Edwene Gaines - The Four Spiritual Laws of Prosperity: A Simple Guide to Unlimited Abundance

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2005 by Edwene Gaines

Cover illustration Burke/Triolo Productions/Getty Images

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Book design by Joanna Williams

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file with the publisher.

ISBN-13 9781594861956 hardcover
ISBN-10 1594861951 hardcover
ISBN 9781609614812 ebook

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CONTENTS

I dedicate this work to my bold, beautiful, and brilliant daughter, Maureen, who has taught me to love without conditions.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I am profoundly grateful for the love and wisdom of the many souls who have made enormous contributions to me and this work and encouraged me along the way, including Charles and Myrtle Fillmore, Catherine Ponder, John Rankin, Paula McClellan, Harriet Valliere, John Randolph and Jan Price, Jacob Dean, Joel Dean, Maureen Dempsey, Kenny Smith, Melanie Carson, Kelly Twilley, Barbara Morgan, Kathie Kirby, Joel Fotinos, my collaborator Elsa Hurley, my agent Candice Fuhrman, my editors Stephanie Tade and Jennifer Kushnier, Ed and Angie Gaines, and Corinne Gaines.

INTRODUCTION

My name is Edwene Gaines, and I am a woman of power.

This hasnt always been true. There was a time years ago when my days were filled with fear and deprivation. I had holes in my shoes. I was working two jobs, sixteen hours a day, and still I couldnt make ends meet. Sometimes I didnt even know how I was going to feed my hungry child.

Then I asked God to help me turn my life around. After I did, some of the things I felt called to do seemed a little crazy, but I did them anyway. As a result, my life has been completely transformed. I now own a beautiful retreat center. I travel first class. I have fine clothes, jewelry, and a lovely home. If I want something, I simply buy it. I even have somebody on my staff who buys my toilet paper for me (not that I really minded buying toilet paper, but its kind of fun that I dont have to do it anymore).

Yes, I am a woman of power, and I am also a woman of passion: Its not enough for me that I now live in comfort and luxury. I have made a commitment that I would be responsible for changing the way that all people think about the potential for prosperity and abundance in their lives. It is my goal that every single person on this planet have faith that all he or she needs and wants in life will appearand that includes you. My mission is not complete until you, too, are living a life of true prosperity. I want to see your life transformed, and my purpose in writing this book is to help you, with a program of practical steps and exercises, to embark on a wondrous new journeya journey to true prosperity.

So, what is true prosperity? My definition is:

A vitally alive physical body to provide a comfortable worldly home for the spiritual beings that we are

Relationships that are satisfying, nurturing, honest, and work all the time

Work that we love so much that its not work, its play

And all the money we can spend

As a human being living on this planet, your life is subject to a multitude of laws. If you do not obey these laws, things are not going to go the way you want them to go, and you may even find yourself in a whole lot of trouble.

For example, as a physical being, you are governed by the law of physics. Lets say you want to transport a heavy crystal vase from one table to another without breaking it. The law of gravity says that because Earth is pulling on that object, the force you use to carry the vase must be at least as strong, or the vase is going to crash to the floor.

As another example, you are governed by human law, such as that imposed by the State Highway Patrol. Lets say you want to drive your car across the state without getting stopped by the police. You know that if you dont want a speeding ticket, you cant make the trip at 120 miles per hour. Youre going to have to obey the speed limit.

Everyone learns about the law of gravity early in life (even if we dont recognize it as such) because, as babies learning to walk, we fell down a lot. And it takes only one experience of seeing those flashing lights in your rearview mirror to know that you need to take human laws seriously. But many people do not know about (and therefore, do not abide by) the spiritual laws that govern their lives, and then they wonder why they cant seem to be rid of credit card debt, get their bills paid, or rise above simply existing from paycheck to paycheck. The reason, of course, is that they are not abiding by the spiritual laws that govern them. And they will not achieve true prosperity until they do.

Here are the four spiritual laws that govern your prosperity:

1. You must tithe 10 percent of all that you receive to the person, place, or institution where you have received your spiritual food. Putting God first in your finances is a dynamic act of courage. When you do so, your faith and your ability to stretch yourself, to move forward, and to expand your vision of yourself and your life increases a hundred-fold.

2. You must set clear-cut, tangible goals. Goal-setting is looking honestly at where you are, then choosing where you want to be, and then setting a clear and deliberate intention to go there. Doing so forces you to live consciously, rather than unconsciously.

. You must forgive everyone all the time, especially yourself. Forgiveness is a discipline and a powerful spiritual practice that will enable you to feel worthy enough to live prosperously. It requires a diligence and a commitment to compassion and understanding.

4. You must seek, discover, and follow your divine purpose. You must assign significance and meaning to your life, giving yourself strength and endurance and bringing joy to your existence on a daily basis. When you are aligned with your divine purpose, you bring a passion to all that you do.

Remember, prosperity is not just about money. Do not look at other people and say, They are not following one of the spiritual lawssuch as, say, forgivenessbut they have lots of money. Therefore, the spiritual laws must not really exist. The truth is that you dont know anything about that persons inner life, or how happy his or her relationships are. You cannot accurately judge whether another person is truly prosperous.

The four spiritual laws are just as much a force in your life as is the law of gravity. They are very simple laws, but none of them are optional, and it does not matter a whit if you believe in them or not. They play a powerful role in your life regardless.

Now, you may happen to be a cynic. You may say that you cant just take on faith all of these wild promises I make about what God has in store for you. And thats fine. Im a cynic myself, by nature. I had to see the results firsthand to believe it, so I understand if you do, too.