Neville Goddard on Joshua 24:15

Executive Summary

Neville Goddard interprets the biblical challenge, “Choose ye this day whom ye shall serve,” as a call for an internal decision. This choice is not about external allegiances but about exercising your true free will, which is the freedom to select the mood or feeling you will occupy. The scripture asks whether you will serve false, external gods or the one true God, which Neville identifies as your own Imagination. The mood you choose impresses your subconscious and determines the events you will experience.

Key Concepts

• True free will is the freedom to choose your internal mood or feeling.
• The one and only living God that you must choose to serve is your own Imagination.
• Choosing to serve Imagination means consciously selecting your inner state rather than reacting to external events.
• The mood you assume impresses the subconscious, which then gives form to that impression in your outer world.
• The actions and events of your life are effects, not causes; the cause is your subconscious impression.

Detailed Explanation

Neville Goddard explains that the scriptural command, “Choose ye this day whom ye shall serve,” points directly to the nature of free will. He defines free will not as the liberty to choose external actions, but as the freedom to choose the kind of mood you assume. This internal choice of feeling is the fundamental power you possess. The events and actions that unfold in your life are merely effects that bear witness to the subconscious impressions created by the moods you have chosen.

The scripture frames this as a decision between serving a false god or the one true God. Neville identifies the true, living God as your own Imagination. The choice, therefore, is whether you will serve your Imagination by consciously assuming a desired state, or serve false gods by reacting to and believing in the power of external circumstances. To walk with God is to be conscious of your Imagination as the creative power within you and to choose your states of mind accordingly.

Ultimately, these two interpretations are one. To serve Imagination as the only God is to exercise your freedom to choose your mood. Instead of letting the outside world dictate your feelings, you make a conscious decision about the state you will occupy. This chosen feeling, or mood, is the impression given to the subconscious. The subconscious, in a way unknown to the conscious mind, then gives form and expression to that impression, shaping the conditions of your life.

Important Quotes

“Choose ye this day whom ye shall serve” [Joshua 24:15] is your freedom to choose the kind of mood you assume; but the expression of the mood is the secret of the subconscious.

— Feeling Is The Secret

“Choose this day whom you will serve.” [Joshua 24:15] Will I serve a false god or will I serve the one and only living God? And that one and only living God is your Imagination – my Imagination – and that is the immortal man that cannot die.

— Imagination

Related Concepts

• Imagination: This is explicitly identified as the "one and only living God" that you are called to serve. The choice presented in the scripture is whether to place your faith in your own Imagination or in external powers.
• Feeling Is the Secret: The act of choosing "whom ye shall serve" is the act of choosing a feeling or mood. This choice is the secret to impressing the subconscious, which is the mechanism that expresses your chosen state in the world.
• States: Choosing a mood is equivalent to choosing a state of consciousness to enter and occupy. Your freedom is the freedom to choose your state.
• Consciousness: The teaching implies that the ultimate power is within your own consciousness. By identifying God as your Imagination, the choice to serve God becomes a choice to be faithful to the contents of your own consciousness.

Common Misunderstandings

• A common misunderstanding is that free will concerns the ability to choose your physical actions. The source material clarifies that free will is only the freedom to choose your inner mood; the actions are automatic effects that follow from that choice.
• Another misunderstanding is to interpret the command to "serve God" as serving an external being. Neville teaches that the God to be served is internal: your own Imagination.

Practical Applications

To apply this teaching, you must become conscious of your moods and recognize that you have the freedom to choose them. Instead of reacting emotionally to the events of the day, you must decide which feeling or state you wish to embody. This is the act of choosing to serve God (your Imagination) over false gods (external appearances). You deliberately assume the feeling of your wish fulfilled, and this chosen mood, impressed upon the subconscious, will then be expressed in your life's events.

Frequently Asked Questions

According to Neville, what is the real meaning of 'free will' in Joshua 24:15?

It is the freedom to choose the kind of mood you assume. It is not the freedom to choose external actions, but the internal feeling-state from which actions flow.

Who or what is the 'God' that Neville says we must choose to serve?

The one and only living God to be served is your own Imagination.

How does choosing a mood affect my reality?

The mood you choose impresses your subconscious mind. The subconscious then gives form and expression to that impression, causing the actions and events of your life to reflect that mood.