Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt … even if you say to this mountain, “Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,” it will be done.~Matthew 21:21

According to Christianity, living by faith is a the way to go.  If you have faith in and accept your God and the purpose He has for you, you can accomplish great things in this life.  Faith is the ultimate in positive thinking!  So, what of the idea that if we change the way we think about everything we try to do, we can attract positive things such as wealth, good health, and overall happiness into our lives? 

According to the book, The Secret, the mind (not God?) has the ultimate power to bring you all of the blessings that you desire.  In the first chapter of The Secret, Michael Bernard Beckwith, Founder of the Agape International Spiritual Center says that, “You attract to you the predominant thoughts that you’re holding in your awareness, whether those thoughts are conscious or unconscious.”  How much of what happens to us is to be attributed to this “Law of Attraction” theory?  How much of this is nothing more than good old-fashioned faith?

I know from experience that my thoughts dictate the degree of success I will have on a given day.  If I feel that I can’t do something, chances are that I won’t get much done.  If I give myself reassurance that I can accomplish something, I generally get it done.  I attribute much of this to my belief that God has something in mind for me to do, but that He expects me to figure out how to accomplish it and to take the steps necessary to meet my goals.  If I walk past a door He has opened, He won’t necessarily shut it but He might not present me with another door for a while.  He gives what He can and if I fail to recognize His presence, then it becomes a little harder for me to reach the goal.  This is my belief.  It really isn’t much different from what is being taught in The Secret, except for the fact that my intent is to do what God would have me do and not what I would have me do.  It has more to do with attributing success to what my Higher Power has given me than to somehow thinking that I have accomplished it all on my own. 

Personally, I had trouble getting through The Secret.  It didn’t fit me.  Although I believe in a variety of things and I am especially tuned in to the idea of attracting the right energies into my life, it just didn’t work for me.  The tone of this book was so much more self-centered than God-centered that I felt guilty trying to put the principles into practice.  Undoubtedly, this comes more from my own confusion about my spirituality than it does from the inadequacy or fallability of the principles in the text.  Who is to say?  

For now, I’ll rely on my belief that God has a plan for me and that everything in my life happens for a reason.  Instead of relying solely on my own power to accomplish my goals, I’ll choose faith.  What do you think?  Do you have examples of how your faith has helped you build your life and achieve your goals?  Do you have examples of the power of positive thinking or using the laws of attraction to get what you need and want?  Share with us!   

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