Daily Inspiration for Living A Course in Miracles

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Choose Peace First

Peace of mind is clearly an internal matter. It must begin with your own thoughts, and then extend outward. It is from your peace of mind that a peaceful perception of the world arises. (A Course in Miracles Workbook Lesson 34, W-pI.34.1:2-4A Course in Miracles Workbook Lesson 34, )

No matter what chaos appears to be happening in the world we see, the most important thing we can do is maintain a peaceful state of mind. Our state of mind is always our choice. We are in complete control.

If we are anxious, it is only because we have chosen to believe that false images are real. We have another choice. It does not seem to be a logical choice, but this is only because we have given reality in our minds to what is illogical. We cannot find peace in the thought system of chaos. But we can find peace in our right mind, our true Self. Our true Self is always accessible to us. We need only be willing to accept Its vision in place of our imagined perceptions.

The practice of stepping back from our perceptions and opening to our right Mind will bring us to the peace that will guide us through the seeming chaos of the world. Our true Self will inspire us with right action that quiets fear, heals our mind and blesses our world. We can offer no greater gift to the world than to choose peace first, moment by moment.

© 2017, Pathways of Light. http://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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Claiming the Strength of God in Us

It is God’s strength in you that is the light in which you see, as it is His Mind with which you think. His strength denies your weakness. It is your weakness that sees through the body’s eyes, peering about in darkness to behold the likeness of itself; the small, the weak, the sickly and the dying, those in need, the helpless and afraid, the sad, the poor, the starving and the joyless. These are seen through eyes that cannot see and cannot bless.

Strength overlooks these things by seeing past appearances. It keeps its steady gaze upon the light that lies beyond them. It unites with light, of which it is a part. It sees itself. It brings the light in which your Self appears. In darkness you perceive a self that is not there. Strength is the truth about you; weakness is an idol falsely worshipped and adored that strength may be dispelled, and darkness rule where God appointed that there should be light.

Strength comes from truth, and shines with light its Source has given it; weakness reflects the darkness of its maker. It is sick and looks on sickness, which is like itself. Truth is a savior and can only will for happiness and peace for everyone. It gives its strength to everyone who asks, in limitless supply. It sees that lack in anyone would be a lack in all. And so it gives its light that all may see and benefit as one. Its strength is shared, that it may bring to all the miracle in which they will unite in purpose and forgiveness and in love.

The light of strength is constant, sure as love, forever glad to give itself away, because it cannot give but to itself. (A Course in Miracles Workbook Lesson 92, W-pI.92.3-5;8:1. See also ACIM Lesson 92 Insights.)

Today we choose the strength of God in us. His strength overlooks the appearances of devastation and death. God’s strength is Love, which knows no fear, seeing only Itself everywhere. Nothing but God’s Love is real. The invulnerability of God’s strength is ours, for we were created by Love like Itself.

By choosing the strength of God in us today, we accept His promise that we remain the one Self God created, safe and healed and whole. In God’s strength we walk in certainty and peace. We claim it now.

© 2017, Pathways of Light. http://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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We Are Love as Love Created Us

We are trying today to undo your definition of God and replace it with His Own. We are also trying to emphasize that you are part of His definition of Himself.

…try to reach past all your images and preconceptions about yourself to the truth in you. If love created you like itself, this Self must be in you. And somewhere in your mind It is there for you to find.

You need to hear the truth about yourself as frequently as possible, because your mind is so preoccupied with false self-images. Four or five times an hour, and perhaps even more, it would be most beneficial to remind yourself that love created you like itself. Hear the truth about yourself in this.

Try to realize in the shorter practice periods that this is not your tiny, solitary voice that tells you this. This is the Voice for God, reminding you of your Father and of your Self. This is the Voice of truth, replacing everything that the ego tells you about yourself with the simple truth about the Son of God. You were created by love like itself. (A Course in Miracles Workbook Lesson 67, W-pI.67.2:8-9;3:1-3;5:2-6:4. See also ACIM Lesson 67 Insights.)

