Tag: bible

Tapping Your Center of Power

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Life and enthusiasm were the first topics for our Advent season. Love and understanding were the subject of last week. Today we’ll look at power and strength as the third of this four-part, pre-Christmas series. Intelligence and order will be the fourth.

How do we come to identify and name a characteristic of God? We can look for biblical passages such as this one: “Ah Lord God! It is thou who hast made the heavens and the earth by thy great power and by thy outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for thee” (Jeremiah 32:17). We can look at tradition that declares the omnipotence (all power) of God. Or through simple observation we can see countless expressions of power in everything from the volcano to the seed growing silently.

The power of God empowers us with the strength we need to carry on with our life. Those times when we feel our strength is waning, we affirm God’s limitless power works in and through us to give us the boost we need, when we need it. We remember Jeremiah’s inspiring words, “Nothing is too hard for thee” and we might add, “for thou art centered in me.” As an inlet and outlet to the everlasting power of God, I meet each day knowing that nothing is too hard for me.

Visualize God as a power center within your being. Imagine this power radiating out through your every atom and cell, expressing as the strength of optimism. One of Charles Fillmore’s favorite affirmations goes as follows:

“I fairly sizzle with zeal and enthusiasm and spring forth with a mighty faith to do the things that ought to be done by me.”

Such an empowering prayer! As we saw in our first lesson on life, we know that life, zeal, enthusiasm, power, and strength are all interconnected, one power expressing in a variety of ways. This one power is our God center, our very center of power. Stir up this power with words, visualizations, meditations, actions, and any way that comes to you. A simple smile given to a passing stranger can empower them in ways you never know. Remember, nothing is too hard for thee, and thou art centered in me.

The Tie That Binds

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“Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven”. (Matthew 16:19).

I have always been curious about how Matthew connected this saying to Peter’s recognition of Jesus as the Christ. It never seemed to quite fit. For me, it seems better suited as a reminder of the connection between the quality of our consciousness and the quality of our external life. If we believe a certain thing is true, for example, we tend to express that belief in our life. The belief is what we bind on earth. The invisible laws of manifestation we set in motion is what we bind in heaven.

I once spoke with a young woman who said, “People never take me seriously.” She then went on to name about three examples where her opinions were dismissed. If you continually affirm that people never take you seriously, chances are good that people will stop taking you seriously.

The question is, does affirming people never take you seriously actually cause people to comply with your expectations? Or, do you just latch on to those situations where this seems to be the case? I bought a Jeep Wrangler from our daughter. Now, everyplace I go I see many Jeep Wranglers. Did the whole world run out and buy Jeep Wranglers just because I did? I don’t think so.

The principle contained in the statement from Jesus basically says whatever gets your attention will tend to show up because you look for it. It becomes inevitable. If you want to be taken seriously, then it would be a good idea to stop saying no one does.

This is just an example, but it plays out in many ways in our life. There is a definite connection between what we believe (bind on earth) and what we latch onto from the river of events that flow through our life (bind in heaven).  

Manifestation Principles

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J Douglas Bottorff

It occurs to me that the ministry of Jesus focused on helping people experience better health, prosperity, and more harmonious relationships by applying spiritual principles. As I began jotting these down, I quickly came up with twelve. To begin, he emphasized the spiritual nature of God, the importance of forgiveness, acknowledging the intuitive promptings of the Father, accepting that it’s the Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom, the need for faith, the attitude that you have already received what you ask for in prayer, singleness of eye (imagination), letting go of spiritual preconceptions, the need to be born of spirit, persistence, don’t follow the crowd, and break the worry habit.

These ideas are scattered throughout the gospels and are not presented as a specific formula to follow. We’ll drill down into each one of these ideas in today’s talk. Here, I want to point out the mental and emotional emphasis Jesus put on his teachings. As a mystic, he would have focused on the importance of a firsthand experience with God. However, he would have also understood that many in his audience would not make this kind of breakthrough, but that would not prevent them from reaping the benefits of a spiritual change of mind.

