And Five of Them Were Wise

"And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 
They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them." --Matt. 25:2-3

My subject is the parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins. "And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them. But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps." The parable teaches that true prayer means preparation.

Jesus Christ said, "And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive" (Math. 21:22). "Therefore I say unto you, what things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them" (Mark 11:24). In this parable he shows that only those who have prepared for their good (thereby showing active faith) will bring the manifestation to pass.

We might paraphrase the scriptures and say: When ye pray believe ye have it. When ye pray ACT as if you have already received.

Armchair faith or rocking chair faith, will never move mountains. In the armchair, in the silence, or meditation, you are filled with the wonder of this Truth, and feel that your faith will never waver. You know that The Lord is your Shepherd, you shall never want.

You feel that your God of Plenty will wipe out all burdens of debt or limitations. Then you leave your armchair and step out into the arena of Life. It is only what you do in the arena that counts.

I will you give you an illustration showing how the law works; for faith without action is dead.

A man, one of my students, had a great desire to go abroad. He took the statement: I give thanks for my divinely designed trip, divinely financed, under grace, in a perfect way. He had very little money, but knowing the law of preparation, he bought a trunk. It was a very gay and happy trunk with a big red band around its waist. Whenever he looked at it it gave him a realization of a trip.

One day he seemed to feel his room moving. He felt the motion of a ship. He went to the window to breathe the fresh air, and it smelt like the aroma of the docks. With his inner ear he heard the shriek of a sea-gull and the creaking of the gangplank. The trunk had commenced to work. It had put him in the vibration of his trip. Soon after that, a large sum of money came to him and he took the trip. He said afterwards that it was perfect in every detail.

In the arena of Life we must keep ourselves tuned-up to concert pitch.

Are we acting from motives of fear or faith? Watch your motives with all diligence, for out of them are the issues of life.

If your problem is a financial one (and it usually is) you must know how to wind yourself up financially, and keep wound up by always acting your faith. The material attitude towards money is to trust in your salary, your income and investments, which can shrink over night.

The spiritual attitude toward money is to trust in God for your supply. To keep your possessions, always realize that they are God in manifestation. "What God has given cannot be diminished," then if one door shuts another door, immediately opens.

Never voice lack or limitation for "by your words your are condemned." You combine with what you notice, and if you are always noticing failure and hard times, you will combine with failure and hard times.

You must form the habit of living in the fourth dimension, "The World of the Wondrous." It is the world where you do not judge by appearances.

You have trained your inner eye to see through failure into success, to see through sickness into health to see through limitation into plenty. I will give you the land which you though seeth."

The man who achieves success has the fixed idea of success. If it is founded on a rock of truth and rightness it will stand. If not, it is built upon sand and washed into the sea, returning to its native nothingness.

Only divine ideas can endure. Evil destroys itself, for it is a cross current against universal order, and the way of the transgressor is hard.

"They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them. But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps."

The lamp symbolizes man's consciousness. The oil is what brings Light or understanding.

"While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made. Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us your oil; for our lamps are gone out."

The foolish virgins were without wisdom or understanding, which is oil for the consciousness, and when

they were confronted with a serious situation, they had no way of handling it.

And when they said to the wise "give us of your oil," the wise answered saying, "Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves."

That means that the foolish virgins could not receive more than was in their consciousness, or what they were vibrating to.

The man received the trip because it was in his consciousness, as a reality. He believed that he had already received. As he prepared for the trip he was taking oil for his lamps. With realization comes manifestation.

The law of preparation works both ways. If you prepare for what you fear or don't want, you begin to attract it. David said, "The thing I feared has come upon me." We hear people say, "I must put away money in case of illness." They are deliberately preparing to be ill. Or, "I'm saving for a rainy day." The rainy day is sure to come, at a most inconvenient time.

The divine idea for every man is plenty. Your barns should be full, and your cup should flow over, but we must learn to ask aright.

For example take this statement: I call on the law of accumulation. My supply comes from God, and now pours in and piles up, under grace.

