Today is huge with blessings. I am leaning on the sustaining power of the Infinite. As the wise men beheld the star which took them to the Christ child, so the beams of Christ make plain the plan for salvation for each of us. We should no longer be content with doctrine. Truth is independent of doctrine and it knocks on the door of our souls with urgency. Can we let go of our ego, fears and ignorance and experiment with active faith in God? Do we ignor the knocking on the door of our soul?
Unfortunately active faith usually requires doing something that we have never done before. There is usually no one else but us to show us the way we are to take. The early American pioneers cut through trees, forged rivers and climbed mountains. Do we have that kind of active faith in God? Our active faith in God, the One Infinite, Limitless Power that we are all connected to and that everything is connected to, will lead the way. "The Lord shall reign forever." (Exodus 15:19, Psalm 146:10) Faith can be read about in books or taught from the pulpit in church, but until we actively apply faith daily in our own life we can never determine the usefulness of faith based ideas.
The Bible tells us stories of the many people Jesus Christ healed. It also tells us about the many people that Jesus didn't heal. If you look at who was healed and who wasn't, it shows that it didn't take any special intellectual powers to be healed. Jesus said, "as ye believe so shall it be done unto you." Those who didn't believe weren't healed. He also said the it was the Father within him who did the work and that we could do the things that he did and even greater things in his name. Can we heal the way Jesus did?
The healing Jesus did took people's bodies back to how God created them before the fall of man in the garden of Eden. God created us in his image and likeness, but when Eve ate of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, carnal man forgot who he was in God. We became forgetful of our true relationship to our Creator.
Our physical senses are wonderful, but they are carnal and limited. We cannot comprehend ourselves as the unlimited, infinite image and likeness of God by using our limited, carnal senses. We must comprehend God with the Spirit of God to be able to comprehend the wonderful creation God created as us. But it cannot be our carnal flesh comprehending, it must be the Father within us doing the work. How can we do this? By taking on the body, mind and spirit of Christ and then we can do the things that Jesus did and even greater things in his name.
The people Jesus healed were able to accept what Jesus told them, go unto the Father within themselves and comprehend their wholeness in God, through Christ. They were healed by the Spirit of God and not by sight. They walked by the Spirit of God and not by sight.
Healing can happen in an instant, or it may take some experimenting. Some times we need to strengthen our faith muscles through use much like we strengthen our body muscles through exercise. We need to exercise those faith muscles by using active faith on a daily basis. If we experiment with our faith muscles on a daily basis with small things, perhaps when big things come along our faith muscles will be toned and in shape. It's called leaning on God every day.
Also check out my blog entry called The Kingdom Within
If you enjoy this blog, please share a link to it with others! Terrie
© Copyright 2012 - http://bodymindandspirit2.blogspot.com/
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Mind Similes - Effect of Mind
I like similes and metaphors. Here are some mind similes.
The mind is like a fertile garden. Like a fertile garden, we can choose the seeds we plant and nurture. We are the master gardener of our mind. We can choose good seed to plant with a vision of the good result we would like to see, thoughts of love, faith, and forgiveness. We can choose to plant nothing and allow the weed seeds of the world to grow. We can also choose to plant bad seed, thoughts of hate, fear, anger, or resentment. We are the master gardener of our mind.
The mind is like a computer. Like a computer, good programs or viruses can be loaded. We can choose to load good computer programs with specific good results in mind. We can set up security programs on our computer to help prevent hackers from putting viruses on our computer, or we can avoid using security programs. We could even deliberately load viruses on our own computer, but why would we want to do that? We are the computer tech for our mind. We can load thoughts of love, faith, and forgiveness into our mind. We can let the world hack into our mind and load the weed seeds of the world. We can even deliberately load thoughts of hate, fear, anger, or resentment into our minds simply by continually thinking about them. We are the computer tech for our mind.
The mind is like an ocean. Like an ocean, beneath the choppy waves on the surface there is calm water in the depths. We can choose to dive down deep and swim in the calm waters in the depths. We can also choose to swim in the choppy waves on the surface. We can be a scuba diver in the ocean of our mind.
The mind is like a magnet and it can attract or repel. We are the handler of the magnet of our mind. We can make the magnet attract something by choosing the end of the magnet that attracts. We can choose what the magnet attracts by what we point it at. We can ignore which end we use and repel rather than attract, our choice. We are handling the magnet of our mind.
The mind is like an untamed horse which is difficult to ride and in order to ride it needs to be trained. We are the trainer of our untamed mind. We can choose to train the untamed horse daily so we can eventually easily ride. We can also attempt to ride the untamed horse while it gives a good try at throwing us off. We are the trainer of our untamed mind.
The mind is like a mirror reflecting what it sees. We are the holder of the mirror who determines what it reflects. We can choose to reflect beautiful images. We can also choose to reflect envy, anger or even murder or other negative images. We hold the mirror of our mind.
The mind is like a fire where the flames can be erratic or controlled. We are the builder of the fire of the mind. We can choose to start a small fire, take steps to adjust the flame by how and when we add the fuel, and build a controlled fire. We can also start a fire that burns out of control. We are the builder of the fire of the mind.
Also check out my blog entry called The Kingdom Within
If you enjoy this blog, please share a link to it with others! With light and love, Terrie
© Copyright 2012 - http://bodymindandspirit2.blogspot.com/
The mind is like a fertile garden. Like a fertile garden, we can choose the seeds we plant and nurture. We are the master gardener of our mind. We can choose good seed to plant with a vision of the good result we would like to see, thoughts of love, faith, and forgiveness. We can choose to plant nothing and allow the weed seeds of the world to grow. We can also choose to plant bad seed, thoughts of hate, fear, anger, or resentment. We are the master gardener of our mind.
The mind is like a computer. Like a computer, good programs or viruses can be loaded. We can choose to load good computer programs with specific good results in mind. We can set up security programs on our computer to help prevent hackers from putting viruses on our computer, or we can avoid using security programs. We could even deliberately load viruses on our own computer, but why would we want to do that? We are the computer tech for our mind. We can load thoughts of love, faith, and forgiveness into our mind. We can let the world hack into our mind and load the weed seeds of the world. We can even deliberately load thoughts of hate, fear, anger, or resentment into our minds simply by continually thinking about them. We are the computer tech for our mind.
The mind is like an ocean. Like an ocean, beneath the choppy waves on the surface there is calm water in the depths. We can choose to dive down deep and swim in the calm waters in the depths. We can also choose to swim in the choppy waves on the surface. We can be a scuba diver in the ocean of our mind.
The mind is like a magnet and it can attract or repel. We are the handler of the magnet of our mind. We can make the magnet attract something by choosing the end of the magnet that attracts. We can choose what the magnet attracts by what we point it at. We can ignore which end we use and repel rather than attract, our choice. We are handling the magnet of our mind.
The mind is like an untamed horse which is difficult to ride and in order to ride it needs to be trained. We are the trainer of our untamed mind. We can choose to train the untamed horse daily so we can eventually easily ride. We can also attempt to ride the untamed horse while it gives a good try at throwing us off. We are the trainer of our untamed mind.
The mind is like a mirror reflecting what it sees. We are the holder of the mirror who determines what it reflects. We can choose to reflect beautiful images. We can also choose to reflect envy, anger or even murder or other negative images. We hold the mirror of our mind.
The mind is like a fire where the flames can be erratic or controlled. We are the builder of the fire of the mind. We can choose to start a small fire, take steps to adjust the flame by how and when we add the fuel, and build a controlled fire. We can also start a fire that burns out of control. We are the builder of the fire of the mind.
Also check out my blog entry called The Kingdom Within
If you enjoy this blog, please share a link to it with others! With light and love, Terrie
© Copyright 2012 - http://bodymindandspirit2.blogspot.com/
One Omnipresent Power
Not everyone agrees about the nature of God, but scriptures from all over the world testify to the existence of One Omnipresent Power. Different names have been given to this One Omnipresent Power with different explanations and people often vehemently disagree about the concepts. Clearly though there tends to be a unity of spirit in some scriptures from all over the world about One Omnipresent Power.
The Bible says that we were created in the image and likeness of God. Jesus Christ told us that the Kingdom of God is within us. As the universe was created by this One Omnipresent Power, so were we.
But scripture is full of contradictions, just like life. Reading scripture can be confusing and create as many questions as it answers some times. Daniel refused to defile himself with wine and ate only vegetables. Paul says that we should eat whatever is set before us and to take a little wine to settle the stomach.
Scripture study is a good thing for spiritual growth. We should study with wisdom and discernment looking for answers from within. We are told to walk by the spirit rather than walk by sight. A wise and discerning spirit is available within each of us. Our mind, body and spirit are connected. Jesus Christ said that he was the gate and that no one comes to the Father except through him. What does that mean?
We can all have the body, mind and spirit of Jesus Christ in us. We can go unto the Father through Jesus Christ. It is possible to live life without the body, mind and spirit of Jesus Christ. We all have free will and we can choose to do as we please. We can live without the guidance of the One Omnipresent Power. God does not force himself on us and even Jesus could not heal those who did not believe.
As experiences in life begin to show us where we need to adjust, we grow. As we grow, we begin to understand our own ego and the contradictions our ego can bring into the experiences of our life. The appetites of the flesh make us less receptive to the guidance of the One Omnipresent Power within us. If our ego is the master of our body, mind and spirit, we miss the guidance of the still, small voice calling to us from the secret place of the most high.
If we live by the spirit and consciously cultivate a relationship with the guidance of the One Omnipresent Power within, we let go of ego. The Father within us does the work. When we go unto the Father and live by faith and not by sight we are no longer directed by the appetites of the flesh. Seek first the Kingdom of God... and all these things will be added. The One Omnipresent Power will light the way.
I only want the One Omnipresent Power to guide me. Jesus Christ showed me the way - how to go directly to the Father. The spiritual ether can hold an assortment of distorted and spooky ideas for people who don't put the body, mind and spirit under the control of the Christ mind and go directly to the Father. Each of us must learn how to let go of our flesh ego and we shouldn't want to give control to some lost spirit who clings to ego, as some folks seem to want to do, either in this world or from the spiritual ether beyond.
How do we let go of our flesh ego and live by the spirit? We can go to the scriptures and learn from them. I read and then meditate on what I read, sorting through the contradictions I find. I ask God to show me through His Spirit what the meaning of the scriptures are for me this day. I ask God to speak to me through the scriptures and through His Spirit knowing that He is the One Omnipresent Power. After I ask for His guidance, I become still and wait upon Him in meditative silence. I go unto the Father in prayer and devotion and I make an effort to practice the presence of God throughout my day as I live my life. God is guiding me as I learn to hear His voice in every thing I do and live by the spirit of the One Omnipresent Power.
If you enjoy this blog, please share a link to it with others! With light and love, Terrie
© Copyright 2011 - http://bodymindandspirit2.blogspot.com/
The Bible says that we were created in the image and likeness of God. Jesus Christ told us that the Kingdom of God is within us. As the universe was created by this One Omnipresent Power, so were we.
But scripture is full of contradictions, just like life. Reading scripture can be confusing and create as many questions as it answers some times. Daniel refused to defile himself with wine and ate only vegetables. Paul says that we should eat whatever is set before us and to take a little wine to settle the stomach.
Scripture study is a good thing for spiritual growth. We should study with wisdom and discernment looking for answers from within. We are told to walk by the spirit rather than walk by sight. A wise and discerning spirit is available within each of us. Our mind, body and spirit are connected. Jesus Christ said that he was the gate and that no one comes to the Father except through him. What does that mean?
We can all have the body, mind and spirit of Jesus Christ in us. We can go unto the Father through Jesus Christ. It is possible to live life without the body, mind and spirit of Jesus Christ. We all have free will and we can choose to do as we please. We can live without the guidance of the One Omnipresent Power. God does not force himself on us and even Jesus could not heal those who did not believe.