In the dream of separation, we are preoccupied with the body — feeding it, protecting it and giving it status. This preoccupation hides the reality that beyond appearances is the Self that Love created like Itself. We are all united in one Love, despite appearances in the world of separate bodies in time and space.

From the perspective of being a body, it is impossible to conceive of our oneness in Love. But God’s Voice is telling us that Love created us like Itself. Repeating this thought again and again and again helps loosen our mistaken obsession with being a separate body. It opens a crack in our hardened shell of defense to maintain the body as our identity.

As we open our minds to the thought of being Love and nothing else, we can be taught to recognize that we are still as Love created us. All that seemed to happen with bodies was no more than a dream and had no effect on our true Self. We are still Love as Love created us.

© 2017, Pathways of Light. http://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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Problem Solving with the Holy Instant

In quietness are all things answered, and is every problem quietly resolved. In conflict there can be no answer and no resolution, for its purpose is to make no resolution possible, and to ensure no answer will be plain. A problem set in conflict has no answer, for it is seen in different ways. And what would be an answer from one point of view is not an answer in another light. You are in conflict. Thus it must be clear you cannot answer anything at all, for conflict has no limited effects. Yet if God gave an answer there must be a way in which your problems are resolved, for what He wills already has been done.

Thus it must be that time is not involved and every problem can be answered now. Yet it must also be that, in your state of mind, solution is impossible. Therefore, God must have given you a way of reaching to another state of mind in which the answer is already there. Such is the holy instant. It is here that all your problems should be brought and left. Here they belong, for here their answer is. And where its answer is, a problem must be simple and be easily resolved. It must be pointless to attempt to solve a problem where the answer cannot be. Yet just as surely it must be resolved, if it is brought to where the answer is.

Attempt to solve no problems but within the holy instant’s surety. For there the problem will be answered and resolved. (A Course in Miracles, T-27.IV.1:1-3:2. See also ACIM Text Q & A.)

The holy instant is God’s gift to help us reach a quiet mind where we can receive His answer to every perceived problem. Whenever we are conflicted or uncertain about what to do or what to think, we are engaged with the ego. The ego has one primary goal: to maintain the belief in separation. Thus it will never provide a true resolution to any perceived problem. It will only offer a substitute illusion that we may like better than our current perceived problem. But the ego’s “solutions” will always maintain the illusion of separation in keeping with its motto, “seek and do not find.”

The practice of pausing and going to a peaceful state opens the door to inspiration that will truly solve our perceived problem. We reach this quiet state by at least temporarily setting aside our ideas of what the problem is or how we think it might be solved. These ideas come from the ego and can never truly solve the problem.

When we let our minds be quiet, the Holy Spirit can give us an answer that is truly freeing. It will bring with it a sense of peace and comfort. It may also include actions to take in the dream of form. This form reflects the state of peace and Love of our true Self in the world. This is how our acceptance of the holy instant and peace can resolve problems perceived in the dream.

© 2017, Pathways of Light. http://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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The Key to Peace and Happiness

If all but loving thoughts have been forgotten, what remains is eternal. And the transformed past is made like the present. No longer does the past conflict with now. This continuity extends the present by increasing its reality and its value in your perception of it. In these loving thoughts is the spark of beauty hidden in the ugliness of the unholy relationship where hatred is remembered; yet [the loving thoughts are] there to come alive as the relationship is given to Him Who gives it life and beauty. That is why Atonement centers on the past, which is the source of separation, and where it must be undone. For separation must be corrected where it was made.

It is still up to you to choose to join with truth or with illusion. But remember that to choose one is to let the other go. Which one you choose you will endow with beauty and reality, because the choice depends on which you value more. The spark of beauty or the veil of ugliness, the real world or the world of guilt and fear, truth or illusion, freedom or slavery — it is all the same. For you can never choose except between God and the ego. Thought systems are but true or false, and all their attributes come simply from what they are. Only the Thoughts of God are true. And all that follows from them comes from what they are, and is as true as is the holy Source from which they came. (A Course in Miracles, T-17.III.5:3-9;9. See also ACIM Text Q & A.)

