In “Power and Wisdom,” Neville Goddard examines the transcendent power within each person, using the metaphor of Christ clothed with power from on high. He interprets biblical events—such as Jesus arresting and releasing power—as symbolic of an inner life-giving spirit that can still and animate reality. Goddard emphasizes the original Greek term “anothen,” arguing its true meaning is “from within,” pointing to self-generated power rather than external force. Through visions and scriptural exegesis, he outlines the four reunions between man and God: inner birth, discovery of the spiritual son, heavenly ascent, and the descent of the Holy Spirit. The lecture culminates in practical instructions on using imagination to manifest desires and live from divine power, promising salvation through faith in the eternal story.
Although man develops more and more power on earth, it is like kindergarten, compared to the power that is his in the New Age. Christ within you as your hope of glory is the personification of this power
Knowing himself to be all power, Jesus turned to those who followed him, and said: “Wait in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.” You are clothed with that power when the Holy Spirit, symbolised as a dove, descends upon you.
Clothed with the power from on high, Jesus entered the synagogue, opened the Book of Isaiah to the 61st chapter, and read: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me. He has anointed me to preach good news to the poor and to release the captives.” Closing the book, he handed it to the attendant and said: “Today the scripture you have just heard has been fulfilled.” The Old Testament predicted the coming of the New Age, called the kingdom of God. By this statement, Jesus claimed to be its fulfillment, for when the dove descended he knew he was the Messiah, the embodiment of power and wisdom.
When Pilate, the personification of logic and reason, asked: “Where are you from?” Jesus did not answer. But when he said: “Do you not know I have the power to release or crucify you,” Jesus replied: “You have no power over me unless it is given you from within.” In other words, if I do not give my power to you, you have none.
In the above statement the word “anothen” is translated “from above,” but its true meaning is “from within.” This same word is used when Nicodemus is told: “Unless you are born from within, you cannot enter the kingdom of God.”
The power from within is life-giving and entirely different from the power of this world. If you desired to physically leave this room, as an animated being I would have no power to hold you here. But as a life-giving spirit, I could hold and control your actions.
As a life-giving spirit, I have entered a scene from within. Those who were present could not see me; yet I was so alive with power in myself, that I knew if I arrested it, everything I perceived would stand still. I did, and instantly everyone and everything was stilled. I examined them to discover that they were dead as though made out of clay. Then I released that power in myself, and everyone once more became animated, and continued to fulfill their intentions. Possessing no power in them, I did not release the power in them but in me.
Only when you wear the Human Form Divine – which is the embodiment of love – will you exercise this power. It is never exercised here, for your power is too great. You could, by arresting an army, rearrange their intention, release them, and they would execute your instructions – even if it meant their death. But wisdom goes hand in hand with that power. Paul asks: “Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? In the wisdom of God the world does not know God through wisdom. The foolishness of God is wiser than men and the weakness of God is stronger than men.”
God cannot be found through studying scripture. He must be revealed! God either reveals himself to you, or you remain ignorant as to who he is. God first revealed himself to Moses as destructive power, saying: “I AM the Lord. I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as God Almighty, but by my name I AM I did not make myself known to them.”
The patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob knew only sheer power, but Moses knew God as I AM. Revealing himself as power, then as I AM, when God’s son calls you father, you will know who you really are. This is the wisdom of God as opposed to the wisdom of man.
A friend of mine shared this vision with me. He said: “I am driving my car, when suddenly I am airborne, gliding over the treetops. Navigating the car by body-English, it rises as I lighten my body and descend with my body weight. Suddenly I panic, and must have crashed because I lost consciousness and the next thing I knew I was in a humanoid body such as I have never seen. The outside was dead, beige dust like the coals of a fireplace, with two holes where the eyes should be.
” I am not alone, there are others but they seem to be mindless water carriers. Asking a question of one, he pointed to a large boulder made of the same substance as my body. I climbed this rock and saw you, Neville, wearing a similar body. At your side was a mindless, brainless automaton.
