You can receive whatsoever you desire

Foreword

W ITH the hope of making this little book a real “Lamp unto the feet” of the great army of people who are longing for Physical, Mental and Financial freedom, I am appending a story of my own experience in demonstrating Forty Thousand Dollars, under the rulings of the Universal Law, as set forth herein. This law, as illustrated by many live ex¬ periences, is to me by no means an untried theory; but rather I have, each and every time, found it so prac¬ tical and reliable in solving the many difficult problems coming to me for solution, that it is with the utmost confidence and gladness that I pass it on to others like¬ wise desirous of finding a safe and sure road to satis¬ faction.

I have used the story just as it appeared in the newspaper, headlines and all, with the hope that it may be as inspirational to new readers as it evidently was to the vast number of people who have written me ask¬ ing for assistance in solving similar problems, saying that this story brought to them new hope and ambition, when they were about at the point of despair.

Regardless of what the condition, Reader, despair is always unnecessary, because “With God, all things are possible”; and when we know that we are one with

Him, we algo understand immediately that, with us,

FOREWORD all things are possible. The purpose of this little book is to lead the reader to this realization.

Faithfully yours,

Elinor S. Moody

Contents

CHAPTER PAGE

I. Constructive Thinking. 9

II. Getting Results. 23

Chapter I CONSTRUCTIVE THINKING

S O frequently am I asked “What is Constructive Thinking?” that I shall devote the opening chap¬ ter of this book to a plain, simple discussion of this important phase of mental creation.

Constructive means possessing the power and ability to construct; and construct means to form, build, frame, compose or put together. So that, Construc¬ tive Thinking is that kind of mental process that pro¬ duces something; that confidently builds with the ex¬ pectation of arriving at a right conclusion. It bases its arguments on Truth, and steadfastly works from that premise.

What I constantly designate in my work as Con¬ structive or Right Thinking, seems hitherto to have been given a variety of names, by as many sects or groups of interested persons; some of which are Chris¬ tian Science, New Thought, Progressive Thinking, Practical Christianity, Divine Science, Metaphysics, Mental Science, and so on down to Applied Psychology.

There is, of course, always the new angle, from which an old truth may be mentally examined, and that is about all for which we can hope; since truth is as old as time, and it is only by knowing and liv¬ ing the truth, that we may be assured of arriving at freedom.

I am not, therefore, attempting to launch a new science or scheme for the operation of the mind, since it would be impossible to discover anything that could take the place of this old but always reliable truth, which came to us as early as the Law handed down to Moses, and of which Christ said, “Think not that I am come to destroy the Law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.”

“For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the Law, till all be fulfilled.”

Indeed, one of the remarkable things about Con¬ structive or Right Thinking, New Thought, if you please—appears to be its antiquity; for history tells us that six hundred years before the coming of Christ, Pythagoras, the Greek philosopher, taught his hear¬ ers and students that “Hate and fear breed a poison in the blood, which, if encouraged and allowed to con¬ tinue, affect the digestive organs. Hence,” he said, “it is unwise to hear and remember unkind things that others say about us.”

He had learned that thoughts of hate and fear were destructive rather than Constructive, and made this important truth a part of his instruction.

Two hundred years later, Socrates came along with his Constructive or Right Thinking doctrine, which he embodied in two words: “know Thyself.”

II

The world was not ready for him, however, and because he refused to be intimidated in giving out of the theory in which he believed, he was put to death (or released unto eternal life) ; but all down the years that have since gone by, his works have continued to praise him.

After him, came our elder brother, Jesus Christ, telling to the world the simplicity of truth, and ad¬ vising that all know and live it, as only that can give us freedom.

And let us here observe, that Truth is not a matter of this or that creed, nor can it be strengthened or bettered by a series of ceremonials.

Again, it may not be fully in accord with the an¬ cestral ideas of many schools of theology, which have been commonly accepted as correct by our forefathers and so handed down from generation to generation as such.

The truth, as offered by Christ, is as simple and easy of acceptance as this: “Whatsoever things ye de¬ sire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” And desiring to give to us even more than that, He says, “He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do.”

If w T e believe these positive promises sufficiently to make them the underpinning or groundwork of our daily activities, we are Constructive Thinkers, and we have learned the value of claiming and accepting our inheritance, under these dependable clauses of Father’s will.

Shocked, as many of us will feel, when we find ourselves thus indicted, it is a fact that most of us do not believe these positive promises, and so we fail to make constructive use of them. That they are beautiful and perhaps comforting or encouraging, we more or less freely admit; but real and actual benefit from them, we hardly expect.

