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MEDITATION ON GOD'S PRESENCE

"I am seeking nothing in the outer realm. I release all desire for persons, for
things, for conditions. I drop all of my hopes and my ambitions into Thy lap,
Father. Take all that I have, for all that I have is Thine. I release myself from
all fears known, for Thou art in me and I am in Thee. That where I am, Thou
art. Therefore, I fear not. I fear not what mortal man can do to me. I fear not
what human thoughts can do to me. I fear nothing, for I am in Thee and Thou
art in me. Where Thou art, I am and where Thou art no fear can abide. Is
there anything with power destructive to Thy child? Is there any power greater
than Thy power of protection, of care, of support?

Are there powers greater than God? Are there any powers beside God? Ah,
this is it. God is the only power. There are no powers to fear. No powers of
sin, disease, of lack. No powers. No weapon that is formed against me shall
prosper. For I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Therefore, easily,
gladly, will I surrender fear. And I surrender hope, for what do I need to hope
for? God is the greatest gift and God has given Himself to me. All that the
Father hath is mine. What is there left to hope for? So, I surrender my hope to
Thee. If I desire God with all my heart and with all my soul and wi th all my
mind, do I have room left to desire anything else and is there anything for me
to desire after I have given my whole desire to God? I desire only God - to
know Thee aright - to live consciously in Thy presence. This is my desire and
all other desires I surrender unto Thee. No longer do I have any desire but to
know Thee aright. Ambition? What ambition is there? What is there that one
could be ambitious for after one has known God? Is there something in the
world of greater value than God? Is there something of greater benefit than
God? No. No. Knowing God, having God, I can have no further ambition, and
I can surrender my ambition unto Thee. Hope, desire, ambition, fear. All these
I surrender. And now, there is nothing left in the external world fo r me to be
attached to. To love my neighbor as myself - this is natural, this is normal, this
is spiritual. To love my friends, to love my family - this is normal, this is
natural. But nothing external attracts me now. Nothing outside of me is
greater than my love for God, my desire for God, my realization of what God's
government means. And so now, here I am inside of myself, alone with God,
tabernacling with God, living in the kingdom of God within me and looking to
this deep withinness - this deep pool of contentment within myself, for
whatever it is that God is going to impart to me.

Remember, there is no contentment to the mind that is stirred for desire for
something that is outside. There is no contentment and there is no peace for
the mind that is in fear of something outside. The only peace there is, the only
contentment is in the realization, "I and my Father are one, and here within
me is the entire kingdom of God. Here within me, God has placed His son -
His beloved son. This beloved son is the r eality of my being. This child of God
is within me. Now, I am within and the rest of the world is without and I have
no desire now to go beyond my eyelids. I'm within me. My thoughts do not go
outside for there is nothing greater than that which I have wit hin me. And now
that I am at peace within I can turn to the Father within and say, "Speak, Lord.
Thy servant heareth. I wait for the impartation that is to come from Thee. To
me." Deep down within me is the kingdom of God. Deep down within me is
His presence and in His presence is fullness of life. His presence within me is
fulfillment. All that I shall ever need in my daily life is provided for from within
me, through this presence. Thy presence within me is the fulfillment of my
entire life. Thy presence within me is life eternal. Thy presence within me is
bread, the staff of life. Thy presence within me is wine, is water, is meat. In
Thy presence is fulfillment, for where the spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty,
and here, now, within me, is the spirit of the Lord. The spirit of the Lord God is
upon me. The spirit of the Lord God is within me. The spirit of the Lord God
has ordained me to show forth God's glory. The spirit of the Lord God within
me is my liberty, my freedom from fear, my freedom from ca re, my freedom
from danger. Thy presence within me is my freedom from care. Out in the
world there is care and trial and tribulation. But in Thy presence within me is
peace, freedom, joy, safety, security, abundance. Thy presence is my
abundance. Thy presence within me is the activity of grace. Thy presence
within me is the fulfillment of my career on earth. Whatever it is I am to do on
earth, is now successful because Thy presence within me goes before me to
make the crooked places straight - to prepare a place for me, to prepare
mansions for me. Thy presence with me is the substance, the law and the
activity of life harmonious. Thy presence within me is divine wisdom. Thy
presence within me is divine love. Where Thou art, only love can be
expressed. Where Thou art, only wisdom can be expressed. Where Thou art,
only peace can be known and Thou art within me. I and my Father are here,
together in communion with each other, tabernacling with each other, for the
Father and I are one, but the Father is greater than I and the Father has made
my soul His dwelling place. The Father has made my consciousness His
dwelling place. The Father dwells within me and I dwell in Him, for we are
one. Thy presence is the activity of divine grace and Thy grace is my
sufficiency in all things. Where is Thy grace? Thy grace is not out in a room.
Thy grace does not function out in the air. Thy grace is not somewhere
between heaven and earth. Thy grace is within me. Thy grace is within my
consciousness - really in the consciousness of all mankind, awaiting the
recognition that I am now giving.

