1993-04-04-Balance, Growth, Love

Session

Opening

Opening Prayer and Francis Prayer of St. Francis

Lesson

Stillness, Growth

Daniel: "Good afternoon my dear friends. I am Daniel, your teacher. As we have been together over these many months, there has occurred within your beings much growth, change, and understanding. The first step in this process came about through the act of faith in your desire to know the Father. The second reason for your growth and changes has come about because of courage, that great gift that you were willing to draw from, to give you the impetus to be willing to be open and to allow yourselves to change and grow. Courage was the step necessary to bring this about, and as I look around at you this evening I see before me very courageous and spiritual beings who, despite the happenings of a material life, are ever willing to pick up from life's trials and to carry forward. Courage is essential in the human domain. It is even more essential in the spiritual, for it does take courage, fed through spiritual channels, to bring about change within the human realm. When you lay yourself open to the Father, you allow His divinity to nourish and feed all of those areas that are essential for human life, that are essential for spiritual life. I encourage you to work on being ever attuned to allowing the fruits of the Spirit to be nurtured, to become a part of your being. And you know full well now, my dear friends, how these fruits can be enhanced, can be brought to life through and for you. Time spent in prayer, in worship, and in stillness with the Father ensures the individual of receiving these gifts. And gifts they are, not only for you in your individual life, but any soul, any personality or being who is gifted with these fruits will, likewise, be a fruit bearer for those whom they come into contact with, your brothers and sisters.

The time you spend with the Father enhances far more than you can even imagine; so important is it for you to be in that communication with Him! It is only in your knowledge of the Father that you are able to continue to grow. While the knowledge that you glean during quiet time is not readily apparent, you will discover that, over time, things and events in your life are handled and seen in a different perception than you have had previously. Things which you have had questions about are answered. You are given opportunity to discover and to find these answers. And this is part of the growth that comes about from being with the Father.

The Father has provided each individual on this plane with His own Being, with the Thought Adjuster so that He is ever present with each and every one of you. In His goodness, His broadness, He has given to His ascending mortals on all spheres a Creator Son and through these Creator Sons, your Christ Michael, the Christ Michael of my planet as well, is given the best example of how to live a mortal existence, yet be within a divine spiritual existence as well. And I ask you to recall from your reading the Urantia Book how often did Christ Michael go off to spend time with the Father? For it was through this time spent that the human aspect of Christ Michael was able, like yourself, to get in contact with the Indwelling Spirit, to get in contact with the Father. And it was during these times that the human Jesus became ever more aware of His divine nature, far greater, of course, than any of the ascending creatures of the spheres of His local universe. Yet it is like Him that you also come into that understanding of your divine nature.

Self Realization, Balance

When the mortals of this sphere begin to come into self realization they are coming into the reality of their God natures as well. And this is the very necessary step that must be taken to bring planets or a planet into Light and Life. Self realization, the understanding and acceptance of God-consciousness, is necessary. For when you have met the Father in a personal experience you are forever changed. And the life that you lead begins to change and grow and over time reflects more spiritual attributes, less human animalistic characteristics. You become more and more in awareness, conscious awarenes, of the Indwelling Spirit. And this allows you to make that transformation from a person who sees life and life's purpose as material gain; rather you now see the purpose of life through spiritual eyes, thusly bringing you into greater love, more desire to be of service to one another, more desire to let go of those things which bring about error. These things include power, greed, and the lack of personal responsibility for actions. These, my friends, can only be rectified, laid to their rest, when the individuals of the realm get back or come back into spiritual alignment, God-centeredness, God-consciousness.

As a member of this wonderful Teaching Mission, [I know] much is being done on this side to bring about help in this regard. When the peoples of this realm can let their lives not be ruled by fear, power, greed, and irresponsibility, then that which has brought you to such dark depths will be laid to rest. You who are coming into that reality are and will be part of this vital change of thoughts, change of thinking, so that there can grow and be more understanding of the necessity to bring spiritual balance back into the life on this plane. My lesson has been this, to bring to your attention the concept of and necessity of balance. As you live out your life the next few weeks, spend time in thinking about this balance. Pray that there can be balance within your individual lives and that this balance that is necessary for the life of all can begin to take root. If you are aware of areas in your life [where more balance is needed], you will be able to take steps to bring yourself back into the harmony necessary for human and spiritual growth. It is a courageous step for you and all individuals who take a stance in the area of striving to bring about world balance, for it is not easy to appear to be different. It is not easy to withstand criticism by those who do not understand the necessity for there to be more equity, more balance, more tolerance, love, etc. on this sphere.