As experiences in life begin to show us where we need to adjust, we grow. As we grow, we begin to understand our own ego and the contradictions our ego can bring into the experiences of our life. The appetites of the flesh make us less receptive to the guidance of the One Omnipresent Power within us. If our ego is the master of our body, mind and spirit, we miss the guidance of the still, small voice calling to us from the secret place of the most high.
If we live by the spirit and consciously cultivate a relationship with the guidance of the One Omnipresent Power within, we let go of ego. The Father within us does the work. When we go unto the Father and live by faith and not by sight we are no longer directed by the appetites of the flesh. Seek first the Kingdom of God... and all these things will be added. The One Omnipresent Power will light the way.
I only want the One Omnipresent Power to guide me. Jesus Christ showed me the way - how to go directly to the Father. The spiritual ether can hold an assortment of distorted and spooky ideas for people who don't put the body, mind and spirit under the control of the Christ mind and go directly to the Father. Each of us must learn how to let go of our flesh ego and we shouldn't want to give control to some lost spirit who clings to ego, as some folks seem to want to do, either in this world or from the spiritual ether beyond.
How do we let go of our flesh ego and live by the spirit? We can go to the scriptures and learn from them. I read and then meditate on what I read, sorting through the contradictions I find. I ask God to show me through His Spirit what the meaning of the scriptures are for me this day. I ask God to speak to me through the scriptures and through His Spirit knowing that He is the One Omnipresent Power. After I ask for His guidance, I become still and wait upon Him in meditative silence. I go unto the Father in prayer and devotion and I make an effort to practice the presence of God throughout my day as I live my life. God is guiding me as I learn to hear His voice in every thing I do and live by the spirit of the One Omnipresent Power.
If you enjoy this blog, please share a link to it with others! With light and love, Terrie
© Copyright 2011 - http://bodymindandspirit2.blogspot.com/
Amazing Pencil Tip Sculptures
This sort of talent is amazing!! Take a look at the pictures below of these pencil sculptures by Dalton Ghetti...this takes a lot of patience. Click here to read a a NY Times Article about artist Dalton Ghetti.
Be sure to check out the parable at the bottom too!
Be sure to check out the parable at the bottom too!
"A pencil maker told the pencil 5 important lessons just before putting it in the box:
1) Everything you do will always leave a mark;
2) You can always correct the mistakes you make;
3) What is important is what is inside of you;
4) In life, you will undergo painful sharpenings, which will make you better;
5) To be the best pencil you must allow yourself to be held and guided by the hand that holds you.
1) Everything you do will always leave a mark;
2) You can always correct the mistakes you make;
3) What is important is what is inside of you;
4) In life, you will undergo painful sharpenings, which will make you better;
5) To be the best pencil you must allow yourself to be held and guided by the hand that holds you.
We all need to be constantly sharpened. This parable may encourage you to know that you are a special person, with unique God-given talents and abilities. Only you can fulfill the purpose which you were born to accomplish. Never allow yourself to get discouraged and think that your life is insignificant and cannot be changed and, like the pencil, always remember that the most important part of who you are, is what's inside of you and then allow yourself to be guided by the hand of God."
(author unknown)
(author unknown)
If you enjoy this blog, please share a link to it with others! With light and love, Terrie
http://bodymindandspirit2.blogspot.com/
The Practice of the Presence of God
Here is a link to Gutenberg.org where various free versions of "The Practice of the Presence of God" can be downloaded for Kindle, and other reading devices in e-book form or it can be read online:
Gutenberg Project - The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence
Here is a link to "The Practice of the Presence of God" in audiobook formats and they are all free from Librivox.org in M4B audiobook or an MP3 Zip file for your iPod, or listen to it streaming on your computer.
Librivox Audiobooks-The Practice of the Presence of God
Here is a short bio on Brother Lawrence.
"He was born was born Nicholas Herman around 1610 in France. He fought in the Thirty Years War as a young soldier and sustained a near fatal injury to his sciatic nerve. The injury left him crippled and in chronic pain for the rest of his life. He was educated both at home and by his parish priest whose first name was Lawrence. He was well read and was drawn to a spiritual life of faith and love for God at an early age.
In the years between the abrupt end of his duties as a soldier and his entry into monastic life, he spent a period of time living in the wilderness and also some time in private service. During mid-life he entered a newly established monastery in Paris where he became the cook for the community. After fifteen years his duties were shifted to shoe repair, but he often returned to the busy kitchen to help out.
Brother Lawrence discovered and followed a pure, uncomplicated way to walk continually in God's presence. For some forty years, he lived and walked with Our Father at his side. Yet through his own words, we learn that Brother Lawrence's first ten years were full of severe trials and challenges.
A gentle man with a joyful spirit, Brother Lawrence shunned attention and the limelight. It was not until after his death that a few of his letters were collected. Joseph de Beaufort, counsel to the Paris archbishop, first published the letters in a small pamphlet. The following year in a second publication titled, 'The Practice of the Presence of God', de Beaufort included the content of four conversations he had with Brother Lawrence. In this small book of letters and conversations, Brother Lawrence simply and beautifully explains how to personally commune with God from the heart.
Brother Lawrence left the gift of a way to continually commune with the Father that is available to anyone who seeks to know God's peace and presence. Anyone regardless of age or circumstance can practice to presence of God anywhere, anytime. Brother Lawrence also left the gift of a direct approach to living in God's presence that is as practical today as it was three hundred years ago. Brother Lawrence died in 1691, having practiced God's presence for over forty years. His quiet death was much like his monastic life where each day and each hour was a new beginning and a fresh commitment to love God with all his heart."
If you enjoy this blog, please share a link to it with others! Terrie
http://bodymindandspirit2.blogspot.com/
Here is a link to "The Practice of the Presence of God" in audiobook formats and they are all free from Librivox.org in M4B audiobook or an MP3 Zip file for your iPod, or listen to it streaming on your computer.
Librivox Audiobooks-The Practice of the Presence of God
Here is a short bio on Brother Lawrence.
"He was born was born Nicholas Herman around 1610 in France. He fought in the Thirty Years War as a young soldier and sustained a near fatal injury to his sciatic nerve. The injury left him crippled and in chronic pain for the rest of his life. He was educated both at home and by his parish priest whose first name was Lawrence. He was well read and was drawn to a spiritual life of faith and love for God at an early age.
In the years between the abrupt end of his duties as a soldier and his entry into monastic life, he spent a period of time living in the wilderness and also some time in private service. During mid-life he entered a newly established monastery in Paris where he became the cook for the community. After fifteen years his duties were shifted to shoe repair, but he often returned to the busy kitchen to help out.
Brother Lawrence discovered and followed a pure, uncomplicated way to walk continually in God's presence. For some forty years, he lived and walked with Our Father at his side. Yet through his own words, we learn that Brother Lawrence's first ten years were full of severe trials and challenges.
A gentle man with a joyful spirit, Brother Lawrence shunned attention and the limelight. It was not until after his death that a few of his letters were collected. Joseph de Beaufort, counsel to the Paris archbishop, first published the letters in a small pamphlet. The following year in a second publication titled, 'The Practice of the Presence of God', de Beaufort included the content of four conversations he had with Brother Lawrence. In this small book of letters and conversations, Brother Lawrence simply and beautifully explains how to personally commune with God from the heart.
Brother Lawrence left the gift of a way to continually commune with the Father that is available to anyone who seeks to know God's peace and presence. Anyone regardless of age or circumstance can practice to presence of God anywhere, anytime. Brother Lawrence also left the gift of a direct approach to living in God's presence that is as practical today as it was three hundred years ago. Brother Lawrence died in 1691, having practiced God's presence for over forty years. His quiet death was much like his monastic life where each day and each hour was a new beginning and a fresh commitment to love God with all his heart."
If you enjoy this blog, please share a link to it with others! Terrie
http://bodymindandspirit2.blogspot.com/
The Yoga of Jesus
Jesus Christ said, "Take my yoke upon you and learn of me...and ye shall find rest unto your souls, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:29-30) It can also be translated as, "Take my yoga upon you and learn of me...and ye shall find rest unto your souls, for my yoga is easy and my burden is light." The word yoga has the literal meaning of yoke. Yoga comes from the Sanskrit root word yuj. Yuj means to join. When we take the yoke or yoga of Christ upon us, we are literally joining our body, mind and spirit with the body mind and spirit of Christ. Why would we want to take the yoke or yoga of Christ upon us? The Bible says that God created us in his image (Genesis 1:26, 27) and that the Kingdom of God is within us. (Luke 17:20-21) If we were created in the image of God, and if we have the Kingdom of God within us, why do we need to take the yoke or yoga of Jesus Christ upon us?
Many questions come to mind in response to why would we want to or need to take the yoke or yoga of Christ upon us. Do we really believe that we were created in the image of God? What does that mean? Do we believe that the Kingdom of God is actually within us and how do we find that Kingdom? It seems that if the Kingdom of God is within us then it should be pretty easy to find it, right? Is it easy to find? Are we currently dwelling in the secret place of the most high and abiding under the shadow of the Almighty? Where is the secret place of the most high? Do we know how to dwell in that secret place and are we able to connect with Father God and hear His still, small voice calling to us? Do we know how to be still and know God?
Do we want to connect with God in our innermost being? We are told if we dwell in the secret place of the most high we shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty, (Psalm 91:1) and abiding under the shadow of the Almighty sounds pretty good to me. We are told to be still and know God (Psalm 46:10). Wouldn’t we all like to know God? Do we want to connect with God and abide under his shadow, or are we content with the way things are? We all have free will. God doesn’t force us to dwell in His secret place, or to abide under His shadow, or to be still and know Him. So even though God hid the secret place within us, we don’t find it. We have free will. We choose.
When we take the yoke or yoga of Christ upon us, we literally join our body, mind and spirit with the body, mind and spirit of Christ and have the same body, mind and spirit as Christ. When we take the yoke or yoga of Christ upon us, we surrender our body, mind and spirit to the Father in the Kingdom within us through grace and devotion, and we let go. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6) The Father who dwells in Christ does the work in us and through us because we have the same body, mind and spirit as Christ. (John 14:10) The acceptance and realization of body, mind and spirit of Christ in us by us is the beginning.
The world steals our mind and devotion from God through our ignorance and delusion. We trust what our five senses tell us. We listen to the media. We respond to pressure from well meaning friends and family. We listen to teachers who exalt their human egos and personality rather than pointing followers to the Father. The world steals the devotion that is meant for God, (John 10:7-10) but the sheep know their shepherd. (John 10:14)
We have to forget what the world and our five senses tell us and trust Christ in us enough to experiment with faith, experiment with devotion, experiment with quietness, and experiment with going to the Kingdom of God within us. "Do ye look on things after the outward appearance?" (2 Corinthians 10:7) In quietness and confidence shall be your strength. (Isaiah 30:15) Christ has shown us the way. “Take my yoke (yoga) upon you and learn of me...and ye shall find rest unto your souls, for my yoke (yoga) is easy and my burden is light". (Matthew 11:29) Go unto the Father within. Yoke with Christ in body, mind and spirit – the yoga of Jesus Christ.
I enjoyed reading this article called "The Yoga of Christ" which I found online. The author, Philip G. McLemore, opens with the question, "Is it possible that the teachings of Jesus are so comprehensive they encompass the core spiritual principals of both East and West? Here is the link:
The Yoga of Christ by Philip G. LeMore
Here is a link to Gutenberg.org where free versions of "Autobiography of a Yogi" (mentioned in the article "The Yoga of Christ" by Philip G. McLemore above) can be downloaded for Kindle, and other reading devices in e-book form or it can be read online. I enjoyed reading Autobiography of a Yogi.
Gutenberg Project eBook-Autobiography of a Yogi
Click this link if you'd like to purchase The Yoga of Jesus by Paramahansa Yogananda.
