The Four Spiritual Laws of Prosperity: A Simple Guide to Unlimited Abundance

by Edwene Gaines

An empowering message about the true meaning of prosperity—to help anyone achieve a life of spiritual and  material abundance.

Imagine if you could achieve a life of true prosperity,
- A vitally alive, healthy body through which you experience relationships that are always satisfying and intimate, honest, and nurturing
- Work you love so much that it's not work, it's play
- All the money you can spend

Living at this exceptional level is not only possible—it's right there for you, Edwene Gaines explains, if only you abide by the four spiritual laws of prosperity. Gaines, an ordained Unity minister, has been delivering her inspirational, life-changing message to audiences of all faiths at workshops across the country. Explaining the four spiritual laws, she shows why it is essential
- Tithe to the person or place where you have received your spiritual nourishment
- Set clear-cut, tangible goals
- Forgive everyone all the time, especially yourself
- Seek, discover, and follow your divine purpose, which will help you to assign significance to your life and bring a passion to all that you do

The solution to financial problems lies within, Gaines insists, and here she shows you how to raise your abundance consciousness and free yourself from a life of deprivation and want.

Genres: Spirituality, Self Help, Nonfiction, Money, Audiobook, Business, Psychology

224 pages, Hardcover

First published August 11, 2005

Reviews

[Floyd Bowen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't usually read books like this one, but it was simply by chance that I found it. (Nothing happens by accident - Absolutely everything happens for a reason.)

The Four Laws - (All Biblical)

1. Tithing - this section is about more than
tithing. It is about trusting God ultimately, and
putting "your money where your mouth is"!
2. Goal Setting - from a courageous and faithful viewpoint.
3. Forgivness - getting real about what's real.
4. Devine Purpose - More getting real about what's real.

[Joyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a delightful read. I also have this in audio and it is great hearing these lessons in Edwene Gaines' voice. She is great to listen to and adds her own humor and entertaining take on the lessons of unlimited abundance. She is a very down-to-earth, open person and shares a lot of personal experiences to add examples and understanding to the teachings.

[Bindiya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found myself a gem when i found this book. I am going to read and re-read it again and apply the different teaching that Edwene Gains has so generously and lovingly shared with us. Edwene Gains Thank you! I know you transformed by life with this book.

This book is so powerful yet simple, it will challenge you to get out of the boat and walk on the water. It will challenge you to get out of your comfort zone, it will challenge you to stop limiting God and yourself and it will challenge you to live a life beyond your greatest dreams.

A must read, because it can only help you!

[Juanita Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Without a doubt one of the best books I've ever read on realizing prosperity in life.

[Trina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderful gem of a book. If you have seen the movie The Secret it mirrors that philosophy but is more concrete. I think the perpetual student in me loves all the exercises and daily affirmations; it feels more active than The Secret. It is full of common sense love based information that can not help but be inspirational. From page 8 "By living my personal truth, I do and give my best to the world. I have the power to make a difference." How great is that? If we all could just embrace just a little of that ... just think if where we would be!

[Michael Heath · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was a terrific book. Over several years I have read many a self-help book and if someone was to ask what is the one book they should read I would say this is it. I like it better than "Think & Grow Rich" because Gaines is more specific as to what to do and breaks it down into four laws. This is much better than "The Secret" which tells the reader what "the secret" is but does not instruct on how to obtain wealth. This book is a real winner.

[Clayton Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. What a life changing book. We need to start today to implement at least one of these four laws in our lives. For most of us I imagine one of them will be really uncomfortable, that's the one you need to implement immediately. Real change comes from moving out of our comfort zones. Read this book right now.

[Baylan Megino · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked Edwene's down-to-earth way of explaining the nuts-and-bolts of spiritual laws. Definitely recommend it to others trying to consciously move forward!

[Karin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written, less airy-fairy than the secret. I do like the pretty paper used by the Secret publishers! This one is just a small and white-paged book. Concise and easy to follow and understand.

Goal setting was interesting. Reason to set goals- specific ones: so that God doesn't have to guess what you want. Good point. I was always under the impression that God knew what you needed without being told but maybe this doesn't extend to wants and desires. Then he/she likes to be given details, as if they didn't read your mind and know what you wanted. Interesting point.

