Fear....

Living in the past and living in the future in our minds instead of living in the present...that is what causes fear. I have often said we need to live in His presence in the present. It is amazing how hard that is for us to do. Pay attention to where your mind goes.

Helen said something about "ungrounded assessments of your future possibilities" projecting negativity into the future ...expecting the worst and creating anxiety, worry, fear and every other form of internal unrest thinking about something that MIGHT happen.

Matthew 6: (NIV) "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.

Can we say that no one can serve their carnal mind (the adversary) or what Tolle would call the "ego" the mind of Christ, what Tolle calls entering into the consciousness of Being?

25 "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 27Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? I believe they have actually proven scientifically that worry shortens your life and for sure we all know it reduces the quality of our life.33But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

Luke 17:20 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation (not in ways that can been visibly seen with the eye): 21Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.Thank you Lord for that reminder to live in the moment knowing that you will meet all our needs according to your riches in Glory!!! And help me to understand just what that means.

Tolle says "You can always cope with the present moment, but you cannot cope with something that is only a mind projection--you cannot cope with the future."

He speaks of the ego being the "mind-made self" and says that "so long as you are identified with your mind, the ego runs your life." He says the ego is very vulnerable and insecure and despite defense mechanisms it sees itself "as constantly under threat." He uses the example of needing to be right in an argument, "defending a mental position you have identified with", because the ego's fear of death cannot allow it to be wrong. If your sense of self is not derived from the mind this is no longer a problem. "You can state clearly and firmly how you feel or what you think, but there will be no aggressiveness or defensiveness about it. Your sense of self is then derived from a deeper and truer place within yourself, not from the mind." If you pay attention to defensive feelings you can dis-identify from them... "This is the end of all arguments and power games, which are so corrosive to relationships. Power over others is weakness disguised as strength. True power is within, and it is available to you now." And here's a thought "The more you are able to honor and accept the Now, the more you are free of pain, of suffering--and free of the egoic mind." He speaks of "ending the delusion of time" and start to live in the moment...use time for practical purposes in life but "always say 'yes' to the present moment." We are otherwise preoccupied with memory and anticipation. He says the past has shaped our identity and the future holds the promise of salvation or fulfillment but both are illusions and both cause us to miss out on the Now. He says your life happens in the Now. And Now is the point of access into the "timeless and formless realm of Being."

Ok, enough to chew on for one day... He is speaking into what I think is an age old problem amoung christians...escapism...delaying the heavenly for a future time instead of living in it today...assuming that God is separate from us and to a large degree inaccessable. Not so!!! When we can still our mind...He is RIGHT THERE!

Prov. 13:12 "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when the desire is fulfilled, it is a tree of life."

Reminds me of the song...

This is my desire, to honor You...Lord with all my heart, I worship You.