Lesson: Week 8
by Tom Baker
Lessons and Discussion Questions
Lesson 45: God is the Mind with which I think.
Our ego-conditioned thoughts do not resemble the real thoughts we think with God. Those thoughts are eternal and shared. Only what God would have us do is possible, which is to think with Him. Also only what God would have us do is all we really want to do. God’s will is actually our will. Another way to say this is that the will of Love is our will. The will of fear and guilt (ego) is not our will. Thus, are you thinking with the mind of fear and guilt or the mind of love and forgiveness?
Lesson 46: God is the Love in which I forgive.
We cannot forgive when we are running from, frozen from, or attacking in fear or condemning in guilt. At this point in mind training our minds are still dedicated to attack, defense, and punishment. In other words, we are still reacting to fear as if it were a real thought rather than an illusion. The same is true with guilt and shame. As we learn to think with God (Love) we can learn to forgive with God (Love). If you allow God is lead the way with forgiveness you can still be afraid, guilty, and ashamed and, in effect, let God do the forgiving with you doing the pointing. Don’t forget to point to yourself.
Lesson 47: God is the strength in which I trust.
So much of the time we feel inadequate in situations; we do not trust ourselves. Yet in our separated consciousness we have precious little strength. When we join with the strength of our holiness, which is the strength of God (Love) "the strength of God [Love] in you is successful in all things." When I teach preaching or public speaking I always encourage the student to be clear about his or her intention, which is usually God. This almost always takes the weight of personal perfection off of their shoulders and frees them to speak from their souls.
Lesson 48: There is nothing to fear.
When we began in February this statement would have been rather off putting. Know we know that it is in fact true but not always believed. We can still be afraid of our thoughts but, since we are learning to be in charge of our thoughts by neither attacking nor defending others or self and allowing the Mind and Strength of God (Love) to be our foundation we can now imagine a time when we would believe that there is nothing to fear. The ego has taught us that we in fact have everything to fear because we are nothing more than a fragment of consciousness cut from the whole and doomed to a loveless aloneness, even when we are loved. Since we are unlovable and others will not only disappoint us but betray us, Love has no part in us nor we in Love, so we settle for the temporary fix of love, which is attraction rather than a deep, abiding, and passionate cherishing.
Sunday Topics. Choose the ones you like the best for a Sunday presentation.
_____ Living in the Present
_____Mastering Your Fears
_____Spiritualizing your Relationships
_____Jesus the Master Teacher
______Sin Without Condemnation
_____Becoming a Teacher of God
© Copyright Tom Baker 2014