Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Posts Tagged ‘Spiritual’

Vital Faith

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on November 3, 2010| Leave a Comment »

 

 

  
Read Psalm 46.

  
Among all the beautiful and heart-searching prayers of the Bible there is none that surpasses the wonderful poem that we call the Forty Sixth Psalm.
 
It begins, as do nearly all the Bible prayers, with an expression of faith in God. This is extremely important in practice. You need to affirm constantly that you do believe in God, not merely as a vague abstract concept, but as a real, vivid, actual power in life, always available to be contacted in thought; never changing and never failing. The Psalm closes with a command and an affirmation.
 
Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.
  
This is really the whole Bible in a nutshell. Be still, and know that I am God. This is the very last thing that we want to do when we are worried or anxious. The current of human thought is always hurrying us along to its own ends, and it seems much easier to swim with it by accepting difficulties, than to draw resolutely away from these things, and contemplate God, which is the one way out of trouble. Even in your prayers there is a time to cease active work and, “having done all, to stand” – to be still, and know that I am God.
  
How often are we still enough to affirm our faith in God and our knowledge that he is God?  Every breath we take is a miracle sent by God without which our lives would end within moments. Do we recognize God’s blessings with every breath? We can be sure that if that breath were cut off, we would be in very close contact with God until our breath returned.
  
It may not be possible to live every moment in total awareness of God, but most of us could put a lot more time and awareness into our relationship with God than we do. One of the keys to increasing that awareness and communion is to be still. Not just physically still, but mentally, emotionally and spiritually still.
  
When we are still in thought, word and deed, we can then fortify our faith, know God and overcome our difficulties. Then we can exalt God in the earth by living in and working our gardens in peace, joy and hope: even with our problems.
  
Being still,
  
Z gardener

Read Full Post »

Your Father

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on November 2, 2010| Leave a Comment »

A great deal of confusion seems to exist in many minds concerning the precise avenue through which realization and harmony are to be attained.

The only solution is to contact the divine Power that dwells within your own soul; and to bring it to bear upon the various difficulties in your life, taking them in due order, that is, attacking the most urgent first. The real remedy for every one of your difficulties is, as we are told on every page of the Bible, to find and know the Indwelling Presence.

Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee (Job 22:21).

This, then, is the task, and the only one – to find, and consciously know, your own Indwelling Lord. You see now how the confusion disappears, and the perfect simplicity of the whole thing emerges once you realize this fact.

Where do we most often search for God? Many seek God in church, in the Bible, in Sunday School or in nature, music and art. Yet the truth is that although God manifests himself in all these places, he actually dwells in us through the Holy Spirit. We are God’s temple, home and dwelling place here in the physical world. God resides in our consciousness, and can best be found by looking inward instead of outward.

When we look inside our selves, then empty out our selves to welcome God’s presence in our hearts and minds, then we become new creations and God fills us with the divine. It is when we move our selves out of this dwelling to make room for God’s spirit, that a new resident takes charge of us and our lives. This new tenant in the indwelling God who is ever present to us and will never leave or forsake us.

This indwelling God will reveal our gardens to us and dwell there with us to protect and nurture us and to help ensure that our gardens are filled with beauty, joy and peace. So, look inside, find God’s presence and then put God in charge. Then all good shall come to thee.

Looking in,

Stan

Read Full Post »

Your Father And The Prince

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on November 1, 2010| 1 Comment »

Your Father
The fourth name the prophet Isaiah speaks of is that of Everlasting Father. As Jesus so clearly pointed out, God is or Father, not merely our Creator. But we have to establish our own consciousness of this fact.

In the fifth place, we receive what is perhaps the greatest name of all, “The Prince of Peace.” Think what perfect peace of soul, if you could attain it, would actually mean to you. If you had real peace of soul, do you suppose that your body could be ill? Given real peace of soul, how easy it would be to find your true place in the world, How quickly and efficiently you could perform your work, Once you have attained true peace of soul, you have made it possible for the Child to teach you new things, utterly beyond the compass of your present understanding.

Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice form henceforth even forever (Isaiah 9:7).