When we do so expect, however, we shall receive the benefit in every instance, for these promises form the first and most reliable science on record.

Following Christ, came that wide awake and ener¬ getic teacher, Paul, with his “Finally, Brethren, what¬ soever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are of good report—if there be any virtue—if there be any praise, think on these things” —meaning that we are to think on the good things, the things which bring to us satisfaction ; and ignore all appearances that seem other than desirable.

Paul was surely a Constructive Thinker. And if we will follow his advice, and determine on every occasion to think on the good things—the things for which we can give thanks and praise (and we can find some¬ thing for which to feel gracious in nearly every oc¬ casion, if we will steadfastly seek it), we shall soon dis¬ cover that we are becoming stronger daily, both in body, and in our mental operations.

Our environments—the appearances and things in the midst of which we live—are but the fruit of the harvest we have sowed in the past. Our objectified thoughts, as it were. Silent witnesses, eloquentlv in¬ dicating whether or not we are coN-structive or destructive Thinkers.

Have we followed Paul’s prescription, and per¬ sistently thought on the good things and conditions of living? If so, w T e are naturally creating and at¬ tracting into our lives, only such things as are nec¬ essary for our highest development.

But how about those who are more or less indifferent in their mental processes? Those who fail to realize that thoughts are real Things, and will either make or mar the day’s happiness and satisfaction?

These are our brothers and sisters who will build to¬ day, only to tear down and destroy tomorrow; until they appear to be living in the midst of many un¬ finished structures, some of which give pleasure and enjoyment, while others cause only discouragement and dissatisfaction.

It is the part of wisdom to prove these rules for ourselves, and the proof is readily obtainable, if we will seek it.

Disregarding all appearances in ourselves and our surroundings, let us determine to think on health, happiness and satisfaction; and to deny or ignore any and everything that seems otherwise.

Soon we shall be persuaded that seeming ills and inharmonies in our lives are of small account, if we are honest and steadfast in holding before the mind only pictures of good and desirable things, for as we think, SO shall we become.

The ways of Infinite Spirit are indeed wonderful and past finding out, and when we decide to stop limiting ourselves as to what we can and can not do, and step boldly out on Father’s promise, that “If ye ask anything (really believing in him and His law), i will do it,” we shall be assured that all things are possible unto us.

When we become really aware that we are individual parts of the one great whole, we understand at once that nothing can be too good to be true, in our lives and affairs.

That we cannot sow, or think, thoughts of illness, unhappiness and discouragement, and expect to reap a harvest of health, happiness and prosperity, it is well to keep in mind. Nature’s Law operates in much the same manner in the mental garden, as in the material. If we sow corn we shall not harvest oats; and precisely the same reasoning, brings us to the knowledge that if we sow thoughts of illness, w r e shall not express Health.

The body and affairs will constantly reflect the creations of the mind.

If we will steadfastly impress upon the great within, such things and conditions as we desire, those are the things and conditions that it will find a way to create for us, and bring into visibility in our lives.

Right thoughts will reflect right conditions; and as they radiate from the mind, they attract to themselves only thoughts of like character; returning to us in due season, the hundred fold increase Father has promised to all who believe in Him.

By our thoughts we have created for ourselves, the conditions in which we are today living. If we. are healthy, happy and successful, it is because our mental operation has been constructive and optimistic. We have kept the mental channel clear and clean, and have allowed no thoughts of fear and worry to dispel and drive from us, the “Exceeding, abundantly above all that we can ask or even think,” which is the right¬ ful inheritance of each one of us, if we will determine to so believe.

Undoubtedly some of us will have to plead guilty to appearances of illness, inharmony and material lack, in ourselves and homes—difficulties which we have un¬ successfully striven to surmount. But this is not a matter for discouragement. Rather, these difficulties have come to us as teachers, illustrating for us certain lessons, the Great Teacher knows we need to understand; and which, but for the inharmonious appearances, we might easily overlook and ignore for some time to come.

Most of the world’s inharmony comes of mistaking real values; and of giving too much weight and attention to appearances, by which we are admonished, not to judge.

We take it for granted that illness is a real condition: We speak of having some of the medically christened dis-eases, as something material, from which one can suffer. Indeed, there are times when we, scions of God Almighty, almost seem to be proud to declare, “Yes, I have had that, too”; and we are not always guiltless of discoursing upon such subjects to quite some length.

