Is Faith Enough?
By PARAMHANSA YOGANANDA
Steps Toward the Attaining of the Consciousness
Which was in Christ Jesus
"And Jesus answering saith unto them, have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you what things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses, But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses." -Mark 11:22-26.
And then Jesus reminded his disciples of the limitless powers of will and faith-when guided by
Intuitive communion with God. "Find God within you by meditation and ecstasy, for verily I say unto you, that whosoever has God communion can, by his will power create vibrations so potent that even a mountain might be uprooted and cast into the sea. Those who have such communion can never doubt that the almighty power of God resides in their hearts. And so the devotee who really communes with God knows that whatever he wishes will be fulfilled-will materialize -and whatever he says will come to pass."
However, Jesus made it clear that such gifts are given to man only after he has experienced God communion, and has changed his status from that of a deluded man to that of divine sonhood. Even then, the devotee must take care to believe - to be certain - that whatever he desires as he prays, is even then coming to him through the almighty power of God-then he shall receive it.
Cleansing Mind and Heart
Furthermore, one must have a cleansed mind and a loving heart when seeking to commune with God. It is not fitting to pray-or to meditate-with hatred in one's Consciousness. If one forgives anyone who has offended him, then the omniscient Father, the Cosmic Consciousness which is present, though invisible, and which enfolds the devotee as he prays, will also forgive the petitioner's spiritual offenses. But if the omniscient Father finds an unforgiving attitude toward those who have offended His child, then He, likewise, may withhold forgiveness for that child's own spiritual sins.
Thus Jesus spoke of the law of cause and effect which governs all our actions; but he said that the law of conduct should not be tempered by justice alone, but by forgiveness and love. The wise devotee must heed Jesus' plea. Don't try to give punishment to a person who has offended you--even if you are sure that he justly merits it. Try to forgive him because he is your brother, made in the image of God. You, too, are responsible for many offenses toward God and man. But if your omniscient Father finds that you, as one of His sons, forgive an offending brother, then He will relax the inscrutable law of cause and effect which governs all human actions, and will forgive some of your spiritual offenses, even as you forgave your errant brother.