Lesson 323: I gladly make the “sacrifice” of fear.

In this lesson, you learn that the only thing you must relinquish to experience the Love of God is fear! To enter the Kingdom of Heaven, then, you must leave fear outside the gate. This means every form of fear imaginable: all pain and suffering, all sense of loss and sadness, all doubt and anxiety, all worry and stress. In other words, you must give up all self-deception. You must lay these at the feet of truth, for truth to return to you in wholeness and in joy. You must no longer allow yourself to deceive or to be deceived. Once this has been effected, fear will be gone and love will prevail.

This is easy to say and even easy to understand, yet the “doing” may appear to be more difficult as these old habits and teachings have prevailed in your understanding for a long, long time. Jesus is quite cognizant of the struggle of humanity to let go of its thoughts of fear in order to reach the higher realms of divinity. He, himself, was here on earth for a while and is very well aware of the struggles. Some few have accomplished this instantly. As for the rest, it has been an ongoing struggle for thousands of years, often with little relief in sight, and many are still looking at a future quite like the past.

What must you do, then, to release the present and future to love? The first step is to choose the Holy Spirit as your guide for thinking, seeing and doing. The second step is to be still and quiet, ask for and listen to His guidance. The third step is to be willing to follow as He guides. And the fourth step is to accept the truth as it appears in place of illusions. So choose, listen, follow and accept.

This process of fear removal and love acceptance will proceed according to your level of attention, commitment and willingness. You have spent thousands of years thinking you are separate from God; therefore it may not happen overnight, though with God it is indeed possible. Yet even the longest journey begins with the first step, and progresses with each step thereafter. You must place your heart and mind into the Hands of God, and do not give up, not ever, because the goal is attainable sooner rather than later if you work it. And the goal is not only worth it, it is inevitable, for it is God’s Will that your mind return to Love. One beauty of His plan is that there are certain signposts along the way signifying progress. And there are many rewards of love and peace and happiness along the way as well. So enjoy following Him; the result is worth it and a happy outcome is certain.

Lesson 324: I merely follow, for I would not lead.

Your Father has given the plan for your salvation to you. He has set the way you are to go, the role for you to take, and every step in its accomplishment. You cannot lose the way with Jesus as near as your hand, the Holy Spirit in your Christ mind, and with God’s Plan of Atonement to follow. Love is in front and in back of you, beside you and where you stand. You may choose to wander off the path, and indeed you know that you do, but His loving Voice will always call you gently back. You need not tarry and you cannot stray except an instant from His loving hand. It is the Holy Spirit Who makes the ending sure, and guarantees a safe returning home. (W-324.2:4)

Learning to follow your inner guidance is a major decision you must make to find your way out of this world and into the real world. That guidance is the Voice for God, the Holy Spirit. He is the last remaining link with the Father while you appear to be on this earth. He knows the way back to God, so His loving Voice is the One to Which you must always listen. This was indeed the last lesson that Jesus himself learned!

"I have neither made nor understood the way to find my freedom."

(W-pII.321.1:4)

Following "One Who knows the way" must come as a huge relief to all who are lost. And because you follow Him, you cannot lose the way. What you thought were "detours" away from home, were really lessons bringing you closer to home. Looking upon them that way, makes it easier to forgive those whom you thought caused you to stray, and to actually appreciate them for their help.

So let your days unfold in whatever way they will, trusting that all is perfectly planned by the Holy Spirit to bring the memory of God back into your awareness, by following His Voice.

"There is a plan behind appearances that does not change. The script is written."

(W-pI.158.4:1-3)

Lesson 325: All things I think I see reflect ideas.

This is salvation’s keynote: What you see reflects a process in your mind, which starts with your idea of what you want. From there, the mind makes up an image of the thing the mind desires, judges valuable, and therefore seeks to find. These images are then projected outward, looked upon, esteemed as real and guarded as one’s own. From insane wishes comes an insane world. From judgment comes a world condemned. And from forgiving thoughts a gentle world comes forth, with mercy for the Holy Son of God, to offer you a kindly home where you can rest a while before you continue on, helping your brothers walk ahead with you, and finding the way to Heaven and to God. God’s Thoughts reflect the truth; yours make up dreams and illusions. So choose His and rejoice.

Lesson 326: I am forever an Effect of God.

You were created in God’s Mind, a holy Thought that never left its home. Therefore God is Cause, and you are His Effect. The only way an effect can disappear is for its cause to no longer be. Therefore as God is forever, so are you. And as, how, and where He created you, you have remained: in Heaven, with Him, having never left. To know that this is true, you must follow His plan here on earth, and in the end He will gather you into the tranquil Heaven of His Love, earth will vanish, and all separate thoughts will unite in glory as the Son of God. So transform your thoughts and think only loving ones. Forgive your brothers and all the world will fade entirely into God’s Will. Remember who you are as you progress forward. It will help you to continue with enthusiasm.

Lesson 327: I need but call and You will answer me.

You are not asked to take salvation (return to God) on the basis of unsupported faith. No, He knows His children well. He knows you will appreciate and will actually expect confirmation that He hears you. Learn from your experiences that He is here for you in every way, for every perceived want or need. He has promised He will hear your call, and that a call to Him will always be answered by Himself. Call Him; hear His Answer; receive His help daily, moment by moment. Then you will be sure that your faith in Him is justified. This is the faith that will endure, and take you farther and still farther on the way to Him. You will be sure that He has not abandoned you and that He loves you still. He will give you all the help you need to come to Him and to know Him.

Prayer:

Father, I thank You that Your promises will never fail in my experience, if I but test them out. Let me attempt therefore to try them, and to judge them not. Your Word is one with You. You give the means whereby conviction comes, and surety of Your abiding Love is gained at last. Amen.

Lesson 328: I choose the second place to gain the first.

All things you perceive in this world are upside down – until you listen to the Voice for God and let Him turn them right side up. Therefore what seems to you to be the first, is actually last. What seems to be the truth, is false. What seems to you to be the light, is really your effort to make something out of nothing. It seems that to be autonomous, separate and independent from your brothers is the way in which salvation is obtained. Yet all you find is sickness, suffering, loss and death.

This is not God’s will for you, nor is there any second to His Will. To join with His Will is to find your own, and He wills for you to join with Him and with your brothers in the truth. You will not find that truth by meandering in and out of ideas, places and special relationships here on this earth, drifting here and there on the ego’s whims. You will find it by remembering who you are and who your brothers are, and by remembering Who God Is. God is but Love, therefore so are you. Remember only this, and the way home will open at last – and it will be considerably shorter and sweeter.

Lesson 329: I have already chosen what You will.