Here is a link to a video of me doing meditation in motion, a joint opening beginners yoga class that I did originally for my sister and Mama who live in another part of the USA. My sister liked it so much she wanted it on video, but we didn't get to video it. I did the video on my webcam when I got home for her, so the quality is not the best. Here is a link to PDF I mention in the video - Mukunda Stiles Joint Freeing Series
If you enjoyed this post, please go on and read my post Quieting the Mind in Meditation, Looking into Infinity and Yin Yoga: Surrender and Receptivity of Body, Mind and Spirit. If you enjoy this blog, please share a link to it with others! Thank you, Terrie Harmer
© Copyright 2016 - Terrie Harmer. http://bodymindandspirit2.blogspot.com/
Many questions come to mind in response to why would we want to or need to take the yoke or yoga of Christ upon us. Do we really believe that we were created in the image of God? What does that mean? Do we believe that the Kingdom of God is actually within us and how do we find that Kingdom? It seems that if the Kingdom of God is within us then it should be pretty easy to find it, right? Is it easy to find? Are we currently dwelling in the secret place of the most high and abiding under the shadow of the Almighty? Where is the secret place of the most high? Do we know how to dwell in that secret place and are we able to connect with Father God and hear His still, small voice calling to us? Do we know how to be still and know God?
Do we want to connect with God in our innermost being? We are told if we dwell in the secret place of the most high we shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty, (Psalm 91:1) and abiding under the shadow of the Almighty sounds pretty good to me. We are told to be still and know God (Psalm 46:10). Wouldn’t we all like to know God? Do we want to connect with God and abide under his shadow, or are we content with the way things are? We all have free will. God doesn’t force us to dwell in His secret place, or to abide under His shadow, or to be still and know Him. So even though God hid the secret place within us, we don’t find it. We have free will. We choose.
When we take the yoke or yoga of Christ upon us, we literally join our body, mind and spirit with the body, mind and spirit of Christ and have the same body, mind and spirit as Christ. When we take the yoke or yoga of Christ upon us, we surrender our body, mind and spirit to the Father in the Kingdom within us through grace and devotion, and we let go. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6) The Father who dwells in Christ does the work in us and through us because we have the same body, mind and spirit as Christ. (John 14:10) The acceptance and realization of body, mind and spirit of Christ in us by us is the beginning.
The world steals our mind and devotion from God through our ignorance and delusion. We trust what our five senses tell us. We listen to the media. We respond to pressure from well meaning friends and family. We listen to teachers who exalt their human egos and personality rather than pointing followers to the Father. The world steals the devotion that is meant for God, (John 10:7-10) but the sheep know their shepherd. (John 10:14)
We have to forget what the world and our five senses tell us and trust Christ in us enough to experiment with faith, experiment with devotion, experiment with quietness, and experiment with going to the Kingdom of God within us. "Do ye look on things after the outward appearance?" (2 Corinthians 10:7) In quietness and confidence shall be your strength. (Isaiah 30:15) Christ has shown us the way. “Take my yoke (yoga) upon you and learn of me...and ye shall find rest unto your souls, for my yoke (yoga) is easy and my burden is light". (Matthew 11:29) Go unto the Father within. Yoke with Christ in body, mind and spirit – the yoga of Jesus Christ.
I enjoyed reading this article called "The Yoga of Christ" which I found online. The author, Philip G. McLemore, opens with the question, "Is it possible that the teachings of Jesus are so comprehensive they encompass the core spiritual principals of both East and West? Here is the link:
The Yoga of Christ by Philip G. LeMore
Here is a link to Gutenberg.org where free versions of "Autobiography of a Yogi" (mentioned in the article "The Yoga of Christ" by Philip G. McLemore above) can be downloaded for Kindle, and other reading devices in e-book form or it can be read online. I enjoyed reading Autobiography of a Yogi.
Gutenberg Project eBook-Autobiography of a Yogi
Click this link if you'd like to purchase The Yoga of Jesus by Paramahansa Yogananda.
Here is a link to a video of me doing meditation in motion, a joint opening beginners yoga class that I did originally for my sister and Mama who live in another part of the USA. My sister liked it so much she wanted it on video, but we didn't get to video it. I did the video on my webcam when I got home for her, so the quality is not the best. Here is a link to PDF I mention in the video - Mukunda Stiles Joint Freeing Series
If you enjoyed this post, please go on and read my post Quieting the Mind in Meditation, Looking into Infinity and Yin Yoga: Surrender and Receptivity of Body, Mind and Spirit. If you enjoy this blog, please share a link to it with others! Thank you, Terrie Harmer
© Copyright 2016 - Terrie Harmer. http://bodymindandspirit2.blogspot.com/
As a Man Thinketh
We have probably heard about the power of thought on tv, in an article, or may be we have read a book about it. I first read about the power of thought when I was in my early twenties. Here is a link to one of my favorite books on the power of thought, other than the Bible:
As a Man Thinketh by James Allen
The Forward of "As a Man Thinketh" by James Allen says it all.
"This little volume (the result of meditation and experience) is not intended as an exhaustive treatise on the much-written upon subject of the power of thought. It is suggestive rather than explanatory, its object being to stimulate men and women to the discovery and perception of the truth that - "They themselves are makers of themselves" by virtue of the thoughts which they choose and encourage; that mind is the master weaver, both of the inner garment of character and the outer garment of circumstance, and that, as they may have hitherto woven in ignorance and pain they may now weave in enlightenment and happiness."
Proverbs 23:7 says, "As he thinketh in his heart, so is he." The day arrives when I know that I am the creator of my world because of my thoughts.
We can't escape who we are at the core. The truth is that we are all God's children and that he is our Father. We are each His beloved child, God's own creation. Unfortunately, most of us come into this world without the aid of someone to encourage our soul's awakening to life's possibilities. Rather than living by grace, we live by sight. We see life through the human senses. We learn from our parents, our friends, our teachers, our superiors at work. We form opinions based on the reflections we see of the outer world through our five senses. We miss the very personal plan God has for each of us based on the Kingdom of God within.
The author Napoleon Hill said that thoughts are things. I have been looking at my thoughts. Have you ever done that? What do we think about? We can choose what we think about because we have free will. No one really knows what we are thinking, but our world is molded by our thoughts, and especially by our deep feelings of love, joy, and peace or hurt, fear, and resentment. What we hold in our mind has an effect on our life and it has an effect on our physical body.
Russian scientists have studied hardening of the arteries and high blood pressure using chimpanzees. In one study they took a male chimpanzee who had been living happily with his family and put him in a cage nearby. He couldn't reach his family, but he could see them. Another male was put with his family in his place in his full view. His anger became wild and within several months he died from hardening of the arteries. Even though the chimpanzee was more than justified by his feelings of rage, the result of his feelings killed him.
We can change our ill thoughts. Ill has the same root meaning as bad and evil. Our ill thoughts affect our body and have ill effects on our body. Hippocrates, the Greek physician known as the father of medicine wrote that "men ought to know that from the mind and from the mind only arise our pleasures, laughter, and jests, as well as our sorrows, pains, griefs, and fears." Hippocrates wrote this around 400 BC, but nothing has changed. Secret societies have used the power of thought in the form of healing laws for thousands of years. We can too. As Plato told the physicians of his time, the word health applies to body, mind, and spirit. Our health relates to a healthy mind, body and spirit.
Thomas Edison discovered that every cell in our body thinks. There are brain cells in every cell of our body. Every cell has a brain. Every cell is mind. The body responds to both positive and negative thoughts. It can and does heal itself if we allow it to do what it already knows how to do. Consider the repair action the body does when a child falls and skins a knee. Of course we do our part and clean out the wound and put on an antibiotic. Consider how the body repairs a broken bone and knits it back together.
The life force in our body is powerful because it is the power of God in us and we can call God's power that is already there into action. Our body is the temple of God. It houses God's power in us. It is activated to its fullest capacity with our active faith. Dr. Phineas P. Quimby proved these ideas during the 1800's when he performed what can be termed miracles on people he knew. These cures became famous and still are.
Our thoughts are the strongest thing in our body. Our active faith talks to each and every cell in our body. The body is 80% water so it is very fluid. This is a good reason why our thoughts can do so much to mold the body. Even Jesus Christ could only heal people who had faith that they could be healed. Those who did not believe were not healed even by Jesus Christ.
We can change our thoughts in an instant by giving everything to God. As ye believe so shall it be done unto you. Most of us require more than instant to let go and change our thinking, but it can be done in an instant if we can believe it. God's grace is immediate if we can but thrust in our sickle and reap because the harvest is ripe.
Download "As A Man Thinketh" free for Kindle and electronic readers from Gutenberg.org:
Gutenberg Project eBook-As a Man Thinketh
Dowwload "As a Man Thinketh" free audiobook from Librivox.org
Librivox free AudioBook download - As a Man Thinketh
If you enjoy this blog, please share a link to it with others! With light and love, Terrie
© Copyright 2011 - http://bodymindandspirit2.blogspot.com
As a Man Thinketh by James Allen
The Forward of "As a Man Thinketh" by James Allen says it all.
"This little volume (the result of meditation and experience) is not intended as an exhaustive treatise on the much-written upon subject of the power of thought. It is suggestive rather than explanatory, its object being to stimulate men and women to the discovery and perception of the truth that - "They themselves are makers of themselves" by virtue of the thoughts which they choose and encourage; that mind is the master weaver, both of the inner garment of character and the outer garment of circumstance, and that, as they may have hitherto woven in ignorance and pain they may now weave in enlightenment and happiness."
Proverbs 23:7 says, "As he thinketh in his heart, so is he." The day arrives when I know that I am the creator of my world because of my thoughts.
We can't escape who we are at the core. The truth is that we are all God's children and that he is our Father. We are each His beloved child, God's own creation. Unfortunately, most of us come into this world without the aid of someone to encourage our soul's awakening to life's possibilities. Rather than living by grace, we live by sight. We see life through the human senses. We learn from our parents, our friends, our teachers, our superiors at work. We form opinions based on the reflections we see of the outer world through our five senses. We miss the very personal plan God has for each of us based on the Kingdom of God within.
The author Napoleon Hill said that thoughts are things. I have been looking at my thoughts. Have you ever done that? What do we think about? We can choose what we think about because we have free will. No one really knows what we are thinking, but our world is molded by our thoughts, and especially by our deep feelings of love, joy, and peace or hurt, fear, and resentment. What we hold in our mind has an effect on our life and it has an effect on our physical body.
Russian scientists have studied hardening of the arteries and high blood pressure using chimpanzees. In one study they took a male chimpanzee who had been living happily with his family and put him in a cage nearby. He couldn't reach his family, but he could see them. Another male was put with his family in his place in his full view. His anger became wild and within several months he died from hardening of the arteries. Even though the chimpanzee was more than justified by his feelings of rage, the result of his feelings killed him.
We can change our ill thoughts. Ill has the same root meaning as bad and evil. Our ill thoughts affect our body and have ill effects on our body. Hippocrates, the Greek physician known as the father of medicine wrote that "men ought to know that from the mind and from the mind only arise our pleasures, laughter, and jests, as well as our sorrows, pains, griefs, and fears." Hippocrates wrote this around 400 BC, but nothing has changed. Secret societies have used the power of thought in the form of healing laws for thousands of years. We can too. As Plato told the physicians of his time, the word health applies to body, mind, and spirit. Our health relates to a healthy mind, body and spirit.
Thomas Edison discovered that every cell in our body thinks. There are brain cells in every cell of our body. Every cell has a brain. Every cell is mind. The body responds to both positive and negative thoughts. It can and does heal itself if we allow it to do what it already knows how to do. Consider the repair action the body does when a child falls and skins a knee. Of course we do our part and clean out the wound and put on an antibiotic. Consider how the body repairs a broken bone and knits it back together.
