“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” (Isaiah 41:10). “Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.” (Luke 12: 6,7). “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” (John 16.33). “… My kingdom is not of this world:” (John 18: 36, to 1st :). “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God,” (Romans 8: 38, 39 to 4th comma).
In an old dictionary, I once found a simple definition of peace as, “freedom from all fear.” At different times throughout the years, I’ve pondered what freedom from all fear might actually be like. Surely, in this world, there are billions on things of which to be fearful. In fact, anything characterized as ‘evil’ is a possible threat to our well-being. Psychologists tell us it is wise to fear something that can harm us. In fact, they counsel that the fear response might save our lives. Yet, the word of God, revealed to the ancient prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 41:10 shown above) tells us to fear not before manifestations of human evil. The message is that God is with us, invisibly present and able to deliver us from any harm. Christ Jesus, also, (Luke 12:7 shown above) tells us not to fear the evils of this world, because we are of great value to God. Why did he say this? Upon what basis of logic are we to reject the sense of fear that sweeps over us when confronted with something, or someone, who is bent on our destruction? Clearly the logic of this world, or material realm, was not the driving force in Jesus’ directive. He was coming from a different point of view than world thought. Most likely, his view incorporated the kingdom of God, which he preached as ever present, but ‘not of this world’. (John 18:36 shown above). No, it was spiritual logic which the enlightened souls of the past and present exercised when turning us away from fear. It is a faith, nay, absolute trust, in something we can’t see, hear, taste, touch, or smell—the existence, presence, and power of God. It is a trust in the infinite invisible. It is a trust in the logic of good over evil; the logic of universal love that must exist for harmony to last forever; it is the logic of Spirit’s dimension, rather than the dimension of matter. Christ Jesus was our way-shower out of the bondage of materialistic fears, born of this human ‘place’, which is no real place in God’s creation. When Jesus claimed that his kingdom is not of this world, he was speaking for everyone—for only one creation exists, and that one is God’s spiritual kingdom. Our kingdom is also not of this world; we only believe that there is a finite kingdom that exists, and we exist as a part of it. But we must renew our minds (beliefs about existence) before we can call down the kingdom of heaven into the human experience. We must change the basis of our thoughts and beliefs from a material basis to a spiritual basis. When we do this, fear is the first enemy that is destroyed. For example, spiritual healing doesn’t take place in the body first, and then the consciousness later. Spiritual healing takes place in consciousness first, and then the physical body naturally transforms. The change that precedes healing is the shift in thought from fear of whatever material condition has manifested, to faith in God’s invisible law and power over all material illusions of discord. When this mental shift occurs, a peace comes over us, which signifies that the healing is done. Soon, sometimes immediately, the form adjusts. Christ Jesus spoke of this healing peace when he said, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John 14:27). Notice how he addresses fear here: Don’t allow it. Don’t allow yourself to be afraid. There is a higher truth, and you’re all safe and sound within it. Jesus knew the power of spiritually-based thought, and he spoke of the power of faith in relation to its healing effects on the body we manifest, as well as the human discords we experience. The Master didn’t turn to the physical realm for remedy of any kind—he, in fact, always turned to acknowledge the ever-presence of god’s government and loving control over all creation, in spite of all the diseased, deformed and injured bodies that were presented to him for healing, and all the claims of poverty, violence, and discordant situations that arose for the people around him. Jesus discarded the claim of physical causation, or need for material power to heal what seemed to be physically caused. Material objects have no power to cause anything. It is consciousness that is the culprit, and belief in material powers, which gives matter an appearance of causation. Better than anyone else, Jesus was acquainted with true law, which is spiritual, operating from divine Spirit. He was speaking of spiritual law, God’s law, when he said, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.” (Matthew 5: 17). And, “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.” (Matthew 7: 12). Another time, when addressing the subject of God’s law, someone asked him “Master, which is the great commandment in the law?” (Matthew 22: 36). To