord, you made this toe. You manufactured it, and your service agents, the doctors, don’t seem to know how to get it working
right, and if you don’t mind, Lord, I would like to have it fixed up as soon as possible, because it’s bothering me."
"How is the toe now?" I asked.
"Perfect," he replied.
Perhaps this is a foolish kind of story, and I laughed when he told it, but I almost cried, too, for I saw a wonderful look on that man’s face as he related that incident of a specific prayer.
Be specific. Ask God for any right thing, but as a little child, don’t doubt. Doubt closes the power flow. Faith opens it. The power of faith is so tremendous that there is nothing that Almighty God cannot do for us, with us, or through us if we let Him channel His power through our minds.
So roll those words around on your tongue. Say them over and over again until they lodge deeply in your mind, until they get down into your heart, until they take possession of the essence of you: ". . .whosoever shall say unto this mountain, be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea, and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass, he shall have whatsoever he saith." (Mr 11:23) I suggested these principles some months ago to an old friend of mine, a man who perpetually expects the worst. Up to the time of our
discussion, never did I hear him say anything other than that things would not turn out right. He took this negative attitude toward every project or problem. He expressed vigorous disbelief in the principles outlined in this chapter and offered to make a test to prove that I am wrong in my conclusions. He is an honest man, and he faithfully tried these principles in connection with several matters and actually kept a score card. He did this for six months. He volunteered the information at the end of that period that 85 per cent of the matters under investigation had turned out satisfactorily.
"I am now convinced," he said, "although I wouldn’t have believed it possible, but it is evidently a fact, that it you expect the best, you are given some strange kind of power to create conditions that produce the desired results. From now on I am changing my mental attitude and shall expect the best, not the worst. My test indicates that this is not theory, but a scientific way to meet life’s situations." I might add that even the high percentage he attained can be raised with practice,
and of course practice in the art of expectation is as essential as practice on a musical instrument or with a golf club. Nobody ever mastered any skill except through intensive, persistent, and intelligent practice. Also it should be noted that my friend approached this experiment at first in a spirit of doubt which would tend adversely to affect his earlier results.
Every day as you confront the problems of life, I suggest that you affirm as follows: "I believe God gives me power to attain what I really want."
Never mention the worst. Never think of it. Drop it out of your consciousness. At least ten times every day affirm, "I expect the best and with God’s help will attain the best."
In so doing your thoughts will turn toward the best and become conditioned to its realization. This practice will bring all of your powers to focus upon the attainment of the best. It will bring the best to you.
Footnotes
[1] I will be glad to send you a free copy of Thought Conditioners, a. pocket sized booklet containing forty of the most creative Scripture passages. Write: sermon Publications, Marble Collegiate Church, 1 West 29th Street, New York 1, New York.
(From Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale)
Let me give you four words as a formulation of a great law—faith power works wonders. Those tour words are packed with dynamic and creative force. Hold them in your conscious mind. Let them sink into the unconscious and they can help you to overcome any difficulty. Hold them in your thoughts, say them over and over again. Say them until your mind accepts them, until you believe them—faith power works wonders. I have no doubt about the effectiveness of this concept, for I have seen it work so often that my enthusiasm for faith power is absolutely boundless. You can overcome any obstacle.
You can achieve the most tremendous things by faith power. And how do you develop faith power? The answer is: to saturate your mind with the great words of the Bible. It you will spend one hour a day reading the Bible and committing its great passages to memory, thus allowing them to recondition your personality, the change in you and in your experience will be little short of miraculous.
Just one section of the Bible will accomplish this for you. The eleventh chapter of Mark is enough. You will find the secret in the following words, and this is one of the greatest formulas the Book contains: "Have faith in God (that’s positive, isn’t it?) for verily I say unto you, that whosoever shall say unto this mountain (that’s specific) be thou removed (that is, stand aside) and be thou cast into the sea (that means out of sight—anything you threw into the sea is gone for good. The Titanic lies at the bottom of the sea. And the sea bottom is lined with ships. Cast your opposition called a "mountain" into the sea) and shall not doubt in his heart (Why does this statement use the word heart? Because it means you are not to doubt in your subconscious, in the inner essence of you. It isn’t so superficial as a doubt in the conscious mind. That is a normal, intelligent questioning. It’s a deep fundamental doubt that is to be avoided) but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass, he shall have whatsoever he saith." (Mr 11:22-23) This is not some theory that I have thought up. It is taught by the most reliable book known to man. Generation after generation, no matter what develops in the way of knowledge and science, the Bible is read by more people than any other book. Humanity rightly has more confidence in it than any other document ever written, and the Bible tells us that faith power works wonders.
The reason, however, that great things do not happen to some people is that they are not specific in their application of faith power. We are told, "Ye shall say to this mountain." That is to say, do not address your efforts to the entire mountain range of all your difficulties, but attack one thing that may be defeating you at the moment. Be specific. Take them one by one.
If there is something you want, how do you go about getting it? In the first place, ask yourself, "Should I want it?" Test that question very honestly in prayer to be sure you should want it and whether you should have it. If you can answer that question in the affirmative, then ask God for it and don’t be backward in asking Him. And if God, having more insight, believes that you shouldn’t have it, you needn’t worry—He won’t give it to you. But if it is a right thing, ask Him for it, and when you ask, do not doubt in your heart. Be specific.
The validity of this law was impressed upon me by something that a friend of mine, a Midwestern businessman, told me. This man is a big, extrovertish, outgoing, lovable gentleman, a truly great Christian. He teaches the largest Bible class in his state.
In the town where he lives he is Mr. "Town" himself. He is head of a plant employing forty thousand people.
His office desk is full of religious literature. He even has some of my sermons and pamphlets there. In his plant, one of the biggest in the United States, he manufactures refrigerators.
He is one of those whole-souled, rugged individuals who has the capacity to have faith. He believes that God is right there in his office with him.
My friend said, "Preach a big faith—not any little old watered-down faith. Don’t be afraid that faith isn’t scientific enough. I am a scientist," he said. "I use science in my business every day, and I use the Bible every day. The Bible will work. Everything in the Bible works if you believe in it."
When he was made general manager of this plant it was whispered around town, "Now that Mr. ——is general manager, we’ll have to bring our Bibles to work with us." After a few days he called into his office some of the men who were making this remark. He uses language they understand, and he said, "I hear you guys are going around town saying that now I am general manager, you will have to bring your Bibles to work with you."
"Oh, we didn’t mean that," they said in embarrassment.
He said, "Well, you know, that’s a good idea, but I don’t want you to come lugging them under your arms. Bring them here in your hearts and in your minds. If you come with a spirit of good will and faith in your hearts and minds, believe me, we’ll do business."
"So," he said, "the kind of faith to have is the specific kind, the kind that moves this particular mountain."
Suddenly he said to me, "Did you ever have a toe bother you?"
I was rather astonished by that, but before I could answer he said, "I had a toe that bothered me and I took it to the doctors here in town, and they are wonderful doctors, and they said there wasn’t anything wrong with the toe that they could see. But they were wrong, because it hurt. So I went out and got a book on anatomy and read up on toes. It is really a simple construction. There’s nothing but a few muscles and ligaments and a bony structure. It seemed that anybody who knows anything about a toe could fix it, but I couldn’t get anybody to fix that toe, and it hurt me all the time. So I sat down one day and took a look at that toe. Then I said, ‘Lord, I’m sending this toe right back to the plant. You made that toe. I make refrigerators and I know all there is to know about a refrigerator. When we sell a refrigerator, we guarantee the customer service. If his refrigerator doesn’t work right and if our service agents can’t fix it, he brings it back to the plant and we fix it, because we know how." So I said, "Lord, you made this toe. You manufactured it, and your service agents, the doctors, don’t seem to know how to get it working
right, and if you don’t mind, Lord, I would like to have it fixed up as soon as possible, because it’s bothering me."
"How is the toe now?" I asked.
"Perfect," he replied.
Perhaps this is a foolish kind of story, and I laughed when he told it, but I almost cried, too, for I saw a wonderful look on that man’s face as he related that incident of a specific prayer.
Be specific. Ask God for any right thing, but as a little child, don’t doubt. Doubt closes the power flow. Faith opens it. The power of faith is so tremendous that there is nothing that Almighty God cannot do for us, with us, or through us if we let Him channel His power through our minds.
So roll those words around on your tongue. Say them over and over again until they lodge deeply in your mind, until they get down into your heart, until they take possession of the essence of you: ". . .whosoever shall say unto this mountain, be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea, and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass, he shall have whatsoever he saith." (Mr 11:23) I suggested these principles some months ago to an old friend of mine, a man who perpetually expects the worst. Up to the time of our
discussion, never did I hear him say anything other than that things would not turn out right. He took this negative attitude toward every project or problem. He expressed vigorous disbelief in the principles outlined in this chapter and offered to make a test to prove that I am wrong in my conclusions. He is an honest man, and he faithfully tried these principles in connection with several matters and actually kept a score card. He did this for six months. He volunteered the information at the end of that period that 85 per cent of the matters under investigation had turned out satisfactorily.
"I am now convinced," he said, "although I wouldn’t have believed it possible, but it is evidently a fact, that it you expect the best, you are given some strange kind of power to create conditions that produce the desired results. From now on I am changing my mental attitude and shall expect the best, not the worst. My test indicates that this is not theory, but a scientific way to meet life’s situations." I might add that even the high percentage he attained can be raised with practice,
and of course practice in the art of expectation is as essential as practice on a musical instrument or with a golf club. Nobody ever mastered any skill except through intensive, persistent, and intelligent practice. Also it should be noted that my friend approached this experiment at first in a spirit of doubt which would tend adversely to affect his earlier results.
Every day as you confront the problems of life, I suggest that you affirm as follows: "I believe God gives me power to attain what I really want."
Never mention the worst. Never think of it. Drop it out of your consciousness. At least ten times every day affirm, "I expect the best and with God’s help will attain the best."
In so doing your thoughts will turn toward the best and become conditioned to its realization. This practice will bring all of your powers to focus upon the attainment of the best. It will bring the best to you.
Footnotes
[1] I will be glad to send you a free copy of Thought Conditioners, a. pocket sized booklet containing forty of the most creative Scripture passages. Write: sermon Publications, Marble Collegiate Church, 1 West 29th Street, New York 1, New York.
(From Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale)
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