Weekly Message for Sunday, April 21, 2002
                                            


                    "Either we are believing that it is, or we are believing that it is not," states Dr. Ernest Holmes.  Are we believing that God Is Omnipotent, Omnipresent and Omniscient or are we believing in something else?  Are we believing that we are created in God's image and likeness?  The Master Mind Jesus stated, "I and the Father are One."  In the Book of Isaiah we can read, "I am the Lord there are no gods but me."  In the Science of Mind we can read, "We believe that God is personal to all who feel this Indwelling Presence."  We can read in scripture, "He is closer to us than breathing."

                As we turn to God in prayer, meditation, contemplation or communion, we must be aware that we are One with this Infinite Spirit.  We must "unify" with It in order to embody the Good that we are seeking.  We must cultivate the consciousness that God Is Our All-In-All.  There Is only God, Spirit, Higher Power, Infinite Being, whatever we choose to call It.  And as the Master Mind Jesus and Dr. Holmes stated, WE ARE ONE WITH IT - IT DWELLS WITHIN US.  But, we must "feel It."  Nobody can "feel It" for us and we cannot bring It into our experience any other way.  The Radical Rabbi taught us to "go into the closet" shut out the world's beliefs, concepts and ideas, and "listen to God."  The great mystic, Joel Goldsmith, states we must sit in the Silence until we "feel" Its Presence or receive an intuitive knowing that we have been touched by the Presence.

              Yet, so many of us will do anything but "sit in the silence."  We will read books, pray, listen to music, light candles, burn incense, sit in church services ..... but we will not consistently and persistently "sit in the Silence" and "wait on the Lord."  We will look outside of us for the answers.  Wear ourselves out trying every manner and means of trying to "make something happen" rather than "let it happen" and "surrender" to God; Infinite Intelligence, Infinite Power and Infinite Presence.

              Man has made many "inventions" to create separation from this "Indwelling Spirit."  For centuries we have looked to "saints" for guidance.  Catholics and even some non-Catholics have prayed incessantly to saints and spirits that have gone beyond.  Sometimes their faith has transcended the problem or the condition and their prayers have been answered - but the saints didn't answer the prayer or reveal the Good in the situation or condition - their connection with God "caused" it.  Many people who would never consider praying to saints, look to angels for guidance and help.  There are thousands of books written about angels and there are more "angel experts" today than ever before.  There is a book titled, "May the Angels Be With You," that states that we have seven angels that we can call upon for guidance.  Seven!  Can you imagine.  That's a lot of angels to keep track of!  In other words we have seven opportunities to remain separate from our "Indwelling Presence" or the "Father Within."  Seven more reasons to "ignore" the Presence of God that is "closer to us than breathing."

              It is sheer nonsense in the Year 2002 to remain blinded to the facts that all of this silliness with angels, saints, psychics, voodoo, etc. continues to keep us in a position of "the blind leading the blind."  There is only One Cause and that Cause is God, Infinite Presence.  If we continue to be blinded to this Truth we will continue to experience confusion and desperation in our lives.  The masses of people walk around with a "quiet desperation" that can only be resolved by "surrendering" to God.  We must stop this incessant judging of the externals and looking for something or someone outside of ourselves to "save" us from our quiet desperations.  The Power and Intelligence Is already ours, but we must access It.  And we cannot access It until and unless we give up looking outside ourselves for anything and look within our very own consciousness.  The most important statement in Neale Donald Walsch's, "Conversations with God" is, "if you don't go within, you go without."  And that's just the way it is.....

 And So It Is! 
                                                            
Letting Love use me in Its own Good Way,
Henry Lee Bates