"Let no man beguile you of your reward..." — Colossians 2:18
This phrase from Paul’s letter to the Colossians is often skimmed over in theological discussions. But when read through the spiritual teachings of Neville Goddard, it reveals something far more immediate and practical.
Neville taught that the Bible is a psychological drama — not a record of historical events, but a map of the soul. Every verse can be read as a message to the individual about the creative power of their imagination. In this context, the “reward” is not a heavenly prize postponed until death. It is the manifestation of the state you have dared to assume.
Paul is saying: do not let anyone talk you out of what you’ve imagined. Do not let outer voices or religious systems seduce you away from your assumption. The Law of Assumption works by persistence, not permission.
False Humility: The Enemy of Assumption
"In a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen..." (v.18)
Here, Paul criticises two things: false humility and misplaced worship. Neville warned against both.
“Voluntary humility” is the spiritual-sounding voice that says, I’m not worthy, it’s not for me, or let’s leave it to higher powers. This is not humility — it is disbelief dressed in religious clothing. The Law of Assumption requires that you feel the wish fulfilled as natural. You must be bold enough to claim your desire inwardly, without apology.
To “worship angels” is to give your power away — whether to spiritual intermediaries, external systems, or revered personalities. Neville taught that your imagination is God. To attribute power to anything outside yourself is to abandon your creative centre.
The Fleshly Mind: Second-Hand Spirituality
"...vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind." (v.18)
This is the intellect inflated with spiritual theory but empty of actual experience. It is the mind that reads endlessly, debates theology, but never dares to assume a new state. It speaks about miracles but never performs them within.
Neville called this second-hand spirituality. It looks intelligent, but it has no creative force. What transforms your life is not analysis, but assumption. Not quoting Scripture, but embodying it.
Holding the Head: Staying Rooted in I AM
"And not holding the Head, from which all the body... increaseth with the increase of God." (v.19)
In Neville’s framework, “the Head” is your I AM — the core of your being, the Christ within. To “hold the Head” is to remain faithful to your assumption, regardless of appearances. It is to remember that the source of all increase flows from the state you occupy in imagination.
When you stop holding the Head, you’re pulled back into fragmentation — swayed by appearances, trapped by doctrines, dependent on outer means.
Religious Rules Are Not Spiritual Power
"Why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances... Touch not; taste not; handle not..." (vv.20–21)
Paul exposes the futility of external religious discipline. Rules about what to touch, eat, wear, or avoid may seem spiritual — but they belong to the world of appearances, not transformation.
Neville would say: you cannot change your world by modifying the outer. You change it by entering a new state of consciousness and persisting there until it solidifies. Your salvation is imaginative, not behavioural.
The Appearance of Wisdom Without Substance
"Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship... but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh." (v.23)
External disciplines — asceticism, ritual, restriction — might look wise. But they do not touch the subconscious patterns that shape your world. Only assumption reaches that level.
Neville often said:
"You must die to the old man by assuming the new. There is no other way."
This is the resurrection Paul speaks of. Not a physical event, but a psychological one. You bury the old self by refusing to think from it — and rise as the new by feeling from the fulfilled desire.
Your Reward Is Already Within You
When you live from your assumption — from the feeling of already being what you desire to be — you are not being arrogant. You are honouring the truth. You are acknowledging the Head. You are operating from the only power that creates.
Colossians 2:18–23 isn’t a warning about angels or asceticism on its own terms — it’s a warning against abandoning your own centre. It is a call to stop seeking outside, and go within. Let no one beguile you of your reward. Hold the Head. Assume the state — and persist.
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