The Command Statements

Someone recently said that before coming to our church, he would diligently spend time studying the Lesson each morning, close the books, and then get back to the business of worrying! I found this very amusing, as it was something I could really relate to.

Years ago a practitioner gave me pages 390-393 from Science and Health to work with in order to break the worry habit, as well as for other problems. She referred to these pages as the “command statements” and suggested I underline all of them. If you refer to these pages, you will find quite a list including, “dispute the testimony,” “suffer no claim . . . to grow upon the thought,” “agree to disagree,” “banish the belief,” “mentally contradict.” Mrs. Eddy goes on with mounting enthusiasm!

At first I was like the one mentioned earlier; it was very inspiring to read these pages and to receive a temporary high, but applying them in my daily life was a different matter. It took practice and determination to meet every negative suggestion with the Truth. When the suggestion of sickness would come, I determined to “mentally contradict every complaint from the body.” As I consistently addressed every negative thought with as much God-given strength as I could muster, big changes began to take place. Sometimes it would be necessary to sing hymns — loudly! Sometimes it would be necessary to stamp my foot, but eventually error’s hold on me loosened.

If you are feeling things are somehow not working out for you, give this your full attention! When studying the subject of mathematics, we must not only study the textbook, but we must also work out some problems. Is that not true? Every day we are confronted with problems and we have the priceless privilege to work each one out in Christian Science, with the help of Almighty God!

Follow Mrs. Eddy’s instructions. When error is barraging you with all its negativity, call upon these command statements to rule error out of your existence! This is the Law of God. You can count on it to work!