In view of the fact that the weaker souls, the fearful, and the unbelieving, and the depressed, should find it impossible to believe that such good tidings could be true, the prophet clinches the matter with the definite assertion:

The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this (Isaiah 9:7).

To have as our Heavenly Father the creator of the universe, and to have as our Savior the Prince of Peace is miraculous on its own! It means we can access all of the creative power in the universe and harness it to achieve peace. With them we are able to accomplish the impossible; things of which we can only dream on our own.

When we turn our lives over to “the child” we can become new creatures, infinitely more capable and in harmony with all around us. We can not do these things by ourselves, and in fact, they are impossible for any human acting on their own. Yet, these things are opened to us when we accept and live in God’s truth.

Our zeal will be the instrument through which God works to allow our gardens to flourish in any circumstance, and allows us to live in joy and gladness, justice and peace. Now, that is a miracle in anyone’s book.

Learning from the child,

Z gardener

Read Full Post »

Your Counselor

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , on October 29, 2010| Leave a Comment »

  

          The Prophet Isaiah also calls this Child “Counselor.” A counselor is one who gives guidance. If you are worried because you do not know whether to take some important step, to accept a business offer, to sign an important document, to enter upon a partnership, to resign your position, to trust someone, to say something, the Child will be your Counselor.
 
            In the third place the prophet reveals to us who the Child really is. It is no less than God Himself, “The Mighty God.” And truly the mystic Power that transforms, and transmutes, and transfigures, is God Himself, always present with you, and always available.
 
…the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works (John 14:10).
Read John 14:10-17.
 
Think about that! We always have within us God’s power to transform, transmute and transfigure!  When we know how  hard it is for an adult to change even five percent of their behavior, this is truly amazing. With God’s power we can renew  and rebuild not only our lives, but everything in our lives as well.
 
On top of that, we also have within us a counselor and advocate who is the Holy Spirit of God to guide and advise us in times of confusion or weakness, joy and gladness. That Holy Spirit is with God and constantly advocating our best good. That spirit, made real by our obedience and actions in the physical world is the force that can turn black to white, low  to high and will transform any obstacle or challenge into a blessing or a miracle.
 
How  much easier it is to feel hope, confidence and peace when we see things through this reality! How  much sweeter the smell of the garden, the warm dappled light, the crisp cool air when we know this truth!
 
With counsel,
 
Z gardener

Read Full Post »

A New Birth

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , on October 28, 2010| Leave a Comment »

 

 
The prophet Isaiah speaks of the “Name” of the Child, and if we know something of Bible symbolism, we know that we are now going to learn something fundamental, for in the Bible, the name of anything means the character or nature of that thing. A name is not merely an arbitrary label, but actually a hieroglyph of the soul. We are given no less than five names or qualities of the Child.

 
First Isaiah says that the name of the Child is Wonderful. The word wonderful used here requires careful scrutinization. As employed in the Bible, it implies a miracle – just that, and nothing else. The Bible repeatedly says that miracles can happen, and it gives detailed and circumstantial accounts of many specific cases. Moreover, it says that miracles always will happen if you believe them to be possible, and are willing to recognize the power of God, and to call upon it.
 
As soon as the Child is born in you consciousness, the miracle will come into your life. This does not mean simply that you will become resigned to your present circumstances, or that you will then be enabled to meet the same difficulties with a higher courage or a clearer brain. It means the miracle.
 
But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible (Mathew 19:26).
When we accept God, and the miracle of new birth occurs in our spirits, we begin a life-long journey with God and the Holy spirit. This miracle opens the door to our  Edens.  We then spend the rest of our lives learning to cultivate that garden and the spiritual miracle of God’s Holy spirit within us.
 
As we grow  in God’s spirit, we do find new  attributes emerging that help us cope and that give us hope, courage and clarity. These attributes are not created by the miracle of God in our lives, but are empowered by God for us to discover, learn and use.
 