Time is one of the key concepts the ego uses to make separation seem real. Memories of the past seem to be permanent because the past is not here and cannot be changed. Yet hanging on to memories keeps the past alive in our perception of the present. The past is also used as the basis for our made up stories about what the future may bring. With the past held firmly in our minds, the loving, radiant present is blocked from our awareness. This is why undoing our grip on the past is essential to free us to live in God’s present moment of Love.

Forgiveness is the Holy Spirit’s lesson that helps us loosen our attachment to our memories. As the past is forgotten we experience increasing peace and happiness, which are God’s Will for us. In each moment we choose between opposing God’s Will or accepting It; between the hell of lack of Love or the joy of living in God’s Love.

Today we welcome the Holy Spirit’s lessons in forgiveness to release the past and to accept God’s present Love now.

© 2017, Pathways of Light. http://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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Trust Our Guide to True Forgiveness

[All that I give is given to myself] is the thought by which forgiveness takes its proper place in your priorities. It is the thought that will release your mind from every bar to what forgiveness means, and let you realize its worth to you.

…seek sanctuary in the quiet place where thoughts are changed and false beliefs laid by. Repeat today’s idea, and ask for help in understanding what it really means. Be willing to be taught. Be glad to hear the Voice of truth and healing speak to you, and you will understand the words He speaks, and recognize He speaks your words to you.”

Do not let your mind forget this goal for long, but tell yourself:

All that I give is given to myself. The Help I need to learn
that this is true is with me now. And I will trust in Him. (A Course in Miracles Workbook Lesson 126, W-pI.126.9:2-10:4;11:2-5. See also ACIM Lesson 126 Insights.)

Are we willing to be taught another way of seeing? Or do we insist on trusting only what we see with the body’s eyes? This is a choice we make in every moment. When we insist on trusting what we perceive through the body, we maintain the dream of separation, guilt and fear.

By being willing to be taught by our inner Teacher, we open the self-made prison doors to receive the gift of Love and peace, given us by our Creator. As we accept Help to see truly, we learn to recognize the Truth in our brother as Love and nothing else. This recognition teaches us of the Truth in ourselves. This is why when we give true forgiveness, we receive forgiveness. It is time to accept the Help we have right now and trust It to guide us to true forgiveness.

© 2017, Pathways of Light. http://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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From Virtual to True Reality

You will believe that you are part of where you think you are. That is because you surround yourself with the environment you want. And you want it to protect the image of yourself that you have made. The image is part of this environment. What you see while you believe you are in it is seen through the eyes of the image. This is not vision. Images cannot see.

[‘My mind is part of God’s. I am very holy,’] presents a very different view of yourself. By establishing your Source it establishes your Identity, and it describes you as you must really be in truth. (A Course in Miracles Workbook Lesson 35, W-pI.35.1:1-2:2A Course in Miracles Workbook Lesson 35, )

What we see through the body’s eyes is a virtual reality. Virtual means that its an imitation, not the real thing. The body functions just like virtual reality goggles. With virtual reality goggles, it seems that we are in the scene. We can look in any direction and see different things, all from our own perspective.

The body does the same thing, but it cannot show us the Reality of oneness. It shows us only a false imitation of reality that masks the Truth. The body is incapable of showing us Truth, so we must have help from outside of the virtual reality story made up by the ego.

This Help is the Holy Spirit, Who brings us Christ’s vision in our mind which does not use the body’s eyes. Christ’s vision disregards form and sees only the oneness of Spirit. Spirit is united with God, sharing His Love and holiness.

To know our Self, we must undo the belief that we are a separate identity as a body. It is the Holy Spirit’s purpose to guide us in this process of undoing and remembering Who we really are.

© 2017, Pathways of Light. http://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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