UP Church

OCTOBER 2

I HAVE NOTHING TO FEAR, FOR GOD IS ALL THERE IS

Fear thou not; for I am with thee:  be not dismayed; for I am thy God: … yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. 

Isaiah 41:10

If we believe in the omnipresence of God, we can handle the age old problem of fear.  Fear is the belief that God is absent.  It is the only devil there is, and if it governs our thinking we can experience the only hell there is.  If we are overcome by it, we are headed for trouble and disease.  Both the old and the New Testaments tell us that this enemy can be overcome.  But they tell us it can only be overcome within us, not by rearranging our affairs around us.  Fear begins and ends within the mind of the one thinking it.  The nightmare of its binding and restricting thought is broken as we turn to a belief in the goodness of God, the presence of a Creative Mind and the feeling of a Love that never fails.  As we do this a peace steals upon us, a faith rises up again with us.  The Presence that sustained Jesus is also sustaining each of us at every instant.  All that It asks of us is that we believe It and accept It.

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.  He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:  he leadeth me beside the still waters.  He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.  Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me.”  This is my belief.  This governs and controls my thinking today.  Nothing can stop my good from coming to me, for my mind is stayed on Truth and Love.  Peace fills my whole being.  There is nothing to fear, for God is all there really is.  I claim this Presence as my own.  I trust in the Mind of God and all is well and all is good.  I give thanks for a good day.

Taken from “365 Days of Richer Living “by Ernest Holmes and Raymond Charles Barker

OCTOBER 1

I AM THE PERFECT CREATION OF A PERFECT GOD

So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 

Genesis 1:27

We cannot conceive of the nature of God as other than a perfect Being, whose intelligence is forever creating, re-creating and sustaining a perfect universe inhabited by a perfect man.  All the arguments devised by those who are unable to perceive this Truth become as nothing when we look at our world and see God in every flaming bush and every act of Nature.  Only a perfect Mind could conceive this universe as it is.  Therefore, we must look at our individual world and at ourselves as we believe God knows us to be.  The garments of limitation are cast off when we begin to transform our individual minds with the belief that we are Divinely created and Divinely sustained. Our God is with us and our God indwells us as a perfect potential awaiting our recognition and releasement.  We know that we are born of the Spirit, that we live this day in a perfect Presence, and that we are filled this day with an unlimited Power for good.

I have faith that I am a Spiritual Being unlimited and free.  I am not merely a material body with a human mind working in a material world. This is an untrue picture of what I really am.  I now lift my thoughts to the Mind of God and know with Him that I am His beloved Creation in whom His pleasure abides.  I am Divinely quickened into new creative activities.  All the ideas of His mind now awaken within me, and I walk in paths of righteousness and ways of peace. Today I am the perfect creation of a perfect God, living in a perfect universe of order, love and endless possibilities.  All is good and all is well.

Taken from “365 Days of Richer Living”by Ernest Holmes and Raymond Charles Barker

SEPTEMBER 30

I OVERCOME HATE BY THE RECOGNITION OF LOVE

And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

John 1:5

There is but one Presence in the universe.  Since It is in and through everything, It must be in and through you.  This Presence manifests Itself in and through all forms, all people, and all conditions.  This Presence is Life Itself.  Its nature is love and givingness.

Negation may be an experience and a fact; it can never be an ultimate truth.  Life cannot operate against itself.  Always the negative is overcome by the positive.  Good cannot fail to overcome evil.  The meek alone shall inherit the earth.  Finally, the consciousness of good must overcome the negation of evil.  Finally, it will obliterate everything unlike itself, even as if the sun dissolves the mist. 

Say:

I refuse to contemplate evil as a power.

I know that it will flee from me; it dissolves and disappears in the light of love.

I know that hate cannot exist where love is recognized.

I turn the searchlight of Truth upon every apparent evil in my experience.

This light dissolves every image of evil.

The manifestation of good is complete.

Love makes the way clear before me.

I am guided into an ever-widening experience of living.

My every thought and act is an expression of the goodness which flows from Life.

Taken from “365 Days of Richer Living” by Ernest Holmes and Raymond Charles Barker

SEPTEMBER 29     

THE HEALING CHRIST ABIDES WITH ME

Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

Galatians 6:7

You have heard about the healing Christ who can come to you with power.  Do you realize that this Christ is already here?  This Christ is the incarnation of God in every individual.  There is not a person who lives that does not at some time in his life sense this inward Presence, this vision of the Divine which presses against us.  It is seeking entrance through our thoughts.  We must open the door of our consciousness and permit It to enter.  It is willingness, acceptance and recognition that give entrance to the Divine Presence.  It is faith and acknowledgment that permits Its creative power to flow through our word. 

