Lesson No. 1

YOUR POWER AND GLORY

When one has the actual knowledge of himself, that is, when he knows his life and being to be God, the one and only Selfhood, and this Self to be one and indivisible, impossible of separation into multiple personalities, then he is ready to learn how to live in this world midst what seems to be trials and tribulations, and walk undismayed, free, and immune.

Remember this, of his personal efforts no one here on this earth can think himself into the kingdom of Heaven, redeem himself from what seems the necessity to make demonstrations, nor rise above the false assumption that he is imperfect, insecure, and incomplete. Not until one discards everything that has to do with personal efforts, personal getting, going, or demonstrating, in fact everything that has to do with becoming, shall he be able to understand with Jesus: I Am; I have; it is done; all power is given unto Me. Many still need to see that there is no such thing as personality, nor ever can be. Nor can one be or ever become an individualized God. Furthermore, one needs to see that he is never limited by time, person, place, or thing.

Let one turn absolutely and completely away from all belief that he is other than the perfect Life now; that he is other than the one immaculate body now; other than the one all-knowing, all-existing, all-supplying Mind now. If one finds himself unable to fulfill this divine requirement, then of necessity he needs to be born again. Just how can this be accomplished? Only through the Immaculate Conception. For instance, do you still make note of a certain day and place where you were born into this world of human parents? That two human beings gave you life, and you are a product of humanity? All such false assumption must be laid aside, for unless this is done, you are bound to continue to consider yourself a human being, under the laws of human birth, age, and death.

Now Jesus’ life presented the Immaculate Conception, and each must follow him, and each must eventually conceive himself spiritually, immaculately, that is, conceive himself to be Spirit, never having been born, never having had existence apart from Spirit, immaculate, timeless, unconditioned, Self-luminous and Self-complete. You must be born of the Spirit before you can actually see and claim yourself to be Spirit! Without this rebirth, or letting go of the false human concept to accept the Real and the True, you will unwittingly be attempting to poultice the Immaculate Conception over the human and material, and such attempts to gain the light of Truth will prove inconsistent and futile.

See and think only from the standpoint that Spirit is our only Substance and Identity; never have we had another. The one immaculate body is ours here and now; the perfect universe of Spirit is within us, before and about us. Verily what has been called a material world shall be known to be the city of God. One’s body which has appeared to be physical and material shall be found to be immaculate, free from spot or blemish, the very activity of perfect Life itself.

There is nothing but Spirit! Our whole mind, body, world of affairs are Spirit. Supply, income, abundance are Spirit. Happiness, companionship, joy, peace are Spirit. Through the Immaculate Conception we see the whole body to be Spirit; its actions and functions to be Spirit. Spirit is ever-triumphant in insight, awareness, action, power, and glory.

Every second, God our true Mind, is transmitting to us an experience which is beautiful, glorious, pure, good, wholesome, and complete; potent, invincible, supreme. Nevertheless, we are not only to identify ourselves with God as our very Self, but we are also commanded to know that there is none else! Right here is where the difficulty seems to be, and where one begins the deplorable practice to make a demonstration over what appears to be grief, loss, sickness, suffering, or limitation of any kind, even though considering them only "false beliefs." What must be seen is this: there is no evil in a false belief! Since false belief cannot originate in God, then it cannot be at all. Thus it cannot be associated in any way with inharmony or imperfection of any kind.

If a belief is of God it cannot create evil or any kind; and if it is not of God it cannot create evil of any kind – it cannot be, nor continue to seem to be. Surely there is no imperfection in God, nor can there be any imperfection outside of God, since the great eternal fact is that God is all, and besides Him there is none else! Can you see that a belief cannot harm you if it comes from the One-Mind, and furthermore that a belief cannot harm you if it assumes to come from something other than the One-Mind?? Therefore, if false belief cannot proceed from God, and God is the all and only of Being, then there remains no origin, no cause, no source, or means of existence for false belief of any kind. Is this not so?

Certainly, within God’s world there is no place for evil whatsoever, and what is of more importance to see is that there is no space or place for evil outside of God’s world. Plainly, then, there is no place for evil, either in Truth or in falsity. A false belief cannot affect the Truth, the true Mind, true world, or true body, nor can it have existence in or of itself outside the Infinite, since it is absolutely certain that there is and can be no outside to Infinity. Since what is called grief, sorrow, or suffering of any kind, cannot come from God, nor from anything outside of God, they cannot be, nor can they continue to seem to be.

The One-Mind said that a fountain cannot send forth both bitter water and sweet, and pronounced all things good and perfect. Furthermore, this One-Mind said, "Besides Me there is none else". Thus we are compelled to see that what one needs is to get rid of his belief in a false belief!! (This he does through divine reason, insight, and understanding. There is no delay, nor any belief of delay in your acceptance of this profound, potent, and powerful understanding which shall make you free indeed, in your mind, and in your body, and in your experience and affairs, in the ever-present now.

