This recording features the Sunday Talk portion of the service. For the full service watch here.
Begin Again: Claiming a Prosperous Identity – Rev. Dr. Jacqueline Triche Atkins
DESCRIPTION
Join us as we launch our month-long look at cultivating Prosperity and Everyday Abundance in our lives. This week you’re invited to explore and name where you actually are with money and possibility — without judgment — then claim a new, prosperous identity to carry through November.
The summary and transcription were auto-generated, please excuse typos, errors and omissions.
SUMMARY
Rev. Dr. Jacqueline Triche Atkins delivers a talk on prosperity consciousness rooted in Romans 12:2, emphasizing the transformation that comes from renewing one’s mind. Drawing from Michelle Wadleigh’s “Prosperous Me” and Eric Butterworth’s teachings on “Spiritual Economics”, she explores how consciousness shapes reality, arguing that true prosperity begins with what we believe rather than what we receive.
The talk establishes that before external flow or overflow can manifest, there must first be an expansion of consciousness—an opening that allows individuals to stop defining themselves by past disappointments and temporary circumstances. Atkins distinguishes between acknowledging challenges and making them one’s identity, urging listeners to interrupt patterns of limitation by adopting affirmations such as “Today I begin anew” and “I identify as successful, prosperous, and abundant”.
Central to the message is the concept that “life follows the filter of consciousness”—that fear, resentment, and rigid thinking obstruct possibilities, while a cleared consciousness reveals opportunities previously overlooked. She cautions against spiritual bypass while emphasizing that financial circumstances represent information, not identity; one’s self-worth remains independent of bank balances or debt.
The talk concludes with practical invitations: examining old beliefs, practicing new truths, and taking concrete actions aligned with an expanded identity, all while recognizing that prosperity encompasses wisdom, creativity, faith, and generosity beyond mere accumulation.
TRANSCRIPTION
Rev. Dr. Jacqueline Triche Atkins:
It is absolutely God. God is the bridge of a troubled water. God is the one that lets the stuff flow, all the good stuff flow. God is the one that’s right behind us that takes care of us. I love that. Thank you so very much. The concert we just had. It is just that kind of wonderful. Good morning. Good morning. Oh, good morning. Good morning. Good morning. Some of my Gold Rush team members came in. I didn’t think they were going to make it this morning. It’s all right. And good morning to each and every one of you. I just almost started crying, okay? So it’s all right. God, it’s just God. This morning. Let me also say that Jason, thank you. You made me want to do all the good stuff. I mean, I felt God saying, “You better stop acting silly. You know you’re good.” Okay?
And Donna, I tell Donna, I guess I’ve been here before when Donna spoke, but thank you. I think Donna, put your hands together for Jason and Donna.
And always I’m very, very happy that my friend is Reverend Amy who from time to time invites me over part of the family. This is a good place. Put your hands together for Reverend Amy. I mean, this is a good place. I go to a lot of different churches and it is just… And she’s sitting there looking like Carol King. Oh my Lord. Okay. I just thank God this morning. And the scripture for what we’re really growing from this morning is Romans 12: two, “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” And I have down here, “Good morning, cityside spiritual community. Good morning family. I’m glad to be back. This is a good place. This is a wonderful place. Do not take it for granted. Come and bring somebody with you every Sunday because I’m telling you, it’s warm and loving and we need warm and loving right now.
Is that right? Yeah. So we’ve heard some things, but right now let me ask you, what if your life, the life you desire is not waiting for you to get more money? What if the life you desire is not to meet the right person or receive a promotion or finally get all your circumstances in order? What if the life you desire is not that, but rather what if the beginning of a life you’re waiting for is you trying to change the way you are yourself?
What if your next season of prosperity begins with what you receive, not what you receive? Let me check. Let me step back. What if your next season of prosperity begins not with what you receive, but with what you believe? That’s the beginning of next season of prosperity. When we hear the word flow, and I don’t know how many of you’re familiar with Eric Butterworth, he loves this word flow, boy. I had to shift a little bit when I was reading Michelle here in Prosperous Me, but we might think about money flowing into our bank accounts, opportunities flowing into our lives or relationships flowing into a greater ease or blessings coming one after another. That’s legitimate for thinking about flowing. And when we hear the word overflow, I love the word overflow because I always tell people don’t give anybody any tea unless you got some overflow.
