SPIRITUAL GUIDANCE:The Law of Attraction is perception vs. reality

I just finished writing a book entitled "The Secret According to Jesus: No One Left Behind." I wrote the book because I was very interested in the documentary, "The Secret" and what it had to say about The Law of Attraction.

Some people struggle conceptually with the Law of Attraction because it is an idea that requires imagination. This is a problem for those who only use their imagination to imagine the worst. Those who focus on their fear tend to live in the world blinded by worry and blocked by concerns. Every day, their faith is abandoned, and they are left to reconcile themselves in a world that does not feel safe.

Fear is a sensory experience that is seen, felt, heard and tasted in the imagination. Fear comes from deep-seated memories recycled over and over in the human experience of how the world works.

In the book, I write: "It's not what happened to you that matters, it's what you think happened to you. Nobody remembers the facts of their history as much as they remember how an experience made them feel. Jesus is reported to have said, 'Those who love life lose it, but those who hate life in this world will preserve (and mistake) it for unending, real life.' " (John 12: 25).

Hatred and fear stem from the same root: ignorance. They seek to make life and love into fixed assets that can be stolen, lost or manipulated. But life and love are not fixed assets; they are dynamic and creative expressions constantly changing as you grow and mature.

The Law of Attraction is the law of belief, and it is always done unto you as you believe. The mind cannot tell the difference between what you believe and what you perceive. If you keep looking at poverty, lack, unhappiness or limitation, you will start to think about these things and manifest their experience. You must turn away from these thoughts and images, and replace them with healthy, whole, complete ideas. The secret to ending fear is to give your imagination a healthy idea of what you want and then use it to build a healthy life.

is the pastor of the Center for Spiritual Discovery in Costa Mesa.