Firmness and persistence are important qualities in healing through prayer.

When we have been striving hard to overcome an ailment and seem to be making no progress, we might start searching within to see what thoughts we need to correct. It may be that we only need to be firmer in holding to the truth until we gain a conviction of the allness of God, good, and the nothingness of the discord.

Perhaps we are making statements of the absolute truth of being and are denying the specific error. But are we staying with the work until the temptation to slip back into erroneous thinking has been overcome and we feel convinced that the truth is indeed true?

We state, for example, that there is only one Mind, perceive this truth in some measure, and even feel inspired by it. Then, the next minute we are looking to see if the condition is better, or we are wondering what caused it. We make clear affirmations of Truth but don't carry them through to their logical conclusion. Mrs. Eddy observes in Science and Health, "We lose the high signification of omnipotence, when after admitting that God, or good, is omnipresent and has all-power, we still believe there is another power, named evil." ^{Science and Health, p. 469.}

The belief that there are two powers—good and evil—is the basis of our problems. In the allegory of Adam and Eve in Genesis 2 we read that God commanded Adam not to eat the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Adam and Eve were disobedient to this command; then followed one problem after another.

To be successful in Mind-healing we must comprehend its "two cardinal points," which Christ Jesus understood so well. Science and Health states: "The 'man of sorrows' best understood the nothingness of material life and intelligence and the mighty actuality of all-inclusive God, good. These were the two cardinal points of Mind-healing, or Christian Science, which armed him with Love." ^{Ibid., p. 52.} Once we do understand these two points, we must be firm in holding to them.

For a long period of time I was struggling with a severe heart condition. Instead of getting better, the difficulty seemed to be growing worse. Indeed it appeared hopeless. One day in desperation I turned wholeheartedly to God for an answer. It came: Be firm in your understanding. I thought this was a very strange message because I had been reading the Bible as well as Science and Health and Mrs. Eddy's other writings night and day. Then gradually I began to see that such reading doesn't necessarily mean one is being firm. Of course, reading Science and Health has brought many wonderful healings, but in this case I needed to learn to destroy evil suggestions and hold firmly to the truth.

I began an earnest study of pages 390 to 393 of Science and Health, which include the words that had come to me. The full statement reads, "Be firm in your understanding that the divine Mind governs, and that in Science man reflects God's government." ^{Ibid., p. 393.} There are many other admonitions on these pages that show the importance of standing firm and rejecting error: "Rise in the strength of Spirit to resist all that is unlike good." "Blot out the images of mortal thought and its beliefs in sickness and sin." "Mentally contradict every complaint from the body, and rise to the true consciousness of Life as Love,—as all that is pure, and bearing the fruits of Spirit." ^{Ibid., pp. 393, 391.} Eventually my complete healing came. And although I have read these pages countless times since then, they are still fresh and inspiring to me.

The type of thinking we have—whether firm in Truth or vacillating between Truth and false belief—determines our experience. To the degree that we are firm in accepting only God's thoughts as real, we can demonstrate His harmony—in the physical body and in our home, business, and relationships. But when we often waver and accept false beliefs as real, thereby denying God's allness and letting fear take over, we encounter difficulties.

Jesus asked, "Having eyes, see ye not?" ^{Mark 8: 18.} To have a harmonious existence we need to open our spiritual eyes to God's omnipresence and omnipotence, to become conscious of good everywhere; and we also need to firmly deny reality to evil.

In proportion as we understand that we are not at the mercy of malicious, evil forces outside us—that, in fact, no such forces exist because God, good, is All—and then persistently hold to these truths, we have the power to cast out of our consciousness and experience all that is not of God. This takes dedication and unselfed love. It calls for struggles, for self-denial. But the joy, peace, inspiration, and dominion that follow are boundless.

As we are firm in refusing to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and continue to learn more of God's allness, the conviction will grow that evil, disease, and death are indeed unreal. And we will become increasingly successful healers.