By Matthew Piling

In my journey to consistently understand and apply all the laws in my life, I’ve occasionally run into what feel like contradictions—disconnects between new beliefs I’m embracing and some of my long-held, non-negotiable convictions. Coming from a background where I’ve watched too many people abandon truth in favor of feel-good New-Age philosophies, I tend to be extra cautious when it comes to adopting new ideas. (Ironically, I’ve received stronger spiritual confirmation about some of the principles taught in Rare Faith than I have about certain beliefs I’ve held onto for years.)

One area where this tension is especially present for me is around abundance. I was raised to believe that meekness and humility meant avoiding excess and steering clear of worldly materialism. Because of that, I’ve struggled at times with the idea of setting goals that involve prosperity, and especially with the idea of inviting God into that process. To be clear—Leslie has never promoted materialism, and the laws she teaches apply to any kind of goal, not just those tied to wealth or possessions. But through her teachings, I’ve come to understand a few key points that have helped me reconcile these ideas:

1. As I strive to fulfill my purpose and apply the laws more fully, I naturally become eligible for the blessings attached to those laws.

2. It’s okay to ask for blessings—even ones that feel excessive compared to where I currently am.

3. God is eager to bless us with everything He has.

These three realizations have helped me shift my relationship with material blessings and align with a frequency where receiving them becomes natural, even expected.

As we work to discover and fulfill God’s purposes for us, two levels of obedience emerge. First, we evaluate and align ourselves with known laws and commandments—what I call general obedience (obeying universal laws). As we grow in our understanding and consistency here, increased blessings follow. “IN AS MUCH as ye shall keep my commandments, ye shall prosper.”

Second, we begin to recognize and follow the inspired promptings that are tailored to us personally—what I call individualized obedience. These are situation-specific directions meant to lead us toward the goals we’ve been given. And the real blessing here is that these inspired steps do lead us toward those goals. As Tiffany Peterson says, “The harvest cannot be prevented!”

Sometimes we ask for greater blessings because we want to stretch ourselves. Sometimes we ask because the blessing will allow us to serve others better or shine our light more effectively. And sometimes, we simply want to be more comfortable. In each of these cases, God is okay with us asking—as long as our hearts remain focused on Him and not consumed with worldly lusts. He has told us to ask, and He has promised that we will receive.

If we are faithful, God has promised us all that He has. And He has everything. Every resource. Every comfort. Every blessing. Those promises are not reserved only for some distant future after final judgment. Of course, He won’t bless us with things we’re not ready for yet—but as the Owner of all, He’s eager to share what we are ready for, as soon as we’re willing and able to receive. Sometimes He withholds for our growth. But sometimes, He’s simply waiting for us to step up and receive. As we follow Him, He will guide us through the most fertile parts of the wilderness and into our promised land (see 1 Nephi 16:16).

There is no shame in abundance. As we learn to co-create with God—a process in which there is no shame—we become natural heirs of all that He has—a promise in which there is also no shame. As Wallace Wattles taught, we attract what we are. So, as we become more like Him, it’s only natural that we begin to attract greater and greater good into our lives. And that’s not something to feel guilty about. That’s something to rejoice in.

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