As you strive to bring about balance in your life the way you approach your brothers and sisters will definitely send messages, will definitely plant seeds that they will take note of. And while it may take many generations, those who have the foresight and the courage to take those steps will be the ones who will be known by their fruits. To live as the Master has given us to understand means to live joyously even in the face of taking courageous acts, in the face of conflict with others. You who are being fed in spirit will be those who will, in turn, nourish your brothers and sisters. The Father cannot help but be lived out through you when you are in touch with Him. There, of course, is human weakness, but there is also the overall picture. And in time it is this overall picture that will feed your brothers and sisters; the overall God-consciousness that you reflect will be witnessed by others and will feed them, help to give them the courage to know the Father, to grow and change. Those who allow the Father to be a part of their day will not have a life that is magically easier than any other. Their life will, however, be blessed with the knowledge and joy of understanding the Father's love, of understanding the Father's mercy, of understanding the journey of eternal ascent. And this, in turn, will forever change you as an individual, will help to change others as well. Time spent with the Father can only bring about goodness, for in your knowledge of the Father, of your understanding of Him, you daily, then, create within your own being this growing reservoir of the Father's love. And it, in turn, spills out to others. Take time these next few weeks to harmonize and bring back into balance that which you can, through time spent with your Creator, through time spent with the oneness that will bring you peace and joy. I will now accept questions."

Dialogue

K3: "Good evening Daniel."

Daniel: "Hello, K3."

Doubt

K3: "We are kind of quiet this evening. The question I have is on doubt. A while back we read in the book about the ascending mortals and their progression. And the example was given of an ascending son on Paradise going from one stage to the next. And they used the word doubt, that if this individual had any doubt he was sent back to another Superuniverse to have that knowledge. My question is, when an individual is fused with the Thought Adjuster and is ascending, how or what type of doubt is this that you would have when you are on those worlds approaching Paradise?"

Daniel: "In the concept of your understanding of doubt you would deem that the doubt would be of negative consequence. And for the most part on a material plane this is a correct assumption. For in doubting something you are questioning and giving thought that will either bring about your changing or not. And doubt on this plane is or does give you cause to investigate, to learn, to research so that you can either reject or come into greater understanding, thereby being able to accept or through the understanding, being able to reject. In the case of mortals who are fused and when doubt occurs in ascent beyond fusion, it is more or less not taken in the context as you know it, rather it is an area that the ascending mortal has lacked in experience or knowledge. And in order for the ascending mortal to come into that phase of being spiritual, it is necessary for you to have knowledge of, or understanding of, or experience of all that is possible at the time. And so the context in this regard is that this mortal needs to be better prepared and have further knowledge so that the knowledge gained from that point on has understanding, clarity, and meaning to that ascending mortal. It is not looked upon as something degrading, rather it is looked up as being a way to bring about further potential of the spirit toward which you are working on your long ascent. Does this help?"

K3: "Yes, it makes perfect logical sense. That helped me and when I reread this I am sure I will learn more. Thank you Daniel."

Daniel: "And thank you, K3, for your question."

B2: "Daniel, this is B1. I wanted to thank you for our meeting earlier this week."

Daniel: "It is always my pleasure to visit with you individually."

Flow, Perspective

B2: "Thank you. My question now is..you mentioned that spending time with the Father doesn't necessarily make our life easier as it comes to fruition in our life but I have worked with 'prosperity' concepts and the pattern seems to work that it does indeed make my life easier. Not that I have more things around me or that I am more financially prosperous, but it really does make my life a lot easier. It helps avoid mistakes and helps me to make better choices, which does, indeed, make my life easier. Can you comment on that?"

Daniel: "Certainly. What you say is very true, for you who are sitting with the Father gain better understanding and your perception, attitude, and understanding changes, and therefor you can see life from a much more spiritual and higher perspective. My comment was for those who should think that because you have found the Father, that magically, overnight everything would magically have you marked; wave the wand and that will be given unto you. This is what I was referring to. As you come to know the Father those things that befall you in your life are easier to bear, easier to live through because of your faith and your surefootedness in knowing that the Father is with you and is supporting you. And this does, in itself, make the trials of life seem easier. Often times those who are involved in seeking paths that are not rooted in true desire to follow the Father's will, feel by their being on a certain path, that this will create for them less chances of having to experience life as it unfolds in pain, or in having to make those hard decisions of life. But this is not true. Turning yourself over to the Father only helps you in your perspective of life, thereby making any decisions you make, any trial you must bear, any pain that you must feel more bearable, easier to accept, and more abundant in your being able to see it for what it is, the experience that will help you in further growth. And this is my meaning in that regard. Has this helped?"

B2: "Yes, it has. Thank you."

