Personal Growth on the Spiritual Path
Five Steps to Increased Awareness
Personal and spiritual growth often times go hand in hand. While having a desire to better ourselves, we learn many techniques and strategies that encourage us to look within. Once we begin that process many of us find it leads to more heightened spiritual awareness.
Once tasted, we find this spiritual awareness to be so sweet that we must have more and the quest for increased knowledge about this hidden part of ourselves has taken off. So many questions we previously pondered begin to have answers that fit into our new understanding.
Everyone seems to have their own time table for becoming interested in the spiritual path. For some, it’s a sudden change in life situations or a tragedy in their lives which prompts this new interest. For others, it’s a gnawing and ongoing dissatisfaction concerning the way they have been feeling about their life and the purpose they seek to find.
Still others have never had and don’t anticipate any interest in spiritual matters. They may even consider them to be nonsensical or not applicable to their personal existence. Any place you find yourself in reference to this path is fine.
There’s no right or wrong place to be. It’s all part of our individual growth and most of us will explore this path when we are ready. We understand the ancient wisdom –
When the seeker is ready, the path will appear.
What follows is a step by step program to help illuminate the path that appears before us. All of us have been accustomed to looking outside ourselves for the answers to the questions we have regarding how we should proceed.
Our new journey will carry each of us inside ourselves to find the answers which have always been there. You may want to see the discussion entitled - - Know Who You Are - - as a primer for this 5 step program. As outlined there I use the word God as the name for the Source Energy from which we all originate. Feel free to substitute whichever name feels good to you.
- Know that:
- God is Everywhere Present (No exceptions)
- God is Powerful (Lacking no conceived or inconceivable power in any circumstance)
- God is All Knowing (God knows past, present and future and thoroughly masters the “How to” of any situation)
God is All.
- Know that you and I are children of the living God and are therefore heirs to:
- God’s Presence (Everywhere)
- God’s Power (In all situations)
- God’s Knowledge (Supernatural answers to all our questions)
- Knowing and Believing with our whole heart and our whole mind and our whole body that steps 1 and 2 are completely true, we realize and affirm that we are free and able to Be all we are intended to Be by the Spirit of God in each of us.
- Being completely free and able to Be who we truly are, we simply discard and refuse to use any of the learned behavior of fear, worry or doubt in any of our life activities.
- We understand that our Belief and Trust in God delivers supernatural power and knowledge for our benefit in all our life situations. God’s good becomes our good.
These 5 steps are inspired by Dr. Wayne Dyer’s book, There’s a Spiritual Solution to Every Problem in which he totally exposed me to my core by this paragraph I picked up, “by chance,” one afternoon as I was yielding to doubt and worry feelings about my financial situation. Here’s the passage that hit me between the eyes with its truth for me.
“You cannot have God and have fear too. Generally speaking, most people fear their highest possibility and they are afraid to become that which they can envision in their most glorious and perfect moments. Consequently, fear becomes an accustomed state of being, and avoiding our divinity becomes commonplace.”
With this awareness, you can now use these 5 steps as a practical guide to breaking free of the fear of your highest possibilities.
10 To Do’s For Success
- Decide what you need (but feel you now lack) to achieve your goal, your dream or your aspiration. Momentarily think, “I’d be successful if I had this ________ (fill in the blank with your list of needs). Let that sink in as your ego’s excuse for not having or getting what you want.
- Now go back and reread steps 1 through 5 aloud to yourself three times. Feel the truth of these statements in your mind, in your heart and in your body.
- State aloud, “I am a loved child of God. I already have everything I need. God freely gives to me.” Realize and acknowledge that this is true for you.
- Mentally and verbally say to your ego, “Well, that kills your excuse. Now, keep quiet, I’m moving ahead!”
- Do everything you would do as if you have everything you need right at your fingertips. Plan, develop and execute trusting God to provide as you need each resource. Move ahead, expecting all you need to materialize when you need it. Give no thought to how or when; simply focus on doing what’s needed next in your plan having faith in the supernatural to show up just at the right moment.
This is what all the enlightened masters mean when they say, “Act as if.”
- Don’t focus on the outcome. Do not be overly concerned how the next person responds to your offering. Begin to understand and trust the supernatural power operating in your activities. Those who are led to align with your offering will enthusiastically accept and join you in your efforts.
Give to them wholeheartedly. Those who are not led will show little interest and even point out numerous negatives to your path. Show no concern, instead, bless them and send them on their way and remember supernatural power is at work and is doing an amazing job of proper alignment. - Give thanks for everyone you meet, share with them your offer and then let go of the result. Always smile and show kindness because you know many of your skeptics will want to return to your offer once you have proven its effectiveness.
Continue to share your success and good news with everyone in your sphere of influence until they simply ask to be left alone. ( After all, we want to share our success with as many others as are open to receive it.) - Rather than say, “I can’t believe it,” when your success starts to show itself, learn to say, “I believe it and I see it. Thank you, God!” This will help your words multiple your beliefs.
- Encourage, encourage, encourage others to follow these belief steps to their coming success. Continue to believe in others and their success even if they are having difficulties doing so. Remember that it is often “our” belief in someone that gets them where they are going.
This is Behaving as God Behaves. God believes in us no matter where we’ve been or what we’ve done. Want to see God smile? Be consistent in your belief of someone else as they struggle to believe in themselves. This is what God does. - Give your first fruits to God. Reach out to someone in need, give to your church, support someone who’s having trouble supporting themselves. We love the idea of “pay it forward” in this light. By giving first to God and the children of God we acknowledge our gratitude and receive in the spirit we have given.
It’s called planting seeds. And guess what? Seeds grow and multiply, supplying us with even more. Ours is an abundant world. Be sure and play your part in that abundance. You will change your life!