This statement does not give any picture of stint or saving or sickness. It gives a fourth dimensional feeling of abundance, leaving the channels to Infinite Intelligence.

Every day you must make a choice, will you be wise or foolish? Will you prepare for your good?

Will you take the giant swing into faith? Or serve doubt and fear and bring no oil for your lamps?

"And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not."

You may feel that the foolish virgins paid very dearly for neglecting to bring oil for their lamps, but we are dealing with the law of Karma (or the law of come back). It has been called the "judgment day," which people usually associate with the end of the world.

Your judgment day comes, they say, in sevens - seven hours, seven days, seven weeks, seven months, or seven years. It might even come in seven minutes. Then you pay some Karmic debt; the price for having violated spiritual law. 

You failed to trust God, you took no oil for your lamps.

Every day examine your consciousness and see just what your are preparing for. You are fearful of lack and hang on to every cent, thereby attracting more lack. Use what you have with wisdom and it opens the way for more to come to you.

In my book, "Your Word Is Your Wand," I tell about the Magic Purse. In the Arabian Nights they tell the story of a man who had a Magic Purse. As money went out, immediately money appeared in it again.

So I made the Statement: My supply comes from God - I have the magic purse of the spirit. It can never be depleted. As money goes out, immediately money comes in. It is always crammed, jammed with abundance, under grace, in perfect ways.

This brings a vivid picture to mind: You are drawing on the bank of the imagination.

A woman who did not have much money was afraid to pay any bills and see her bank account dwindle. It came to her with great conviction: "I have the magic purse of the spirit. It can never be depleted. As money goes out, immediately, money comes in." She fearlessly paid her bills, and several large cheques came to her that she did not expect.

"Watch and pray lest ye enter into the temptation" of preparing for something destructive instead of something constructive.


I knew a woman who told me she always kept a long crepe veil handy in case of funerals. I said to her, "You are a menace to your relatives, and are preparing to hurry them all off, so that you can wear the veil." She destroyed it.

Another woman who had no money decided to send her two daughters to college. Her husband scorned the idea and said, "Who will pay their tuition? I have no money for it." She replied, "I know some unforeseen good will come to us." She kept on preparing her daughters for college. Her husband laughed heartily and told all their friends that his wife was sending the girls to college on "some unforeseen good." A rich relative suddenly sent her a large sum of money. "Some unforeseen good" did arrive, for she had shown active faith. I asked what she had said to her husband when the cheque arrived. She replied, "Oh, I never antagonize George by telling him I am in the right."

So prepare for your "unforeseen good." Let every thought and every act express your unwavering faith.

Every event in your life is a crystallized idea.

Something you have invited through either fear or faith. Something you have prepared for.

So let us be wise and bring oil for our lamps - and when we least expect it, we shall reap the fruits of our faith.

My lamps are now filled with the oil of faith and fulfillment.

VICTORY AND FULFILLMENT

Victory and fulfillment are two wonderful words and since we realize that words and thoughts are a form of radio activity, we carefully choose the words we wish to see crystallized.

Life is a crossword puzzle, the right word gives you the answer. Many people are rattling off destructive words in their conversation. We hear them say: I'm broke! I'm sick! Remember by your words you are justified and by your words you are condemned. You are condemned by them because they do not return void. Change your words and you change your world, for your word is your world. You choose your food and the world is now calorie conscious. People no longer eat buckwheat cakes, beefsteak, potatoes, pie and three cups of coffee for breakfast. To keep down weight they eat dry toast and orange juice. This is tremendous discipline, but they are working for results. Why not try a diet of the right words —for you are literally eating your words. That is the value of the affirmation. You are deliberately building up a constructive idea in your consciousness. Your consciousness may be crammed and jammed with destructive ideas, but continually making a statement of Truth, will dissolve these negative thought-forms. These thought-forms have been built up from your own vain imaginings. Perhaps as a child you were taught that life was hard, happiness fleeting, and that the world was cold and unfriendly. These ideas were impressed upon your subconscious, and you found things just as they were predicted. With a knowledge of Truth all these external pictures may be changed, for they are only pictures, which change as your subconscious beliefs change.