But illness, regardless of whatever the title bestowed upon it, is never a subject for proud discussion; in fact the less one knows of it, the prouder they should feel. It is wholly an unreal and unnatural condition, and has no power over us whatever, save as we so invest it.

To accept inharmony and nlaterial lack as “neces¬ sary evils,” and think it imperative to deal with these conditions practically upon their own terms, is alto¬ gether a wrong idea.

If w r e have been doing this, we have been wasting one of life’s most valuable commodities, by building a house on the sands, which will yield us nothing in the way of satisfaction.

In other words, we have been creating unreal o imaginary conditions, to the extent that it has perhap become difficult, to stop believing in illness am poverty, as the real things of Life; and to turn abou and judge rightly, as we are bidden to do.

Frequently do we hear people declare that they hat not been thinking anything about illness, when illnes came upon them; that indeed they had been feeling better than usual, up to the time of being stricken.

This, however, is neither evidence for, nor against. Constructive Thinking.

Thinking on illness, is not necessarily the cause o illness; for just as we get few so-called instantaneous healings, because of a lack of what might likewise be termed instantanteous faith; so w r e get comparatively few cases of illness, from a direct thought of such illness.

All illness, nevertheless, has its fountain head in the mind . Some negative or destructive line of thought, is the seed. And while that seed may remain dormant for some time, when the right conditions are offered, it will take root and produce after its kind.

Job had made this discovery when he declared, “The things that I have feared have come upon me.”

To think courageously and constructively, when s everything is going well with us, or when everything -Seems to be coming our way, is not sufficient, for the promotion of the large living, of which we are all capable.

To forcefully build today, because everything in < which we are interested is going to our liking, only to mentally destroy tomorrow, because some obstacle ^appears to more or less overshadow our progress, will .get us nowhere, save to the mental scrap heap, upon [which so many jewelled intellects have been left to trust and become useless.

We all need mental gymnasiums, even more than we need such places for physical exercise.

- Mind power is our most valuable asset, and we xpan far better afford to squander our material things, than to let any of our creative thought go to waste, f by using it to create things and conditions we do not want in our lives, and which bring to us only un¬ happiness, suffering and dissatisfaction.

} From negative or destructive Thinking, we not only reap a great variety of physical, mental and material inharmony or discord; but we allow it to rob us of very much of the joy and freedom, which is our inheritance from our Father, and which no one, save ourselves, can prevent our enjoying.

We are masters of each circumstance in our lives today.

That the Great First cause, of all that really is has placed U 9 here, to live under ‘‘circumstances, over which we have no control,” as is so often quoted, is as wrong an idea as it is possible to believe.

With life He gave to each one of us, “dominion over all the earth,” and it is only that we fail to accept and exercise that dominion that allows things and condi¬ tions to seem to have become adverse to our freedom here.

Circumstances in themselves have absolutely no control over us, until we, through lack of interest in Life’s offerings, and distrust of the universal plan, allow our hands to fall from the steering wheel.

It is up to us to manifest health, happiness and prosperity, or the reverse of these conditions, just as we WILL.

We are masters of our fate, and the circumstances in our lives will always bow before us when we arise in our might.

Upon what authority is such a statement based, do you ask? Authority as positive and substantial as this: “Thou shalt decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee.”

But even after anything as strong as that, the establishing power can establish for each one of us only the things and conditions we decree.

If we decree or declare that we are ill, poor, miserable or otherwise “in prison,” these are the conditions that will be established unto us.

Again, declaring or affirming that we have health, strength, love, confidence and plenty, will by the same Law, establish those conditions in our lives.

We cannot fill the mental garden with weeds (wrong thoughts), and then look forward to a harvest of the good things we desire; for just as “little foxes spoil the vines,” in nature’s garden, so do the little periods that we waste in destructive thinking and talking, retard our progress toward the goal of satisfac¬ tion.

That we carefully cultivate and watch the mental garden, is quite as necessary, and much more impor¬ tant, as that we banish all destructive forces from our material vines and fig trees; since what is disastrous to the one will likewise prove disastrous and ruinous to the other.

This does not mean, however, that if we are living amidst undesirable conditions today, that we are doomed to continue in such living, to the end of the chapter.

We may always wash Life’s slate, and begin the problem of living anew.

Just as it is possible to turn about, when we discover that we are traveling on the wrong highway, and go in whatsoever direction we desire, so may one turn about mentally, from the wrong to the right manner of thinking ; and begin at once to build up, and re¬ construct, that portion of ourselves, and our living conditions, which are not in accord with our concep¬ tion, of what our Father willed to each one of His children, here upon the earth.

