Unity Church Of Clearwater

On the journey of Life, Jesus – the Great Example – goes before me and shows me the way. When the road seems long and winding, steep and rough – Christ, the Wayshower, makes my way straight and smooth. The I Am – the Christ indwelling each and all – is the only way, the truth, and the life. The Christ – the I Am within me – is my Wayshower, my saving grace.

The Book of Jonah is a classic example of a soul trying to escape following through with divine guidance. God told him to go to Nineveh and preach the word of God, and he got on a ship and went in another direction, instead.  I learn from the story of Jonah and resolve instead to follow God’s guidance.  In the words of Daniel Nahmod’s beautiful song (“Inside (to Find My God”): “I will leave this world as it is, go inside to find my God. Inside there is peace, inside there is joy, inside there is more than enough. I will leave this life as it is, go inside to find my God. Inside, there is peace, inside there is joy, inside there is sacred love.”  I go first to God, and then take outer steps (head to my “Nineveh”) if and as God directs, and I am delivered.

Even if a “flood” of seeming troubles appears in my life, I call it a “cleansing.” When I “go with the flow,” challenges always bring me to a higher place. When I pray for a sign, God sends me a sign – the promise of inner peace. I give thanks for the rainbows that can only come through the blessing of the rain.

This lesson speaks to the heart: it is taken from the Book of Psalms and from the lyrics to a song by Tom Kimmel. The title says it all: “No One Gets to Heaven If Anybody Else Is Left Behind.” “How many say of me, ‘God will not save that one,’ But you, LORD, are a shield around me; my glory, you keep my head high” (Ps. 3). “No one gets to heaven if anybody else is left behind.” “You, LORD, give light to my lamp; my God brightens the darkness about me” (Ps.18). “There is a light when we need it the most.” “You will show me the path to life, abounding joy in your presence, the delights at your right hand forever” (Ps. 16). “There is a way through this world if we keep this in mind . . . .” “Some had lost their way in a barren desert; found no path . . . . In their distress they cried to the LORD, who rescued them in their peril, guided them by a direct path” (Ps.107). “No one gets to heaven if any body else is left behind.”

At the core of Jesus’ ministry in the gospels is the goal of “getting free.” Imagine the impact of His words when He read from scripture with unmistakable conviction: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me . . . . He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives . . . to let the oppressed go free” (Luke 4:18). His words help me to get free as I accept His timeless teachings. The Christ Spirit indwelling me now sets me free from oppression. I claim my identity as a person of faith; therefore, I can no longer be bound by negative beliefs. I am getting free of worries and fears by knowing this Truth that sets me free from past limitations. I no longer walk as a slave to circumstances. I dwell in my Father’s house, and I am free, I am unlimited, right here and right now.

Jesus taught about spirituality as an “inside job.” It’s not what I eat that makes me pure; what’s “eating me” must be purified. My spirituality is an inside job. It’s not rituals and religious practices that make me holy. My spirituality is an inside job. Jesus said, “people do not pick figs from thornbushes, nor do they gather grapes from brambles . . . . from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks” (Luke 6:43-5). I have to be the change I want to see in the world. My spirituality is an inside job. Jesus said that when we pray, we should go to our “inner room, close the door” (Matthew 6:6) and pray to our Father in secret, and our Father who sees in secret will bring forth the manifestation accordingly in my life. If I want to change my world, I have to change my mind. My spirituality begins with me; it is an inside job!

Who does the dishes? I do! Here are some useful rules for true “spiritual housekeeping:” I wash the dishes by washing the inside first: as I hold cleansing thoughts of purity and harmony, my outward “house” is also in order. When mending is to be done, I release outworn thinking; I think wholeness and renewal, and the healing work is lasting and complete. Meals are prepared with love and served with joy, for Christ is at our table; all are nourished and made strong, as grace radiates from every plate. I am the willing servant of the Lord, faithfully keeping my spiritual “house” in order, and living in the flow of limitless prosperity.

“Those who go forth . . . carrying sacks of seed, will return with cries of joy, carrying their bundled sheaves” (Psalms 126:6). I am like Johnnie Appleseed: I sow good intentions everywhere I go, trusting that the good I freely share always comes home to me multiplied. Jesus reminds us, “One sows and another reaps.” I enjoy the roses blooming along my Path that were planted by others who walked this way before me. It is “my business” to keep the good moving along: Doing good is good business and good practice for a good life. Sure, sometimes it may not seem that the good we are trying to do is really “doing any good.” But St. Paul encouraged us to hang in there: “Let us not grow tired of doing good, for in due time we shall reap our harvest, if we do not give up. So then, while we have the opportunity, let us do good to all” (Galatians 6:9-10). Every little thought, every little word, every little action, given in unconditional love, will multiply blessings both for the giver and for the receiver. So, pass i

There is something about the old preaching style that rings true, that brings a lesson home, and fills the heart with faith and joy. We read in scripture that when the prophets of old would speak Truth, all the people answered, “Amen!” – expressing together their enthusiastic agreement. “Amen” is not just a concluding word, grammatically well-placed at the end of a prayer. It means: “I agree! That goes for me, too!” and “Bring it on! Let it be so in the manifest as it is in the ideal!” The word, “Amen” expresses approval, acceptance, agreement, but also is a joyous welcome for the blessing to come into form right here and now. The pattern of effectual prayer that is confirmed by the “Amen” is of profound significance in our own creative process. It is our way of saying, “Yes!” Have we said, “Yes!” to divine guidance? Have we said “Yes!” to healing in mind and body? Have we said, “Yes!” to prosperity in every aspect of our lives? Have we said, “Yes!” to harmonious relationships that work all the time and to pe

I am made in the divine image and likeness of my Father-Mother God. The divine masculine and the divine feminine express in all creation. “Mankind” is really humankind – divine beings who image like God images. Everybody is somebody’s child, and everybody is a Child of God, Who loves us with an everlasting love.

My every notion is energy in motion! As I hold to the Truth I love, my thoughts become things, and my dreams become manifest. If my dreams seem undoable, I cheer up and try again. Head up, I carry on and my dreams become visible. My dreams are destined for fulfillment for they are inspired by God, the Able-To-Do-All-Things! I am unstoppable! Anything is possible, for I believe!

I accept my healing – through whatever means, whether it happens instantly or takes however long it takes. I am in the healing mode, right now! No matter how long I have suffered, I know that I have enough faith to reach out and accept my healing. No matter how helpless I feel or long I have felt this way, I am ready to be set free. No more waiting for permission. It is time for me to claim my healing!