Otherwise you are shorting yourself. You can’t short yourself and be a blessing. But according to Michelle, after we hear the word overflow, we imagine having more than enough. So that’s good. More than enough love, more than enough wisdom, more than enough resources, more than enough strength to meet the demands of our lives. Yet I want you to consider something this morning. Before there can be a consistent flow or an overflow in our experience, there must be an opening in our consciousness. There must be an expansion of our consciousness before there can be a flowing or overflowing.
The reason I’m saying that because we cannot spend every day thinking that we are defeated, thinking that we are defeated and expect to consistently live with the consciousness of victory. We can’t do it. We cannot repeatedly tell ourselves that nothing works out for us and then wonder, and I know none of you all do that, but wonder why we have difficulty recognizing our possibilities. Nothing works out for me. Nothing works out for me. We cannot define ourselves by our past disappointments and expect to move freely into a future field with possibility. Listen to me, okay? You cannot define yourself by past disappointments and that’s how I’m defining myself and I’m moving with that. I got this whole cover, past disappointments wrapping me up and I think I’m going to move into a future field of possibility.
At some point we must be willing to declare, and this is Michelle, the Prosperous Me, the book I’m talking about. I’m not saying her last name because I’m not quite sure how it’s pronounced. Whatley. Okay. Today I begin anew. Say that please. Today I begin anew. A couple of you may believe it. Okay, that’s good. Not tomorrow, not when I have more money, not next month, not when my circumstances improve, not next year, when I finally feel ready, but today you had an extra hour of sleep. Right here, right now I begin anew. Michelle Whatley and Prosperous Me examines and invites us to examine the consciousness from which we approach prosperity. You’re going to examine your consciousness from which you approach prosperity.
And day one calls us, in her book, calls us to a mind shift. A mind shift, Donna. We got to shift it. We got to shift it. And sometimes there’s so much clutter up there. No, no, no, that’s none of you. I’m sure. Okay. She’s calling us to a mind shift. We begin by identifying ourselves as successful, prosperous and abundant. When’s the last time? Don’t raise your hand. You identified yourself as successful, prosperous and abundant. That is more than a positive statement. It is an invitation to change the identity from which we live. It’s an invitation to stop thinking of ourselves as anything but that. And that is where our journey towards flow and overflow begins. You see, the first principle this morning is simple. Oh, but it has the power to change the way we experience life. What is it? Consciousness first. I think it’s up there, is it not?
And consciousness always. Can you say that with me? Consciousness first. Consciousness always. That’s right. In our philosophy of this new thought theology, consciousness is more than the thoughts that pass through our minds. It includes the beliefs we hold, the assumptions we accept, the meaning we give our experiences, and then the spiritual identity from which we make our choices. We talk about consciousness a lot, but I wonder if we really talk about consciousness. You see, consciousness is the lens through which we interpret life.
Right now, and this is such an interesting season, how are you interpreting life? I’m not going to even mention politics, but just how are you interpreting life? Consciousness is that lens you’re looking through. Two people can experience the same setback and come away with an entirely different consciousness. One person loses an opportunity and says, “I know this would happen. Nothing ever works out for me.” None of you say that, but some people say that, “Nothing ever works out for me.” Another person, another person experiences the same disappointment and says, “This didn’t work out as I hoped, but I am still guided, gifted and capable of discovering another way.” So consciousness, consciousness, one interpretation, how the consciousness you’re looking through closes the door, the other leaves room for possibility.
Now let’s be clear. Changing our consciousness does not mean pretending that painful circumstances do not exist. Sometimes particularly, and I’m not going to say new thought theologians can do what’s called spiritual bypass real good. If you don’t know a spiritual bypass, talk to your senior minister at some point. But yeah, that’s when you want to say painful circumstances do not exist. We’re saying that changing our conscious does not mean ignoring unpaid bills or denying grief. I just did a going home service on Friday, that grief can be real or refusing to acknowledge the facts of our lives. It means that we stop allowing our circumstances here. We stop allowing our circumstances to have final word about who we are and what is possible for us. These circumstances should not have that kind of power. We can acknowledge a challenge without making it our identity. We can acknowledge a challenge without making it our identity.
