Have you resigned yourself to living with certain difficulties? Are you tempted to believe that you can be healed in some cases but not others? That some problems are "too big" for anyone to find a complete resolution? If so, you may have fallen into the trap of believing in "partial" dominion.
The concept of partial dominion suggests that man is a fragile creature of the flesh, at times victorious but inherently vulnerable because of his supposed corporeal origin and nature. Yet dominion cannot be partial, because it is a God-given spiritual quality, completely expressed in man, God's reflection, forever. How could man, God's image, include both God-derived strength and a sense of failure? How could he be both immortal and mortal? How could he express only partially the nature of his creator? "Partial" dominion must be rejected as no dominion! It has no relationship to the man of God's creating.
Complete dominion is man's birthright. It is inherent in every aspect of our true, spiritual individuality. It is manifested in health, joy, and protection from harm. This is a fundamental concept repeated throughout the Bible, as when the Psalmist declared of God's handiwork, man, "Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet." Ps. 8:6 The world constantly parades before us a picture of chaotic events and of influences apparently beyond our control. It presents persuasive evidence that we live in a discordant, material environment. Accepting this view brings disappointment, pain, and a sense of helplessness. To avoid being swept along by the currents of mortal thought and forfeiting an understanding of our God-given dominion, we need mentally to oppose the supposed reality of such a view. Man actually lives in Spirit, under the wise government of his creator, and an understanding of this absolute truth enables us to prove our dominion, whatever the circumstances of the moment.
Denying, through prayer, the evidence of the physical senses, and trusting our inherent spiritual sense to tell us the truth of who we are, and of who everyone is, we rise above the belief of man as a mortal, victimized by difficulties. This doesn't mean we simply ignore our own or the world's troubles. Rather, this standpoint enables us to find healing for ourselves, and helps bring divinely directed solutions to light for the world as a whole. Perceiving the supreme power of God, and man as God's image, we help to expose the utter emptiness of matter and its false conceptions. These clarifications in thought, and the consistent effort to live in accord with them, change and bless our entire outlook and being. Thus we open our thought to the divine influence and bring strength and conviction to all that we do. We experience God's supporting power, constantly in operation on our behalf. We find it reasonable to accept our God-given authority over every challenge, even if that dominion is not immediately apparent!
Often, the results of prayer are quickly and fully evident. We should not, however, be discouraged with situations that seem resistant to healing. These are simply cases where we can expect to experience even deeper regeneration in our exercise of spiritual authority.
To address an apparent physical disorder we can affirm that good, not discord, is ever operative. Why? Because there is never a lapse of God's loving nature and supreme power, never an interruption of the harmony that characterizes His creation. This truth ensures man's absolute and continuous health. Only the deceptive, material senses argue to the contrary. Filling thought with a recognition of God's infinite goodness and supremacy brings immense comfort. It brings release from fear and doubt, opening the door to divine healing, to proof of man's complete dominion.
Mary Baker Eddy says of the healing process, "The physical healing of Christian Science results now, as in Jesus' time, from the operation of divine Principle, before which sin and disease lose their reality in human consciousness and disappear as naturally and as necessarily as darkness gives place to light and sin to reformation." Science and Health, p. xi As we replace the supposed message from the flesh with the understanding of Principle's ceaseless operation and its assurance of man's dominion, sickness melts away.
Through prayer grounded in God's law, we can realize dominion not only over physical ills but over every kind of challenge. Nowhere is the mastery over worldly troubles better illustrated than through the works of our Way-shower, Christ Jesus. Providing the highest example of man's dominion, he rose above all mortal limitations, including death itself.
God's law was in operation in my life.
Making the stand for complete dominion
brought complete healing.
Jesus fed the multitude in the midst of what appeared to be inadequate provision. Nobody had to settle for a partial serving. See John 6:5-14 He not only faced mental and physical storms head-on; in one case he actually walked over rough seas as if to show that material fury could not even touch the spiritual dominion he expressed. See Mark 6:45-51 He not only healed a spectrum of ills; he healed them thoroughly. In a case where Jesus' initial efforts didn't yield complete healing, he persisted in prayer until his blind patient was completely healed. See Mark 8:22-25 Jesus proved the invincibility of a Christ-inspired consciousness and the ultimate powerlessness of matter-based threats. How different this is from a tentative, erratic, partial dominion! Being based on universal, divine law, thorough healing is available to all. It's important to guard against the opposing view that divine aid is limited to certain individuals. This results in another version of "partial" dominion—that some can express spiritual authority and others cannot. Embracing the fact that we are all one infinite family in God's kingdom, we can break down mental barriers of healing for ourselves and others.
Examining the Bible record, gaining inspiration from the Way-shower's example, and grasping the teachings of Christian Science, one concludes that we can witness authoritative healing even in the most challenging conditions.
Not too long ago I seriously injured my foot in a soccer game. The physical evidence of swelling and discoloration indicated severe damage. As I reached out to God in prayer, I was led to acknowledge man's complete dominion. This contradicted the commonly held perspective I was now facing—that man must succumb at some point to accident or failure. Instead of accepting failure, I perceived that we can learn lessons and experience progress from every apparent setback.
I consistently replaced the message of pain and physical damage with the spiritual fact that God's law was in operation in my life. I had confidence, born of many previous healings, that holding firmly to the power of divine Truth results in thorough restoration. Making the stand for complete dominion brought complete healing. Just a week and a half after limping and being in extreme pain, I was back playing sports, completely unhindered.
When addressed through prayer, what appear to be the most painful or challenging situations often render the most beneficial lessons in the growth of Christians. With a starting point of complete dominion, we can welcome every occasion for healing as a glorious opportunity to prove God's government in our lives. Each hardship thereby becomes another instance when we unmistakably glimpse the underlying spiritual perfection of all things.
This Christianly disciplined, scientific approach to life enables us to overcome all that the world would throw at us. It makes us true disciples of Jesus. It enables us to realize more effectively the present actuality of God's supreme nature and of man as His wholly spiritual likeness.
Let's not deny for ourselves any part of the authority divinely ordained for us!
