Faith in Infinite Intelligence is something you must acquire for yourself. One way to do this is by examining closely the evidences of the existence of Infinite Intelligence as they appear in the known realities of the physical world about us. Then apply to these evidences the power of your analysis, meditation and thought.
The importance of silent meditation cannot be overemphasized. This form of concentrated thinking activates the subconscious mind and accelerates its vibratory rate so that it establishes contact between your conscious mind and Infinite Intelligence more efficiently. This is a wonderful way to take possession of your own mind and tap this inexhaustible source of power.
You should set a definite period of not less than one hour out of every twenty-four in which you engage in deep, serious thought about your relationship with Infinite Intelligence. You will find that this investment of time will pay you dividends that will enrich your life far beyond your present dreams. If you are a religious person, you can make this a period of prayer. As you read on you will get a different idea of prayer than that which is held by the average individual.
From what has been said, it must be obvious to you that faith is a state of mind which you can attain only by properly conditioning your mind. This is done by clearing it of all negative thoughts of want, poverty, fear, ill health and disharmony. When you have cleared your mind of these negative thoughts, there are three easy steps you can take to create the state of mind known as faith:
a. Express a definite desire for the achievement of a purpose and relate it to one or more of the basic motives.
b. Create a definite and specific plan for the attainment of that desire.
c. Start acting on that plan, putting every conscious effort behind it.
This procedure places your spiritual strength squarely back of your desire and hands the problem over to your Creator! From this point on your subconscious mind will carry the plans to their logical conclusion. Since Infinite Intelligence is available through the subconscious, if you rely upon your faith in the Infinite, ideas and plans to further your desire and enlarge, or improve, your original plan will be transmitted to your conscious mind in the form of a hunch, or intuition.
Never mind what your reason tells you about this method of procedure. In conditioning your mind to receive Infinite Intelligence so that it can guide you, you have temporarily relaxed your faculty of reason. This part of the instruction is very important. Unless you can willingly follow it, your reason will challenge you at every step and you will not be able to relax your will and submit yourself entirely to the Higher Power you are seeking. You will need practice to acquire this art of conditioning your mind to be receptive.
You may wonder how you will know when you have an answer. You will recognize the soundness of the plan which occurs to you, and the authenticity of its power, by the feeling of intense enthusiasm that accompanies its inspiration. When the plan comes through to your conscious mind, accept it with appreciation and gratitude – and act on it at once. Do not hesitate, argue, challenge, worry or fret about it, or wonder if it’s right. Act on it!
It is not your responsibility, or anyone else’s, to demand of Infinite Intelligence an explanation of how or why It works. You have done your part when you have followed instructions.
A further word about prayer: If you will make your prayers an expression of gratitude and thanksgiving for the blessings you have already received, instead of requests for what you do not have, you will obtain results a great deal faster.
There are many things in connection with which we should express our love every day. We should express the highest form of love in our daily prayers, and make them prayers, not so much for the things we want, but prayers of gratitude for what we already have. As you learn to pray this way-to make your prayer of thanks for the blessings you have already received, you will find that you attract more of those things to you. And, in praying this way, you will find that you will get results almost instantaneously.
Source: PMA: Science of Success by Napoleon Hill