Neville Goddard on Isaiah 55:11

Executive Summary

Neville Goddard teaches that the promise in Isaiah 55:11—that God's word cannot return void—applies directly to every individual. This is not the power of an external deity, but the power of your own consciousness. Because God's eternal name is 'I AM', your own inner words, conversations, and desires are the 'Word of God' that contain within themselves the power and plan for their own fulfillment. Once sent forth, they must accomplish the purpose you give them.

Key Concepts

• The 'Word of God' is your own inner conversation, basic desires, and human words.
• The power of this Word belongs to you because your true identity, your consciousness, is God, whose name is 'I AM'.
• Your basic desires are divine promises or prophecies that contain the inherent power and plan for their own expression.
• Once a word is sent forth through assumption or desire, it is absolute and must accomplish its purpose.
• We often forget the inner words we have sent out and then look for external, physical causes for the conditions they create.

Detailed Explanation

The central theme of Neville's interpretation is the relocation of divine power from an external God to the individual's own consciousness. He argues that people mistakenly believe the promise of Isaiah 55:11 belongs only to a being separate from themselves. This error occurs because they have divorced themselves from God. The correction lies in understanding that God's name is 'I AM', which is your own awareness of being. Therefore, the 'word of man is the word of God,' and it possesses the same creative power.

This 'word' takes several forms. It is your inner conversation, which constantly determines the form and structure of your external world. It is also your basic desires. Neville states that God speaks to you through your desires, which are not mere wishes but 'words of promise' or prophecies. These desires inherently contain both the plan and the power for their own fulfillment. The 'Word' is also identified with Christ, the pattern of scripture that must be fulfilled within each person.

According to this principle, the word you send forth—whether through a conscious inner conversation or the acceptance of a desire—cannot fail. It must accomplish the purpose for which you sent it and prosper in its mission. This process is so certain that we often experience its effects long after we have forgotten the original inner cause. When the condition appears, we then mistakenly search for physical causes, not realizing it is the harvest of a word we ourselves sent out, perhaps long ago.

Important Quotes

God speaks to you through the medium of your basic desires. Your basic desires are words of promise or prophecies that contain within themselves the plan and power of expression.

— Freedom For All

For the word of man is the word of God! “And the word shall not return unto me void, but it must accomplish that which I purpose and prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”

— Secret Of Imagination

...man thinks it was only some external being called God whose word could not return to him void; that it had to prosper in the thing for which it was sent, (See Isaiah 55:11) because he has divorced himself from God. God’s name forever and forever and forever is I AM.

— Order Your Conversations Aright

Related Concepts

This interpretation of Isaiah 55:11 is fundamentally connected to other core teachings:

• I AM / Consciousness: The entire principle rests on the identity between your consciousness and God. Because God's name is 'I AM', the creative word is your own word.
• Desire: Your basic desires are not frivolous wants but are the very 'Word of God' speaking to you, functioning as prophecies that are destined for fulfillment.
• Inner Speech: Your inner conversations are the creative 'word' that goes forth from your mouth. To change your world, you must change your inner talking, as this is the word that cannot return to you void.

Common Misunderstandings

• The primary misunderstanding is to attribute the power of the Word to an external God. Neville corrects this by teaching that God's name is I AM, which is your own consciousness, making the creative word your own.
• Another error is to look for external causes for the events in your life. Neville explains that these events are the necessary fulfillment of your own past words and inner conversations, which you may have forgotten you initiated.

Practical Applications

To apply this teaching, you must become conscious of your inner activity. Recognize that your inner conversations are creative acts; they are the 'word' that goes forth and shapes your reality. Treat your basic desires not as idle wishes but as divine promises that already contain the plan for their fulfillment. The work is to accept the desire, to believe in it, knowing that this acceptance is the 'word' being sent forth, which cannot fail to accomplish its purpose.

Frequently Asked Questions

According to Neville, does Isaiah 55:11 only apply to a divine being?

No. Neville teaches that it applies to every individual, because God's name is 'I AM,' which is your own consciousness. Therefore, the word of man is the word of God.

What is the 'word' that cannot return void?

The 'word' is your inner conversation, your basic desires, and your spoken human words. These are the creative instruments that shape your reality.

What does it mean that a desire contains the 'plan and power of expression'?

It means a true desire is not just a wish, but a complete blueprint for its own fulfillment. By accepting the desire, you release its inherent power to manifest itself in your world.