Just a any child is born ignorant and full of potential, so our spiritual lives begin. In both spiritual and physical matters, we must learn the truth, accept it and then apply it to our lives if we are to reap the benefits. The big difference is that on our own, all things are not possible, but with God…
 
Living the miracle,
Z gardener

Read Full Post »

Your Own Valuation

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on October 25, 2010| Leave a Comment »

The world will take you at your own valuation. Your body will take you at your own valuation. Your business will take you at your own valuation; for the value that you really put upon yourself is the one that manifests. You may say, “ But that cannot be true, because I know several people who are always boasting and pretending and yet no one ever takes them seriously.”

 
Please note that I said the value you really put upon yourself. People who boast, bluff, and pretend have really a poor opinion of themselves—or why would they pretend? And it is this poor opinion or sense of inferiority that is demonstrated in the failure that such people always make of their lives.
 
The man who really believes that his wares are excellent does not dream of lying about them. The man who is satisfied with what he is has no incentive to pretend to be something he is not. The man who is conscious of substantial achievement has no desire to boast.
 
Nature always takes you at your own valuation. Believe that you are the child of God. Believe that you express Life, Truth, Love. Believe that Wisdom guides you. Believe that you are a special enterprise on the part of God—and what you really believe, that you will demonstrate.
 
Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be… (John 3:2).
What do we really believe about ourselves? Not the false fluff of self-esteem, but the true substance of self-respect. And when we get down to what we truly believe, is it true? Does it reflect reality or is it false self-righteousness, self-pity or self-recrimination?
 
Do we truly believe we are the children of God? Do we act as if God loves us enough to sacrifice his Son for us? Do we express life, truth and love? Does God’s wisdom guide us? If the answer to these questions is no, then we need to honestly evaluate why and what it is that we really believe.
 
For it is what we believe that will determine what we are and how we live. If we truly believe God’s word, then our lives will be one of truth, joy, beauty and wisdom regardless of what happens in our physical world. We will shape the reality in which we live instead of its shaping us. Then our gardens will be places of joy in which our true value is demonstrated as children of the most high God.
 
I believe,
Z gardener

Read Full Post »

Life Is Like That

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on October 21, 2010| Leave a Comment »

  
You form certain beliefs, for one reason or another—and then you have to live with them. When you were growing up, well-meaning people told you many negative things by way of warning, thereby implanting fears; and these fears are with you today, consciously or subconsciously. 
  

You meet your fears dramatized. The things that we fear in our hearts have a way of coming to us in the guise of other people’s acts; of business conditions; of a breakdown in some part of the body.
 
Thank God it is not necessary as a rule to delve into the recesses of the subconscious and dredge for these things. In the spiritual teaching, as given in the Bible, we learn that by beating the symptoms spiritually (not, of course, covering up symptoms, but beating them) the fear or false suggestion that caused the symptom disappears too, and the patient is free.
 
Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace… (Job 22:21).
It is true that we out picture our fears and project them into things we experience each day. To cure the cause rather than flee the symptom, we must overcome the fear that is causing the problem. That is where God and our belief in God becomes essential. When we accept God’s promise and word through faith, we can then believe that our protection and best good is assured. It is this belief and the faith that forms its foundation, that cures the fear and relieves the symptoms of that fear.
  
Then, we can project our faith and confidence into the outer things we experience each day instead of our fears. And although the fear may not be immediately cured, with time and discipline and increasing faith, we will come to know that God is ensuring that all things in our lives will be for our best good. That is when fear flees, and joy is what we project onto our world. That is when life can unfold in our gardens with peace, confidence and joyful anticipation of each day and each event whether desired or feared.
 
Projecting joy,
  
Z gardener

Read Full Post »

The Devil’s Last Ditch

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on October 20, 2010| Leave a Comment »

 
When you have driven the devil out of every other corner of you heart, his last refuge is to take shelter in negative analysis. He will say, “You prayed before and nothing happened,” or, “You have been praying so long for that…” Or perhaps he will say, “There is no way that it can come about.” 

 
When this kind of thing comes into your thought, do not be discouraged but rather rejoice, for this means that satan is positively in his very last ditch, and now is the time to clear him out; and if you will be loyal to God it will not be difficult.
  
Now is the time to know the Truth quietly, and to hold to it in spite of false appearances. Now is the time to witness to the faith that is in you. No finer opportunity for a great step forward spiritually can ever come to you than this one. So take advantage of it and rejoice in your good fortune.
  