Say:

Today I am opening my consciousness to a realization of the living Christ, the eternal Sonship of the everlasting Father.

I know that He dwells in me; I know that there is an invisible Guide, a living Presence with me at all times.

With complete simplicity and directness, I recognize my Divine center.

Consciously, I unify myself with this pure Spirit in which I live, move and have my being.

I am strong with the strength of the all-vitalizing power of pure Spirit.

I am sustained by Divine Energy which flows through me as radiant health and vitality.

Every atom of my being responds to this Divine Presence.

I completely surrender myself to It.

Taken from “365 Days of Richer Living” by Ernest Holmes and Raymond Charles Barker

SEPTEMBER 28     

I RECEIVE BECAUSE I ASK IN FAITH

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith…

Galatians 5:22

“Ask and ye shall receive.”  This is one of the most wonderful statements ever uttered.  It implies that there is a Power which can and will honor your request.  But it is only as you let go of the lesser that you can take hold of the greater, only as you drop confusion that you can entertain peace, only as you transcend doubt and fear that you can be lifted up to the hilltops of the inner Life.  In asking, you must identify yourself with the greatness of the Spirit.  Permit your consciousness, through faith, to rise to a greater and broader realization of that Divine Presence which is always delivering Itself to you. 

Say:

Through the quiet contemplation of the Omniaction of Spirit, I learn to look quietly and calmly upon every false condition, seeing through it to the other side of the invisible Reality which molds, conditions and recreates all of my affairs after a more nearly Divine pattern. 

I know that my word transmutes every energy into constructive action, producing health, harmony, happiness and success.

I maintain my position as a Divine Being here and now.

I know that in this consciousness of Reality is the supply for my every need – physical, mental or spiritual – and I accept that supply in deepest gratitude.

As I am filled with the Reality I permit It to flow into my world of thought and action, knowing that It brings peace, harmony and order all around me.

I have limitless faith in the unconquerable Presence, the perfect law, and Divine Action.

Taken from “365 Days of Richer Living” by Ernest Holmes and Raymond Charles Barker

SEPTEMBER 27      

I AM BOUNTIFULLY SUPPLIED FROM DIVINE SUBSTANCE

For the Lord taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation.

Psalm 149:4

Life fills all space and Spirit animates every form.  But since you are an individual, even the Spirit cannot make the gift of Life unless you accept it.  Life may have given everything to you but only that which you accept is yours to use.

Turning from every objective fact to the Divine, which is within you, is turning from conditions to causes, to that realm of Absolute Being which, through self-knowingness, creates the forms which It projects and enters into the experience which It creates.  Thus the Spirit comes to self-fulfillment in everything. Through the manifestation of the power that is within you, you can project any objective experience which you may legitimately desire.  Be certain that you are accepting this, that you are living in joyous expectation of good, that you are accepting the abundance. 

Say:

Today I recognize the abundance of life.

I animate everything in my experience with this idea.

I remember only the good.

I expect only the good.

This is all I experience.

I give thanks that this good is flowing in ever-increasing volume.

I do not withhold this good from others but proclaim that spiritual substance is flowing to each and all as daily supply. 

Taken from “365 Days of Richer Living” by Ernest Holmes and Raymond Charles Barker

SEPTEMBER 26

SPIRIT PERMEATES MY CONSCIOUSNESS AND ENVIRONMENT

For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: Thou shall love thy neighbor as thyself.

Galatians 5:14

It is only as you live affirmatively that you can be happy.  Knowing that there is but one Spirit in which everyone lives, moves and has his being, you are to feel this Spirit not only in your consciousness but in your affairs.  You are united with all.  You are one with the eternal Light Itself.  The Presence of Spirit within you blesses everyone you meet, tends to heal everything you touch, and brings gladness into the life of everyone you contact.  Therefore, you are a blessing to yourself, to humanity and to the day in which you live.  Say:

Today I uncover the perfection within me.

In its fullness I reveal the indwelling Kingdom.

I look out upon the world of my affairs, knowing that the Spirit within me makes my way both immediate and easy.

I know there is nothing in me that could obstruct or withhold the divine circuit of Life and Love which Good is.

My word dissolves every negative thought or impulse that could throw a shadow over my perfection.