Not sure if i agree with her 'tithing as 10% gross income idea. I believe in giving, but last time i tried to do it by number and not by desire, i got all boggled down and ocd kicked in until i was totally frazzled. I decided that giving freely, not by tabulation worked better for me. I also think you are obligated to feed and clothe your kids, so if you have to choose between electricity and tithing, electricity wins. You can always pay up later. Tithing vs jewelery- a different story. I was taught that tithing is a 'thank you ' to God for all i did have, and here's some to help out the church. Now i think it's to help out in your community, other charities, homeless people, animals etc. But you can't give to someone else, while those under your responsibility go without necessities. In the bible it says 10% of your increase, not 10 % of everything you get. You get to eat first. Otherwise God is saying that you as a person doesn't deserve to eat the fruit of your own labours. I have thot long and hard about this tithing principle, what is fair and what is not. Now if you choose to starve, while giving to others, not a problem. Maybe you get more faith for doing so. But those in your household who depend on you - kids, pets, farm animals etc. get taken care of first. Their upkeep is not 'increase', it's a responsibility you accepted and must now make good on. They don't need ice cream, but they do need food. Tithe as long as no one is going without the necessities of life. Tampons are a necessity, a third pair of heels are not.

[Nguyen Ang · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book to read for everyone

This is a great works of Edwen Gaines. It helped me to achieve my dreams so far. Recommended for reading.

[Michael Escalante · Rating 1 out of 5]

Gaines' book in some sense is a manifesto on prosperity theology. Prosperity theology doesn't resonate with me and it feels incongruent with many of my core beliefs. I knew that going into the book and I tried to read this piece with an open mind – to better understand where proponents of prosperity doctrines are coming from. Try as I might, I just couldn't get into this book. Gaines shares some nice anecdotes from her life and she shared some pieces of herself that I sincerely respect - love for her daughter, a commitment to forgiveness, and devotion to the principle of tithing, to name a few. In general though her writing felt very self-focused and hence felt pretty small. Her experiences were nice but she failed to connect them to the broader human experience and most of her conclusions felt shallow and hard to swallow. This piece affirmed for me the feeling that co-worship of both the Christian God and material wealth is fraught with conflict. Prosperity enthusiasts seem to be able to harmonize their dual devotion, but it just doesn't click for me. Beyond caring that we have sufficient for our needs, I think God cares as much as about the balance of our bank account as he does about the color of our skin. The Bible is replete with warnings about the deceptions of wealth and the hedonic treadmill. ...Well I've probably written enough about the topic. Please know I mean no disrespect to Edwene Gaines, those who enjoyed this book, or those who are energized by prosperity doctrines. Many people I sincerely love and appreciate embrace prosperity ideas. I simply wanted to share my honest feelings on this piece and on my beliefs.

[torque · Rating 2 out of 5]

A Christian distorted version of some good practises like goal setting, affirmations, forgiveness etc.

You can do this without coming up with attributions to a god.

I just heard one of the silly examples. Mildred wanted to go on a cruise, but couldn't afford the $1000 deposit. The author tried to let Mildred know it wouldn't happen, but Mildred was convinced she was going. Then two days before the cruise another participant had to cancel and it was too late to have the deposit returned. Mildred got the spot on the cruise. According to the author, god saw Mildred's determination to go, so he put cogs in the wheels of the person who had earned the money and also wanted to go, so that person had to stay back to deal with a court case, so Mildred could get the spot for free. Silly.

The book has numerous examples where the conclusion was, god did it, when there could be a perfectly rational explanation instead.

Most of the tithing chapter should have been thrown out as well. She's setting up people to be financially exploited.

[Janice Sears · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was another one of those book that was so enjoyable that I just bought the audio and the book so that I could enjoy it both ways. I just love Southern women progressive preachers telling us how to improve our lives and couldn't get enough of her. I found out about Reverend Gaines through a Prosperity Plus course that I attended at the Unity Church. It was recommended follow-up reading, so I bought the book and loved it so much, I decided I'd probably enjoy listening to Reverend Gaines read her book. I was right! She is practical and she doesn't let anyone wallow in self pity over their past, either. Reverend Gaines is one of those women who have overcome amazing odds including childhood abuse and cancer and come out a winner. This is a book to read and re-read and even though I have already read it twice, I'll be coming back for a refresher very soon.

[Chuck Cova · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chew on the meat, spit out the bones.
Some of her material does not align with Scripture (my standard). However, principles are solid, exercises are helpful, and it is very compelling in terms of creating/improving a better mindset around money.

[Christy Priest · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent!!! there is no other way to discribe Edwene.

[Mark Montoya · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love this woman! We practice her main teaching and it works every time.