It is not when things are going well that we make our progress. It is not even when things are going wrong and yet we feel sure that we can handle them with prayer that we advance. It is when, smitten by the temptation to discouragement or even despair, we yet stand for what we know is the Truth, and say with Job,
 
Though he slay me, yet will I trust in Him (Job 13:15).
The adversary does not want us to be free from his grip. Like the drug dealer who gives his poison to someone to addict them or keep them addicted, satan will do or say anything to keep us shackled to negativity, doubt and despair. This adversary will lie, cheat and steal to keep us from the perfect grace of God.
  
When we have broken free of fear and doubt, and are on the brink of total communion with God; this is when the devil works the hardest and cheats the most. Every attempt will be made to convince us we are bad, that God doesn’t exist and that our peace is false. All lies.
  
And when satan has thrown every dirty trick and deceit at us, even when we are the most discouraged, all we have to do is trust in God’s promise and keep believing in his word. Then God will defeat the adversary, our peace will be assured and the devil will lose for good his grip on our lives. Then we are protected from the adversary and free from his lies, trickery and traps. Then we can live in the garden God gave us in safety, peace and harmony forever:
  
Freed by God,
Z gardener

Read Full Post »

Losing Interest In Outer Things

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on October 19, 2010| Leave a Comment »

It happens to some students of prayer who are especially zealous, giving much time to study and meditation, and making more than average progress, that a time comes when their ordinary daily work begins to seem dull, tiresome, and really not worthwhile. Such a person may actually have a very important and interesting position, which most people would consider ideal; but now he is no longer content or happy. He would like to throw up business life altogether and devote all his time to his spiritual development.

 
The healing of this problem is first to know that a great many people have to meet it. It is not at all uncommon or peculiar to one person; and those who have it always come through it and find themselves happier than ever before because this particular difficulty only happens to wholehearted and zealous people. Such people usually spend too much time in prayer and meditation, and become waterlogged.
 
Having come through that stage they always find themselves more interested in their business than ever before; they do much better work, and at the same time they progress much faster in their spiritual lives, and have a great deal more power in prayer than they ever had before.
 
I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee. (Job 42:2).
Each part of our lives is a part of our spiritual journey. While work or daily duties may seen at times like drudgery, or feel like they are dragging us down spiritually, they are integral parts of applying our spiritual discernment to the physical world in which we live.
 
In these circumstances, we need to change our perception about our work or daily duties; to see those activities as ways to put our faith into action. It is here that truth and love face the real tests. All our spiritual growth and development may be good for us, but the real value, and the real test come from their application in our daily lives.
 
If we are to live in the Eden God created for us, then we must do so in the physical world in which we operate each day. And while our peace, joy and gladness come from God and start within us, our garden, its health and its fruits are manifested in the world outside of us . It is by our actions that our faith is put to work.
 
Practicing inner and outer faith,
 
Z gardener

Read Full Post »

And Mean It!

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on October 18, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Think of God. Review some of the things that you know to be true about Him – His perfect goodness, infinite intelligence, all presence, limitless power, unbounded love, and so forth. Claim that God, who is all those things, is with you – and believe it.

 
Read a few verses of Scripture or any spiritual book that helps you.
 
Say silently that you forgive everyone who may seem to need it; without exception or mental reservation – and mean it.
 
Claim that God is now inspiring you, teaching you, and healing you. Claim that He is giving you the greatest of all gifts – HIMSELF – because having Him you will have everything else too.
 
Give thanks in advance for the peace of mind, the harmony, and the spiritual growth that is yours – and mean it.
 
Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High (Psalm50: 14)
If we truly believe in God’s goodness, infinite intelligence, limitless power, presence and love, then we must accept that God is directing these gifts toward us and must claim them without reservation. We must also forgive without exception or mental reservation. When we do these things, we must also accept that God is using our circumstances to teach and heal us. Armed with this belief, and sincere in our acceptance of these truths, we can be joyful and glad in our gardens each day. Then we will live in harmony with a full measure of harmony and peace of mind.

 

  
Leaning on meaning it,
Stan

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »