The Science of Living

What is Rev. Ike’s Science of Living  Philosophy? – Listen now and find out!

Thinkonomics™ - Online Study

The Mission:

To offer each person the opportunity to create his/her best life by unlearning the information presented in this world every day that fosters fears, doubts, insecurities, violence, sickness, and poverty.

The Foundation

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. – Romans 12:2

2008 Study Topic #4 - CREATE YOUR OWN GARDEN OF EDEN
By: Dr. Frederick Eikerenkoetter in The Science of Living Study Guide

Whatsoever a man sows that shall he also reap. Galatians 6:7

---

A SCIENCE OF LIVING PRINCIPLE

when you have a clear idea of what you want will you get it. Deciding what you want is the first step in creating it.

---

Quote: A man of words and not of deeds; Is like a garden full of weeds. –Anonymous
Quote: “Success and failure are the results of the use of the mind.” –Dr. Raymond Charles Barker  

Notes: This journey we are on consists of building blocks. Each month we will give you a new technique to add on top of the previous months’ blocks. Therefore, continue working with the earlier techniques as you add the new ones.

Continue self-interrogation concerning what you are feeding you mind. You will begin to see that depending on what you are feeding your mind will also affect what you are defining and declaring. We’d be interested in hearing from you about what you have discovered so far about you from just asking and answering the study topic questions.

Our next stop on our journey of self-discovery with Rev. Ike is his teaching, “Create Your Own Garden of Eden,” found in Chapter 4 of his Science of Living Study Guide.

The POWER OF DECISION

The moment you make a decision, your mind knows exactly what to do for you.  And when you’re going to make a decision about some  good that you want to be, to do and to have, don’t consider the negatives. When you really understand Mind Science, there is no magic and there are no miracles.  Miracles and magic represent the working of Mind Power on the subjective level.  So, when you make a decision things begin to click.  Nothing decisive will really happen in your life until you make a decision. 

I’d like to share with you this month the wisdom of an associate of mine, Dr. Raymond Charles Barker who wrote the book titled, “The Power of Decision.”  I want you to give thought to his comments below. On this journey, it is important to be aware of everything that affects our life experiences. I present the thoughts of Dr. Raymond Charles Barker. –Rev. Ike

“I have counseled people for more years than I want to say – over 30 and in so many instances I say, ‘What do you want?’  They can’t answer. People generally reply with, ‘Well…ah-ah-ah-ah …uh-uh-uh-uh…you know.’  I ask, ‘Then why are you here?’  And they always come back and say, ‘Well I hope it’ll do some good.’  And I said, ‘It won’t you know. If you’re here for hope, you’re in the wrong office.’ 

A friend of mine often says, ‘If you want sympathy do you know where you can find it?  You’ll find sympathy in the dictionary, not from me.’ Now we do not deal with hope in this teaching.  We deal with clear, correct knowing.  I believe that indecision is the second root of all evil. 

I’d like to take an illustration from my book, The Power of Decision.   Four women who know each other well decide to go to lunch.  They go into the restaurant and sit down at the table and the hostess of the group looks at her guests as they begin looking at their menus. The hostess  says to friend #1 on her right, ‘What would you like dear?’  Friend #1 says, “Well, I don’t really know.’  So the hostess speaks to friend #2 across the table, ‘Well what would you like?’  Friend #2 across the table replies, ‘Well I don’t know either.’  So the  hostess turns to friend #3 to ask, ‘But what are you going to have Mary?’  And friend #3, Mary, says, ‘Well I think I’ll have the creamed chicken.’ And the other two women begin to reply, ‘I’ll have the same dear.’ 

Now consider this, there are twenty selections on the menu.  Only one person could make up her mind.  And I’ll bet you anything that when they got outside afterward, away from their hostess, they said, ‘You know I wished I had had the Lobster but I didn’t dare.  I took whatever Mary said.’  So the lesson of this story is the next time you’re invited out to a restaurant and your hostess asks you what you want, make your own decision and say it.  Forget about the price.  Rev. Ike and I never deal with the items to the far right of the menu page.  If you are invited to dinner make the decision that the host as enough money to cover your meal.

CONSTANT INDECISION IS A SUBCONSCIOUS DECISION TO FAIL.

I have worked with people who are indecisive at all age levels. They said, “I think the reason I’m so indecisive is that my parents never let me make a decision.”  I have had adult women in their 40’s, 50’s and 60’s say, ‘I still don’t know how to pick a dress.  My husband has to go with me.  My mother never let me select a thing. She always selected everything for me.’ 

Now you may say, ‘But I do make my own decisions.’  My next question to you is, ‘Do  you really?  Or do you decide based on what the newspapers, the advertising media, and all the rest of the world dictate?  For example, when I finish reading anyone of the popular magazines they irritate me particularly because they always have young men between 18 and 21 in swimming trunks saying, ‘Come, buy these trunks…they look great! You must have the latest style.’  So one day, with magazine in hand, I went into a men’s shop and said, ‘I want to look like that’—pointing to the picture in the magazine.   The man looked as if he planned to faint.  Of course, as a salesman he didn’t dare say,  “YOU can’t look like that!’  However, what he did do was gently guide me away from the 28-inch garments to another aisle and said, ‘Let’s have a look at something in the 40’s.  Wouldn’t you like to look at those?”  I finally selected one; mind you, I didn’t look like the young men in the magazine ad – not at all.  And I went out on the beach and do you know the women did not notice me— NOT AT ALL!