"I am come not to destroy, but to fulfill." Could Jesus attempt to destroy anything existing in the world of God? Could Jesus attempt to destroy anything existing outside the world of God? Thus he came to fulfill the eternal Word that "Without Him was not anything made that was made." The Truth cannot change, nor be changed, and this Truth means that your mind, your body, and your world are perfect, immaculate, free, flawless, and triumphant, even at this identical moment. All action, substance, power, cause, and effect come from the one perfect Mind or Consciousness, and from no where else.

Never will you be redeemed or spiritualized by trying in any way to redeem or spiritualize yourself. What is your redemption? To release yourself from all idea that you are human, material, personal, and identify yourself with God, the one Mind, one Life, one Body, one World. From this true and real position and viewpoint you will be able to see and understand (1) that which IS, and (2) that which is not. Never accept the belief that the Infinite has done all the thinking, but rather know that you are the Infinite, and you are to do such thinking which is based upon divine knowledge, insight, and understanding.

It is the will of God, the grace and love of God, our own Being, that we see and know how to be free, happy, and successful in this very world, and at this very time; that we remain in this world, and be kept free from evil. (John 17.15) The Way is one of Vision, Awareness, and Understanding that all Truth is in me, and that "there is no Truth in him." (John 8:44) That problems seem to appear, cease to be as important as that "From the gloom his brightness streameth;" that is, the Truth shall stand revealed and experienced, here and now, that no trouble of any kind can enter our mind, our body, our world, or our affairs for the fact remains that there is no place for evil anywhere, either in falsity or in Truth. Verily, each must be this understanding unto himself, not as an individual, but as the indivisible One.

Never accept the notion that as you believe yourself to be well, prosperous, or happy, you will become so. There is no such thing as becoming! As a personality you do not control yourself for good or bad. You are the Self, and no other, and in you is the full and complete knowledge and experience of Reality and Truth, and nothing else. Real activity of thought is based upon Truth, and is Truth, even that which is now and eternally, never upon anything which one attempts to bring to pass; and moreover upon the fact that there is no belief of lack or loss of any good in the totality of Being. None will continue the attempt to "make demonstrations" after he discovers his power and glory, his changeless and eternal Being, his immaculate body and world, free from matter, laws, false beliefs, illusions, or delusions to hurt or to harm in all My holy Mountain; for the heart, soul, and being is full of the knowledge of the glory of the Self, as the waters cover the sea.

Yea, we can then exclaim with our Beloved, "I Am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I Am alive for evermore."… "Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honor, and power, unto the Lord our God." (Revelation 1:18; 19:1)

Lesson No. 2

THERE IS NONE ELSE

"Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord; though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." This eternal Promise shall be fulfilled in you, and in me; and it applies to sickness, to limitation, and to vicissitudes of any kind and every kind. That God is all, and that there is no evil at all, must and shall be the proven fact to each and every one.

Today it is apparent that healing through metaphysical or spiritual means is protracted, not easily obtained – in fact, often seemingly impossible. The reason is that we are entering a new era where, as Jesus said, "There shall no sign be given." All of us have experienced "signs and wonders" in our body, world, and affairs, and now something of greater importance is being demanded of us. Surely you can see that if healing became easier, more and more certain, then we would be absolutely satisfied with healing, and so would never know or experience the great and eternal fact that we are now perfect, without any need of healing whatsoever.

Healing seems to be failing people everywhere. It is very disturbing to them because they cannot understand how this could be. Many say, "Years ago, healing was simple and certain. Now I read and study, and am more faithful than ever, yet without perfect results." Yes, it verily seems so. Others say, "I accept this great Truth that I am the Self, yet the trouble, expense, or limitation continues." The reason for this is that greater understanding is now demanded of us – not to heal diseases, loss, grief, and so on, but to see their utter impossibility to be or to seem to be, to exist or seem to exist. It is necessary that we abolish any and every error or discord with and by the awareness and knowledge of its nonexistence.

There is a distinction between light or revelation and that which we know as understanding. Light precedes understanding; that is, understanding is founded upon light or insight. Revelation or light can come, and it can bring healing instantaneously. It delivers joy, peace, glory, but not the power which comes with understanding. Jesus said that we shall know the Truth, thus these lessons are to deliver the knowledge which shall set us free.

Many have found that they cannot obtain light or revelation at will. Often the light will dawn when they are not even seeking it, yet when in dire need or necessity, and their whole desire is for light, it does not come. This teaches us that our need or requirement is understanding of what is so, and what is not so, such understanding which shall be at hand, and applicable on the instant.

Light, or direct illumination and revelation, deals only with that which Is, that is, with Reality and Truth – Perfection. Understanding deals also with that which seems to be and is not; it is the two-edged sword, which is "the sword of Spirit, the Word of God." Light brings deliverance instantaneously, as a flash. Understanding is based upon divine Reason, or Insight, which perceives the non-existence of evil, no matter in what appearance, thus proving that no evil is present; God is all.