This is life eternal, to know that Thy grace is functioning within me. Thy grace
satisfies me - in all directions. Thy grace is a law of love and of light unto me.
Thy grace is my bread and meat and wine and water and Thy grace is
functioning here and now, within me. I and the Father are here, together, we
are one. I am in Him and He in me. And, my recognition of the Father within
me - my recognition that the Father, He doeth the works. This lea ves me free
- free of desire, free of hope, free of ambition, but alive and alert in the
realization I can do all thing through Christ. I can do all things through the
presence of God within me. I can do all things. Everything - I can satisfy every
demand that is made upon me - physical, mental, moral, financial - by the
grace of God that dwelleth in me. I live, yet not I, The Father within me is
living my life. The Father within me is fulfilling my life. The Father within me
giveth me work to do and then He performeth that which is given me to do.
The Father within me leadeth me into green pastures, beside still waters. The
Father within me giveth me work to do and I work as the Father giveth me to
do, and yet, He performeth that which He giveth me to do. F or the Father
within me doeth the works. I alone of myself can do nothing. Only by the
grace of the Father within me is my life fulfilled. Only by the grace of the
Father within me am I led to where I can best serve God and man. Oh, yes, I
must serve man. I must be a servant unto man. I must dedicate my life to my
neighbor because if I say I love God whom I have not seen but do not love my
fellow man whom I have seen, then I am a liar. So, in loving God supremely, I
love my fellow man and love to help and t o serve and to enlighten. But only by
the grace of God am I led to those whom I can serve. Only by the grace of
God can I succeed in serving them after I have met them. And how do I
experience the grace of God? By turning within - silently, secretly, sacredly,
and realizing, here within me now, with the whole world shut out, no longer
external to myself, here am I, Father, and we are one. In this silence, I pledge
my life to God, having surrendered desires, hopes, fears, ambitions. I have
surrendered myself to God, and now, God, fill me. Enlighten me. Teach me.
Instruct me. Guide me. Lead me. Direct me. Feed me. Feed me. Sustain me
from within. Thou hast revealed of old, "I am the bread and the meat and the
wine and the water." And so I know that Thy infinite source of supply is
forever feeding and clothing and housing me. I know all this comes from
within so I need not look without. Thy wisdom is my wisdom. Thy love is my
love. My whole life is lived that Thy glory may be made manifest unto man.
Ah, yes, if I were to speak of myself I would bear witness to a lie. I, of mine
own self can do nothing. I have no powers. But everything that is performed
through me is a showing forth of Thy glory, of Thy wisdom, of Thy life, of Thy
strength, of Thy peace, of Thy power. Every bit of good that is made manifest
through my earthly life is a testimony to Thy glory - to Thy presence - to Thy
power. Without Thy presence and without Thy power I would be as a branch
of a tree that is cut off and withereth. Acknowledging Thy presence within me,
acknowledging Thy power, I am one with the source of all life, of all wisdom,
all strength. Acknowledging Thy presence and Thy power within me, I am one
with immortality, eternality, infinity. And all of this shows forth Thy glory. If I
am healthy, this is an evidence of Thy presence within me. If I have
abundance, this is an evidence of Thy presence within me. If I have joy,
peace, harmony - this bears witness to Thy presence within me. If I serve, if I
help, if I benefit anyone, this is the testimony that Thou art with me. Thou art
with me. Thou art in me as I am in Thee and we are one and all that is
performed through me is Thine own glory being made manifest to the world.
Thy presence - I feel it. I feel it. It is here - within me. It goes before me. It
walks beside me, behind me. And always, it looks over my shoulder showing
me which way to go. Therefore, by Thy grace I walk uprightly. By Thy grace I
walk confidently. By Thy grace I serve humbly and sincerely. Thy grace is my
sufficiency in all things. And this, which is so sacred, this, which is the most
sacred experience an individual can ever know, to be locked up within
himself, with the whole outside world shut out, to be here tabernacling with
God, feeling God's presence, feeling the assurance that comes with the
feeling of God's presence, this most sacred experience, must also be a secret
experience, for the Master teaches, "When you pray, close the door, go within
your secret sanctuary and close the door," which we are doing now . Just
think, each one of us is as if there were no one else in this room. Each one of
us is alone - locked up inside himself with God. Only God. In communion with
God. And this is a secret - a secret which we have from the world, but a
secret which we share with those who prove their readiness for the
experience. We do not give our pearls to the unprepared thought. We do not
teach the deepest and most sacred part of our work except to those who have
given indication that their desire is for a life of the S pirit - those who have
shown to us that they, too, desire to live a life tabernacling with God, living by
the grace of God. Not by might, not by power, but by the spirit of God within.
And so you come to the great mystery and that is this - when you have this
spirit of God consciously alive in you, you have the substance and the law
and activity of all form. And you will find that this recognition, this realization,
of the presence and the power of God within YOU, will appear outwardly as
every form of activity, every form of supply, every form of health, every form of
infinte good that you could possibly dream of and far beyond your ability even
to dream. One need not desire health. Just desire to know the Father within
you.