If we think of God as Spirit, the creative life force that stirs in and through us at all times, we want to be aware that our mental and emotional atmosphere influences the way this creative energy displays in our life. When Jesus said it’s the Father’s good pleasure to give us the kingdom, we accept the truth that this creative process is bias toward our highest good. We do not think of prayer, as someone has suggested, as a means of overcoming God’s reluctance. We think of prayer as a way of cooperating with God’s willingness.

In light of the twelve principles I’ve listed, our prayer is grounding ourselves in these ideas at different times throughout our day. We develop a general attitude of optimism, or faith that greater good is now unfolding through our life. Jesus, of course, highlighted many other principles we can add to this list, but the important thing is to stay aware of how we are using our faculties of faith and imagination. Just the single thought that it is the Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom is enough to raise your level of expectation to a healthy place. The more of these principles work through your mind and heart, the better off you will be.

The Reluctant Messiah

Podcast: Episode 3: The Reluctant Messiah

In this episode we explore the notion of Jesus as Messiah. Even though the gospel writers portrayed him in this way, we explore some of the reasons Jesus himself might have rejected the role.

“Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself” (John 6:15).

He would have known that every self-proclaimed messiah had met the same tragic fate. Recalling that Jesus was a Jew, we look at the differences between Jewish and Christian concepts of the Messiah. Modern scholars know that the Christian Messiah was pieced together from various Old Testament passages those early followers of the Jesus movement insisted supported their belief.

Many sayings attributed to him suggest that Jesus was not the typical apocalyptic prophet but a Jewish mystic, a teacher whose ministry was dedicated to the mission of helping “break every yoke” and lift open-minded members of his peasant class from the drudgery of daily life. He introduced his audience to a new, spiritually empowering way of thinking of the kingdom of God as an underlying, ever-present reality, whose point of contact was centered in every individual. Because the region in which Jesus was raised was Hellenized—imposed Greek culture, language, and philosophy—it is not inconceivable that his understanding of the kingdom of God was influenced by Plato’s Theory of Forms. This major paradigm shift required a new birth, a new way of seeing and thinking of themselves and their relationship of oneness with God. This mission he drew from Isiah, which, according to Luke, he read at the outset of his public ministry.

“Is not this the fast that I choose:
    to loose the bonds of wickedness,
    to undo the thongs of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
    and to break every yoke?” (Isiah 58:6)

Breaking the Sin Connection

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The Jews of Jesus’ day saw a strong connection between disease and sin. The best example of this belief is when a young man, blind from birth, was brought to Jesus with the question, Who sinned, this man or his parents that he was born blind? We notice they did not inquire about his belief regarding the connection of the boy’s condition to sin. They made the assumption, and they wanted Jesus to name the guilty party. Jesus, of course, dismissed their question and took steps to bring about the healing.

On several occasions, before he spoke a healing statement, Jesus would tell the person that their sins were forgiven. I do not believe he was asserting special power over sin. He was breaking the sin connection, erasing the lifelong belief that their problem resulted from an offense against God.

I have pointed out that much of what we consider sin, our legal system would call a process crime, a crime, not against a person, but against the legal system itself. None of the so-called seven deadly sins—pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, and sloth—are actually illegal. They are considered sins against God, but they are really only sins against the religious system. Jesus made clear in his prodigal son parable that the Father does not take into account the sins of his son.

Jesus was a spiritual educator. His conscious connection with God gave him direct insight into what was true of God. When he said, for example, that you are judged by how you judge, he was saying that if you believe you sinned against God, then the first malady that pops up will prove you correct. If you live as if your sins are forgiven, or, better still, not even acknowledged by God, then you will relieve yourself of the associated anxiety.

It is good for each of us to see if we have some kind of sin connection going on. Do we associate negative conditions with negative thoughts or other shortcomings on our part? If so, let’s make sure we get God out of that formula. God is that consistent one presence and one power that we call upon to restore order where chaos may have erupted. Nothing we say our do changes God’s changeless behavior. In other words, our sins are forgiven.

The Many Dimensions of Spiritual Guidance

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In both the Old and New Testaments, spiritual guidance comes in the form of God speaking directly, angels delivering messages, dreams imparting specific information, or prophets passing on their direct revelations. For most of us, we’re left to wonder what the tea leaves are trying to tell us. In truth, it is probably no different today than it was in those ancient times. We should remember that the biblical writers had the advantage of reporting after the fact. When you already know how a situation went down, you can infuse your prophets, your dreams, your angels, and even God himself with the clarity that gets the point across.

