The deep desire of a Christian disciple is to do the Father's will. With unswerving fidelity and in obedience to Christ Jesus' teachings, the disciple strives to move steadily on toward the heart's final goal of full salvation. While it is undoubtedly a life of diligent effort—of working at redemption and healing, of sharing the good news with others—it is also meant to be a life full of hope, expectancy, and joy, blessed with the Father's grace.

One may find, however, that along the path Spiritward there are what could seem at times like mountains that need to be removed—perhaps disease, sin, lack, and so on. But as the path is cleared, the result is always a brighter view of the kingdom of God—a view less impeded by obstructions of materiality. The "mountains" need not be cause for discouragement or despair, for each one can provide opportunity to prove God's care, to realize the omnipresence of infinite Spirit. Removing the barriers reveals steppingstones to reality. Our apprehension of spirituality becomes more vivid. And we come closer to Almighty God by demonstrating the power of the immortal truth of man's being as His spiritual image and likeness.

One of the mountains that disciples of scientific Christianity are called upon to move—to remove out of human consciousness, out of our path Spiritward—is the mountain of fear. How do we move this apparently formidable stone heap? A pure kernel of faith in God's goodness and omnipotence is a starting point. Christ Jesus taught, "If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you." ^{Matt. 17:20.} A hymn in the Christian Science Hymnal, taken from one of Charles Wesley's poems, includes these lines on faith as an active quality of Christian life:

The Science of Christ weds faith to spiritual understanding; and through this union in our lives, the practical demonstration of dominion over fear, evil, and disease progressively ensues. A growing understanding of divine reality enables us to see fear for what it actually is: a lie, a mirage of the so-called mortal mind.

Fear is essentially a product of animal magnetism, which Christian Science explains as the carnal mind's mesmeric action that would thwart spiritual progress. Animal magnetism would suggest a reasonable basis for one's doubts, worries, and anxieties. It would claim to substantiate superstitions and would fraudulently exaggerate the dangers of what is unseen or unknown to the human mind. And if afraid, one might then be tempted to feel separate from God, or to feel weak, helpless, insignificant. Fear would deplete one of energy and hope.

But animal magnetism and fear are actually powerless. Such erroneous action and false testimony of the corporeal senses are never real or substantial. How do we counter false evidence? By understanding what the truth of being is, by proclaiming it, and by living it. And through prayer we engage our advocate to plead the case on the side of omnipotent good. The Christ is that advocate, bringing us comfort and the perfect grace of divine Love. The Christ, God's saving message, reaches individual consciousness and cancels the claims of animal magnetism. The Christ gives us the moral courage to resist evil suggestions and to overthrow mortal beliefs.

The truth of being reveals that man is not a weak mortal—nor does he have a mortal mind. Man is the mighty representative of God, infinite Mind, all-powerful Life. God is man's only Mind. And man's true consciousness is not fraught with evils and shadows and dark mysteries. Man lives in the radiant light of divine Truth where there is no darkness of mortal belief to frighten God's child. Man's spiritual sense reports only true evidence—and it is always good.

Another element necessary in gaining mastery over fear is an increase in our love of good and our expression of that love toward others. As the Bible's First Epistle of John proclaims, "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear." ^{I John 4:8.} A heart filled with pure love reflecting divine Love leaves no room for fear's occupancy.

Christian Science gives much wise counsel on conquering fear. It instructs us in the necessity of reversing the lies of mortality, and we discover that evil and fear are dethroned by the irrefutable logic of scientific prayer (see, for example, Unity of Good by Mrs. Eddy, p. 20).

Overcoming fear is also essential to success in the healing practice of Christian Science, for fear may cause or perpetuate disease. In Retrospection and Introspection Mrs. Eddy advises us, "Christian Science declares that sickness is a belief, a latent fear, made manifest on the body in different forms of fear or disease." Then in the following paragraph we find a specific scientific argument for confronting and eradicating fear. Our Leader writes: "Science saith to fear, 'You are the cause of all sickness; but you are a self-constituted falsity,—you are darkness, nothingness. You are without "hope, and without God in the world." You do not exist, and have no right to exist, for "perfect Love casteth out fear."'" ^{Ret., p. 61.}

It is our God-given right to be free from fear and its effects. We have spiritual strength, peace, and courage ever available from our Father, omnipotent Mind. When we face the foe with Truth, fear will flee. The mountain will remove, and we will feel God's love, as the warmth of the sun, renewing us, inspiring us, healing us.

WILLIAM E. MOODY