Now, humor aside, who really makes up your mind?  I have another quick illustration. I had a friend years ago that always had beefsteak and french-fried potatoes for breakfast.  She was quite a well-known character of her period.  She always had a light meal at noon consisting of eggs and bacon and toast.  One of her friends said to her, ‘But Blanch, that’s terrible.  You should reverse that.  You’re eating dinner for breakfast.’  Blanch says, ‘My stomach doesn’t know what time it is.’ 

Now seriously – who is making your decisions?  When prices go up, who’s making your decisions?  When they tell me such-and-such is gone up so much, I say ‘Alright, I’ll pay it.’ There’s not much else I can do about it.  I’m not in the mourners’ bench about the  present affairs of this country or this cosmic order or this planet earth.  I refuse to weep, wail and moan. I have decided upon correct use of my mind in positive, creative, goodness.  And that’s the only contribution I can make – the only contribution you can make.  That’s why we people in this mind science teaching are probably making
the greatest subconscious contribution that can be made.  We still believe in good!  We have decided on goodness. 

I have decided, as you have, to believe in the goodness of God in my own soul.  And from this inexhaustible source, I can draw wisdom and intelligence and I can draw my decisions and they will be right decisions and they will be now decisions and all is good.”—Dr. Raymond Charles Barker, author of, The Power of Decision.

I trust you have been encouraged by these words of wisdom by Dr. Raymond Charles Barker.  My friend and colleague is no longer with us on this plane. However, his words live on in his writings.  To begin on your journey of right decision-making, please use your voice to repeat Dr. Barker’s affirmation “that wakens the dormant possibilities within you and starts their activities…”:

There is one Cause, one Mind, one Source. I am, because this Cause created me out of Itself in order to express Itself as me. This cause, being pure Mind, created me as pure Mind in action. God knows me as an intelligent vehicle of Its great ideas. Therefore, I now know myself as the Mind of God in expression. I am an alert, vital individualization of the infinite Mind. I am Intelligence, Wisdom, and Knowledge. Every idea I need is already within my consciousness. These ideas are now activated in my thought, and I am fully aware of them. Henceforth and forever more, I shall make right decisions.—The Power of Decision, Dr. Raymond Charles Barker, page 5.

Now I’d like you to use the Power of your spoken words to say these Affirmations for yourself at least twice every day throughout this month of May:

I make my own decisions based on the promises of God.

I make my decisions based on God’s economy of abundance.

I do not base my decisions on the world’s ideas of lack and poverty.

My right decisions allow me to take part in the cosmic circulation of all good.

I see myself giving and receiving in abundance.

I see myself giving and receiving all of the goodness of life.

I see moneymaking ideas always circulating in my mind showing me new ways

 and means of making money honestly, with ease, comfort and joy!

I am at peace with myself.

I am at peace with money.

SELF -INTERROGATION

1. Do I really make decisions or do I turn my Power over to others by my indecision?
2. If I do not make decisions, what or who is stopping me from making them?
3. Am I satisfied with the way my life is going based on the decisions I have or have not made?
1. If no, what changes do I want to make in my life experiences?
2. Are there people in my life who encourage me not to make decisions that result in what I want?
1. If YES, do I really believe these people have my best interest in their heart?
2. Do I believe that these people are protecting me?
1. If YES, from what are they protecting me?
2. Do I believe their concern for me is justified?
4. What recent situation did not turn out the way I wanted it to because of my indecision?
1. Why didn’t I make the decision that would have created the result I wanted?
2. Who was involved in me not making the decision?
3. If I had it to do again, would I still not make a decision?
5. Do I know what I want in life?
1. If YES, list five (5) things you want then make another list of five (5) things you want for your family
2. If NO, sit and imagine five (5) things you want for yourself then make another list of five (5) things you want for your family
6. Am I ready to take responsibility for my life experiences by making my own decisions and planting my own Garden of Eden?
1. If YES, what I am going to do differently in every situation?
2. If not, why am I not ready?

MAKE A DECISION TO GIVE

At this time, I would like to ask you to prepare a love offering to this Ministry if this teaching has blessed you in any way. I want you to use the Power of your spoken words to say these
Affirmations aloud:

LIFE TAKES FROM THE TAKER AND GIVES TO THE GIVER.
I give this offering in love.
I give it in joy!
I give it with an open hand and an open heart!
I welcome money to my savings account.
I welcome money to my checking account.
Money you are welcome in my investment accounts.
Thank God for money!

Science of Living Study Guide
Please read Chapter 3. get the most from that lesson please answer the Review Questions at the end of the chapter. If you have questions please contact us using the link on this page.

We recommend you recite the positive affirmations in this lesson and in Chapter 3 at the beginning of your day, at the end of your day, and at any point during your day.

Click here to purchase.

"There's magic in HEARING".  To listen to Rev Ike's dynamic teachings on this subject, click here for Rev Ike's life-changing CD The Power of a Made Up Mind  or BUY the CD

Click here to purchase.