The life force in our body is powerful because it is the power of God in us and we can call God's power that is already there into action. Our body is the temple of God. It houses God's power in us. It is activated to its fullest capacity with our active faith. Dr. Phineas P. Quimby proved these ideas during the 1800's when he performed what can be termed miracles on people he knew. These cures became famous and still are.
Our thoughts are the strongest thing in our body. Our active faith talks to each and every cell in our body. The body is 80% water so it is very fluid. This is a good reason why our thoughts can do so much to mold the body. Even Jesus Christ could only heal people who had faith that they could be healed. Those who did not believe were not healed even by Jesus Christ.
We can change our thoughts in an instant by giving everything to God. As ye believe so shall it be done unto you. Most of us require more than instant to let go and change our thinking, but it can be done in an instant if we can believe it. God's grace is immediate if we can but thrust in our sickle and reap because the harvest is ripe.
Download "As A Man Thinketh" free for Kindle and electronic readers from Gutenberg.org:
Gutenberg Project eBook-As a Man Thinketh
Dowwload "As a Man Thinketh" free audiobook from Librivox.org
Librivox free AudioBook download - As a Man Thinketh
If you enjoy this blog, please share a link to it with others! With light and love, Terrie
© Copyright 2011 - http://bodymindandspirit2.blogspot.com
Under Grace and Not Under Law
“…If you abide in me and my words abide in you, you will ask what you will and it will be done for you.” (John 15:7)
“…every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:6-7)
“…stir up the gift of God that is in thee…” (2 Timothy 1:6)
God didn’t give us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, love and self-discipline. (2 Timothy 1:7) He gave us His spirit. We all have the same spirit of God within us. It is the gift of God – His grace. It is personal for each one of us. We just have to know God’s gift is there, accept that we have it, and know how to handle the power. Jesus Christ showed us how we can do this and how to have life abundantly. (John 10:7-10)
We each have this very personal gift from God within us in the secret place of the most high, in the kingdom of God within us. I don’t want your gift and you shouldn’t want mine. God’s gift of grace for you is just right for you as His gift of grace for me is just right for me. You will be able to use the gift of grace God gave you in very special ways. It is the highest, the deepest and the widest good you can imagine and it is perfect for you, as mine is perfect for me.
Jesus Christ came to show us our true identity, our oneness with the Father. Christ came to show us the way to the gift God has for each of us in the kingdom within. Jesus Christ also gives us the ability to receive complete instructions on how to handle the power that comes with this remarkable gift from God through the Holy Spirit. We work under grace and not under law in the name of Jesus Christ and by the power of Jesus Christ. Jesus said, “In myself I can do nothing, it is the Father within me who does the work.” We can do the things Jesus did and even greater things in the name and power of Jesus Christ. It will be the Father doing His powerful work through us, not us.
It is absurd to limit God. “They limited the Holy One of Israel.” (Psalm 78:41) How can finite minds comprehend a limitless Father? No matter how much science stretches the mind, a finite mind can never completely stretch to understand God’s infinite nature. It is by God’s spirit in us that we understand. “Not by power, not by might, but by my spirit says the Lord.” (Zechariah 4:6)
God cannot be limited because of carnal man’s finite view of him. The tiny picture carnal man’s senses know of the Infinite Creator is not who God is. Carnal mind tries to limit God with a finite ego and stuffs God into a little mental box and says, “God is this, or God is that.” God is infinite and limitless. Man cannot force human boundaries on God, who has no boundaries; although from age to age carnal man continues to try to do just that. Carnal man’s limited physical senses can neither fully experience God's infinite nature, nor expand man’s view of God’s limitlessness. But there is a way to understand God’s infinite, limitlessness and power within us.
The gift of God’s grace through Jesus Christ can get us to the spirit of power, love and self-discipline in the secret place of the most high. Under grace we can go directly to the Father in the kingdom of God within us. It is the Father within us who does the work in the name and by the power of Jesus Christ.
If you enjoy this blog, please share a link to it with others! Thank you. Terrie
© Copyright 2011 - http://bodymindandspirit2.blogspot.com
“…every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:6-7)
“…stir up the gift of God that is in thee…” (2 Timothy 1:6)
God didn’t give us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, love and self-discipline. (2 Timothy 1:7) He gave us His spirit. We all have the same spirit of God within us. It is the gift of God – His grace. It is personal for each one of us. We just have to know God’s gift is there, accept that we have it, and know how to handle the power. Jesus Christ showed us how we can do this and how to have life abundantly. (John 10:7-10)
We each have this very personal gift from God within us in the secret place of the most high, in the kingdom of God within us. I don’t want your gift and you shouldn’t want mine. God’s gift of grace for you is just right for you as His gift of grace for me is just right for me. You will be able to use the gift of grace God gave you in very special ways. It is the highest, the deepest and the widest good you can imagine and it is perfect for you, as mine is perfect for me.
Jesus Christ came to show us our true identity, our oneness with the Father. Christ came to show us the way to the gift God has for each of us in the kingdom within. Jesus Christ also gives us the ability to receive complete instructions on how to handle the power that comes with this remarkable gift from God through the Holy Spirit. We work under grace and not under law in the name of Jesus Christ and by the power of Jesus Christ. Jesus said, “In myself I can do nothing, it is the Father within me who does the work.” We can do the things Jesus did and even greater things in the name and power of Jesus Christ. It will be the Father doing His powerful work through us, not us.
It is absurd to limit God. “They limited the Holy One of Israel.” (Psalm 78:41) How can finite minds comprehend a limitless Father? No matter how much science stretches the mind, a finite mind can never completely stretch to understand God’s infinite nature. It is by God’s spirit in us that we understand. “Not by power, not by might, but by my spirit says the Lord.” (Zechariah 4:6)
God cannot be limited because of carnal man’s finite view of him. The tiny picture carnal man’s senses know of the Infinite Creator is not who God is. Carnal mind tries to limit God with a finite ego and stuffs God into a little mental box and says, “God is this, or God is that.” God is infinite and limitless. Man cannot force human boundaries on God, who has no boundaries; although from age to age carnal man continues to try to do just that. Carnal man’s limited physical senses can neither fully experience God's infinite nature, nor expand man’s view of God’s limitlessness. But there is a way to understand God’s infinite, limitlessness and power within us.
The gift of God’s grace through Jesus Christ can get us to the spirit of power, love and self-discipline in the secret place of the most high. Under grace we can go directly to the Father in the kingdom of God within us. It is the Father within us who does the work in the name and by the power of Jesus Christ.
If you enjoy this blog, please share a link to it with others! Thank you. Terrie
© Copyright 2011 - http://bodymindandspirit2.blogspot.com
Resist Not Evil
Why did Jesus tell us to resist not evil in Matthew 5:38-39? He told us to resist not evil because he is telling us that there is only one power, God.
Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both calamities and good things come?” (Lamentations 3:38)
“When a trumpet sounds in a city, do not the people tremble? When disaster comes to a city, has not the LORD caused it?” (Amos 3:6)
“I form the light, and create darkness; I make peace, and create evil; I the LORD do all these things.” (Isaiah 45:7)
“You heard that it was said: an eye for eye, and tooth for tooth; but I say to you, do not resist the evil, but whoever shall slap thee on thy right cheek, turn to him also the other.” (Matthew 5:38-39)
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)
“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” (Genesis 50:20)
Well then if there is only one power in the universe, God, why does James 4:7 tell us to resist the devil? May be he didn't. Perhaps the English translations do not do justice in their translations of James 4:7 from the original Greek. I am no expert, but I found that it could be translated differently.
The Greek word Antisthte can be translated as oppose; the Greek word diabolos can be translated as slander against God; the Greek word PhEUXETAI can be translated as it shall flee. So then James 4:7 can be stated as “submit yourselves therefore to God, oppose the slander against God and it shall flee.”
Carnal man has allowed himself to experience evil through his own soul sleep and through his own forgetfulness of God. Soul sleep is our belief in the things that our five senses can experience rather than relying on God. We have forgotten that God placed the Kingdom of God within us. Jesus Christ came to show us how to find it again.
Paul says in Romans 12:1-2, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
Translations are imperfect. People who do translations are imperfect. However, we have so many tools available to us today on the Internet to do research, we can compare and contrast and form our own opinions. We don't need to rely on people. We can go unto the Father in quietness and confidence and we can also research and read.
Resistance against God is hell because it puts us in a state of torment. Submitting to God is heaven on earth which gives us joy and peace. Jesus came to give us life and give it to us abundantly. Evil is real to those of us who have not fully submitted to God through Jesus Christ. Our Father gave us free will, and we can choose not to submit if we want. We can choose evil that carnal man has created for us in this world through resisting God, or we can choose heaven on earth by accepting the body, mind and spirit of Jesus Christ into our body, mind and spirit. “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it abundantly. (John 10:10)
Our goal should be to practice nonresistance perfectly, renewing our mind to keep it line with Christ's mind by practicing the presence of God, and submitting to the Father completely moment by moment. (Romans 12:1-2) If we practice keeping our mind established in right thinking we will see results from our experiments. We can build up our right thinking muscles. Jesus said that we will do the things that he did and even greater things in his name and by his power. (John 14:12)
Why not experiment with sowing and reaping with thoughts in line with Christ's mind? We have everything to gain and nothing to lose by renewing our minds. "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. (Galatians 6:7) Don't be deceived into believing that we are not responsible for our thoughts. We mock God with our fearful, evil thoughts. Why not sow mind seeds of good will to all people? Why not sow seeds of faith rather than seeds of fear? Why not go into our mental and physical battles as King Jehoshaphat did? He sowed seeds of faith going into battle. He knew it was God's battle. Why don't we dig our ditches if we really expect it to rain? (2 Kings 3:16-20) Why don't we find all the jars we can and let them be filled with the oil of faith in preparation of God fighting our battle for us? (2 Kings 4:3-6 and 2 Chronicles 14:11) Resist not evil and practice nonresistance in active faith. We have free will and we can choose active faith.
Check out Bible passages on Bible Gateway. I have been using Bible Gateway for about seven years. Here is the link:http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/
Here is a link to James 4:7 in a Greek Lexicon online:http://www.qbible.com/greek-new-testament/james/4.html
If you enjoy this blog, please share a link to it with others! Thank you. Terrie
© Copyright 2011 - http://bodymindandspirit2.blogspot.com
Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both calamities and good things come?” (Lamentations 3:38)
“When a trumpet sounds in a city, do not the people tremble? When disaster comes to a city, has not the LORD caused it?” (Amos 3:6)
“I form the light, and create darkness; I make peace, and create evil; I the LORD do all these things.” (Isaiah 45:7)
“You heard that it was said: an eye for eye, and tooth for tooth; but I say to you, do not resist the evil, but whoever shall slap thee on thy right cheek, turn to him also the other.” (Matthew 5:38-39)
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)
“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” (Genesis 50:20)
Well then if there is only one power in the universe, God, why does James 4:7 tell us to resist the devil? May be he didn't. Perhaps the English translations do not do justice in their translations of James 4:7 from the original Greek. I am no expert, but I found that it could be translated differently.
The Greek word Antisthte can be translated as oppose; the Greek word diabolos can be translated as slander against God; the Greek word PhEUXETAI can be translated as it shall flee. So then James 4:7 can be stated as “submit yourselves therefore to God, oppose the slander against God and it shall flee.”
Carnal man has allowed himself to experience evil through his own soul sleep and through his own forgetfulness of God. Soul sleep is our belief in the things that our five senses can experience rather than relying on God. We have forgotten that God placed the Kingdom of God within us. Jesus Christ came to show us how to find it again.
Paul says in Romans 12:1-2, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
Translations are imperfect. People who do translations are imperfect. However, we have so many tools available to us today on the Internet to do research, we can compare and contrast and form our own opinions. We don't need to rely on people. We can go unto the Father in quietness and confidence and we can also research and read.
