Joel Goldsmith’s Practicing the Presence is a profound spiritual guide rooted in Christian mysticism, yet universally accessible to seekers of all backgrounds. First published in 1954, the book distills decades of Goldsmith’s inner experience and teaching into a practical manual for living in conscious union with God, not as a distant deity, but as an immediate, indwelling Presence. Far from being a theoretical treatise, the work emphasizes daily practice: the quiet, consistent remembrance that “the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21). This simple truth, Goldsmith insists, is the key to healing, peace, abundance, and true freedom.
The Core Teaching: God as Immanent Presence
At the heart of Goldsmith’s message is the radical assertion that God is not external, judgmental, or separate, but an ever-present, infinite Intelligence, Love, and Life that dwells within each individual. He rejects the notion of a personal God who intervenes selectively in human affairs. Instead, he presents God as the divine Principle, the “I AM” that constitutes our true identity. As he writes: “I in the midst of me is mighty; I go before me to make the crooked places straight.” This “I” is not the egoic self but the Christ-consciousness, the divine Self that is one with God.
Goldsmith draws heavily on the teachings of Jesus, particularly his intimate relationship with the Father. For Jesus, God was not “out there” but “within,” and this inner communion was the source of all his works. Goldsmith urges readers to emulate this relationship: to stop praying to God as if God were absent, and instead to realize God’s constant nearness. Prayer, in this context, is not petition but recognition, affirming what already is, not begging for what is lacking.
The Practice of Conscious Remembrance
The title Practicing the Presence captures the essence of Goldsmith’s method: making a deliberate effort, several times a day, to turn inward and acknowledge the divine Reality within. He recommends doing this “two or three times a day, every day”, not in long, elaborate sessions, but in brief moments of silent awareness. These pauses might involve repeating a scriptural phrase like “The Lord is my shepherd” or simply resting in the quiet certainty: “God is here. God is now.”
This practice is not about achieving a trance-like state or escaping the world. On the contrary, it is meant to be integrated into ordinary life, while working, walking, or even conversing. The goal is to maintain a “background consciousness” of God’s presence, so that worldly challenges are met from a place of inner stillness rather than fear or reactivity.
Goldsmith warns that without regular renewal, the awareness of God quickly fades under the weight of worldly distractions. “Six hours later,” he notes, “sensational newspaper headlines and radio news impinge on our consciousness, and the Christ begins to slip into the background.” Hence, the need for continual return, to sit down again, renew oneself, and refill one’s consciousness with the truth of divine Presence.
Overcoming Duality: The Illusion of Two Powers
A central theme in the book is the rejection of dualistic thinking, the belief that good and evil, health and sickness, abundance and lack are equally real forces. Goldsmith asserts unequivocally: “In reality, there is only one power: There is no power of evil; there is no power of sin; there is no power of disease; there is no power of lack or limitation.”
Evil, suffering, and discord, he explains, are not creations of God but illusions born of human ignorance, misinterpretations of reality based on sense perception rather than spiritual understanding. The moment we accept the existence of a power apart from God, we fall into “spiritual wickedness in high places,” as the Bible puts it. True spirituality begins when we recognize that only God is real, and everything else is a temporary appearance with no ultimate substance.
This does not mean denying the appearance of problems. Rather, it means refusing to grant them power or reality. When faced with lack, illness, or conflict, the practitioner does not deny the experience but shifts focus to the underlying Truth: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” The “word” here is not scripture per se, but the living revelation of divine Principle active in consciousness.
The Role of Scripture and Spiritual Principles
Goldsmith treats the Bible not as a historical document but as a mirror of inner spiritual truths. Passages like “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13) are not mere affirmations but declarations of experiential fact. The “Christ” is not Jesus alone but the divine nature within each person, the source of strength, wisdom, and supply.
He encourages readers to take specific spiritual principles, one at a time, and “live with them” for days or weeks. For example, one might focus on “God is my sufficiency” or “My grace is sufficient for thee” (2 Corinthians 12:9), using the phrase as a lens through which to view all experiences. This transforms abstract theology into lived reality.
Importantly, Goldsmith distinguishes between intellectual understanding and spiritual realization. Knowing about God is not enough; one must know God directly. “All spiritual wisdom is made up of two parts,” he writes: “first, knowing the truth, and secondly, having that mind in you which was also in Christ Jesus.” The latter comes only through consistent practice, humility, and receptivity.
Grace, Supply, and the Law of Being
One of the book’s most comforting messages is that divine supply is automatic when we align with spiritual law. Goldsmith uses biblical metaphors, manna from heaven, the cruse of oil that never runs dry, the loaves and fishes that multiply, to illustrate how grace manifests tangibly when we trust in God as our source.