We can take and face a financial difficulty without declaring ourselves failures.
We can experience a disappointment without deciding that disappointment is a story of our lives. This is our spiritual work, you all. This is our spiritual work. And as prospering me helps us to understand, our spiritual work leans back on, if you will, Romans 12: two, transformed by the renewing of our minds, transforming by the renewing of our minds. Notice that the scripture points… Oh, I love it. God is really good sometimes because that scripture points us toward renewal, okay? Not punishment, not self-condemnation, not a lifetime sentence based on yesterday’s thinking. No. It’s based on renewal, renewal. And there is something wonderfully liberating about knowing that we do not have to carry yesterday’s consciousness into today’s possibilities. I don’t have to do that. We can examine what we believe and should examine what we believe. Particularly that subconscious, it holds all kinds of stuff sometimes. That silence, that meditation, that getting quiet, sometimes it’s just why you want to just do that so you can kind of understand yourself better.
We can question what we have accepted as truth. Yeah, you can change your mind. You can change your mind. We can release the thoughts. Oh, here’s a big one, that keep us small. We can release the thoughts that keep us small and we can make room for a larger understanding of ourselves as expression of expressions of divine life. And when we begin to see ourselves differently, guess what? We begin to respond differently. When we begin to recognize ourselves differently, oh, what did I say? We respond differently. We recognize opportunities that we may previously have overlooked. We may engage in a conversation that before we were afraid to initiate. We may finally take a class or submit an application. Oh, you mean I can get that higher position or start a business or write a book or ask for the help we need. More we may finally take all that together to create ourselves anew.
The opportunity may have been available before, but our consciousness was not prepared to recognize or act upon it.
Now I want you to understand, a renewed consciousness does not magically eliminate obstacles. Tell your neighbor, it doesn’t magically do anything. It doesn’t, but it helps us to recognize possibilities. It helps us to make wiser choices. It helps us to take actions that our former thinking may have prevented. That’s how our consciousness participates in the movement of prosperity. You see, I want you to say this with me. Consciousness first. Consciousness first. Consciousness always. Consciousness always. No, we’re going to say it again with some real consciousness first. Consciousness first. Consciousness always. Yes. And now I’m going to make it a little personal. Repeat after me again. I am willing to renew my mind. I am willing to renew my mind. I am willing to see differently. I am willing to see differently. I don’t know if you believe it, but try. I am willing to live from a greater awareness.
I’m willing to live from a greater awareness. Of the good. Of good. That is possible. That is possible. For me. For me. Okay. Yeah, that’s it. That’s it. The energy should start doing something to you, making you feel some kind of way, not guilty, but making you want to change. Okay? Because when consciousness changes, the way we participate in life can change. And that is the beginning of the flow. That is the beginning. I love Eric Butterworth. He says the flow just simply means that you recognize that God’s substance is everywhere for you to tap into. It’s like a fish in water. You can’t even get away from it if you want to. Butterworth, oh, I love me some Butterworth. Anyway, let us move to the heart of today’s mind shift. Okay? Let us do that. Today I began anew. I identify as successful, prosperous, abundant.
We must pay attention to the words we identify as. We have to do that. We often identify ourselves to our circumstances. We say, I know none of you, but somebody says, “I am broke. I am struggling. I am behind. I am unsuccessful. I’m the one who never gets ahead. I am the one who has to work twice as hard just to keep up.” And sometimes without realizing it, we take a temporary experience, listen to this, because we take a temporary experience and turn it into a permanent identity. Oh, oh, we do that. We move from saying, “I am experiencing financial difficulty,” to saying, “I am a financial failure.” We go from, “I am experiencing financial difficulty,” to saying, “I am a financial failure.” Those are not the same statements. One describes the situation and the other judges an entire person. One gives us information about what may need attention and the other tells us who we supposedly are.
