We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be.

Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

Peace is such a precious jewel that I would give anything for it but truth.

Matthew Henry

Civilized people have exchanged some part of their chances of happiness for a measure of security.

Sigmund Freud

Hi there, and welcome to a new week!  We thank you for dropping
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Commentary on Doubt
Iyanla Vanzant

Creative Oneness
Wilferd A. Peterson

In This Day
Robert C. Perks

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It is a proven scientific fact that no two things can occupy the same space at the same time.  This theory applies to the mind and heart of human beings.  Where there is trust there can be no doubt.  The moment doubt enters, trust has disappeared.  You cannot believe and doubt.  To believe is to know, understand, and accept the immutable truth.  The truth does not change.  The truth cannot be altered.  Where there is total, unquestioning reliance on the truth, there can be no doubt.  Doubt enters our consciousness and invades the mind when we forget the truth, and when we do not trust in the omnipresence of the divine law.

Doubt is bred in the mental state of attachment or emotional investment in the outcome.  When we have a fixed idea of how things should be and how we want them to look, we become doubtful that we will get what we want.  The doubt stems from our beliefs, many of which hinge on our thoughts and feelings of unworthiness.  When we believe we are not worthy of having what we want, we doubt that we can or will receive it.  Doubt is also the mental and emotional response to our need to be in control.  To be in control we must know everything about everything.  We fix our sights on a particular outcome and a method of achieving that outcome.  When it appears that our plans are going awry, the natural response is fear, which is the primary ingredient of doubt.  Control-based doubt is what we call worry.  Worry is the direct descendant of the need to be in control.

What we must realize is that we cannot see everything.  We do not know everything.  More important, we must understand that it is impossible for us to control anything.  The process of life is a spiritual one, governed by invisible, intangible spiritual laws and principles.  When we are in alignment with those laws and principles, we experience the natural outcome of the laws in action.  The laws bring into manifestation the will of God.  This is a will for the good of everyone.  When we understand and embrace this truth, there is never a reason to doubt.  We know that no matter what it looks like, the final outcome will be something good.

We attract into our lives that which we focus upon with the strongest intent.  Unfortunately, most of us do not monitor our thoughts, and therefore have no idea what we are thinking about most of the time.  Even on those occasions when we do focus, do plan, do concentrate on our intended desire, we evaluate our progress toward achievement by the appearance of physical evidence.  We evaluate and judge what we see as the determining factor of our progress toward a desired end.  When one predetermined element fails to appear as we have determined it should, we doubt ourselves and our progress.  The moment a seed of doubt becomes embedded in our thoughts, we can become so preoccupied with fixing what has apparently gone wrong that our thoughts shift from the desired outcome.  We are now focused intently on ensuring that nothing goes wrong.  Forestalling wrong, rather than desired intent, becomes the focus.  That focus will ultimately grow into the very thing we fear, the failure to obtain the desired outcome.

Constant prayer and affirmation are the strongest defenses against doubt.  Praying for guidance and believing that we have received it will bring our actions into alignment with Divine Will.  Affirming the truth about ourselves and life will set into motion the spiritual principles of divine order and divine timing.  We always get exactly what we need when we need it, even when we are not aware that we need it.  Learning to live without having to evaluate every appearance, while remaining focused on our desire, knowing that it is the outcome of a good intent, leaves no room for doubt to grow in the conscious mind.  Intent is the energy that supports expectation.  Expectations always determine results.  When we expect to be guided and protected and to receive the benefits of Divine Will, we can expect the results of all endeavors to be favorable.
   

Ordained minister and "spiritual life counselor" Iyanla Vanzant doesn't know the exact moment when her soul opened up "and the spirit of the divine entered [her] body." But she will always remember the key insight that opened the door to her soul and simultaneously locked the door to her insanity: "If you know who walks beside you, you can never be afraid." This is the premise from which Vanzant has launched her enormously successful 40-day, spiritual self-help program. One Day My Soul Just Opened Up is designed as day-by-day journal/workbook to help readers believe in a divine presence while pondering daily spiritual lessons such as simplicity, peace, compassion, and nonjudgement.

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Your mission statement becomes your
constitution, the solid expression of your vision
and values.  It becomes the criterion by which
you measure everything else in your life. . . . Writing or reviewing a mission statement changes you because it forces you to think through your priorities deeply, carefully, and to align your behavior with your beliefs.

Stephen Covey

When Walker first steps onto the road, he has no thoughts, no history, no memories, and no clothes. As he travels and meets people and learns from them, he comes to know more about life, living, and becoming the person he's meant to be. Walker is a parable for all of us who wonder what might be the purpose of life, why bad things happen with almost as much regularity as good things, and how we can learn from the bad examples and experiences in our lives as much as we can learn from the good things. Tom Walsh's parable is a story of the ages, a timeless exploration of ideas and thoughts that all of us wonder about, a sincere and heartfelt portrait of a man who has no past and no future, but who learns to make the most of each precious present moment as it comes.