My Neville GoddardNeville Goddard on Luke 9:62
Executive Summary
In Neville Goddard's teaching, the scripture Luke 9:62 serves as a psychological instruction for successfully realizing a desire. "Putting your hand to the plow" is the act of assuming the feeling of your wish fulfilled. The critical warning, "and looking back," is interpreted as mentally returning to your former state of consciousness where the desire was absent. This regression is caused by doubt and makes one "unfit for the kingdom," meaning unable to objectify the new state in their world. Faithfulness to the new assumption is required.
Key Concepts
- Putting your hand to the plow: This signifies the moment you decide to assume your desire is already a fact.
- Looking back: This is a mental act of returning to your former state of consciousness, the state of not having your desire.
- The cause of looking back: The primary reason for returning to the old state is doubt, specifically questioning how the desire can be fulfilled.
- Fit for the Kingdom: To be fit for the Kingdom of God is to remain faithful to your assumption until it becomes an objective reality in your world.
- Suspending reason: A key instruction is to ignore the arguments of the conscious, three-dimensional mind, which cannot comprehend the means of fulfillment.
Detailed Explanation
Neville Goddard interprets the biblical passage, "No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God," as a profound psychological directive. In this context, to "put one's hand to the plow" is to make the decisive inner move of assuming you are the person you want to be. It is the act of entering the state of the wish fulfilled.
The crucial instruction is to not "look back." This is not a physical action but a mental one. It means you must not revert to your former state of consciousness—the state in which you lacked your desire. Once you have assumed the new state, you are to remain faithful to it, walking as though it were already an objective fact. Looking back on your old reality or old self is to abandon the plow and render the work ineffective.
The force that causes one to look back is identified explicitly as doubt. When you begin to question how your assumption could possibly become a reality, you are turning back. The example of Zechariah questioning how his elderly wife could conceive illustrates this failure of faith. To be "fit for the kingdom" requires that you suspend reason and the arguments of your senses. You must persist in your assumption without knowing the means by which it will objectify itself in your world.
Important Quotes
No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
— Remain Faithful To Your Idea
And what caused him to turn back? Doubt.
— The Hidden Secret Of God
Simply assume that it is done and suspend reason, suspend all the arguments of the conscious three-dimensional mind.
— Remain Faithful To Your Idea
Common Misunderstandings
A common misunderstanding would be to interpret "looking back" literally, as reminiscing about the past. The source material clarifies this is a psychological act: it means to abandon the new assumption and mentally return to the former state of consciousness where the desire was not yet fulfilled. It is a failure of faith caused by doubt, not a simple act of memory.
Practical Applications
To apply this teaching, you must first assume that you are what you wish to be. Walk mentally in the conviction that your desire is an accomplished fact. When doubts arise and your senses deny your assumption, you must consciously refuse to "look back." This means you do not entertain the old state of lack. You must suspend your reasoning about how it will happen and simply remain faithful to the end you have assumed. Persist in this new consciousness, and the desire will become objectified in your world.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Neville mean by 'looking back' in his interpretation of Luke 9:62?
It means to mentally return to your former state of consciousness, the state where your desire was unfulfilled. It is an abandonment of your assumption.
According to the source material, what causes a person to 'look back'?
The specific cause identified is doubt. Questioning how your desire can possibly be fulfilled is the act of turning back from your assumption.
What does it mean to be 'fit for the kingdom of God' in this context?
It means to be in a state of consciousness that allows your desire to become an objective fact. You are 'fit' when you remain faithful to your assumption and do not look back in doubt.
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