To illustrate: You will recall that in my book, The Great Answer, I related my experience with Japanese beetles. When these insects first attacked my linden tree, I began knowing that as they were of God, or life, they could not harm the tree, which was also of God, or life; that is, life cannot prey upon or destroy life. Nevertheless, with all my clear and certain "knowing," the beetles continued to eat up the leaves.

After several days, suddenly a new idea dawned upon me. A question arose within me, one I had never thought of before. It was this – could there be such a thing as life in appearance, but not in reality? That is, could it be possible that these beetles had no life in them at all, and that they were not of God? The more I considered this assumption, the more certain it became to me that I might be right. It was certainly a startling and arresting idea, as I had always believed all life to be in and of God. Then I began to formulate my treatment so as to cover both sides of the question. I have told you that Light considers only one side, that which Is; but understanding uses the two-edged sword and sees both sides. I remembered, too, the various mention of pestilences in the Bible, and how the prophets destroyed them; also that Paul had thrown the viper into the fire.

Thus, I now gave my treatment as follows – "If these beetles are of God, they cannot harm the tree; and if they are not of God they cannot harm the tree." Can you see this to be the exact fact? Can you see that there cannot be anything outside of God, for the reason that God is all, thus that they could not harm within God nor outside of God? I had now covered the subject. With light only, I had seen that they could not harm if they were in and of God. And I had stopped right there. But when understanding opened to me I went further than this, and based my reason upon the fact that there is none else. Then the "miracle" took place. Lo, the next day, their eating days were over – they fell upon the ground, to eat no more. Now just what did I prove? I proved that they were not of God, and that there was no life in them. Furthermore, and of even greater importance, I proved that there was no evil present. It requires real insight to discern this. There never was any evil there at all, for the reason that the whole thing was spectrality, based upon the false assumption that there is something besides God. I disproved this assumption. The perception of their non-existence was their abolition.

Evil, error, matter, delusion, illusion, are not vulnerable as things; they are vulnerable only as belief. Understanding sees that there is no evil in falsity, and there is no evil in false belief. Good is all – there is none else. What seems a condition of lack, grief, or suffering of any kind, should never be thought of as a condition, but only as a false supposition or belief. Then one should begin to question as to the origin of this belief, as follows: Where could it come from? What could make it or cause it to appear? Could it come from God? Could it come from anything within God? The answer will always be No. Inherently one knows of a certainty that discord or inharmony of any kind does not come from God. Then let one inquire, does it come from something outside of God? Is there anything outside of the Infinite One? Again he must answer – No, since he is fully aware that there is no outside to God.

Through this manner of inquiry, one is bound to come face to face with the genuine fact and truth, namely, regardless what the name of the trouble, it CANNOT come from God; nor from anything other than God. Therefore, it has no source, origin, substance, presence, or existence. Our perception and understanding of these sublime realities forces the perception and acknowledgement of the non-existence of the trouble, and this proves to be its abolition.

Only when one inquires of himself, "Where does the false belief come from?" does he discover that there is no origin or cause for it whatsoever, either in Truth or in falsity; therefore, there is no evil in a false belief, there is no such thing as evil! Verily, the perception and understanding of the non-existence of evil in false beliefs, based upon inquiry of the Self, proves the ever-present and at-hand deliverance from beliefs of expense, suffering, or discord of any kind.

The Self is able to do all things, and as you inquire of the Self, your perfect answer is right at hand. Identified with the Self, you can say, I am the Able-to-do-all-things; I know the Way, I understand the Way, there is nothing and no one to oppose me; there is no belief of anything more than God in heaven above, in the earth beneath, or in the waters under the earth. The eternal Word is, and remains: I am God, and besides Me, there is none else.

Inquiry as to the origin, nature, substance, and existence of discord or limitation of any kind, leads to light and understanding, then the false appearance vanishes. You see, if one is not aware of what is so, and what is not so, he will unwittingly attempt to remove conditions through treatment. Limitation never comes from the one Mind, which is illimitable, all sufficient, and all sufficing. Nor can it come from any other mind, called mortal, human, subconscious, et cetera, since the one Mind is the all and only Mind in existence. The subject should then be dropped as one continues to identify himself with the Self from which he never has departed nor been separated. He then can say, "Infinite Light fills me now; Infinite Understanding fills me now; Infinite goodness, prosperity, wholeness, health, harmony, joy, and peace fill me now."

Infinite wholeness is all; there is nothing to oppose it, contradict it, nor interfere with it. Infinite Light and infinite Understanding are mine, here and now, always and without interruption, for I am the Truth; I am the Light of the world; I am the Power and Glory. Behold, I am the Real, the Perfect, the Absolute, and Eternal.

"The Understanding Series Volume 1"
by Lillian DeWaters

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