Close the eyes and rest in the assurance of My presence. For I will never
leave thee, nor forsake thee. I will be with thee until the end of the world.
Withersoever thou goest, I will go, whether it is up to heaven or down to hell,
or through the valley of the shadow of death, fear not. Fear not. It is I. I, here
in the midst of you.

Now, do you see what the mystical life is? In the mystical life the Father within
us is our food, is our clothing, is our safety and our security. There is no God
to send us these or give us these. Our God IS these. Our God IS freedom.
Our God IS security. Our God IS joy and peace. Only - if only it is necessary
to live - oh, a few moments in the morning, a few moments at noon, a few
moments at night - inwardly, like this, with the world shut out, until the very
feeling of God's presence is there and then take no thought for anything in the
external world, for ALL things will be added unto YOU. Be careful. Never
speak of this to anyone - not to your closest relatives. Not to your closest
friends, UNTIL such time as your own life bears witness to the fruitage of this
and then they come and seek it - and then don't give it to them until they have
PROVEN their readiness for it - their eagerness for it - their desire for it.
Because, you will find that your pearls can be trampled upon and you could
lose them. It is a strange thing to say that there are those who have found this
and lost it in their overeagerness to give it, to share it. And the reason is, that
to speak this, ordinarily, is like hitting a ball up ag ainst the wall. The wall
doesn't receive it, it just sends it back to hit you. And so it is, as I voice this to
you, you accept it, you receive it in your consciousness. It goes out from me,
it finds lodgement within you and then it comes back up to me in a wave of
love. But the moment that I try to tell this to someone who is NOT receptive
and responsive, it is as if it hit up against the wall and came back and hit me
instead of coming back gently, sweetly, lovingly.
You'll find that when you find someone who is seeking God, has shown by
their life some measure of dedication to it, that when you share this with them,
it doubles itself in you. At the very moment that you try to cram it down
someone's throat, the very moment you try to give it to someone who doesn't
want it, then you find you deplete yourself. Many do not realize that when the
Master was teaching the multitudes he was often depleted. An d the reason
was, that he was giving out this fullness of the spirit and it was merely
bouncing back - lying at his feet. Very often, when we have a lecture,
afterward, there is a feeling of depletion. As if you had given out all of your
good and left yourself blank. But this never happens in a classroom. Never.
On the contrary, I have never known a session of a class that didn't leave me
more elated, more uplifted, more filled with the spirit, than the beginning of the
class. The reason is, those who come to the class come with open
consciousness - receptive. They have indicated in their lives or they wouldn't
be in the room if they weren't dedicating themselves to a higher awareness, to
a higher consciousness and so they are receptive and responsive and they
receive and they give back.