When I tell people about the power of the word, and that words and thoughts are a form of radio activity and do not return void, they say: "Oh, is it as easy as that?" Many people like things difficult and hard to understand. I believe that was the reason the amazingly simple teachings of Jesus Christ were forgotten after a few hundred years. People build up creeds and ceremonies which they only half understand. Now, in this twentieth century, the secret things are being revealed and we are again having primitive Christianity.

"Ask, believing, thou shalt receive!" We know that our beliefs or expectancies are impressed upon the subconscious and carried out. We might say, if you ask, not believing, you will not receive. Faith creates expectancy.

This Infinite Intelligence upon which man draws his supply is called, by Jesus Christ, "Your Heavenly Father." The Father within, He described as a kind, loving parent desirous of pouring all good things upon His children. "Fear not, little flock, 'tis your Father's good pleasure to give you the Kingdom." He taught that God's law was simply a law of love and good-will. "Love your neighbor as yourself' —"Do unto others as you would be done by." Any violation of the law of love causes a short circuit. "The way of the transgressor is hard." God is immutable law— "I am the Lord (law), I change not."

Divine ideas are immutable, not subject to change. What wonderful words —"Immutable -- not subject to change."

A woman came to me filled with fears and forebodings. She said for years she had been pursued by the fear that even if she should receive the desire of her heart, something would happen to spoil it. I gave her the statement: "The Divine Plan of your life is a perfect idea in Divine Mind, incorruptible and indestructible, and cannot be spoiled in any way." A great load was lifted from her consciousness. For the first time in years she had a feeling of joy and freedom. Know the Truth and the Truth gives you a sense of freedom, soon then comes the actual freedom on the external.

This Supreme Intelligence is what man becomes one with when he speaks the word. This Supreme Intelligence awaits man's direction, but It must have right of way, It must not be limited.

Divine Activity in your body brings health. There is only one disease—congestion, and one cure—circulation. Congestion and stagnation are the same thing. People say they "have got into a rut." A new idea will take them out of a rut. We must get out of the rut of negative thinking.

The word enthusiasm in the dictionary is defined, "to be inspired or possessed by a god." Enthusiasm is divine fire and kindles enthusiasm in others. To be a good salesman you must be enthusiastic about the articles you are selling. If you are bored with your business or uninterested, the fires go out, and no one else will be interested.

A woman came to me for success in business. She said, "I have a shop but it is usually empty. I do not bother to open it until late in the day, what's the use?" I replied, "There is indeed no use so long as you feel the way you do. You are keeping people away. Become enthusiastic over what you have to sell. Be enthusiastic about yourself. Be enthusiastic about the God-power within you, and get up early to open your shop and be ready for the big crowd."

By this time she was all wound up with divine expectancy. She dashed down to her shop as early as possible and people were waiting outside and poured in all day.


People often say to me, "Treat my business." I say, "No, I will treat you, for YOU are your business." Your quality of thought penetrates every article for sale and all the conditions connected with it. Jesus Christ was divinely enthusiastic about the message He had to bring to the Father within each man. He was enthusiastic about faith. He told the people that whatsoever they "ask in His name" would be given them. It was a message of asking and receiving. He told them just how to comply with spiritual law. "Ask, believing, thou shalt receive." "When ye pray believe ye have it." "Why are ye fearful, oh, ye of little faith?"

After two thousand years His divine fire is rekindled in the consciousness of all Truth students. We are having a Christian renaissance, a new birth, a revival of Christianity. He taught a universal principle, without creed or ceremony. We see members of all religions, denominations, coming into this Truth movement. It does not take them away from their churches. In fact, many clergymen are now teaching what the metaphysicians are teaching; for Jesus Christ is the greatest of all metaphysicians, because He proved His principles and brought miracles to pass. He sent forth His disciples, "To preach the Gospel and heal the sick." For about three hundred years His message survived, then His divine fire was lost and the words, "Be thou healed," were no longer spoken. Creed and ceremony took their place. Now we see people flocking to these Truth Centres to be healed, blessed and prospered. They have learned to "Pray aright," and have understanding faith.