Resistance against God is hell because it puts us in a state of torment. Submitting to God is heaven on earth which gives us joy and peace. Jesus came to give us life and give it to us abundantly. Evil is real to those of us who have not fully submitted to God through Jesus Christ. Our Father gave us free will, and we can choose not to submit if we want. We can choose evil that carnal man has created for us in this world through resisting God, or we can choose heaven on earth by accepting the body, mind and spirit of Jesus Christ into our body, mind and spirit. “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it abundantly. (John 10:10)
Our goal should be to practice nonresistance perfectly, renewing our mind to keep it line with Christ's mind by practicing the presence of God, and submitting to the Father completely moment by moment. (Romans 12:1-2) If we practice keeping our mind established in right thinking we will see results from our experiments. We can build up our right thinking muscles. Jesus said that we will do the things that he did and even greater things in his name and by his power. (John 14:12)
Why not experiment with sowing and reaping with thoughts in line with Christ's mind? We have everything to gain and nothing to lose by renewing our minds. "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. (Galatians 6:7) Don't be deceived into believing that we are not responsible for our thoughts. We mock God with our fearful, evil thoughts. Why not sow mind seeds of good will to all people? Why not sow seeds of faith rather than seeds of fear? Why not go into our mental and physical battles as King Jehoshaphat did? He sowed seeds of faith going into battle. He knew it was God's battle. Why don't we dig our ditches if we really expect it to rain? (2 Kings 3:16-20) Why don't we find all the jars we can and let them be filled with the oil of faith in preparation of God fighting our battle for us? (2 Kings 4:3-6 and 2 Chronicles 14:11) Resist not evil and practice nonresistance in active faith. We have free will and we can choose active faith.
Check out Bible passages on Bible Gateway. I have been using Bible Gateway for about seven years. Here is the link:http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/
Here is a link to James 4:7 in a Greek Lexicon online:http://www.qbible.com/greek-new-testament/james/4.html
If you enjoy this blog, please share a link to it with others! Thank you. Terrie
© Copyright 2011 - http://bodymindandspirit2.blogspot.com
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Your Body is the Temple of the Holy Ghost which is in You
"What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
Taking care of our body temple glorifies God because the Spirit of God lives there. Most of us don't think about God much so we don't think about the Kingdom of God within. We also don't think much about taking care of our body temple. I would imagine that when God created us in His Image and placed the Kingdom of God within our body temples, that He had a plan. It seems sort of obvious to me that the Infinite Intelligence, the Creator of the Universe, would have had a plan for our body temples, and perhaps we should know what that is.
The way to find out what the plan is for our body is to completely surrender to God. The Holy Ghost within is full of light and when we surrender to God our mind, body and spirit is filled with that light. How many of us surrender to the Holy Spirit completely? We worry about where we live. We worry about what we eat. We worry about what we wear. We all have moments of surrender, for sure. When we completely surrender the Holy Spirit fills our body, mind and spirit with light. The body is quickened by the Holy Spirit and it is cleansed, healed, prospered, and shown God's plan for the body and our life.
Our body temple was built for the light within. We sometimes allow darkness into the temple by allowing fear, doubt, and confusion into our mind instead of keeping it focused on the light. Dark thoughts are not good for the body temple. Jesus Christ said, "be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove...the perfect will of God" (Romans 12:1-2) It isn't easy to keep the thoughts in our mind on the light of God because our five senses seem so real and they confuse us with dark thoughts from the world.
We can experiment with turning our thoughts to light and go to the quiet place within unto the Father. We should be willing to at least try turning our thinking to the light. We are told to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added. (Matthew 6:33)
Jesus said you can't serve God and the world. (Matthew 6:24) Either we have our mind on the light of God in faith, or we think thoughts of fear and worry. James called it being double minded and a said that a double minded person should not expect to receive anything from God. (James 1:5-8) We should experiment with being in a place of complete surrender to God by bringing our mind, body and spirit in line with the mind, body and spirit of Jesus Christ. We can do this in the name of and by the power of Jesus Christ. It some times takes practice. It is like learning a new instrument, or a sport, or anything else we learn new. The more we practice doing it, the better we get at doing it. Allowing the mind, body and spirit of Jesus Christ to take over our mind, body and spirit takes practice. The first step is to let go and surrender.
Through the singleness of the thoughts in our mind we can see the finished result through a vision. Do we see with the eye of faith? Do we see with eye of fear and worry? Which eye do we see with? How does a scientist see an idea in his mind? He sees the finished result successful with the expectation of finding a way. He doesn't know how that will happen, but he experiments. Where does he get the ideas for the experiments? The scientist arrives at the finished result because he had faith. Faith in the ideas that sprang up from within himself. Faith and action go hand in hand. Active faith. He continued to experiment even though he had failures or partial success with a finished result. He didn't quit just because the finished result wasn't forthcoming immediately. He didn't know exactly how it would happen, but the scientist had enough faith in the vision he saw in his mind to keep going. He didn't get discouraged before he reached his goal. As Paul says, he pressed forward toward the mark. (Philippians 3:14)
We must too. It is the same for us with the ideas that spring from the Kingdom within. When we are surrendered in God we are not looking at darkness, we are looking at light. We are seeing with the eyes of faith rather than looking at physical evidence through our physical senses. We can't possibly know what God has planned for us by focusing on outer evidence as presented to us by our physical senses.
God is in our midst. (Hosea 11:9) He is mighty. He built our body temple for the light. I do yoga postures and stretches every morning for the glory of God in my temple. I walk to keep my body temple healthy for the glory of God in my temple. I eat nutritious food for the glory of God in my temple. I think thoughts of light rather than thoughts of darkness for the glory of God. I speak words of light rather than words of darkness for the glory of God. Everything I do I do for the glory of God in the light of His presence in the Kingdom of God within. The body is the temple of God. We should at least have a goal of perfection in the name of Jesus Christ and by the power of Jesus Christ, and experiment. We should at least have a willingness to surrender to God and try to turn our mind, body and spirit over to Him.
Through surrender we become one with the Father as Christ did. He takes over. This is the way of Jesus Christ. It is so simple that some times we miss it. Jesus Christ showed the world how to get to the prize. The prize is a very personal, communion with our Father God in the Kingdom of God within. The body is the Temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you.
If you enjoyed reading this post, you might also enjoy reading Power in Surrender and The Kingdom Within. Peace and blessings to you. Terrie
© Copyright 2011 - http://bodymindandspirit2.blogspot.com/
Taking care of our body temple glorifies God because the Spirit of God lives there. Most of us don't think about God much so we don't think about the Kingdom of God within. We also don't think much about taking care of our body temple. I would imagine that when God created us in His Image and placed the Kingdom of God within our body temples, that He had a plan. It seems sort of obvious to me that the Infinite Intelligence, the Creator of the Universe, would have had a plan for our body temples, and perhaps we should know what that is.
The way to find out what the plan is for our body is to completely surrender to God. The Holy Ghost within is full of light and when we surrender to God our mind, body and spirit is filled with that light. How many of us surrender to the Holy Spirit completely? We worry about where we live. We worry about what we eat. We worry about what we wear. We all have moments of surrender, for sure. When we completely surrender the Holy Spirit fills our body, mind and spirit with light. The body is quickened by the Holy Spirit and it is cleansed, healed, prospered, and shown God's plan for the body and our life.
Our body temple was built for the light within. We sometimes allow darkness into the temple by allowing fear, doubt, and confusion into our mind instead of keeping it focused on the light. Dark thoughts are not good for the body temple. Jesus Christ said, "be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove...the perfect will of God" (Romans 12:1-2) It isn't easy to keep the thoughts in our mind on the light of God because our five senses seem so real and they confuse us with dark thoughts from the world.
We can experiment with turning our thoughts to light and go to the quiet place within unto the Father. We should be willing to at least try turning our thinking to the light. We are told to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added. (Matthew 6:33)
Jesus said you can't serve God and the world. (Matthew 6:24) Either we have our mind on the light of God in faith, or we think thoughts of fear and worry. James called it being double minded and a said that a double minded person should not expect to receive anything from God. (James 1:5-8) We should experiment with being in a place of complete surrender to God by bringing our mind, body and spirit in line with the mind, body and spirit of Jesus Christ. We can do this in the name of and by the power of Jesus Christ. It some times takes practice. It is like learning a new instrument, or a sport, or anything else we learn new. The more we practice doing it, the better we get at doing it. Allowing the mind, body and spirit of Jesus Christ to take over our mind, body and spirit takes practice. The first step is to let go and surrender.
Through the singleness of the thoughts in our mind we can see the finished result through a vision. Do we see with the eye of faith? Do we see with eye of fear and worry? Which eye do we see with? How does a scientist see an idea in his mind? He sees the finished result successful with the expectation of finding a way. He doesn't know how that will happen, but he experiments. Where does he get the ideas for the experiments? The scientist arrives at the finished result because he had faith. Faith in the ideas that sprang up from within himself. Faith and action go hand in hand. Active faith. He continued to experiment even though he had failures or partial success with a finished result. He didn't quit just because the finished result wasn't forthcoming immediately. He didn't know exactly how it would happen, but the scientist had enough faith in the vision he saw in his mind to keep going. He didn't get discouraged before he reached his goal. As Paul says, he pressed forward toward the mark. (Philippians 3:14)
We must too. It is the same for us with the ideas that spring from the Kingdom within. When we are surrendered in God we are not looking at darkness, we are looking at light. We are seeing with the eyes of faith rather than looking at physical evidence through our physical senses. We can't possibly know what God has planned for us by focusing on outer evidence as presented to us by our physical senses.
God is in our midst. (Hosea 11:9) He is mighty. He built our body temple for the light. I do yoga postures and stretches every morning for the glory of God in my temple. I walk to keep my body temple healthy for the glory of God in my temple. I eat nutritious food for the glory of God in my temple. I think thoughts of light rather than thoughts of darkness for the glory of God. I speak words of light rather than words of darkness for the glory of God. Everything I do I do for the glory of God in the light of His presence in the Kingdom of God within. The body is the temple of God. We should at least have a goal of perfection in the name of Jesus Christ and by the power of Jesus Christ, and experiment. We should at least have a willingness to surrender to God and try to turn our mind, body and spirit over to Him.
Through surrender we become one with the Father as Christ did. He takes over. This is the way of Jesus Christ. It is so simple that some times we miss it. Jesus Christ showed the world how to get to the prize. The prize is a very personal, communion with our Father God in the Kingdom of God within. The body is the Temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you.
If you enjoyed reading this post, you might also enjoy reading Power in Surrender and The Kingdom Within. Peace and blessings to you. Terrie
© Copyright 2011 - http://bodymindandspirit2.blogspot.com/
The Kingdom of God is Within You
"And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God comes not with observation. Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you." (Luke 17:20-21)
I have been reading books and studying about how to find the Kingdom of God within me that Jesus Christ since I was in my twenties. I have read so many books, so many points of views, so many systems both religious and secular, by so many teachers. How does one sort through the barrage of material that is available on the subject? How does one handle the plethora of information about the kingdom within?
Jesus Christ did the KISS method. He told us very simply, "Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you." In the quietness of our own stillness, we can hear the still small voice of God. If we can only get quiet and get to our own stillness, God whispers to us, each one of us personally. God does not force Himself on us because He gave us free will. We have the choice not to get quiet, not to be still, not to listen to His quiet voice within. We can choose the harried chase, running from book to book, teacher to teacher, viewpoint to viewpoint if we want to. We have free will.
In all my readings and studies of both religious and secular viewpoints about how I could find the kingdom within, I discovered something. I discovered that the kingdom within is talked about over and over again within many of the systems that I researched.
The challenge is that we can get so caught up in researching the systems that we miss the prize. The prize is God. The prize is very personal communion with God in the very private kingdom of God within.