"The Father within me." This is merely a term. But each one discovers for
themselves that which God is to them. Each one feels within themselves
whether God is the Father within, or whether God is Love, or God is Life.
Some find the spirit of Christ dwells in them. Some, the spirit of Love, the
spirit of Life. Each one finds this presence within themselves and the
presence assumes an identity. It is perfectly natural for some to feel this is
"the Father within me". It was perfectly natural for Abraham to feel, "This is my
friend." Sometimes the question is asked of me, why it is th at "Dear Friend" is
such an important part of my life. My letters start that way - even the monthly
letters. Always, "Dear Friend". And the reason I tell you this is that God is to
me a friend. God is to ME. And when I say "Dear Friend" to you, I am
recognizing my Father in you. When I write "Dear Friend", it is this presence
within me to whom I am speaking and it is this presence, this friend within me,
who is speaking through me - to you. But again, there are times when it is as
if the very presence of love in me or the very presence of life. But whatever it
is, it is THE presence. It is THE presence and it is THE power and that is why,
in the Infinite Way , our entire basis is that God ALONE is power. There are
no powers external to us. There are no powers of evil and there are no
powers of good. For the only power there is, is this presence within me. It is
the only presence. It is the ALL presence. And it does not have to contend
with other powers. It does not have to fight other powers or overcome them.
For there ARE no other powers. This that I feel as the Father within me, this
that I feel as a loving presence, is the ONLY power. And that is why, in the
Infinite Way, there is no reason to live by might or by power. There is no
reason to struggle to heal disease. There is no need to struggle to overcome
sin. There is a presence within US which does the work, and the work isn't
fighting or overcoming. It is almost as if it were dissolving a picture. And
nothing more nor less than that. It is not a power i n the sense of doing
anything to evil. It is only a power in the sense of maintaining and sustaining
its own divine creation - from Thy spirit.

And so, when temptation tells you that you are facing a problem, regardless of
the name or nature of the problem, regardless of its depth or height or width,
regardless of its seeming power, just ask yourself that question, "Whither shall
I flee from Thy presence? Thou art here. Thou art here. Whithersoever I go,
Thou goest. Wherever I am, Thou art." And rest, rest in that presence and let
IT perform its function. If there is a disease to be healed, let it do it. If it is a sin
to overcome, let it do it. If there is something in the nature of supply, to be
supplied, let it do it. Don't send it out. Don't make it you r messenger. Don't try
to empower it. Rest in it. Feel the presence. Rest in it. And then realize
regardless what devil stands before me, this presence will dissolve it. This
presence will reinterpret it. You need not fight. The battle is not yours. Rest i n
the Word and watch the evils of the world destroy themselves. This is not
merely true of your individual problems. But you will one day be so happy to
watch the great evils of this world dissolve - right before your eyes - as you
look out upon the evils of this world and smile. "Thou couldnt'st have no
power unless it came from God. We need not fight. We need not fear the
armies of the alien. We need not fear what mortal man can do to us. Why?
We have the Lord God Almighty. We have this divine presence wi thin US.
Then what is there to fear? And what power remains in the world in the
presence of infinte power? And so, be not surprised that we ARE going to
witness the overcoming of all evils in the world. Not by having prayer groups
to pray for peace. The world has had these for generations. Not by praying to
God to destroy our enemies. That's been going on for thousands of years.
Just in one way - settling back in peace - feeling this divine presence. And
then asking yourself, "What other presence is there t han this? What other
power is there than this? Who has empowered evil? WHO has empowered,
WHAT has empowered mortal mind?"

And the answer comes back, "Nothing. Be not afraid, it is I. The battle is not
yours, you need not fight. Stand ye still and see the salvation of the Lord."
And you will find this - after these meditations in which you retire within, leave
the whole world outside. All your desire, all your hopes, all your fears, all your
ambitions, surrender them to God. Settle down in peace. "Here I a m, Father.
Thou in me and me in Thee." Then, when the presence of the spirit
announces itself you really will feel there is nothing left to fear. For there are
NO powers. There is no presence besides this. This that I feel within me, is
the Infinite All, beside which there is no other. When you close your eyes this
way, when you have shut the world out, there is just you and that which sent
you forth into expression. That which is responsible for your birth. That which
is responsible for you every day of yo ur life. But the reason life hasn't been
successful is that we have lived it through personal sense instead of a daily
surrender to this presence within. No one's life would ever be a failure. No
one's life would ever end in weakness and fear and debility who surrendered
their life every morning to this presence within and let IT take over the day. I
live, yet not I. This presence within me lives my life and, for a long, long while
it is necessary that we retire within ourselves several times a day to make this
surrender, until one day, a complete and perfect surrender actually takes
place after which you discover that you're NOT living your own life anymore
nor thinking your own thoughts but it's always the Father is living your life, the
Father is thinking through you. The Father is living through you. And then, if
there are any desires or hopes or ambitions, it is the Father expressing HIS
will, HIS desire, HIS power, HIS presence."c