N1: "Daniel, I still have some confusion in this particular area. I think I have talked to you about it in a private meeting before. As we desire to do the Father's will, more and more, isn't there an element beyond...what I am asking is..is there an effect on material circumstances as well? Don't material circumstances become somewhat easier in some cases? No, I don't want to qualify it by 'in some cases'. Don't material circumstances become somewhat easier?"

Abundance

Daniel: "The Father is the basis of all. He is the source of everything, all things. And you who are open to the Father, you who allow yourselves to follow and to be so directed by Him are given to be open to abundance in all areas of your life. And this is true of anyone who desires abundance. Those whose mind is set on daily saying, 'Thy will be done' are given to a greater understanding of the Father and their perspective of abundance grows. And you see abundance in all areas, in everything in your life. And this is the Father being there with you in that you know that because you are of the Father, you have what He has given. You understand that His goodness and abundance is there for you. It is a wrong and erroneous assumption that any mortal would find abundance, material abundance, as a reward for doing Father's will, for in doing Father's will you are not concerned with this aspect. It is not Father's will that material growth come from being with Him. By doing Father's will you automatically are accessing the abundance of which He has already bestowed, which is available for all. But those who clearly have their mind on doing His will are spiritually fed, are spiritually nurtured, have abundance even in the face of starvation. This is a confusing concept for many. It is a concept that is not easy for me to explain. Know that the Father has desire for all to be abundant and to be cared for in all areas of life, be it spiritual, be it relationships, be it through material, be it through health, be it through understanding and being able to see God in all your brothers and sisters. As you turn yourself over to Him, you see abundance, you are a part of all that the Father has to give. Has this helped in any way?"

N1: "Yes, thank you. I think I am drawing two things from this discussion. And that is that the Father does wish abundance for all of us in all aspects. And so by following, if our desire is the Father's will, and not any of those other things, we may be drawn into those abundances perhaps by making choices so that in a sense our lives change because we have different choices. Maybe even more so we just become aware of what has always been there and so we experience that as abundance. I am thinking in my own life, just the little things that I have been noticing in the last couple months that I have shared with the group. It seems I got just the night off I needed, little things that made the situation with my house go through. And maybe those would always have been there, but I wouldn't have noticed them and said 'thank you' for the fact that I got the night off that I needed; that my group perspective is changing. Is that correct?"

Daniel: "You are seeing rightly, yes. The abundance of the Father is around. You need only to access it and it is available for all."

N1: "And the way of access isn't to desire the abundance, but the way of access is to desire the Father's will no matter where that may lead?"

Daniel: "And the Father will always be available for you as you follow and do His will, as you serve Him and your brothers and sisters; so shall you be nourished, so shall you be fed, so shall you know abundance of the Father, of the abundance that His love bestows on all. Yes."

N1: "Thank you, Daniel."

Prayer

B1: "Daniel, this is B1. I would like to discuss prayer with you in regards to how to pray. Having read teacher Welmek's lesson of effective prayer I realize that one doesn't have to pray for the same exact thing for a situation or person repeatedly. That doesn't help at all, that once is sufficient. As I pray for other people though, I am becoming aware that it is difficult for me to say to God and everybody else involved, 'Do this or do that' especially with regards to the area of free will. And it is getting difficult for me to pray at all in terms of making specific requests. I am not sure I am making myself clear to you but I don't want to stop praying because I know that is not right. But it's partly this problem that the Father has greater wisdom, love, and foreknowledge and all sorts of things than I or any other mortal do. And He has all these people in place, angels and all the other spiritual beings who are working. And certainly it is not my place to be giving directions and making requests where I don't have the wisdom. And so what I have concluded is I add my wish for their spiritual growth and progress and things like that, but that seems awfully general. Can you give me any help with that?"

Daniel: "What you deem as being general is actually quite specific. For you see in life you are on the journey and pathway to the Father. While many do not understand this as the purpose of life, those of you who do realize that prayer, then, often is difficult in asking the Father to change a situation. You are correct in asking the Father to help this individual at this particular time so that in the situation they are involved in, they will make those choices that will further their growth, that will help them to come into a more personal experience of Father, the First Source and Center. And while the Father, of course, already knows all needs, all petitions that come to Him, prayer is a personal thing that helps you to focalize on a particular aspect, a particular person. And in your asking Father for the best for an individual, you are, in fact, giving that individual love in the greatest form that is often available to you. And, of course, your petition in this regard is heard by Father, and as all petitions that are spiritual in nature are not overlooked, in this regard you are giving over to the understanding that you know the Father's wisdom far exceeds yours. And you say, 'not my will for this individual, but your's, Father, be done', that they can also be on that journey to turning to Him. Do not be afraid or hampered to speak with the Father regarding petitions or prayers for another. Even discussing with the Father the problems you see is beneficial for your own sake. And you are, in effect, truly loving your brothers or sisters in praying for them. Prayers that ask for immediate changes in circumstances are not prayer. Prayer seeking guidance for individuals, that they may grow through their circumstance is true prayer. You, my friend, are on a correct path in this regard. Do not forsake doing your prayers, for they are, indeed, important. Prayer time helps to set the stage for you to go into the quiet necessary for you to know the Father. Prayer time helps you in focusing, in service, also, one another. Does this help?"