And when we begin identifying and repeatedly identify ourselves with that limitation, we may begin to organize our decisions, our expectations and our behaviors around that limitation. But what happens when we interrupt that pattern? That’s a consciousness expansion, a consciousness. What happens when we interrupt that pattern? Number one, you got to face that you’re living with that pattern, but what happens when you interrupt it? What happens when we begin to say, “I am learning. I am growing. I am resourceful. I am guided by divine wisdom. That’s it. I am guided by divine wisdom. I am capable of making new choices. I am open to opportunities I could not see before. I am an expression of the abundance of God. Repeat after me. I am an expression of the abundance of God.” Something begins to shift, y’all. Something begins to shift. We are no longer approaching life exclusively from the identity of someone who lacks.
We are making room to act from the identity of someone who has spiritual resources and the capacity to grow in new thought. You all are all new though practitioners, right? Yeah, I think so. Kind of maybe. In new thought, prosperity is not merely the accumulation of possessions. I got to tell you, she talks about it and I really am. I know that Reverend Amy said she had taught the class before, Eric Butterworth Spiritual Economics. You will know that prosperity is not merely the accumulation of possessions. It is also the realization and expression of the spiritual resources available within us and through us and through our relationship with the divine. We are talking about wisdom. We are talking about creativity. We are talking about faith and love. We are talking about courage and understanding the ability to learn, the willing to cooperate, the capacity to imagine something better and take steps toward it.
These are resources. And when we begin, when we begin to recognize these resources that are already present in our lives, you don’t have to go anywhere to get them. You got them. We can use them to build something new. Think about this. A person may not have all the money needed to launch a business, but that person may have knowledge, relationships, creativity, and the willingness to begin with what is available. A person may not know the next step in a career, but may have the courage to ask questions, to develop new skills. A person may be rebuilding after a painful season. Oh yeah, we all have had them, a painful season, but may have gained something, gained wisdom, discernment and strength that will serve them in their next chapter. We must stop overlooking what is already present because we are focused on what is not yet here.
I’m going to repeat that. We must stop overlooking what is already present because we are so focused on what is not yet here.
Prosperity consciousness is enhanced when we recognize that our present circumstances do not exhaust our possibilities. Our present circumstances do not exhaust our possibilities. Can I say it again? Our present circumstances do not exhaust our possibilities. Now this does not mean that affirmations, and that’s what we often use, replace learning and budgeting and planning and education and discipline effort. No, but affirmations help us establish the inner foundation from which we engage in those activities. Affirmations, we affirm abundance and then we learn to manage our resources. We affirm success and then we prepare for opportunities. We affirm divine guidance and then we become more willing to listen, to go into the silence. Oh my goodness. We affirm that new possibilities exist and then we look for them. Our declaration is not an excuse to sit still and wait for life to change. It is an invitation to stand up in a new consciousness and participate in the change.
Repeat after me. Today I begin anew. Today I begin a new. I identify as successful. I identify as successful. Today I begin anew. Today I begin a new. I identify as prosperous. I identify as prosperous. Today I begin anew. Today I begin a new aspect. I identify as abundant. I identify as abundant. No, you’re not limited to what yesterday looked like and you’re not defined by what you’ve been through. You are good enough as you really assume a new day, expanded consciousness, the good you can recognize, you can receive it, you can develop it, you can express it. And as you begin anew, you can give permission to live differently. That is yourself. As you look in the mirror, give yourself permission to live differently. That is how we begin to move from limitation towards the flow. A second major insight is this. Life follows the filter of consciousness.
Life follows the filter. And this is when consciousness is cleared, new ideas and opportunities appear. Let us imagine that we are looking through a window. If that window is covered with dust, we cannot see clearly through it, can you? The world outside has not changed. It hasn’t changed. The view is simply obstructed. Our consciousness works in the same way. Am I saying the same thing? Yes, because we really don’t get it sometimes, the power of our consciousness. It works in that same way. Guess what? Fear can be a filter and fear is a filter. Oh my goodness. That’s what you’re going to see as you look through your consciousness and see the world. Resentment can be a filter. Oh, how many of us say did it to me again? Mad Dave. Resentment can be a filter which blocks so many possibilities. How do I know?