As an example. Raja Yoga is called the royal way of God union. It is a wonderful system to discover the kingdom of God within. It is called the science of actual realization of the kingdom of God that lies within oneself. But how many of us get caught up in the system itself and forget the goal?
It is the same with all outer systems, forms of practice to help us find the kingdom within. Are we more concerned with the outer system? Is it the system we are looking for? Is it the system we desire? Do we get caught up with the doing of whatever system we are involved with and miss the prize, the goal? What is the prize of finding the kingdom within? The prize is God.
God is waiting patiently, quietly for each of us to be still and know Him. He is waiting for us to know Him in peace, love and in quietness. "In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength." (Isaiah 30:15) God is the wonderful personal prize waiting for us in stillness and quietness of the kingdom within each of us.
Jesus Christ came to show us the way. In the name of Jesus Christ and by the power of Jesus Christ we can very simply be still and know God at the very center of our being, the kingdom of God within. We shouldn't get distracted by the system of learning we are associated with and forget the prize. We should learn to go into the silence every day as if by appointment and meet with God in the kingdom of the quietness within our being. We shouldn't get distracted by the teachers, or by the teachings we are associated with and forget the prize. The prize is God. We should be still and know God at the center of our being and find God, the wonderful personal prize waiting for us in the stillness and quietness of the kingdom of God within each of us.
(I can point my mouse to the Bible verse listed and see it on my screen. I downloaded the FREE version of Instaverse to my windows laptop computer. It is a blessing. You can download it using this link: http://www.instaverse.com/) (Unfortunately it does not work on iPad.)
If you enjoy this blog, please share a link to it with others! Thank you. Terrie
© Copyright 2011 - http://bodymindandspirit2.blogspot.com/
I have been reading books and studying about how to find the Kingdom of God within me that Jesus Christ since I was in my twenties. I have read so many books, so many points of views, so many systems both religious and secular, by so many teachers. How does one sort through the barrage of material that is available on the subject? How does one handle the plethora of information about the kingdom within?
Jesus Christ did the KISS method. He told us very simply, "Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you." In the quietness of our own stillness, we can hear the still small voice of God. If we can only get quiet and get to our own stillness, God whispers to us, each one of us personally. God does not force Himself on us because He gave us free will. We have the choice not to get quiet, not to be still, not to listen to His quiet voice within. We can choose the harried chase, running from book to book, teacher to teacher, viewpoint to viewpoint if we want to. We have free will.
In all my readings and studies of both religious and secular viewpoints about how I could find the kingdom within, I discovered something. I discovered that the kingdom within is talked about over and over again within many of the systems that I researched.
The challenge is that we can get so caught up in researching the systems that we miss the prize. The prize is God. The prize is very personal communion with God in the very private kingdom of God within.
As an example. Raja Yoga is called the royal way of God union. It is a wonderful system to discover the kingdom of God within. It is called the science of actual realization of the kingdom of God that lies within oneself. But how many of us get caught up in the system itself and forget the goal?
It is the same with all outer systems, forms of practice to help us find the kingdom within. Are we more concerned with the outer system? Is it the system we are looking for? Is it the system we desire? Do we get caught up with the doing of whatever system we are involved with and miss the prize, the goal? What is the prize of finding the kingdom within? The prize is God.
God is waiting patiently, quietly for each of us to be still and know Him. He is waiting for us to know Him in peace, love and in quietness. "In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength." (Isaiah 30:15) God is the wonderful personal prize waiting for us in stillness and quietness of the kingdom within each of us.
Jesus Christ came to show us the way. In the name of Jesus Christ and by the power of Jesus Christ we can very simply be still and know God at the very center of our being, the kingdom of God within. We shouldn't get distracted by the system of learning we are associated with and forget the prize. We should learn to go into the silence every day as if by appointment and meet with God in the kingdom of the quietness within our being. We shouldn't get distracted by the teachers, or by the teachings we are associated with and forget the prize. The prize is God. We should be still and know God at the center of our being and find God, the wonderful personal prize waiting for us in the stillness and quietness of the kingdom of God within each of us.
(I can point my mouse to the Bible verse listed and see it on my screen. I downloaded the FREE version of Instaverse to my windows laptop computer. It is a blessing. You can download it using this link: http://www.instaverse.com/) (Unfortunately it does not work on iPad.)
If you enjoy this blog, please share a link to it with others! Thank you. Terrie
© Copyright 2011 - http://bodymindandspirit2.blogspot.com/
Weapons Ye Know Not Of
(2 Corinthians 10:3-5) "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ."
It is clear that we are walking in the flesh. We can see our flesh when we look in the mirror. If you are not convinced that you are walking in the flesh, next time you are hammering a nail just hit your finger.
Paul tells us there is a battle going on, but it’s not a human battle. Ephesians 6:12 says that we are wrestling against forces, authorities, rulers and powers of darkness. Most people go through life and eventually meet their death without ever realizing there is a battle. The battle is for your mind and your life. But we have free will, we can choose to overcome the battle. We can choose to turn on the light.
So how can we turn on the light? Paul says we have weapons or tools that are mighty to God. Although Paul does not say what God's mighty weapons are in this verse, he does say what the results of using God's mighty weapons can be. He says they can pull down strongholds and cast down imaginations (human reasoning) and every high thing that keeps us from knowing God. If we can use these tools to turn on the light, then these tools seemed worth considering to me. What are God’s mighty weapons and how do we use them? I found several in my search, and will give a brief overview of what I found. We are not powerless, we have tools. We have free will, we can choose to use the tools.
Jesus explained the first and ultimate weapon that God has provided for us when he spoke with Nicodemus in John 3:1-21. It is also explained in 1 John 5:4-5, James 4:7-8 and throughout the New Testament in many other places. “For whatsoever is born of God overcomes the world: and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcomes the world, but he that believes that Jesus is the Son of God. (1 John 5:4-5)
When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness (see Luke 4:1-13), he overcame using the spoken word. Jesus simply spoke the word out loud as it applied to suggestions that were presented to him. When Jesus was asked to prove his divinity and to simultaneously satisfy his hunger, Jesus spoke the word out loud as an answer, "it is written, that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.'" (Luke 4:4). This silenced the suggestion on that point. Jesus used the spoken word for each temptation.
Without a doubt, praise and gratitude are major weapons. Praise and gratitude release the presence of God in a powerful way. (Psalm 8, Matthew 21:16) The strength which God has ordained for us is made perfect with praise and gratitude. Perfect praise, whether it is spoken out loud or sung to music, silences suggestions of doubt and fear. God’s spirit manifests in praise and gratitude. "But You are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel". (Psalm 22:3). When King Jehoshaphat came against a vast opposing army bent on Israel's destruction (2 Chronicles 20), Jehoshaphat put a group singing praises to the Lord on the front line going into that battle and won. It is also no accident that King David, perhaps the mightiest warrior for God in the Old Testament, was a man of praise and gratitude to God. His strength was rooted in the joy he gave God through praising God and showing continual gratitude to God.
Prayer is a tool we should use all the time. We are told in the Bible to pray without ceasing, so we should at least aim for something close to that. (1 Thessalonians 5:17) We can fill our hearts and minds with God's promises, and we pray as Jesus Christ did with power when we pray the word. But mostly prayer is simple - JUST PRAY. Talk to God out loud in active faith using affirmative words of trust and victory in God. When we pray without ceasing, miracles happen.
Your testimony is an effective tool. Tell other people what Christ has done for you. Tell yourself your testimony - encourage yourself in the Lord - "forget not all His benefits". (Psalm 103:2) Tell God your testimony - praise and thank Him for it. Paul used his testimony in confronting King Agrippa and the Roman Governor Festus when called to account for his activities and the reasons for which he was accused by the Jews (see Acts 26 - also Acts 22). They overcame him ... by the word of their testimony. (Revelations 12:11) Everyone born of God has a testimony, no matter how large or small it may be. It is yours and God’s Spirit will lead you.
The Name of Jesus Christ is authority and power. We can do the things that Jesus did and even greater things in his name.
Fasting detoxifies the body, humbles the soul, humbles the flesh, and when done for God brings us into line with God's spirit. Jesus fasted in the wilderness and by speaking the word in the face of great pressure Jesus defeated his enemy. He was our perfect example in all things.
Learning about spiritual tools is a great thing and we don't have to be a preacher or religious leader to use them. God sent Jesus Christ to show us the way.
(I am able to point to the verses I have used and see the actual verse on the screen of my Windows laptop. I downloaded the FREE version of Instaverse (KJV) at
http://www.instaverse.com/ Unfortunately it doesn't work for iPad.
If you enjoy this blog, please share a link to it with others! Thank you.
© Copyright 2011 - http://bodymindandspirit2.blogspot.com/
It is clear that we are walking in the flesh. We can see our flesh when we look in the mirror. If you are not convinced that you are walking in the flesh, next time you are hammering a nail just hit your finger.
Paul tells us there is a battle going on, but it’s not a human battle. Ephesians 6:12 says that we are wrestling against forces, authorities, rulers and powers of darkness. Most people go through life and eventually meet their death without ever realizing there is a battle. The battle is for your mind and your life. But we have free will, we can choose to overcome the battle. We can choose to turn on the light.
So how can we turn on the light? Paul says we have weapons or tools that are mighty to God. Although Paul does not say what God's mighty weapons are in this verse, he does say what the results of using God's mighty weapons can be. He says they can pull down strongholds and cast down imaginations (human reasoning) and every high thing that keeps us from knowing God. If we can use these tools to turn on the light, then these tools seemed worth considering to me. What are God’s mighty weapons and how do we use them? I found several in my search, and will give a brief overview of what I found. We are not powerless, we have tools. We have free will, we can choose to use the tools.
Jesus explained the first and ultimate weapon that God has provided for us when he spoke with Nicodemus in John 3:1-21. It is also explained in 1 John 5:4-5, James 4:7-8 and throughout the New Testament in many other places. “For whatsoever is born of God overcomes the world: and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcomes the world, but he that believes that Jesus is the Son of God. (1 John 5:4-5)
When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness (see Luke 4:1-13), he overcame using the spoken word. Jesus simply spoke the word out loud as it applied to suggestions that were presented to him. When Jesus was asked to prove his divinity and to simultaneously satisfy his hunger, Jesus spoke the word out loud as an answer, "it is written, that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.'" (Luke 4:4). This silenced the suggestion on that point. Jesus used the spoken word for each temptation.
Without a doubt, praise and gratitude are major weapons. Praise and gratitude release the presence of God in a powerful way. (Psalm 8, Matthew 21:16) The strength which God has ordained for us is made perfect with praise and gratitude. Perfect praise, whether it is spoken out loud or sung to music, silences suggestions of doubt and fear. God’s spirit manifests in praise and gratitude. "But You are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel". (Psalm 22:3). When King Jehoshaphat came against a vast opposing army bent on Israel's destruction (2 Chronicles 20), Jehoshaphat put a group singing praises to the Lord on the front line going into that battle and won. It is also no accident that King David, perhaps the mightiest warrior for God in the Old Testament, was a man of praise and gratitude to God. His strength was rooted in the joy he gave God through praising God and showing continual gratitude to God.
Prayer is a tool we should use all the time. We are told in the Bible to pray without ceasing, so we should at least aim for something close to that. (1 Thessalonians 5:17) We can fill our hearts and minds with God's promises, and we pray as Jesus Christ did with power when we pray the word. But mostly prayer is simple - JUST PRAY. Talk to God out loud in active faith using affirmative words of trust and victory in God. When we pray without ceasing, miracles happen.
Your testimony is an effective tool. Tell other people what Christ has done for you. Tell yourself your testimony - encourage yourself in the Lord - "forget not all His benefits". (Psalm 103:2) Tell God your testimony - praise and thank Him for it. Paul used his testimony in confronting King Agrippa and the Roman Governor Festus when called to account for his activities and the reasons for which he was accused by the Jews (see Acts 26 - also Acts 22). They overcame him ... by the word of their testimony. (Revelations 12:11) Everyone born of God has a testimony, no matter how large or small it may be. It is yours and God’s Spirit will lead you.