[Vlad · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Four Spiritual Laws

Tithing
Setting Goals
Forgiveness
Divine Purpose

This book (primarily the tithing section) is very much based in Christianity. Quoting scriptures and tossing around the word God excessively. Not at all something I enjoy reading, but I did choose to stick it out for the fact that I'm interested in the topic.

I love the way this book was narrated in that it was extremely chill and casual. She read in a very soft and calm manner with plenty of emotion at all the appropriate moments.

Books like this are such a joy to listen to because it's a lot like listening to someone tell a story rather than someone drearily reading off a script just to get something over with.

From what she mentioned throughout the book, she seems to regularly make a lot of immature mistakes. But more particularly her way of thinking was very childish even in adulthood.

It would be common things you see with girls like getting jealous that her friend was getting all this attention from guys and being salty that she was getting none of it. There were a bunch of other petty things like that that I didn't care to commit to memory.

The honesty is always appreciated, but that kind of immaturity is not something I want to regularly read from an author because it doesn't exactly paint them as being all too knowledgeable and helpful. Not someone you particularly want to take advice from.

But what's nice is the fact that even with that childish way of thinking, she was still able to provide these four helpful reminders presented in the book.

I love the tithing portion (especially the length of time she spent going into it). That part felt like some fresh and exciting information I don't often hear in spiritual books, (I know it's definitely rampant in Christianity books, but I avoid those because of the fact that they mention "God" every three seconds. Needless to say, that is about as annoying and mind numbingly repetitive as it gets. The author of this book definitely shared some of those aspects, though. So it's no surprise that she mentioned tithing).

Giving is also the kind of topic that can never be brought up enough (considering how easy it is for people to so often only think of themselves).

The kind of reciprocation you receive from the universe (that she talks about) when you freely give to others is definitely something I've experienced. And it's a wonderful experience seeing it all unfold.

Especially considering all the unique ways in which the Universe rewards you for giving. This is definitely one of those things you have to regularly experience for yourself in order to fully appreciate.

It works out/is much like karma. It's just when most people recognize something as "karma" in their lives, they see it as a result of something negative they did. Of course in the case of giving, the karma you receive is always positive.

[Crystal Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

1 - Tithe
- 10% of what you make to where you get spiritually fed
- Shows you trust God to provide
- Give to Receive
- God is your source

2 - Set Goals & Get out of comfort zone
- Be gentle with yourself, be like a child again, when you make a mistake as an example say "oops!"

3 - Forgiveness
- When people respond in a way you don't agree instead of complaining say something like, "Hmm how curious" and then let it go

-Journaling exercise: Write out what you want to forgive.

I am through feeling guilty about ______.
I am over feeling sorry for myself about _____.
I no longer blame ____ for _____.
I am finished with all the sadness about ___.
I forgive my parents for _____.
I release all suffering about ____.
I forgive myself once and all for _____.
It is done.

4 - Divine Purpose

- Commitment: 100% in no matter what. Unstopabble. Courage is a commitment to begin without any guarantee of success.
- No turning back, no way OUT but THROUGH. If there is a way out it is not a commitment.
- You are a spiritual being.
- What problem do you feel passionately needs to be solved?
- Ask for a "go signal" - get what you ask for. Ask for guidance and you'll get it.
- You might get a "stop signal" as well. You might be getting protection by hitting a wall.
- It is a process. Do what brings you joy. Needs to have fun, not about being a martyr.

[Ioana · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

This has been an interesting book. I am one who believes you can learn something from any book, and this one was a good example for this rule.

These 4 laws are something I was familiar with, but this writing puts them in a new light, with empowering stories to give them strength. Ultimately, to have any results is a matter of trust and practice, reading is just the beginning.

I was super surprised to learn this was published first in 2005, it has a sort of a flavor from that period, but I loved the witt and the fun approach of the author.

I only learned about this author and book recently from Denise Duffield Thomas' newsletter and I was surprised how the whole vibe of this book is more religious than spiritual. But this is, also, its greatest asset.

Overall, this has been a read full of surprises, interesting and inspiring. Would I recommend it? Only if you read the table of contents and are ok with the themes and the (friendly, not dogmatic) religious vibe of it.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Think I got this title from a Compliant Free World book and it was good to hear the author read her book. Going to look her up and learn more about what/where she is now. 4 rules, tithe 10% of all earn and receive, set specific financial and spiritual goals, forgive yourself and others on a daily basis, and determine and commit toward your life purpose/mission on earth.