Anyway, I’m not telling. Repeating disappointments can be a filter. The belief that we are too old, ladies, ladies, that’s for us. We like to say we are too old. Forget it. You are not too old. If it comes to you through your heart and you and God have been hanging, you are not too old, okay? Too inexperienced, too late, too ordinary or too far behind can become a filter. And once that filter becomes familiar, we may begin to interpret everything through it. Someone offers us an opportunity and we immediately think, I’m not qualified. Someone invites us to share our gifts and we think nobody wants to hear what I have to say or read a book that I write. A new idea comes to us and before we explore it, we remember every reason something similar did not work in the past. Everybody can think about that one.
We close the door before we even have it investigated the idea. God has given us this idea. God, desire is God knocking on your heart, okay? If you didn’t use your five senses to get it, that is, okay? But we close the door before we even investigate what’s on the other side of something, an idea that we have. But what if we begin to clear the filter? What if we begin to clear the filter? What if instead of automatically assuming the worst, we ask, what else might be possible? What if instead of saying I cannot, we ask, what would I need to learn? Or maybe what instead of saying, I miss my opportunity, we ask what opportunity might be available to me now? What if we begin to expect ourselves to grow? My Lord, this is not about forcing ourselves to believe that everything will be easy.
It is almost… No, no, no. It’s about refusing to let fear make every decision. I will not let fear make every decision. And sometimes clearing our consciousness begins with one simple spiritual practice. Becoming quiet enough to hear beyond the noise of our habitual thinking. Did you hear what I said? Becoming… Jason tried to help us this morning. Becoming quiet enough to hear beyond the noise of our habitual thinking. In the stillness, we can pray. In the stillness, we can listen. In the stillness, we can reflect. We can ask for divine wisdom. We can become willing to receive an idea that challenges our old assumptions. We can recognize that guidance may come through prayer, through study, through a conversation, through constructive feedback or through a practical opportunity that requires our attention. The point is that every idea, not one, not every idea is automatically divine guidance.
The point is that a more open and discerning consciousness, it gives us room to notice, to evaluate and respond to possibilities we might otherwise dismiss. And this is where this month’s theme becomes especially meaningful. Flow requires movement. Flow requires movement. Water that flows move. A river travels. A seat opens, a person learns, adapts, and responds. Likewise, when we desire greater flow in our lives, we must be willing to release rigid thinking and become available for new understanding. Release rigid thinking and become available to new understanding and overflow? Overflow? Overflow is not simply about having more. It’s about becoming more available to express the good that we have cultivated. It’s not about having more, it’s available to express the good that we’ve cultivated. More love to share, more wisdom to offer, more creativity to contribute, more courage to take the next step more generously.
More generosity because we are no longer convinced that every act of giving will leave an emptiness in us. One question I want you to carry with you today. What might I see this week if I stopped looking at my life through the filter of what went wrong and started looking through the possibility of what could go right? Oh my Lord. Let that question work with you. Are you looking through a filter of what went wrong? What happens if you shift it to what possibility could go right? And as we arrive at a truth that many of us may need to hear, we’re going as we come into a close, but we got to tap on one more truth, especially when we’re talking about prosperity. Oh my goodness. It’s up there. Is it up there? Michelle Watley’s day one mind shift reminds us that your self worth is what?
Not your bottom line. Oh my goodness. We here in America. Your self worth is not your bottom line. Your financial circumstances are information, not identity. I want that to settle into your spirit. You see, your bank balance is information. Your debt is information. Your credit report is information. Your business revenue is information. That information may require attention. It may call for a plan, a change of habits, a conversation with a financial professional, but none of these numbers can calculate your value as a human being. Know that today, if you never thought before, forget about all this stuff about I am not quite worthy because I don’t have whatever or I have debt or I have filed bankruptcy. None of these numbers can calculate your value as a human being. Your net worth is not your worth as a person. Your financial history is not the sum total of your spiritual identity.