“We began to talk, and I opened my wallet to show you a card which implied I was a writer. The man at your side questioned you and you answered him very superficially, conveying to me with a look that the man was incapable of understanding anything. Then you and I were alone, and you said: ‘No one can deny you the next four reunions with God.’ I did not understand the words, but your manner implied they were very important, and a joy permeated my being as I awoke.”
These fleshly garments look like the garments he saw, when seen from a certain level. Paul tells us that the first man (Esau, Cain, etc.) is the man of dust, but the second man (Christ) is the man of heaven. (I Corinthians 15)
These bodies of dust are moved by a power from within. Blake explained this so beautifully, when he said: “Those in great Eternity who contemplate on death (this world) say thus, ‘What seems to be is, to those to whom it seems to be, and is productive of the most dreadful consequences, to those to whom it seems to be, even of torment, despair and Eternal death. But Divine Mercy steps beyond and redeems Man in the body of Jesus.'”
Every vision has a single jet of truth in it. My friend who had the vision is now being redeemed; because no one – but no one – can prevent him from experiencing the four reunions with God, at which time Divine Mercy redeems him in the body of Jesus.
The first reunion is God’s birth from within. The second is the discovery of his son, David. This is followed by the third mighty reunion, when his spiritual body is split in two and God ascends like a spiral of lightening into heaven. And finally, the fourth act appears, as the Holy Spirit embodies the form of a dove to clothe him – as you – with power from on high.
From that moment on, you are aware of an entirely different world. You will no longer be an animated body, but know yourself to be a life-giving spirit, moving through heavenly states, giving life and telling the eternal story.
Having joined those in great eternity, you too will contemplate on those who sleep in death and know that what seems to be is – to those to whom it seems to be. You will not raise a finger to change their experiences, as you will know they are necessary in the world of Caesar. Having entered the New Age, where there is no time or space, you will discover that you are every place at the same time if you so desire, and that you are the creator of it all.
You see, when you emptied yourself of your power and wisdom to take on the form of a slave in the world of time, it was at once a tragedy and yet a triumph. Just like a sucker, which breathes and feeds on its parent, knows tremendous tragedy when detached and planted separately -but it becomes the parent because of the separation. So your separation is a tragedy and yet a victory, for you do become aware of being God the Father because of it.
The fall into decay and death was purposely planned. We are all awakening and returning to the awareness of being the one body, one Spirit, one Lord, one God and Father of all. Having fallen into division, we are gathered into the unity of being the one Father, enhanced by our experiences in this world of death.
I can describe this power in words, but its true feeling must be experienced. One evening, while sitting in MacArthur Park, I watched a man walk by, stand on a corner, and light a cigarette. Then I arrested that power in me and the match remained lit, yet did not burn beyond the place it was only a moment before. The man, standing as a statue, appeared to be totally unaware of the lighted match, while the park took on the stillness of death. Then I released the power within me and watched the man blow out the match, throw it away, and continue to walk with the others. When you are clothed with the power from on high you feel it, and these things happen to you.
Because of his disbelief, man sees this power as foolishness. So Paul told the Corinthians: “Since in the wisdom of God man did not by wisdom know God, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach, to save those who believe.” All that you are called upon to do is to listen to the eternal story of salvation, and believe by responding to it. Then go about your business by using your power to cushion the blows of life; and when it pleases God, you will be saved.
Although your power here is like a little firecracker compared to your real power, when you know what you want and believe you have it, your power of belief will make it so. Construct a scene which implies the fulfillment of your desire. Give it all of the sensory vividness you are capable of giving, and rest in the knowledge that its implication is the power to bring your desire into your world.
You don’t have to be a brilliant scholar to use your creative power. In fact, the more brilliant you are, the less you are likely to try it. The so-called brilliant mind believes only in that which is physical and visible, and therefore does not believe a desire can be fulfilled by a simple imaginal act.
