by Dr. Joseph Murphy
As the old saying goes, "There’s no such thing as a free lunch." Recently I was in a store that was offering a free pack of razor blades if you bought two tubes of shaving cream. Well, of course, the blades weren’t really free—their cost was passed on to the customers indirectly in the price of other things they bought at the store.
Nothing is free.
If you want to be wealthy, you must pay the price for wealth; if you want success, there’s a price for that. The price of achieving these things is applying the law of mind—and not everyone is willing to do that. For example, I knew a wonderful metaphysical teacher in New York City named Mrs. Menier. She lived in the Lucerne Hotel and had a friend who would visit her, borrow books, and accept the old clothes that were offered to her. I asked Mrs. Menier one time, "Why doesn’t this woman listen to you—to your teaching? She doesn’t have to wear your old clothes. She could become successful on her own." Mrs. Menier replied, "She’s unwilling to pay the price. She’s unwilling to pay attention and apply these truths. She prefers old clothes to wisdom."
I think Mrs. Menier was right. Her friend preferred old clothes, secondhand umbrellas, and things of that nature to the application of mental and spiritual laws. All she had to do was take an interest in the great truths, but she was unwilling to pay the price. That’s true of many people. Mrs. Menier was very sympathetic and kept on giving her old clothes, but I don’t think that actually did her friend any good.
Whatever you desire, you must give your attention, devotion, and loyalty to it.
There’s always a price to be paid. When you learned to drive, you had to make a conscious effort to learn how to steer, merge, and park. You can probably do all these things effortlessly now. At this point your subconscious mind is actually driving the car. You paid the price by paying attention to learning how to drive a car, and now you can do it automatically.
The price of getting what you want includes having faith that your desires can be fulfilled—and not everyone has this faith. For example, at a summer seminar I was teaching in Denver on the powers of the subconscious mind a few years ago, I met a woman who had been praying for ten years for her eczema to be healed—with no results. She had applied various astringent lotions and other topical medications without any appreciable relief. Although she had tried to be healed, she had never paid the price, which was to have complete faith in the Infinite Healing Presence and the law of her own subconscious—to trust the law and believe that the Healing Presence would respond and heal her skin. She had been giving power to externals, saying, "My skin is sensitive to the sun. I’m allergic to the cold weather. I believe this eczema is spreading all over my arm due to heredity. It’s my genes and chromosomes that are at fault." After I explained the importance of having complete faith in the One Power, she began to pray as follows:
The Infinite Healing Presence that created my body and all its organs knows all the processes and functions of my body. I claim, feel, and know definitely and absolutely that the grandeur and glory of the Infinite are made manifest in my mind and body. The wholeness, vitality, and life of the Infinite flow through me now, and every atom of my being is transformed by the Infinite Healing Presence. I fully and freely forgive everyone, and I pour out love, truth, and beauty to all my relatives and in-laws. I give thanks for the healing that is taking place now, and I know that when I call, the answer comes.
She repeated this prayer slowly, quietly, and reverently several times every day. She told me prior to my leaving Denver that a remarkable change for the better had come over her entire being and that her skin had completely healed. She had faith and received the gift of healing.
Faith is attention, devotion, and loyalty to the One Creative Power. You have faith when you know that thoughts are things; that what you feel, you attract; and that what you imagine, you become. You have faith when you know that any idea deposited in the subconscious mind comes forth as form, experience, and conditions. For example, a group of hikers was lost in a forest but had faith that they would be guided to safety. They had no compass and didn’t know anything about navigating by the stars, but they sat down and said: "The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. He will lead me to safety. He is guiding me now." They followed the lead (an intuition or hunch) that they received from the Supreme Intelligence, and they found their way to safety.
They paid the price by having faith in the Divine Source and calling upon it. Faith comes through understanding the laws of your mind and applying them diligently in all your affairs. Scientists have faith that their research will lead to a greater understanding of nature. Farmers have faith that the seeds they deposit in the ground will result in a harvest. Before you can receive wealth, you must have faith that you will get it. You must impress your subconscious mind with the idea of wealth, for whatever is impressed on the subconscious is expressed on the screen of space.
There are a number of qualities that contribute to personal success in life. Some of these—such as being born to good parents, in a favorable country or social class, or with natural physical and mental endowments—are completely out of our control. Fortunately, the qualities that really count are the ones that we can cultivate, and the most important of these is persistence. If you examine the biography of any man or woman who has made a lasting contribution to humanity, you will find that the majority exercised uncommon persistence.
Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence.
Talent won’t—nothing is more common than talented people who are unsuccessful. Education alone cannot. The world is full of educated derelicts. Only persistence and determination are omnipotent. Give all of your allegiance and devotion to the God Presence and realize that it’s your guide, your counselor, and the source of all blessings. There’s no other power. Think of the wonders that would happen in your life if you gave your complete attention and loyalty to that great truth.
But if you give power to sticks and stones, to men and women, to the weather, and to all these other things, you’re worshiping many different gods and won’t get what you want. When you awaken to the truth that there’s One Power, One Presence, and One Cause, then your good will flow to you.
Nothing is free. If you want to be wealthy, you must pay the price for wealth; if you want success, there’s a price for that. Whatever you desire, you must give your attention, devotion, and loyalty to it; and then you’ll get a response, of course. The price is recognition, belief, and conviction. There’s always a price to be paid.
Give your attention, devotion, and loyalty to any subject and it will yield its secrets to you. If you don’t give your attention to a particular subject—whether it’s chemistry, mathematics, or your job—you’ll remain in darkness about it.
In order for you to receive, you must first give an idea to your subconscious mind. Before you can receive wealth, you must first impress your subconscious mind with the idea of wealth. Whatever is impressed on the subconscious is expressed on the screen of space.
Cast from your mind all preconceived notions, false beliefs, and superstitions; and realize that before you call, God will answer. Whatever you’re seeking already exists in the Infinite Mind. All you have to do is to identify mentally and emotionally with your desire or idea, realizing that it’s as real as your hand or heart.
Excerpted from Dr. Joseph Murphy's Maximize Your Potential Through the Power of Your Subconscious Mind -To Create Wealth and Success. Dr. Joseph Murphy (1898 - 1981), the founder of The Church of Divine Science, produced books, tapes, and radio broadcasts on spiritual matters, the historical values of life, the art of wholesome living, and the teachings of great philosophers—both from the Eastern and Western cultures. Dr. Murphy wrote more than 30 books. His most famous work, The Power of Your Subconscious Mind, was first published in 1963, became an immediate bestseller, and was acclaimed as one of the best self-help guides ever written.
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