He recounts personal experiences of both abundance and lack, noting that harmony was always restored not through human effort, but through the realization that “man shall not live by bread alone.” True sustenance comes from the “meat to eat that ye know not of”, the invisible spiritual substance that underlies all form.
This does not advocate passivity. Rather, it calls for action from faith, not for faith. We work, plan, and engage with the world, but without the anxiety that stems from believing our survival depends on material conditions. As Goldsmith puts it: “Your grace is my sufficiency in all things… That grace will be made tangible… Whatever my need, Your grace provides for it this day.”
Letting Go of the Personal Sense of Self
Perhaps the most challenging aspect of Goldsmith’s teaching is the call to surrender the “personal sense of selfhood”, the ego that believes it must manage, control, and worry. This false self carries a “heavy load of responsibility” and lives in constant fear of what others might do. But when we realize that “I in the midst of me is mighty,” that burden dissolves.
The divine Presence “goes before us to make the crooked places straight.” It protects, guides, and sustains, not because we earn it, but because it is our natural state. Our role is not to do but to be: to let God live and move and have Its being through us. “We are the vehicles through and as which God appears,” Goldsmith writes. This requires deep trust and the willingness to release the illusion of personal control.
The Sword of the Spirit: Every Word of God
Goldsmith identifies the “sword of the Spirit” not as doctrine or dogma, but as “every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God”, that is, every inspired truth realized in consciousness. This sword cuts through fear, doubt, and illusion. It is the only weapon needed in spiritual warfare, for it reveals the nothingness of error.
Unlike “carnal weapons”, human strategies, arguments, or manipulations, the sword of the Spirit operates silently and surely. It does not fight against persons or circumstances but illuminates the eternal reality beneath appearances. When we wield this sword through consistent remembrance, we are “clad in spiritual armor,” impervious to the mesmerism of the world.
Infinity Within: The Call to Pour Forth
Goldsmith emphasizes that infinity, divine love, wisdom, grace, is not something to acquire but something already present within. “Infinity is within us at this and at every moment,” he declares. The spiritual path, then, is not about getting more but about pouring forth what we already have.
He urges readers to “search around in your spiritual house” and find “some mite of love to express,” “a few drops of forgiveness,” or a kind word. By giving, even symbolically, we activate the flow of divine grace. “Keep them flowing,” he advises, “and as you do, be receptive.” Giving and receiving are two sides of the same coin; generosity opens the channel for greater inflow.
The Journey and the Horizon
Spiritual growth, Goldsmith acknowledges, is a journey without final arrival. “The goal is very close to us, but nevertheless… as close as it seems, it is far away, because with every horizon reached, another beckons beyond.” Yet progress can be measured by increasing peace, joy, and freedom from fear.
Crucially, he reminds us that half the journey is accomplished the moment we realize “the kingdom of God is within us.” This insight shifts the search from external to internal, from chasing experiences to abiding in Being. Like the seeker who finds the golden chalice “right in their own home all of the time,” we discover that what we sought was always present.
Living in the World, Yet Not of It
Goldsmith does not advocate withdrawal from society. One can be “active in the business world, in politics, or in the home” while maintaining inner communion with God. The difference lies in motivation and dependence. The spiritually awakened person acts not from ambition or fear but as an instrument of divine purpose.
Such a life is marked by freedom from the opinions of others, from the tyranny of circumstance, and from the belief that “man can do” anything to us. “The sense of personal responsibility and the fear of what man can do to us drop away,” replaced by the quiet assurance: “I am with me in the deep waters; I am beside me in the fiery furnace.”
Conclusion: A Path of Simplicity and Depth
Practicing the Presence offers no quick fixes or magical formulas. Its power lies in its simplicity and depth. Goldsmith strips away religious formalism and returns the seeker to the essence of spirituality: direct, personal communion with the living God within.
His message is both comforting and demanding. Comforting, because it assures us that we are never alone, never unsupported, never truly in lack. Demanding, because it asks us to relinquish the ego’s grip, to trust wholly in an invisible Reality, and to practice this trust consistently, even when the world screams otherwise.
Ultimately, the book is an invitation to shift identity, from the limited, anxious “son of man” to the eternal “Son of God.” In that shift, all things are made new. Problems do not necessarily vanish, but they lose their power to disturb our peace. We come to see, as Goldsmith did, that “everything that happens, happens now”, and in this eternal Now, God is fully present, fully sufficient, and fully victorious.
Through disciplined yet gentle practice, the reader learns to dwell in this truth until it becomes not just belief, but lived experience. And in that experience, as Goldsmith promises, “something happens to us: An experience takes place, it may be a feeling of warmth; it may be a feeling of release; it may be a voice in the ear… We, within ourselves, know that we have had the visitation of the Christ.” This is the annunciation, not a future hope, but a present reality awaiting our recognition.