“Dominion over every living thing that moveth upon the earth,” is the birthright belonging to each of us; and it is our privilege to take possession of this in¬ heritance, here and now; and to begin immediately, to enjoy its benefits, as fast as we really believe and ACCEPT His TRUTH.

Have some of us thought ourselves into undesirable conditions? Or do we find ourselves so involved, because of having accepted without taking the trouble to investigate, wrong ideas from others?

Even so, let us be unafraid and full of courage, realizing that by changing our mental processes, we may so change ourselves - and our environments, that both we and they, shall become, “Exceedingly, abun¬ dantly above all that we can ask or even think,” in accord with the promise of our elder brother.

Does that seem to us “too good to be true”?

Nothing is too good to be true, if we realize that we are dealing with all power, an individual portion of which, is in us, and all about us.

Undesirable conditions cannot, however, change of themselves. We must decree the change, before it can be established unto us.

Until we get our thought current right, or Con¬ structive, the things which are established unto us, will not be right, and will not be satisfying.

Desiring a change, we must determine to do all we can to bring such change to pass; and this is not in¬ frequently accomplished, when we have simply and honestly, turned about our mental processes.

We need only to try this experiment right where we are today, if life and living is not bringing to us the satisfaction we desire.

Let us “loose” the discouraged and destructive thought, and “let it go”; and then fill the mind to over¬ flowing, with the good thoughts, Paul suggests.

Hunt, if need be, for some “virtue” or some “good” or “praise”; and then steadfastly think on those things, until we shall attract into sight, many others for which to be really joyful and glad.

Instead of being cast down by discouragement, when a rather stubborn obstacle appears in the pathway, if we would only be still for a moment, and realize that all is good —the seeming obstacle, quite as much as anything else that comes to us,—and then arise and look for something to do, either for ourselves or our neighbor, which shall make that particular moment, hour or day, of real value to Universal Consciousness, we should soon find the obstacle melting away, seem¬ ingly of its own volition.

Trials, troubles and tribulations so-called, are the natural harvest of discouragement; while in the sun¬ light of courage, love, do and dare, they fade out of sight, into the nothingness from which they come.

Let us each decide to make of ourselves, the kind of workers in our Father’s vineyard here on the earth, that shall earn for Him large dividends; and shall earn for ourselves, the hundred fold increase in talents, He has promised to each of His children, if they will but believe and receive, in accord with His word.

Once convinced of the joy, of living on Life’s hilltop of energetic satisfaction, rather than in the valley of tears, nerves and unhappiness, obstacles which may loom up somewhat appallingly today become only little stepping stones, over which we confidently pass, to the green pastures of our heart’s desire.

Concentrated thought not only creates, but like a magnet, it attracts to itself, thought of like char¬ acter, in accord with the Law of Attraction, under which, “like attracts like.”

If we are employing Constructive and optimistic thoughts, on our daily problems, as they come to us for solution, we are also attracting to ourselves much force from like Constructive Thinkers all over the world.

And it is not difficult to imagine, how much of bene¬ fit may come to us through this additional thought power when added to our own efforts.

That precisely the same natural Law, applies to the matter of negative or destructive thinking, we must not forget. And as there are still many of us who allow ourselves to think and talk of trials, troubles and tribulations, we can hardly be surprised, when those unwanted conditions appear to be present in our lives. So it must be if we allow the mind to become attuned to the negative key.

Let us determine to take Paul’s advice, and from now on, think on the “things that are of virtue, and of good report,” whether those things are visible to the physical eye or otherwise.

Many of the real things of life are invisible.

None of us have ever seen the wind, the thunder, the air, or even the electricity, that is doing so much of our work, as well as lighting our homes and communi¬ ties. And yet who of us will say these things are of small value?

“Go thy way, believing, and as thou believest, so it is unto thee.” If we will go believing in health, happiness and prosperity, peace, pow r er and satisfac¬ tion, those are the conditions that will every day be¬ come more and more in evidence in our lives, as we grow into the poised, kindly and efficient men and women our Father delights to prosper.

Chapter II GETTING RESULTS

B EFORE rendering a decision, a conscientious judge demands that all possible evidence having to do with the matter before him, shall be presented.

We will do likewise with the matter of Constructive Thinking.

Having considered the positive side, let us see if the negative process of thinking has anything to be of¬ fered in its favor.

What does negative thinking mean? It means that we are reaching conclusions from appearances, rather than from the real things about us.

That we are reckoning, as it were, with these ap¬ pearances, and seeming to consider them the real things of life, when the Law recommends that we “Judge not by appearances,” but that we form our judgments from what we know to be His truth.