But I know the power of imagining, for I have sat quietly in my chair in my living room, constructed a scene which implied the fulfillment of my desire, gave it all of the qualities of naturalness so that it felt right – and let it be. Then, just as I would drop a seed into the ground and wait for its maturity, my seed of desire matured and fulfilled itself in my world.
Imagine whatever you desire. Believe you will receive it and go about your business in the world with patience and confidence, knowing your desire will erupt and become a reality. Use the law while you remain in the city waiting to be clothed with power from on high, for it will come.
Believe me, for God’s pattern of salvation has unfolded in me. The divine drama has reached its climax. Only Caesar’s history continues, and every child born of woman is fulfilling it. Moving across the screen of space for thousands of years, man experiences moments of joy and sorrow, sadness and pain, until the dramatic story of Christ unfolds from within. It takes 1260 days from God’s first mighty act to the final one. Then, if the brothers decide it is your task to remain and tell the story, you will. Like Paul, I long to depart. I feel as though there is a thorn in my side and I pray to have it removed. But I will remain, knowing my grace is sufficient, for my power is made perfect in weakness.
I recall the first night I met Abdullah. I had purposely delayed going to one of his meetings, because a man whose judgment I did not trust had insisted on my attendance. At the end of the meeting, Ab approached me and said: “Neville, you are six months late.” Startled, I questioned how he knew my name, when he said: “The brothers told me you would be here six months ago.” Then he added: “I will remain until you have received all that I must give you. Then I will depart.” He, too, may have longed to go, but he had to wait for me.
If you are serious about the study of the Bible, read the eighth chapter of Proverbs. Begin with the 22nd verse, and as you go through to the end you will discover it is all about wisdom.
Personified as a little child, wisdom says: “He who finds me, finds life and receives favor from the Lord. He who misses me injures himself. He who hates me loves death.” One day, finding life in yourself, you will hold wisdom in your arms and receive favor from the Lord. But if you would rather have more of the world of Caesar, you will hate the idea of the child, because you love death.
The world and all of its conflict is essential to the work that is being done in you. But in the end, you will have these four wonderful reunions with God and find yourself in the kingdom of heaven. Your awakening and resurrection takes you from this world of death. The discovery of your Son, your ascent into heaven, and the descent of the Holy Spirit is your entrance into the New Age, where you wear the body of Christ, the power and the wisdom of God.
Now let us go into the silence.
Goddard’s lecture pivots on reclaiming the divine power that resides within the individual, contrasting it with the limited force of worldly authority. By reinterpreting the Greek term “anothen” and highlighting Christ’s declaration of inner sovereignty, he challenges conventional exegesis and invites listeners to see scripture as a guide to personal transformation rather than historical record.
He employs rich symbolism—Jesus in the synagogue, Pilate’s questioning, and Moses encountering “I AM”—to illustrate stages of spiritual awakening. Each biblical episode becomes a mirror for inner states: waiting for power, realizing innate authority, and stepping into the fullness of divine identity. The retelling asserts that true wisdom arises not from external study but from direct revelation within.
The narrated vision of a friend serves as a case study in mystical psychology, mapping the four reunions with God that culminate in the New Age consciousness. The first birth from within, the discovery of one’s spiritual son, the ascent of the soul, and the descent of the Holy Spirit collectively depict an alchemical process of self-realization. This framework underscores Goddard’s broader theme: that transformation is an inward journey enacted through imagination.
Goddard transitions from theory to practice by outlining how to employ the law of assumption through vivid imaginal acts. He illustrates how one can, like Jesus, momentarily arrest reality by harnessing inner power, then release it to animate desired outcomes. This practical emphasis on meditation, faith, and patience aligns with his promise that belief alone can shape experience.
Finally, the lecture situates its teachings within the broader metaphysical and New Age landscape, suggesting that the separation and fall into materiality were necessary stages in a grand divine drama. By integrating power and wisdom, individuals learn to navigate both earthly and heavenly states, ultimately participating in a unified consciousness that transcends time and space.
The Bible Through Neville
Neville Bible Sparks
Neville Lecture Series
