Chapter 8: Spiritual Supply

^“And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.”  ~ Exodus 3:4-5.

The Recording for This Chapter

Recording 371A, titled “Spiritual Supply,” from the 1960 Perth, Australia Closed Class, is the basis for Chapter 8, “Spiritual Supply,” in I Stand on Holy Ground.  This recording is no longer posted on this website.  If you subscribe to the Joel Goldsmith Streaming Service, you can listen to it there.  To purchase the recording or transcript from The Infinite Way Office, click/tap here.

Optional Study and Practice Suggestions

To download or print these study suggestions, click/tap here. 

Joel speaks about the topic of supply in many of the books and classes. While you certainly could read chapters from other books or listen to other recordings on supply, this chapter and its source recording are very clear about the major aspects of supply that Joel repeats elsewhere. So we suggest that you simply work with this book chapter and its source recording to master the key points and then put them into practice.

Work with the Key Points About Supply

Following are the “bare bones” of the key points that Joel makes about supply. One way to see how well you understand them is to ask yourself, “If I had to explain spiritual supply to a new Infinite Way student, how would I elaborate on each of these points?”

• Supply is impersonal and universal.
• Just as the secret of the supply for a fruit tree is the invisible life of the tree, the secret of your supply is the life that animates you, the I of your being.
• Supply is never visible. Just as the fruit on a tree is not supply, but the effect of supply, so money, business, and income are not supply, but the effects of supply.
• Supply cannot come to you—not from man and not even from God. Supply is already within you now by virtue of your divine Sonship, your relationship as one with God.
• Since supply is already within you, you must begin to pour and share to make it appear visibly.
• Tithing is one way to pour. Giving anonymously to an impersonal cause is another. Neither should be done with the idea of giving to get a return, but secretly, with the attitude that the Father is forever supplying you, and you want to share it.

Practice the Teaching about Supply

• Joel suggests that we take the opportunity to prove that all that the Father has is ours; that the I within is the source of our supply. I is the life that is God, the I that will never leave you nor forsake you. So first, acknowledge the infinite nature of your own being, which exists not by virtue of yourself, but by virtue of your oneness with God.
• Then begin to share and give impersonally out of gratitude that supply is infinite and that you have the whole source of supply already within you. Pouring and sharing makes supply appear visibly. Find something to give—an old pair of shoes, an old suit or dress, or even loose change, and begin to pour, without letting anyone know about your giving. Once you start pouring, you will discover the spiritual principle that supply never stops and never fails.
• If you have nothing material to give at the moment, consciously pour out love, thoughtfulness, kindness, cooperation, prayer. Notice that you probably do not question that you already have an infinite supply of these. As far as we know, no one has ever run out of love, thoughtfulness, kindness, cooperation, or prayer, nor have they refused to love, be kind to, or pray for someone because they felt they could not spare the love, kindness, or prayer.
• Supply begins to appear visibly as form only when you take action. Your intent is not to demonstrate money or material things, but to demonstrate the Source of all supply, which is God.
• “Seek ye first the kingdom of God” (Matthew 6:33). Always seek first the realm of God, the truth of God, the consciousness of God, and you will have supply, which the Bible calls the “added things.”

An Interesting Question

To explain supply, Joel uses the example of the fruit tree. If you have ever observed the cycles of a fruit tree over several seasons, it seems that the fruit tree easily, consistently, and “confidently” demonstrates supply. If you find that you are not so consistently and confidently experiencing supply, an interesting question to ponder is, “What is the difference between the fruit tree and me? Why does it consistently show forth the effects of supply?”

Bible Stories about Supply

Joel uses two Bible stories to illustrate his explanation of supply. Perhaps some of Joel’s insights about supply came from pondering these stories, and they might hold new insights for you, too. If you want to review and contemplate them, you can find the story of Elijah and the Poor Widow in 1 Kings 17:7-16, and the story of Jesus and the loaves and fishes in Matthew 14:13-21 and Mark 6:30-44.