THE GIFTS OF GOD — Sondra Ray and Markus Ray on A Course in Miracles

THE LAWS OF GOD would make every relationship Whole. Each one may be unique, but one is not more Holy than another. The faith in our brothers is total. Each brother is worthy of our reverence. Everyone has his or her own perfection. Holiness is shared, and we gain the Strength of God when we are looking toward the Perfection of each person. Everyone is deserving of God's Love, and to have the strength of God we cannot hold anyone "outside" the scope of God's Grace. God is the Strength in which I trust, and the Idea I am holding about myself can be changed. I can change the idea of being "weak" for the divine idea of my sacred strength. We unite the Idea of Perfection with our own perception of our Holy Self. This is the Freedom to be who God created us to be. We are the Holy Sons and Daughters of God. This is God's Law in truth.

This Section shows us how much we have made our relationships into special ones, and that we use the past to judge the value of our relationships based on our projected expectations that fill our own "needs." We obligate people to us, and then judge the relationship based on whether they are fulfilling these special needs or not. God makes no one special, so why do we? Do we think our needs are not met by our Creator? Do we seek this dependence on people we have made special, demanding they fill our needs? Is it possible to share the Holy Instant with the people in our Life to discover and express Divine Joy? The Holy Instant removes the "specialness," and purifies these relationships into Holy ones. We can let go of our "imagined needs" and ask for only what God wants for us—which is "perfect happiness."

THE HOLY INSTANT is here now to give us our Magnificence. Yet, we have to let go of all of our thoughts of "limitation" from the ego. The ego would like us to believe it takes time to "improve ourselves." We already are in our Magnificence in truth, but we have made such a case for our "littleness" that we do not think it is possible to leap into this Heaven of our true Self immediately. We are addicted to the "denial of Who we are as God created us." The ego postpones the Holy Instant because we are "arrogant" in insisting upon our own plan that is a substitute for God's Plan. We want our "familiar hell" instead of our “unfamiliar Heaven." We are afraid of the Unknown, and the Holy Instant, before we accept it, is Unknown. Can we give up the plans we "know" that do not actually "improve our life?" Can we let this go, and accept the Holy Instant instead? We have free will to do so. It takes our "willingness," not "time," to accept this Plan of the Holy Instant. We must practice accepting it.

Today is a very important section in A Course in Miracles. "Littleness Versus Magnitude" makes it clear that we are falling short in our definition of ourselves. We are accepting a level of limitation that is "tolerable," and then we define this as "Happiness." We are not content, and now we can actually admit it. Jesus tells us, "Be not content with littleness. But be sure you understand what littleness is, and why you could never be content with it. Littleness is the offering you give yourself. You offer this in place of magnitude, and you accept it. Everything in this world is little because it is a world made out of littleness, in the strange belief that littleness can content you." The fact is we are not content. Can we drop all of our seeking to improve ourselves when we see that we already have everything at our inner disposal? The Holy Spirit can lead us to realize our Magnitude, but only when we stop our attempts to "make up a false heaven." We have made ourselves the "CEO of Hell." And when we admit this is so, and let go of false control, we can invite the Holy Spirit into our awareness to guide us to our Magnitude.

MARKUS reads from his commentary onA Course in Miracles, a book named "THE SECOND COMING.” In this Podcast he discusses Chapter 23 in this book—The End of Sickness. It makes clear the mental "causative factors" behind all disease. How do we overcome these "thoughts of attack and defense” that keep the sickness alive? Can we heal sickness at the "root cause?" First of all, "Sickness is a defense against the Truth." We have to see that all physical sickness begin with erroneous "thoughts” in our mind first. Then we have to make contact with the Truth, which can correct all these errors in our mind. PEACE and JOY are the TRUTH, and they can heal us, but we have to make absolute contact with them. This Chapter makes this shift clear and very possible.