Good flows through me to all.

Good shines through my thoughts and actions.

Good harmonizes my mind so that love sings joyously in manifesting perfection in every cell, organ and function.

Good harmonizes my mind so that Love sings joyously in my heart.

I am in complete unity with Good.

Taken from “365 Days of Richer Living” by Ernest Holmes and Raymond Charles Barker

SEPTEMBER 25   

I HAVE COMPLETE CONFIDENCE IN THE LAW OF GOOD

When Heaven and Man exert their power in concert, all transformations have their commencements determined.

The Texts of Taoism

The good in which you believe can triumph over every evil you have experienced.  You have a silent partnership with the Infinite.  This partnership has never been dissolved, it never can be.  You are to have implicit confidence in your own ability, knowing that it is the nature of thought to externalize itself in your affairs, knowing that you are the thinker.  You are going to turn resolutely from every sense of lack, want and limitation, and declare that the perfect Law of God is operating in, for and through you.  Say: 

I have complete confidence in my knowledge and understanding of the law of Good.

I not only know what this Law is, I know how to use it.

I know that I shall obtain definite results through the use of it.

Knowing this, having confidence in my ability to use the Law, and using It daily for specific purposes, gradually I build up an unshakable faith, both in the Law and the possibility of demonstrating It.

Therefore, today I declare that the law of the Lord is perfect in everything I do.

Today I believe in Divine Guidance.

Today I believe that “underneath are the everlasting arms.”

Today I rest in this divine assurance and this divine security.

I know, not only that all is well with my soul, my spirit and my mind – all is well with my affairs.

Taken from “365 Days of Richer Living” by Ernest Holmes and Raymond Charles Barker

SEPTEMBER 24

THE ESSENCE OF LOVE EXPRESSES THROUGH ME AS HARMONY

Fulfill ye my joy, that ye be like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.

Philippians 2:2

“The law of the Lord is perfect,” and the law of the Lord is love.  You are made perfect in the law when you enter into conscious communion with the love.  It is only through love that the law can fulfill itself in your experience, because love harmonizes everything, unifies everything.  You can never make the most perfect use of the law of your life unless that use is motivated by love.

As the artist weds himself to beauty, imbibing the essence or spirit of beauty that it may be transmitted to the canvas or awakens the cold marble to living form, so you must wed yourself to love.  You must imbibe its spirit.  This love is more than a sentiment.  It is a deep sense of the underlying unity and beauty of all life, the goodness running through everything, the givingness of Life to everything.  Say:

Today I bestow the essence of Love upon everything.

Everyone shall be lovely to me.

My soul meets the soul of the universe in everyone.

Everything is beautiful, everything is meaningful.

This Love is a healing power touching everything into wholeness, healing the wounds of experience with its divine balm.

I know that this Love Essence is the very Substance of Life, the creative Principle back of everything, flowing through my whole being, spiritual, emotional, mental and physical.

It flows in transcendent loveliness into my world of thought and form, ever renewing, vitalizing, bringing joy, harmony and blessing to everything and everyone it touches.

Taken from “365 Days of Richer Living” by Ernest Holmes and Raymond Charles Barker

SEPTEMBER 23

I SENSE THE DIVINE PRESENCE WITHIN ME

Conceiving nothing is impossible unto thyself, think thyself deathless and able to know all – all arts, all sciences, the way of every life.

Thrice-Greatest Hermes

The Spirit of God is an undivided and indivisible Wholeness.  It fills all time with Its presence and people space with the activity of Its thought.  Your endeavor, then, is not so much to find God as it is to realize His Presence and to understand that this Presence is always with you.  Nothing can be nearer to you that that which is the very essence of your being.  Your outward search for God culminates in the greatest of all possible discoveries – the finding of Him at the center of your own being. Life flows up from within you. 

Say:

I know that my search is over.

I am aware of the Presence of the Spirit.

I have discovered the great reality.

I am awake to the realization of this Presence.

There is but one Life.

Today I see It reflected in every form, back of every countenance, moving through every act.

Knowing that the Divine Presence is in everyone I meet, the Spirit is all people, I salute the good in everything.

I recognize the God Life responding to me from every person I meet, in every event that transpires, in every circumstance in my experience.

I feel the warmth and color of this Divine Presence forevermore pressing against me, forevermore welling up from within me – the well-spring of Eternal Being present yesterday, today, tomorrow, and always. 

Taken from “365 Days of Richer Living” by Ernest Holmes and Raymond Charles Barker