Is there such a thing as spiritual guidance, and if there is, why can’t it be imparted in grammatically correct whole sentences like we find in the Bible? Of course there is spiritual guidance, but it does not generally speak in clear, communitive ways. It may come in a dream. We may have a hunch, a feeling that we should or should not do or believe a thing. We may see a billboard that says, “Just do it!” and because of the exact timing, it’s as if the heavens have opened.

I think the most effective approach to spiritual guidance is to simply acknowledge that we are receiving it at this very moment. Every step I take is the right step. Every decision I make is the right decision. Every person I meet brings something important. Every place I go has something special to offer. Such an attitude prompts me to develop situational awareness for the solution to my problem.

When we consider the wide spectrum of avenues through which the bible tells us spiritual guidance is imparted, we get the impression that it can come through just about any avenue. We also get the impression that those who are on the receiving end are rarely expecting it. This suggests that the healthy way to think of spiritual guidance is to expect you are now receiving it, but do not limit the way in which it might come. More than likely, the heavens will not open with choirs of angels singing your answer. You may just suddenly realize the answer you seek has been staring you in the face and you did not see it. A good night’s sleep may give you the clear mind needed to work out the issue. Or, an idea may form that points you to your answer.

Relax and know there are many dimensions of spiritual guidance and the right one is making itself known to you now.

The Intelligence Factor

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Bringing the Intelligence of God into things that matter

According to Genesis, the first thing God created was light. “God said, ‘Let there be light.’” Because we associate light with intelligence, we understand the author saw intelligence as a fundamental part of the universe. John talks about the Word, and how the Word was light, and this light was the light of men.

The mystical tradition acknowledges this intelligence expressing from the center of our being. When Jesus said, “Let your light shine before men…” I see him reminding us to be true to the best and the highest that is in us. As we let the light of our true being shine, it makes our world a better place, not only for ourselves, but for the people who come into our light.

I have said that I do not believe Jesus was an apocalyptic prophet, one who acknowledges the corruption of the present era, and predicts a coming kingdom where all problems are solved. He spoke of an inner kingdom, a light that we can let shine in our world as it is. If you are in a dark room and you can see nothing around you, turn on a light and you see everything. The room is the same. It does not change. The light, however, allows you to see and experience the room in an entirely different way.

Imagine turning on the full power of the intelligence of God in this room you call your life! You would see your daily experience from an entirely different perspective. Rather than wait for a better life to come, you would see that better life is right where you stand. Like the angel of the Lord who said to the young Moses, “…put off your shoes from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground” (Exodus 3:5). When was the last time you thought of your life as holy ground?

How do we turn on this light of intelligence that will surely brighten our life? We follow the example of God and simply say, “Let there be light.” And when we say it, we think of this light of intelligence radiating through us in beautiful ways we can’t even imagine. To let there be light is not saying make the light of intelligence shine. We let go of all control and let the perfect intelligence of God shine through us in healing, creative, and prospering ways.    

Is Jesus God?

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The debate about the nature of Jesus, whether he was a man or God, has been ongoing for centuries. It can be traced back to the early days of Christianity, with different interpretations and understandings emerging. In the first few centuries after Jesus’ death, various theological perspectives arose, leading to intense debates among scholars, theologians, and religious leaders. The Council of Nicaea in 325 AD played a crucial role in clarifying the divinity of Jesus, affirming the belief in his full humanity and full divinity. However, the debate continued to evolve and resurface in different forms throughout history. Different Christian denominations and theological schools of thought have approached this question differently, resulting in ongoing discussions and disagreements. Today, the debate about the nature of Jesus as both man and God remains a significant topic of theological exploration and interpretation.

To the mystic, the question is a no brainer. Jesus, like all human beings, is an expression of God. When we visit the ocean and see a tidepool, we do not wonder if the tidepool is the ocean. It exists because of the ocean. And the same water that is in the tidepool is also in the ocean. When the tide rises, the pool and the ocean are one. The human being, including Jesus, is like the tidepool. Our life essence is God, but we are not all there is of God. We are expressions of God.