B1: "Yes, that's very helpful to be reminded that prayer is an act of love and I'm glad you specifically said discuss with the Father this other person. Sometimes I have worried that such concerns might appear presumptuous, but I have said, 'I don't understand this thing. Maybe I don't understand this person right or I don't know what's going on and I have talked about those things."

Daniel: "Often when you bring this to the Father by your giving over to Him and your focusing on your understanding, you are saying, in effect to the Father, 'In my limited perspective this is my feeling'. And in that regard you are not coming from a motive of arrogance, rather you are asking, also, that the Father can help you to gain greater insight. For often you are instrumental in helping others in and through working through their situations. And the time, then, that you spend in quiet with the Father will give you support in your coming into greater understanding, possibly help, for that individual. Do you see?"

B1: "Yes, thank you very much. That is very helpful."

V1: "Good evening Daniel. I was reflecting on what has been said tonight and what you had mentioned about those characteristics that are not fruits of the spirit, fear, greed, and power. I couldn't help but equate that with people that are really coming from a point of scarcity. They don't realize that the abundance of God is for everyone. I'm just wondering if that is a correct correlation. And if so it goes right back to being able to share the love of the Father with them so that abundance might be experienced or might be seen as it is there all the time."

Daniel: "This is correct. For you see, those who do not truly know the Father are prone to fall back on the human animalistic nature of which fear and the necessity to daily forage for food, forage for shelter, etc., in order for survival are characteristics that were necessary for primitive man. As man has evolved, so has man evolved spiritually, and with spiritual growth there comes about a lessening of the necessity to worry about abundance. For those who know the Father do know abundance, do understand His love and abundance for all. For you to give to your brothers and sisters love will not necessarily mean they will be able to change, but by loving them where they are and by helping to be a spiritual source for them to draw upon, will begin to plant seeds for them. If you can help them in some minute way to understand the Father's love, to understand His Kingdom, then you are bringing about change, not rapidly, but over time, which will add to the growing changes of others of the spiritual pressure that is currently and will be steadily applied to help all of those who are trapped in these human weaknesses. To yourselves I say, through daily communication with the Father you cannot or will less likely fall into these weaknesses. Does this help?"

V1: "Yes Daniel. And thank you. Your sharing this makes me think of the other thing that I was thinking about from your message tonight. And that is you mentioned a couple of times to be in daily contact with our Father for the next few weeks. And I couldn't help but try to equate that to . ..maybe it is the fact that we aren't going to be together again for two weeks, or maybe the fact that April 24th is coming or, you know, and I don't want to read anything into what you are saying. Surely it should be the rest of our life, unless there is something particular that you had in mind. Or if, indeed, the spiritual pressure that you just referred to is something that is really very near and very wonderful. I don't know if you would care to comment on that?"

Listening

Daniel: "Indeed this should be a lifelong 'get to' for you. The implication was given as an assignment because we will not meet for two weeks and I would ask that during these two weeks, those of you who are not seeking some time daily with the Father, begin to make this a real commitment, a real part of your lives. I am often amazed at how careful we as teachers must be, given the fact that our words often entertain fantasies or thoughts that we do not intend. My love goes to you. I thank you for helping me, again, to realize how important communication must be. It is difficult on all spheres, believe me! It is a very exact skill that you work intently on as you ascend in coming into that real communication of what is being presented, to hear exactly what is being communicated, you see.

I wish to side track here because this is such an important area in relationships. And I have noted in my times with you that often all of you are not very skilled in listening. When you speak to one another it is often only what you wish to hear that you hear, for you often do only half listen. In my days as a mortal I was very, very much like this. And so I can speak from experience that as you work this week to bring about more balance in your life, think, also, about bringing your communication skills into balance as well. Listen carefully to others as they speak. Take true interest in what they say, for in doing so your relationships will go along much better. A good rule of thumb is this; in every relationship the key to that relationship is the ear. Listen and you will prosper in that regard. You will find much abundance in what is being said.

Closing

My friends, I will now take my leave of you this evening and I send you my love, my peace, and my sincere wish that over the next time frame you will courageously look at your life and you will do what you can to bring about more harmony so that you can bring in the spiritual fruits that are gifts of the Father. These fruits help you to reach your potential to become more God-centered. My friends I send you, I give you my love. Good evening."

Group: "Good evening."