A Course in Miracles Text Made Simple

To gain the most from A Course in Miracles Text Made Simple, we recommend that
you read the corresponding chapter and section in the Text of the Second or
Third Edition of A Course in Miracles published by the Foundation for Inner Peace.

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Chapter 5: Healing and Wholeness

Section VII: The Decision for God

Read ACIM Chapter 5, Section VII (pages 88-90)

What are we valuing, the ego or God?

A common theme in the Course is that everything we experience is the effect of our decision. In the ego’s hands this is used for guilt. The ego loves to point out what a mess we have made and how defective we must be in order to have made such a mess. The Holy Spirit teaches us that the power of decision is our freedom. We may have decided wrongly, but we are always free to change our decision.

The plan of Atonement, given us by God, is a plan of undoing through helping us change our minds about what we value. When our values change, our decisions change. When we learn to recognize that true value can only be found in unity with God, sharing God’s Thoughts, we easily choose the valuable and let go of the false values the ego has tried to substitute for the Value of God. No sacrifice is asked of us. We are gently taught to recognize the valuable and the valueless. Letting go of the valueless is not perceived as sacrifice. Rather it is recognized as release of what is no longer wanted.

What is a signal that we have chosen wrongly?

When we are not at peace, we can learn to acknowledge it and use it as a signal that we have chosen wrongly. We can use lack of peace as a signal to change our mind and decide for God. The Holy Spirit will respond fully to our slightest invitation. Jesus tells us, “Be very firm with yourself in this, and keep yourself fully aware that the undoing process, which does not come from you, is nevertheless within you because God placed it there.” (6:4)

Can the Holy Spirit help us to choose against the valueless?

Jesus gives us a wonderful prayer to help us redirect our attention to the valuable and accept the Holy Spirit’s help in choosing against the valueless. The Holy Spirit is in our mind to help us all decide for the Value of God. Here is where we find perfect safety, perfect joy and perfect peace. To help us with this, Jesus says, “Say this to yourself as sincerely as you can, remembering that the Holy Spirit will respond fully to your slightest invitation:” (6:6)

“I must have decided wrongly, because I am not at peace. I made the decision myself, but I can also decide otherwise. I want to decide otherwise, because I want to be at peace. I do not feel guilty, because the Holy Spirit will undo all the consequences of my wrong decision if I will let Him. I choose to let Him, by allowing Him to decide for God for me.” (6:7-11)

When is the right time to let this undoing process be done by the Holy Spirit?

As we learn to really accept that the undoing process is within us, we will pay more and more attention to it. This undoing process is accomplished by the Holy Spirit. We have been told many times that the Holy Spirit is always in our minds, waiting to decide for God for us when we are willing. The more we accept Holy Spirit’s help, the more help we receive. It is our decision. We can choose to accept His care and use the power of this care to help all our brothers awaken from the dream.

We are reminded that the time is now. We do not need the dreams of the ego. We will receive God’s gifts of peace and joy as we are willing to still our minds and accept them. Truly accepting these gifts involves sharing God’s peace and joy with every brother equally. This is making the decision for God. This is what making the decision for God accomplishes.

Because there is no order of difficulty in miracles, we can accept healing. We can “return to God the mind as He created it.” (2:6) As we return to God what belongs to God, we are healed. We return to wholeness where we belong. We return to perfect peace, where we belong. God’s joy is ours and we experience it only in God’s wholeness.

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