And the size of your bank account does not determine how much dignity, love, wisdom or possibility you’re entitled to experience. You must be careful. We all must be careful not to turn financial challenges into personal condemnation.
When we say I’m a failure because I have debt, we have added shame to a situation that already requires just plain old practical attention. When we say I’m not successful because I have not reached a particular income level, we make one identity dependent on a number that may change. When we say I am behind because my life does not look like someone else’s, you don’t know the story. You don’t know the story. City side, city side, city side. You can take responsibility for your finances without rejecting yourself. I have not spoken to the people online. You can take responsibility for your finances without rejecting yourself. You can acknowledge that a financial decision needs to change without declaring yourself incapable. You can face the facts without making the facts your identity. You can say, this is where I am today and I’m willing to take the next responsible step.
I’m going to keep moving, keep moving because you are a whole person worthy of dignity and capable of growth even while you are working through unfinished circumstances. That is the freedom we claim today, y’all. I want us to take a moment and I want us to make this message personal. If you are comfortable, I want you to right now place both of your feet on the floor and relax your shoulders and take a deep breath.
And I want to ask you three questions. And I don’t know if the slide’s up there because I jumped ahead Ben a little bit, but anyway. One, what old belief about myself am I ready to release? What old belief about myself am I ready to release? Perhaps it is I have never had enough or I’m not good enough or it is too late for me. Two, what new truth am I willing to practice? What new truth am I willing to practice? Perhaps it is I’m teachable. I’m open to new possibilities. And three, what is one action I can take this week from the new identity? What is one action I can take? Maybe it’s making a plan.
Again to challenge the beliefs that keeps you from moving forward. You can begin to notice the good you have overlooked. Okay. Oh, thank you. And as we are moving on, we can begin to take actions consistent with life, with the life you desire, and you can begin to understand prosperity as something larger than a number. Yeah. So prosperity is the wisdom to use what you have. That’s what prosperity is. It’s the willingness to receive help and it is the discipline to prepare. That’s what prosperity is. It is the generosity to share your gifts. It is the faith to begin again.
And it is understanding that you are not required to become less than you are while you’re working toward all that you can be. I want you to repeat after me. I’m going to jump into slide 15 if you can, Ben. I begin anew today. I renew a new today. I renew my mind. I renew my mind. And open myself. And open myself. To divine wisdom. Divine wisdom. My financial circumstances are information. My financial circumstances are. Not my identity. Not my identity. I honor my worth. I honor my worth. While taking responsibility for my growth. While taking responsibility for my growth. The next one you’re going to repeat after me is your declaration. I am willing to see new possibilities. I am willing to see new possibilities. I am willing to act on new ideas. I am willing to act on new ideas. I identify as successful.
I identify as successful. I identify as prosperous. I identify as prosperous. I identify as abundant. I identify as abundant. And this is the very first one and the very last one. Today I begin anew. Today I begin a new. I identify as successful. I identify as successful. Prosperous. Prosperous. Abundant.
And that’s the truth. And so it is. Amen and amen. So we’re going to, if you will join me in a brief time of closing your eyes if you like. And as we really turn within touching the divine, recognizing divine, thanking the divine for all of the ways we are able to manifest the purpose for our creation. Oh gracious God, you have created us out of yourself. So what is there for us to do but to be all that you created us to be? We thank you. We thank you for reminding us that we are that. We are that greatness. We are that love. We are that faith. We are that God. Thank you for reminding us even as we live on this earth in this human costume, God, thank you for reminding us just what we are and letting us know that if we need to cross over troubled waters, you will lay down and let us move on over.
Oh my God, if we need to move forward, you will give us the ideas. If we indeed have any kind of need, God, you will supply for you have already done it. And then Lord, we thank you for opening our eyes and opening our hearts and opening us up to know it’s already there. We’re swimming in it, God. We love you, God. We lift you up and we thank you for all that you do, all that you have done, all that will be done in our lives and for all that you have given to each of us. Thank you God. Ah, thank you God. Thank you God. Come on with me and say thank you God. Ah, thank you God. And so it is amen and amen.