The Holy Instant transcends time and doubt. We are given the Atonement to erase the limitations of time we have placed on our "awakening process." It appears it takes "time" to wake up, but the instant offered to the Holy Spirit is offered to God on our behalf. We let go of all our past learning. TRUTH is outside of time, and happens all at Once. We do not use the "work" we do to postpone this flash of the Holy Instant. The laws of time do not apply. The Holy Instant is just that—a moment that is NOW> TOTAL LIBERATION does not take time. It can happen in a flash when we let go of all the preoccupations to "make ourselves enlightened" by the modes we have used to “awaken ourselves." We are grateful to have the TEACHERS who represent to Holy Spirit in our lives. Their teachings are “outside of time.” We are grateful to have Them, and the means to wake up in a hurry. AMEN.  

WHAT IS TIME? How do we use it? Is it fraught with regret of the past and dread or fear of the future?Do we fear the future will bring death and disaster? The ego uses time to reinforce fear, guilt, death and hell; the Holy Spirit uses time to establish Love, Innocence, Immortality and Heaven. The Holy Instant can get us there, but we have to use time in a different way. Heaven and Immortality are the Holy Spirit's goal. Hell and Death are the ego's goal. The ego uses dissociation to keep its contradictions alive in time—guilt is eternal in its view. The ego pursues us beyond the grave—it offers us “immortality in hell." This insanity is dissolved for good in this Holy Instant. The cornerstone of the Holy Spirit is your eternal innocence. Love is your true nature, and this Holy Instant puts us immediately in Heaven. It takes no long drawn out process. It is here NOW. NOW is the time we enter into the Present. Only Heaven is here, without a past or a future. Continual "instants" of the Holy Instant keep our future clean and promising. What comes to us anew is anticipating the Heaven we are feeling now in our perfect happiness. Immortality of Joy in the present is just a “string of delightful Holy Instants,” the only time there is. AMEN

What is the TEST OF TRUTH? are we in a state of undisturbed peace? Can we have and maintain our "inner calm?" The Holy Spirit would lead us to this truth of peace, but we have to be willing to be guided by It's Light of a different kind of reason. There is a place in us of Perfect Peace, but we must want that above all else. It is easy to think that we can make this "utopia" for ourselves. Many have tried and failed. Thought can project all kinds of ideals that are unreachable. But have we ever admitted we do not know how to establish this unequivocal Inner Peace? This admission is necessary to invoke the Power of the Holy Spirit to give us this God-Given State of being. Can we cease our own "seeking" and accept the truth, which will test us with this one requirement of actual, complete, and palpable Inner Peace? The Peace is already given. Can we receive it?

I WANT THE PEACE OF GOD is Lesson #185 in the Workbook. Are we committed wholeheartedly to bringing this statement into application on ourselves? To say these words is meaningless. To mean them as our Truth is everything. We are not dreaming when the Truth dawns in our minds with sincerity of the highest order. I WANT THE PEACE OF GOD is not a dream. Do we really want this state of being? We rise above all dreams. We rise above all half-hearted attempts to bring these words into application in our life. We need the Strength of God in order to apply them. By ourselves we cannot make this leap of faith. With the Holy Spirit's help, assured when we JOIN with another, 2-by2, in our joined intention to "realize" these words, we are given the Peace of God. We Want the Peace of God. All of Heaven is behind the gift of Peace that is our only real state of Being.

"I PLACE THE FUTURE IN THE HANDS OF GOD." This is Lesson #194. Would we have concerns of the future if we truly applied this Lesson? Do we even trust there is a God Who cares for us, and paves the way for our future to be one of Heavenly proportions? What would it take for us to believe these words are true for us? In times of "uncertainty," we need this Lesson even more. What is the need for a false sense of "certainty" when we have the Trust that God will pave our Future road better than our past? Let us not rest on the laurels of our accomplishments, but rather grow to Expect a BETTER FUTURE than our past, one of NEW POSSIBILITIES that indicate a Bright Future, one in the Hands of our Loving Creator Who wants only the highest JOY for us in our future.