Appreciated her stories of Godincidences and think there is definitely something to that...may purchase or look for the book in hardcover. A few Michigan connections and humbling stories, some which made me smile with her sense of humor, etc. Glad I listened to it and may be one of those books you purchase and manifest/remind yourself of the steps daily. Good advice overall--will be curious if Christine Sayers, DBFL likes it--hope to discuss with her....perhaps is connected to our Grief work/2nd career work in the future.

[Arun Narayanaswamy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Horrendous book !!
I am surprised this book has any positive rating. Maybe it’s because the god is used so often.
Always believe that any author has put some effort in penning down thoughts and that needs to be credited, but this one is utter meaningless !!
If you believe in superstitions and non scientific non factual stuff then give this a try, otherwise it worth a minute!!
(Speaks very less on spirituality)

Eg: give 10% to god and you will get double of it back. And anything less than 10% does not work.

Jesus didn’t give that 10% to god as he was involved in fully giving activity.

One person got fired coz a new job was waiting for her when she got upset that she got fired and read a newspaper and got another job!

To top it all, the book starts by saying “I was poor but now travel first class” as if that was spiritually motivating!!

This deserves zero rating, but unfortunately have to give a minimum of 1 when reviewing

[Rebecca Razo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book more than I did. While there were some good tips for goal setting and changing one’s perspective, this author’s focus on acquiring material wealth and goods for the sake of themselves just left a bad taste in my mouth. She supports her viewpoint by quoting scripture and Jesus, in particular, which did little to bolster my faith in her motives. She also spends a whole chapter talking about tithing to the religious institution where one gets their spiritual guidance and goes as far as suggesting that it is the ONLY way one can ever manifest true prosperity. For someone who claims to believe in a limitless and benevolent Universe, she seems to have a lot of nonnegotiable “rules” about what every person must do to reap its rewards. I’ll stick to Wayne Dyer, whose mastery on this subject has always rung true to me.

[Wilene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Edwene Gaines is remarkable in this book of outlining the way to bring in abundance. It's all proven and stated clearly and plainly. If you think its not possible just to believe and apply divine right action then I suggest you actually do the steps in this book and watch your prosperity increase and then you can be the judge. If you do NOT do the steps then you can't really say it didn't work. But it does. I assure you. I love this book and when I forget and my abundance is stuck, I read again and again and again.

[Moira Shepard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book offers my favorite kind of spiritual writing - conversationsal, relatable, and full of practical tips for down-to-Earth people like me. I feel like author Edwene Gaines is a good friend sharing her most personal stories with wit and wisdom. Her frank, heartfel account of how she healed her heart and her life after sexual abuse she experienced as a child healed me, too. This book is one for the ages.

[Sophie-Leigh Robbins · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gem of a book! Edwene has a great way of sharing her philosophy and gives you great examples. She does come from a religious background, but this didn’t bother me at all. You can just replace God with The Universe and the message stays the same. Besides, God/The Universe are just names we give to describe the same thing, so it really doesn’t matter. What matters is that this is a great book with a powerful message. Highly recommend.

[Stephzubieta Tess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Este libro deja enseñanzas maravillosas, podría decir que es un indispensable para el día a día, que vale releerlo una que otra vez por todos los recordatorios maravillosos que tiene. A mi personalmente me ha inspirado mucho, y cuando un libro logra eso creo que vale bastante la pena, las enseñanzas son valiosas y pueden fácilmente adaptarse a cualquier estilo de vida. Lo recomiendo mucho

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

When the audio version of this book first started, I almost didnt continue on because of the author/ reader's voice. She grew on me after an hour or so, and I even came to enjoy it. Edwene Gaines is a professional minister with the Utilitarian Church and I enjoyed hearing her point of view on service, tithing and posterity.

[Patricia N. McLaughlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful anecdotes and humorous stories about the author’s own struggles with prosperity conscious help to dispel readers’ doubts about their own ability to thrive and prosper. Includes helpful definition of tithing.

[Andy Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this little book so much, I'm just gonna read it again right now. Full of practical advice and actions you can take right now. The tithing alone had made a positive impact on my life even before I finished the chapter.
Simple, entertaining, and potent.

[Sonia Weyers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly inspiring!

I loved this book. Lively writing styles, sound principles and one inspiring story after another.
I consider myself a beginner in spirituality so I learned a lot also.
I read few books but im really glad I read this one.