A woman told me of an answered prayer. Her son wrote her that he was going to southern California on a business trip in his car. She read in the morning paper of a flood, and she immediately spoke the word for divine protection. She had a great feeling of security, she knew he would be protected. She soon heard from him, saying some business had interfered with his leaving, so he was detained. If he had left when he had expected, he would have been in the flood district.

We become divinely enthusiastic about our answered prayers, which we call "demonstrations," for it means that we have demonstrated the truth and have been set free from some limitation.

The 24th Psalm is one of the most enthusiastic of the many Psalms of praise and thanksgiving.

"Lift up your heads, oh ye gates and be ye lifted up ye everlasting doors; and the King of Glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory, the Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle."

The gates and doors symbolize man's consciousness. As you are lifted up in consciousness, you contact the super-conscious, the God within, and the King of glory comes in. This King of glory lifts your burdens and fights your battles, solves your problems.

The average person has a difficult time LETTING the King of glory come in. Doubt, fear and apprehension keep the doors and gates locked against your good.

A student told me of a situation which she attracted by negative thinking. She had been invited to a gathering of old and valued friends. It was of the utmost importance for her to be there. She was so anxious to go, she said to herself repeatedly, "Oh, I hope nothing happens to interfere." The day of the reception arrived and she awoke with a terrific headache. At one time she had been subject to these headaches, going to bed for several days, but she had not had one for many years. Her doubts and fears had attracted this disappointment. She called me up and said, "Will you please speak the word that I will be well by evening to go to the reception?" I replied, "Why, of course, nothing can interfere with God's perfect plan." So, I spoke the word. Later, she told me of her miracle. She said in spite of the way she felt, she prepared to go. She cleaned her jewelry, got her dress ready to wear, and attended to every detail, though she felt scarcely able to move. Very late in the afternoon, she said she had a peculiar sensation as of a fog lifting in her consciousness, and she was perfectly well. She went to the reception and had a wonderful time. I believe that the healing might have come more quickly had she not said, "I want to be well by tonight." We are continually limiting ourselves by our words, so not until night was she perfectly well. "By your word you are justified and by your word you are condemned."

I knew a man who was the centre of attraction wherever he went, because he was always enthusiastic about something. Whether it was about shoes, clothes or a haircut, he enthused others into buying the same things. He did not gain anything material by it, he was just naturally enthusiastic. Someone has said, "If you want to be interesting to others, be interested in something." An interested person is an enthusiastic person. We often hear people say: "Do tell me what you're interested in."

Many people are without vital interests and are hungry to hear what other people are doing. They are usually the ones who keep the radio turned on from early morning till late at night. They must be entertained every minute. Their own affairs do not hold enough interest.

A woman once said to me: "I love other people's affairs." She lived on gossip. Her conversation consisted of, "I was told," "I was given to understand," or "I heard." It is needless to say she is now paying her Karmic debt. A great unhappiness has overtaken her and everyone knows about her affairs. It is dangerous to neglect your own affairs and to take an idle curiosity in what others are doing. We should all be busily engaged in perfecting ourselves, but take a kindly interest in others. Make the most of your disappointments by transmuting them into happy surprises. Transmute all failure into success. Transmute all unforgiveness into forgiveness; all injustice into justice. You will be kept busy enough perfecting your own life, you won't have time to run other people's affairs.

Jesus Christ aroused the enthusiasm of the multitudes by performing miracles, healing the sick and raising the dead. "And a great multitude followed Him because they saw His miracles which He did for them that were diseased." As we read this we feel the enthusiasm of the multitudes, which surrounded Him. With Him all things were possible, for He knew that He and the Father were, indeed, one.

With divine enthusiasm I bless what I have, and look with wonder at their increase. 


THE SECRET DOOR TO SUCCESS


YOUR WORD IS YOUR WAND