The Name of Jesus Christ is authority and power. We can do the things that Jesus did and even greater things in his name.
Fasting detoxifies the body, humbles the soul, humbles the flesh, and when done for God brings us into line with God's spirit. Jesus fasted in the wilderness and by speaking the word in the face of great pressure Jesus defeated his enemy. He was our perfect example in all things.
Learning about spiritual tools is a great thing and we don't have to be a preacher or religious leader to use them. God sent Jesus Christ to show us the way.
(I am able to point to the verses I have used and see the actual verse on the screen of my Windows laptop. I downloaded the FREE version of Instaverse (KJV) at
http://www.instaverse.com/ Unfortunately it doesn't work for iPad.
If you enjoy this blog, please share a link to it with others! Thank you.
© Copyright 2011 - http://bodymindandspirit2.blogspot.com/
Some Pics
My husband and I spent our anniversary at the New Jersey seashore. Here is a beautiful Wildwood New Jersey sunrise.
My husband thought I was nuts asking him to get up so early to take a picture of the sunrise, but he bought his Wawa coffee and we were off to see the sunrise!
Here is a picture of a tiger lily that I took in my yard at sunset. I thought that the shadows looked interesting.
Here is a similar tiger lily right after a rain with different sunlight.
Here is a video of my dog - she doesn't do much, but she speaks and she is very cute!
My friend Pat and I on the beach - we have been friends since 1960!
This is me on a boat ride in Puerto Rico!
If you enjoy this blog, please share a link to it with others! Thank you.
© Copyright 2011 - http://bodymindandspirit2.blogspot.com/
Health, Wealth, Love and Perfect Self Expression
In the mind of God there is perfect health, wealth, love and self expression. Jesus said to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things would be added. Does this mean that if we belong to a certain church that we have found God's righteousness? Does it mean that if we conform to a particular religious doctrine, creed or law then we have found God's righteousness? What is God's righteousness?
If we gain anything good or desirable or have successful progress toward something we want or need, or if we attain a desired object we call it good fortune. The dictionary calls it prosperity. Prosperity is in the eye of the beholder. To someone who earns a wage of few hundred dollars a week, an increase of one hundred dollars a week may seem like a windfall of prosperity. The entrepreneur who runs a Fortune 500 company thinks in larger terms of what a windfall of prosperity may be. I am some where in between working to think in larger terms when it comes to money. Perfect health is also prosperity, again being in the eye of the beholder.
How are all these things related? We first have to fully realize that prosperity isn't just money or things. Prosperity is perfect health, perfect wealth, perfect love and perfect self expression. It is having the blessing of peace and happiness that comes when we are perfectly in tune with God's plan for our life. The thoughts that we allow to center stage in our minds, the thoughts that rule our consciousness, create our world.
Consider the idea that people who come into wealth suddenly, without having previously developed a consciousness of prosperity, very often are not able to hang onto the prosperity they receive like lottery winners, sports icons and others who develop wealth quickly. On the other hand, consider the idea of those people who are born to families with huge fortunes in place and then they have considerable sums of money to enjoy throughout their life even though they never earn a dollar themselves.
Prosperity then is the ability to recognize and receive the vaste substance of God everywhere present, unconsciously or consciously, and allow Divine substance to fill our desires and meet our needs. It is our mind that first has the idea of prosperity and with that thought reaches out and makes a claim on God's infinite substance which is available to everybody. The door to God's substance is in us, in our mind and in our thought and in our words, whether it is perfect health, wealth or perfect Self expression.
There is plenty of substance, plenty of health, plenty of wealth, plenty of love, and plenty of perfect self expression. There is no lack of God's substance. The lack is in our ability to think right thoughts, speak right words, and follow through in faith. Right being the things we want rather than the things we don't want. The imaging power of our mind lashes God's everywhere present substance into form. We must use the creative power of our mind as co-creators with God. God's good substance just sits there unused, waiting for us to take hold of it with our thoughts, words and actions.What are we thinking about?
The harvest is plenty, but the workers are few. Most people don't control their own thoughts, words and actions. Substance uses our thoughts, words and actions to co-create. We have free will. We choose what we think about. God's substance requires us to co-create. Lack of success with using the imaging power of our mind to bring forth what we want happens because we don't understand right use our conscious minds. We have the most powerful computer that ever existed and we don't know how to put it to the highest and the best use. We use it wrongly instead of rightly. We think wrong thoughts.
We limit God's vast substance when we think wrongly. If we are to receive increase, we need to open our mind to receive that increase, whether it is increased health, wealth, love or perfect self expression.
If you enjoy this blog, please share a link to it with others! Thank you. Terrie
© Copyright 2011 - http://bodymindandspirit2.blogspot.com/
If we gain anything good or desirable or have successful progress toward something we want or need, or if we attain a desired object we call it good fortune. The dictionary calls it prosperity. Prosperity is in the eye of the beholder. To someone who earns a wage of few hundred dollars a week, an increase of one hundred dollars a week may seem like a windfall of prosperity. The entrepreneur who runs a Fortune 500 company thinks in larger terms of what a windfall of prosperity may be. I am some where in between working to think in larger terms when it comes to money. Perfect health is also prosperity, again being in the eye of the beholder.
How are all these things related? We first have to fully realize that prosperity isn't just money or things. Prosperity is perfect health, perfect wealth, perfect love and perfect self expression. It is having the blessing of peace and happiness that comes when we are perfectly in tune with God's plan for our life. The thoughts that we allow to center stage in our minds, the thoughts that rule our consciousness, create our world.
Consider the idea that people who come into wealth suddenly, without having previously developed a consciousness of prosperity, very often are not able to hang onto the prosperity they receive like lottery winners, sports icons and others who develop wealth quickly. On the other hand, consider the idea of those people who are born to families with huge fortunes in place and then they have considerable sums of money to enjoy throughout their life even though they never earn a dollar themselves.
Prosperity then is the ability to recognize and receive the vaste substance of God everywhere present, unconsciously or consciously, and allow Divine substance to fill our desires and meet our needs. It is our mind that first has the idea of prosperity and with that thought reaches out and makes a claim on God's infinite substance which is available to everybody. The door to God's substance is in us, in our mind and in our thought and in our words, whether it is perfect health, wealth or perfect Self expression.
There is plenty of substance, plenty of health, plenty of wealth, plenty of love, and plenty of perfect self expression. There is no lack of God's substance. The lack is in our ability to think right thoughts, speak right words, and follow through in faith. Right being the things we want rather than the things we don't want. The imaging power of our mind lashes God's everywhere present substance into form. We must use the creative power of our mind as co-creators with God. God's good substance just sits there unused, waiting for us to take hold of it with our thoughts, words and actions.What are we thinking about?
The harvest is plenty, but the workers are few. Most people don't control their own thoughts, words and actions. Substance uses our thoughts, words and actions to co-create. We have free will. We choose what we think about. God's substance requires us to co-create. Lack of success with using the imaging power of our mind to bring forth what we want happens because we don't understand right use our conscious minds. We have the most powerful computer that ever existed and we don't know how to put it to the highest and the best use. We use it wrongly instead of rightly. We think wrong thoughts.
We limit God's vast substance when we think wrongly. If we are to receive increase, we need to open our mind to receive that increase, whether it is increased health, wealth, love or perfect self expression.
If you enjoy this blog, please share a link to it with others! Thank you. Terrie
© Copyright 2011 - http://bodymindandspirit2.blogspot.com/
The Secret Place of the Most High
How do I dwell in the secret place of the most high? (Psalm 91:1) Forget dwelling there, how do I find the secret place of the most high? It seems that what I want more than anything else is to dwell in that secret place with the Father. The Father draws me to him. (John 6:44)
All the outer running to teachers, reading books, and talking about God is not the secret place where God dwells. All the outer things have helped me come closer to understanding intellectually. It is all part of the Father drawing me to Himself. I did not choose Him, He chose me. (John 15:16) God seeks me. My desire to dwell in the secret place with Him is God's desire within me.
I must come directly to my Father within me in that secret place. I must learn how to let it happen and dwell with Him. The light within me is not some thing, it is God Himself. I must be still and wait on the Lord to hear His still small voice within me. (Psalm 46:10) His Kingdom is within me. (Luke 17:21)
Spending time every day in the Kingdom of God within me praying and listening is my appointment with the Lord. Meditating on God and Christ, surrendering completely to the Holy Spirit. Not the passive surrender of sleep, but the active surrender of awareness of the presence of the Holy Spirit. I go unto the Father deliberately and wait for Him to speak. I wait on the Lord. (Psalm 27:14, Psalm 37:4-8, Psalm 62:5-8) I sit in the silence and wait. I commune alone with my Creator, the Creator of the Universe.
My personal relationship with my Creator develops daily by communing in silence with Him. My goal is not to escape from the world, but to heighten my awareness of my relationship with the Father within and bring that awareness into my activities during the day. Thy will is being done in me now. The Father flows through me as health, life, peace, power and prosperity. The perfect will of the Father is the perfect outward expression in my life and it comes now, easily and in a perfect way. I acknowledge the growth I have made and I surrender to the Holy Spirit.
I have nothing to fear. Fear feelings are just a sign that I am crossing over into the the unknown. I embrace the unknown that my Father places in my path and walk in faith. In faith I follow God's leading.
I don't have to reach out to God because He is right there within me every minute of every day. I need only listen. Does a seed stretch up to the sunlight first? No, a seed sends its roots down into unknown darkness first. Lord, fulfill your highest desire in me. I am the clay and You are the potter. (2 Corinthians 3:18)
If you enjoy this blog, please share a link to it with others! Thank you. Terrie
© Copyright 2011 - http://bodymindandspirit2.blogspot.com/
All the outer running to teachers, reading books, and talking about God is not the secret place where God dwells. All the outer things have helped me come closer to understanding intellectually. It is all part of the Father drawing me to Himself. I did not choose Him, He chose me. (John 15:16) God seeks me. My desire to dwell in the secret place with Him is God's desire within me.
I must come directly to my Father within me in that secret place. I must learn how to let it happen and dwell with Him. The light within me is not some thing, it is God Himself. I must be still and wait on the Lord to hear His still small voice within me. (Psalm 46:10) His Kingdom is within me. (Luke 17:21)
Spending time every day in the Kingdom of God within me praying and listening is my appointment with the Lord. Meditating on God and Christ, surrendering completely to the Holy Spirit. Not the passive surrender of sleep, but the active surrender of awareness of the presence of the Holy Spirit. I go unto the Father deliberately and wait for Him to speak. I wait on the Lord. (Psalm 27:14, Psalm 37:4-8, Psalm 62:5-8) I sit in the silence and wait. I commune alone with my Creator, the Creator of the Universe.
My personal relationship with my Creator develops daily by communing in silence with Him. My goal is not to escape from the world, but to heighten my awareness of my relationship with the Father within and bring that awareness into my activities during the day. Thy will is being done in me now. The Father flows through me as health, life, peace, power and prosperity. The perfect will of the Father is the perfect outward expression in my life and it comes now, easily and in a perfect way. I acknowledge the growth I have made and I surrender to the Holy Spirit.
I have nothing to fear. Fear feelings are just a sign that I am crossing over into the the unknown. I embrace the unknown that my Father places in my path and walk in faith. In faith I follow God's leading.
I don't have to reach out to God because He is right there within me every minute of every day. I need only listen. Does a seed stretch up to the sunlight first? No, a seed sends its roots down into unknown darkness first. Lord, fulfill your highest desire in me. I am the clay and You are the potter. (2 Corinthians 3:18)
If you enjoy this blog, please share a link to it with others! Thank you. Terrie
© Copyright 2011 - http://bodymindandspirit2.blogspot.com/
Faith - Asking and Receiving
What is faith? Faith is the assurance of things hoped for. (Hebrews 11:1) Faith sees the unseen that come from the invisible. The truth of the manifestation is already in the asking and comes before the actual visible manifestation of the receiving appears in our world. As Jesus said, "Ask and you will receive." (John 16:24) Faith knows truth works before the receiving actually comes into being. It is unchanging and immutable as God is.