The people of Jesus’ day, like people today, see God as separate from humanity. But in truth, we are all one with God. Our physicality, like the defined tidepool, gives us the impression that we are separate from God. We are taught this from childhood, and we are taught that Jesus is a human unlike any other. This is unfortunate. If we see the tide come in over one hundred tidepools, all equally merge with the ocean.

The breakdown of this analogy is the physical boundary that defines the pool. In our case, the boundary is perceptual. The ocean of God perpetually mingles with our soul. All people possess the same spiritual architecture as Jesus. We are all human and we are all divine. The difference is in our degree of knowing. Most define themselves only as a tidepool. Some realize they exist because there is an ocean as the source of their being. Jesus was a man who taught our oneness with  God.

The Whispering Messiah

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I believe Jesus intentionally distanced himself from any association with the expected Messiah. Making any claim to that title would put him in a position that did not represent the message he believed he was born to teach. The expected Messiah would usher in an external kingdom of God that would change the religious, social, and political landscape. The kingdom he spoke of was an inner awakening to the presence of God.

Why would I refer to Jesus as the whispering Messiah? With literally millions of followers around the world, he appears to have done much more than whisper. Appearances, however, can be deceiving. Biblical scholar Bart Ehrman believes Jesus had about twenty followers in his core organization. Considering he focused most of his ministry on the tiny villages that dotted the countryside, the impression we’re given by the Gospel writers of thousands following is, no doubt, an extreme exaggeration.  

The idea of the whispering Messiah comes from my belief that the true teachings of Jesus were misunderstood. Through decades of oral tradition passed down to the authors of the Gospels, the message changed from an inner awakening to an external expectation of the dawning of a new age. Though fragments of the teachings of the Jewish mystic survive, the loudest voice of the Gospels is that of the evangelists who wrote the books. Theirs is the message that caught the fire that roared over the world. So, we have to learn to listen for that whisper of a voice.

The God of which Jesus spoke is not the wholly other that exists beyond the comprehension of the average person. God is Spirit. To worship in spirit is to go within and feel our way to the inner sanctuary, our very own holy of holies. It is as if we stand on the beach with the surf washing over our feet. We lift our eyes to behold the vast ocean in which we stand. This place on the beach is ours, and ours alone, yet the ocean belongs to us all, and we belong to it.

Nothing from the heavens is coming to change the world. The whispering Messiah, that still small voice within us, prompts us to lift our vision and see the vastness of this ocean of spirit in which we live and move and have our being.

Quest For the Lost Sheep

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He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Matthew 15:24

This passage has always intrigued me, but only recently has it taken on special meaning. Who were these lost sheep? From what I now gather, they were Jews who did not choose to live under the restrictions imposed by the 613 commandments found in the Torah.[1] While the religious system deemed them as sinners, today we might see them as the type who had exposure to the mainstream but, like many of us, prefer to define the conditions of their own spiritual inquiry.   

The concept of the kingdom of God within was a complete reversal to the teaching that God and man are separate. Jesus would naturally seek an audience who was open-minded enough to explore new ideas, and these so-called lost sheep of Israel perfectly fit the bill. For them, his commonsense approach was probably a refreshing change. “And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes” (Mark 1:22). For me, this also throws a different light on his parable of the lost sheep, where the shepherd leaves the ninety-nine to find the one. It’s probably fair to assume that 1% of the Jewish population was open to his radical new way of thinking about the individual’s relationship of oneness with God.

Jesus challenged the system by ignoring several rules concerning the Sabbath. Yet he said he did not come to break the law but to fulfill it. Think of it this way: a stop sign tells you to stop. If you run the stop sign, you break the law. If you stop, look both ways, then proceed, you fulfill the law. You do not take the sign literally and stop indefinitely.

Just as the higher purpose of the stop sign is to ensure safety, Jesus looked beyond the letter of the law to its higher purpose of spiritual freedom. “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27). “Which of you, having a son or an ox that has fallen into a well, will not immediately pull him out on a sabbath day?” (Luke 14:5). A good teacher knows his audience. The lost sheep of Israel finally found their shepherd.

[1] 1st 5 books of the Old Testament