The Power of Faith

“Have faith in God” (Mark 11:22)

Faith is not confined to religion. When used constructively, it is a spiritual power that can literally remove obstacles. Jesus often instructed the disciples on the power of the smallest amount of faith. “If you have faith as a tiny mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘move from here to there,’ and nothing will be impossible to you” (Matthew 17:20). He also repeatedly advised as to where to place their faith, “Have faith in God” (Mark 11:22).

Faith can be expressed as religious beliefs, but it is not derived from religions, churches, or denominations. Charles and Myrtle Fillmore, co-founders of Unity, described faith as the basic foundational power that everyone possesses.

In The Revealing Word, Charles Fillmore defines faith as “the perceiving power of the mind.” It is our ability to look (perceive) at something and give our mental attention to it. The results are all about where we place our faith.

We can activate our faith in the most powerful way by saying “yes” to God-the-Good. Unity’s 1^st principle—that there is One Presence and One Power, God-the-Good, in everyone and in everything is a statement of faith. Faith is our ability to draw our good from the invisible into the visible. That is why we often say, “You’ll see it when you believe it.”

Each of the Twelve Powers is associated with one of the twelve disciples. According to the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke), Simon was the first disciple called by Jesus. Jesus gave Simon the name Peter which means “rock.” Peter grew in his ability to perceive and believe and was able to say to Jesus, “You are the Christ, Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). Jesus responded, “You are Peter” (Matthew 16:18). Jesus could have been saying to Simon Peter: “B faith, you have perceived the truth of who I am. I want you also to see the truth of who you are. You are the Son of God, too! Say ‘yes’ to the truth about yourself.”

In the Dynamics for Living, Charles Fillmore writes “The idea that faith is something that has to do with one’s religious experience is incorrect…That it is a power is self-evident. People who have faith in themselves achieve far more than those who do not believe in their own ability. We call this self-faith innate confidence. Confidence is a form of faith…Though our faith be as small as the smallest seeds, it will spring forth and demonstrate its power to carry our every desire into which we infuse it.”

The Unity Movement was founded on and continues to build on this power of faith. Faith is the very foundation upon which our beloved founder, Rev. Dr. Ruth M. Mosley planted West Side Unity Church and Unity Urban Ministerial School in Detroit, Michigan. Because of the depth of her faith, she refused to let any mountains stand in her way. It was a huge leap of faith when she left family and friends back home in Detroit and moved to Unity Village to study for the ministry, then another leap of faith when she planted West Side Unity Church in Detroit, and a huge leap of faith when she started Unity Urban Ministerial School in Detroit. That faith grew and grew as she introduced more people to Truth principles and ushered more leaders into the movement. When the idea of an online curriculum seemed farfetched in our movement, Rev. Ruth took a leap of faith and, along with others, launched Unity’s first online education program. We do not have to reinvent the wheel. We can learn from the examples of others like Rev. Dr. Ruth M. Mosley, on whose shoulders West Side Unity Church and Unity Urban Ministerial School still stands. She refused to take no for an answer. When one bank turned her down for a loan, she went to another, and another, and another. She knew that if she persisted through faith, she would move mountains. And that is exactly what she did. Once Rev. Ruth said “Yes!” to God’s calling, nothing would stand in her way.

We in UUMS are the beneficiaries of these examples of faith– the faith of the Fillmore’s, Rev. Dr. Ruth M. Mosley, and all on whose shoulders we now stand. Let us keep it going. There are more rooms and floors to be added to the “houses that Ruth built.” West Side Unity Church recently celebrated their 58^th anniversary and, like any structure, upkeep is important. Unity Urban Ministerial School, now in its 43^rd year, can also use some upgrades. We know that with faith, nothing is impossible.

Rev. Ruth said “Yes” to God when she might otherwise have allowed fear to diminish her courage. Her faith was so strong that she persisted until she finally got the “Yes!” that God had intended.

Our faith faculty calls us to say ‘yes’ to the truth of who we are (our divine nature). Behold your true self and all your innate powers.

“Faith is the vision of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1

Resources:

Twelve Powers in You TV/Video/Book by David & Gay Lynn Williamson, and Robert Knapp, MD

The Twelve Powers and Dynamics for Living by Charles Fillmore

New Thought for a New Millennium: Twelve Powers for the 21^st Century by Michael Maday

How To Use Your Twelve Gifts from God by William Warch

Faith Scriptures:

Matthew 9:29; Matthew 12:20; Matthew 21:22; Mark 11:22; John 29:29; Hebrews 11:1