Negative thinking, if pursued with something of dil¬ igence, weakens the life structure since it gives the dominion over ale things, which is the natural inheri¬ tance of each one of us, to seeming things and condi¬ tions.

Thinking thusly, we begin declaring ourselves slaves

to these seeming conditions, when in reality they have no power over us, only as we so vest them with im¬ portance, and discuss them as realities.

Here is a man apologizing to his brother, to whom he has been uncivil, by declaring that indigestion has gotten the better of him, and is making him grouchy and disagreeable. That this is why he is below par in courtesy to his fellows.

Indigestion has caused him to let himself down a little, and so lie is not really to blame for releasing the brake of self-mastery, and passing up the Law of lov¬ ing kindness.

If his neighbor has been mentally side-swiped by his indulgence in bad temper, it can’t be helped, since in¬ digestion has the right of way.

It is not what a man eats that causes him to be dis¬ agreeable, or to seem to be a slave to indigestion.

Read what our elder brother says about the food question:

“Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink.”

He was aware that a perfect menu had been pro¬ vided by the first Great Cause and that if men be¬ lieved in Him, the food matter would automatically take care of itself.

So called indigestion is never a cause, but always an effect, of which wrong Thinking is the cause.

Let us fix in mind this one economy thought, namely, that we cannot afford to eat wrong thoughts or words with our food.

With our mental operations going rightly, we shall find few occasions when it is* necessary to apologize for outward appearances.

Outward appearances are only reflections of the real thing that is taking place within. Let us be sure to remember that.

To consider indigestion, or any other seeming phys¬ ical difficulty, a cause for discourtesy, is to work backward upon Life’s great problem.

To solve this problem we shall have to begin with the mind—the thoughts we are inwardly entertain¬ ing, of which our words and acts are but the ripened fruit.

Getting this matter correctly adjusted, we can dis¬ pense with indigestion tablets, Pink Pills, and even Hood’s Sarsaparilla. For there will come to us such an inflow of Good Will toward our neighbor (our neighbor being everybody and everything our Father created), that we shall voluntarily arise and shine as His sun of Rightness; caring little whether we shine on the just or the so-called unjust, so that we are about our Father’s business here in His great and good vineyard.

“That tired feeling,” will no more cause us to feel cross, since it will be gone for all time; and we shall know that we are equal to every emergency which be¬ comes a part of the day’s work.

To get the idea of physical illness correctly ad¬ justed, we shall have to do some real thinking.

Racial ideas on this subject are mostly putting the horse behind the* cart, and then blaming all inefficiency of action on the horse.

Constructive and cheerful thinking is a wonder¬ ful cure-all for every dis-ease to which flesh is supposed to be heir. But until we feel the necessity of becoming familiar with this theory, in order that we may test it for ourselves, in the solution of life’s problems, we are allowing one of the great by-products of our day to be largely wasted.

Why continue to “feed on the husks” when we might so much more naturally and happily be eating with “the guests at our Father’s table”?

That one simple promise, “Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free,” when accepted at its face value, leads to any and every good thing and condition the heart desires.

Until so accepted, it is not a promise unto us and is as useless of course, as any other promise in which we refuse to have confidence.

Health, happiness and prosperity are ours for the taking. Let us learn to graciously reach out and ACCEPT THEM.

Surrounding conditions will cease impeding our progress when we are really in earnest in seeking this “Pearl of great price.”

We will accept the statement that illness, poverty and all such inharmony are never causes, and try these matters out for ourselves.

A few thoughtful experiments will soon convince us that such conditions are the natural effect of wrong thinking, which have become crystallized in us and in our surroundings or affairs.

The inner phase of mind—sometimes called the sub¬ conscious—controls our activities more largely than we are always aware; getting its direction from the outer, or conscious phase of mind, and acting upon this direction with much precision. So that the matter of working out of undesirable conditions into such sur¬ roundings as we desire, is clearly a matter within the reach of every individual— if that individual will rightly oversee and operate the mental workshop.

This is the point of beginning, if we would make our way intelligently to the goal of freedom; otherwise we shall constantly be destroying and invalidating our work by allowing doubts, fears, and likewise negative thoughts, to come in and quite take possession of the mind.

Diligently planting good seed today, only to up¬ root or unearth it tomorrow, cannot produce a harvest, even though the sun and rain are unerring in perform¬ ing their prescribed offices.

The seed must have time to germinate and take root, before it can begin its natural process of growing.