Faith is not founded on physical facts or evidence from our five senses. It is founded on truth that comes from the Center of our being. Faith takes hold of Infinite Truth knowingly or blindly and the receiving is already done in the asking. Without faith it is impossible to please God. (Hebrews 11:6) What we ask for comes out of the Invisible substance of God. The good Substance of God is God and is unlimited and unseen and is everywhere around us, everywhere present, as God is. God is all and is omnipresent and God is our supply. Supply is abundant because God is Supply. Supply is lavish because God is lavish. We must must ask first. Asking must be done by us before Supply rushes in to fill our asking so asking comes before receiving. Faith then GRABS the substance of things hoped for and lashes it into visible form from the unseen.
If receiving depended on the evidence of our physical senses, then where did all the modern technology come from? Just 200 years ago most of the things we use that make our lives what they are today did not exist. If science depended totally on physical senses before they experimented, we would not have the things we do today. Scientists don't call it faith, but they have faith because they see a thing in their mind and then go about with experiments to prove what they see in their mind is true. They have faith in the unseen things they see in their mind to experiment.
Where do the things scientists see in their mind come from? From their intuition and intuition is within every person's being because we are all connected to the Infinite Power that is God. The Invisible Intelligence runs the universe and it also runs our body, mind and spirit. We are each a ray of light that springs from the one central light, God. We perceive the central light or intuition through our consciousness, although some of us grasp it and others deny it. The truth is that we all have it. Like it or not, the same law works for us whether we use it for good or bad. And, like it or not, our thoughts and words are the asking.
If you enjoy this blog, please share a link to it with others! Thank you. Terrie
© Copyright 2020 - http://bodymindandspirit2.blogspot.com/
Faith is not founded on physical facts or evidence from our five senses. It is founded on truth that comes from the Center of our being. Faith takes hold of Infinite Truth knowingly or blindly and the receiving is already done in the asking. Without faith it is impossible to please God. (Hebrews 11:6) What we ask for comes out of the Invisible substance of God. The good Substance of God is God and is unlimited and unseen and is everywhere around us, everywhere present, as God is. God is all and is omnipresent and God is our supply. Supply is abundant because God is Supply. Supply is lavish because God is lavish. We must must ask first. Asking must be done by us before Supply rushes in to fill our asking so asking comes before receiving. Faith then GRABS the substance of things hoped for and lashes it into visible form from the unseen.
If receiving depended on the evidence of our physical senses, then where did all the modern technology come from? Just 200 years ago most of the things we use that make our lives what they are today did not exist. If science depended totally on physical senses before they experimented, we would not have the things we do today. Scientists don't call it faith, but they have faith because they see a thing in their mind and then go about with experiments to prove what they see in their mind is true. They have faith in the unseen things they see in their mind to experiment.
Where do the things scientists see in their mind come from? From their intuition and intuition is within every person's being because we are all connected to the Infinite Power that is God. The Invisible Intelligence runs the universe and it also runs our body, mind and spirit. We are each a ray of light that springs from the one central light, God. We perceive the central light or intuition through our consciousness, although some of us grasp it and others deny it. The truth is that we all have it. Like it or not, the same law works for us whether we use it for good or bad. And, like it or not, our thoughts and words are the asking.
If you enjoy this blog, please share a link to it with others! Thank you. Terrie
© Copyright 2020 - http://bodymindandspirit2.blogspot.com/
As Thou Has Believed, So Be It Done Unto Thee
In the New Testament story of the Roman centurion (Matthew 8:5-13) we have a model for our belief that we can use today. This centurion came to Jesus beseeching him to heal his servant. Jesus volunteered to go to the centurion's home and heal the servant. The Roman centurion replied by saying, "speak the Word and my servant will be healed." The centurion believed his servant would be healed by the Word of Christ. When Jesus heard it, he marvelled at the centurion's faith and said to His followers, "I have not found so great faith in all of Israel." Then Jesus said to the centurion, "As thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee." The centurion's servant was healed in the same hour.
John 14:12-14 says, "I tell you the truth. The person that believes in me will do the same things I have done. Yes! He will do even greater things than I have done. Why? Because I am going to the Father. And if you ask for anything in my name, I will do it for you. Then the Father's glory will be shown through the Son. If you ask me for anything in my name, I will do it." What does all that mean? In a literal sense it means that if we have a true belief that we have ALREADY RECEIVED ANYTHING that we ask for in the name of Christ, having gone unto the Father through the Son, the Father will show His glory and do it for us. How many of us have that kind of belief? We all can and should. Shame on us for our unbelief!
We can be fully alive every day of our life from the bottom of our feet to the crown of our head. Do we feel that we are barely living? Are we expressing illness or poverty in our life? This is a reflection of our own belief and we can change our belief. We can transform our thoughts and we can renew our mind, Romans 12:2. We can believe in a healthy body, a joyful life, a generous bank account. Other people are expressing these things right now because of their belief, and we can too.
Does this all sound too good to be true? It sounds too good to be true because we think we live in a "material world" and as Madonna put it we think, "I am a material girl." But are we just in a material world, and are we just a material woman or man? If we will study the Spirit that gives each of us life, we shall find that as Luke 17:21 (as Jesus' words are correctly translated from the original Scripture) says, "the Kingdom of God is inside of you." We need only do as the Psalmist says (Psalm 46: 10) and, "Be still and know that I am God." We need only get quiet for a time every day and go unto the Father. By going into the quietness and the stillness of the Kingdom of God inside of us every day we shall discover a secret that shall give us whatever it is we desire. If we will but study the silence of the Spirit within us and quiet the noise of the material world without us, we shall discover the limitless power of God.
If you enjoy this blog, please share a link to it with others! Thank you. Terrie
© Copyright 2011 - http://bodymindandspirit2.blogspot.com/
John 14:12-14 says, "I tell you the truth. The person that believes in me will do the same things I have done. Yes! He will do even greater things than I have done. Why? Because I am going to the Father. And if you ask for anything in my name, I will do it for you. Then the Father's glory will be shown through the Son. If you ask me for anything in my name, I will do it." What does all that mean? In a literal sense it means that if we have a true belief that we have ALREADY RECEIVED ANYTHING that we ask for in the name of Christ, having gone unto the Father through the Son, the Father will show His glory and do it for us. How many of us have that kind of belief? We all can and should. Shame on us for our unbelief!
We can be fully alive every day of our life from the bottom of our feet to the crown of our head. Do we feel that we are barely living? Are we expressing illness or poverty in our life? This is a reflection of our own belief and we can change our belief. We can transform our thoughts and we can renew our mind, Romans 12:2. We can believe in a healthy body, a joyful life, a generous bank account. Other people are expressing these things right now because of their belief, and we can too.
Does this all sound too good to be true? It sounds too good to be true because we think we live in a "material world" and as Madonna put it we think, "I am a material girl." But are we just in a material world, and are we just a material woman or man? If we will study the Spirit that gives each of us life, we shall find that as Luke 17:21 (as Jesus' words are correctly translated from the original Scripture) says, "the Kingdom of God is inside of you." We need only do as the Psalmist says (Psalm 46: 10) and, "Be still and know that I am God." We need only get quiet for a time every day and go unto the Father. By going into the quietness and the stillness of the Kingdom of God inside of us every day we shall discover a secret that shall give us whatever it is we desire. If we will but study the silence of the Spirit within us and quiet the noise of the material world without us, we shall discover the limitless power of God.
If you enjoy this blog, please share a link to it with others! Thank you. Terrie
© Copyright 2011 - http://bodymindandspirit2.blogspot.com/
Belief vs. Unbelief
Having faith or belief in God's promises can be difficult. It is not always easy to step out in faith. It is not easy to imagine that we can become well if we are sick, financially well off if we are poor, or become perfectly cheerful if we are having troubles.
Faith in God's promises is simple, but it is not easy. If we flip a light switch one way, the light comes on. If we flip the light switch back again, the light goes off. Faith really IS that simple. Matthew 17:20 says if you have faith as big as a mustard seed you can say to the mountain move, and it will. Have you ever seen a mustard seen? It is about as big as the head of a pin. Matthew 18:3 says that we cannot enter the kingdom of heaven unless we become as little children. Matthew 5:3 says blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Luke 17:20-21 tells us that the kingdom of heaven is within us. Romans 12:1-2 tells us to present ourselves as living sacrifices...and to transform our mind.
Yes, belief that moves mountains can happen in an instant. However, we must not become discouraged if we don't receive a brilliant flash of light that comes down from the Lord Himself as Saul of Tarsus, who became the Apostle Paul, did in Acts 22:6-11. Paul had spent many, many years working hard spiritually and mentally, building up his mental and spiritual powers. When the Lord sent Paul the brilliant light, Paul became blind until the Lord sent Ananias to give him sight again. How would we react to being struck down blind?
Mushrooms may spring up overnight, but oak trees grow with deliberation and endure for centuries. We must look at our spiritual growth as we would if we were taking music lessons or learning a science because learning a science is exactly what we are doing. We are learning the science of having faith, faith to present ourselves as a living sacrifice to God, take a leap of faith, and begin to experiment with transforming our mind. We can reshape our thinking patterns in faith as Paul did. Unbelief thoughts of fear, despondency and lack can be reshaped into belief thoughts of joy, health and prosperity.
What do you have to lose experimenting with transforming your mind with belief in God? If you are willing to experiment then keep coming back. Think of yourself on the threshold of the adventure of your lifetime. Why not try faith for a few weeks? What do you have to lose?
If you enjoy this blog, please share a link to it with others! Thank you. Terrie
© Copyright 2011 - http://bodymindandspirit2.blogspot.com/
Faith in God's promises is simple, but it is not easy. If we flip a light switch one way, the light comes on. If we flip the light switch back again, the light goes off. Faith really IS that simple. Matthew 17:20 says if you have faith as big as a mustard seed you can say to the mountain move, and it will. Have you ever seen a mustard seen? It is about as big as the head of a pin. Matthew 18:3 says that we cannot enter the kingdom of heaven unless we become as little children. Matthew 5:3 says blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Luke 17:20-21 tells us that the kingdom of heaven is within us. Romans 12:1-2 tells us to present ourselves as living sacrifices...and to transform our mind.
Yes, belief that moves mountains can happen in an instant. However, we must not become discouraged if we don't receive a brilliant flash of light that comes down from the Lord Himself as Saul of Tarsus, who became the Apostle Paul, did in Acts 22:6-11. Paul had spent many, many years working hard spiritually and mentally, building up his mental and spiritual powers. When the Lord sent Paul the brilliant light, Paul became blind until the Lord sent Ananias to give him sight again. How would we react to being struck down blind?
Mushrooms may spring up overnight, but oak trees grow with deliberation and endure for centuries. We must look at our spiritual growth as we would if we were taking music lessons or learning a science because learning a science is exactly what we are doing. We are learning the science of having faith, faith to present ourselves as a living sacrifice to God, take a leap of faith, and begin to experiment with transforming our mind. We can reshape our thinking patterns in faith as Paul did. Unbelief thoughts of fear, despondency and lack can be reshaped into belief thoughts of joy, health and prosperity.
What do you have to lose experimenting with transforming your mind with belief in God? If you are willing to experiment then keep coming back. Think of yourself on the threshold of the adventure of your lifetime. Why not try faith for a few weeks? What do you have to lose?
If you enjoy this blog, please share a link to it with others! Thank you. Terrie
© Copyright 2011 - http://bodymindandspirit2.blogspot.com/
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