which Jesus responded, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” (Matthew 22: 37-40). We live throughout eternity by spiritual, not material law. Spiritual healing is based upon the law of God, Spirit, which forever holds all creation in perfect health, life and harmony. Spiritual healing can occur because of these invisible laws of God, underlying the false belief in a material creation. But such healing is neither magical nor miraculous. It happens when a change occurs in consciousness from a material basis to a spiritual basis. It happens when earth-born fear is challenged and conquered in one’s thoughts. In analyzing fear, we find that it is always materially based. There is no such thing as ‘spiritual fear’. But a change in consciousness from earthly fear, to faith, then to peace, must take place in consciousness for spiritual healing to occur. This change may occur from one’s own spiritual prayer and activity, or from the mental, spiritual activity of someone else who knows the truth of spiritual being for another. Christ Jesus and even his disciples (who had learned the way of such healing) could heal, not just themselves, but also those who were unacquainted with spiritual truth. They only required a speck of faith in spiritual power, from those who desired such healing. It’s so important to realize that the disciples healed others as a demonstration of spiritual power over material beliefs, while teaching others what they, the disciples themselves, knew and were learning of spiritual truth and how it relates to healing. The healing of others wasn’t to be a continuous act for each individual healed—it was to show the results of spiritual understanding by the transformation it brought to the material, human scene. Healing through spiritual realization of true being was meant to be a universal activity for all humanity to follow and perfect. The disciples became no one’s private physician. No individual disciple could possibly, daily, keep knowing the truth for the hundreds (sometimes thousands) who came to them for healing. The intent, clearly, was to teach people to heal themselves. Like the old adage, they might give a hungry individual fish once or twice, but then these hungry ones needed to fish for themselves. So it is with spiritual aid; we don’t want to become chronically dependent upon others for spiritual healing. Spiritual enlightenment, (rather than having a spiritual ‘physician’ to run to in every problem) is what is required of every individual who hears the word of God. Years in the public practice of spiritual healing, however, revealed to me a sad fact: too many people who are healed by another’s spiritual efforts on their behalf don’t really care how and why spiritual healing works. They’d rather let another keep doing it for them, while they get on with the more pleasant things in their lives. Before recognizing this dynamic, I gave up many hours and days of my time, mostly on weekends, while the individuals I was doing spiritual praying for went out boating, swimming, to luncheons, and had a good time, with no spiritual or mental effort of their own. Several individuals called me every Friday with a list of things, and problems, they wanted me to heal—just so these problems wouldn’t spoil their weekends. Often my spiritual prayers and meditation on their behalf revealed certain thing they needed to address; but when asked to do so (to get to the root of their problem) only a very, rare few wanted to spend any time on it. That was when it dawned upon my thought, just what Christ Jesus meant when he said to those who kept following him, “…Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled. Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.” (John 6: 26, 27). Many who followed Christ Jesus about the countryside wanted to be continuously healed by him; they didn’t want to learn of the principles which had healed them. The real food he offered was the revelations of spiritual being which would heal any and all discords that confronted them, if only they took these truths into human consciousness. Yet, only a rare few wanted to take part in the healing process—the change in thought from fear, to faith, to peace. So, one thing I finally learned about spiritual progress for those needing healing is that doing it for them, too often, isn’t a good thing for them. Teaching others to heal is superior to continuously doing it for them. On another note, when going through the mental process from fear, to faith is made, and I don’t feel the peace which should follow, I know the healing isn’t complete. If I don’t feel that peace, I know that fear is still hiding in human consciousness; my thought hasn’t yet yielded to faith in the invisible kingdom and authority of God. So, when I don’t feel that peace and dominion over some discord, there is something specific I always do: I remember and firmly declare, mentally, that this peace is present within my Christ Consciousness, the universal Christ Consciousness; and I ask this divine Intelligence within to reveal itself to me (come forward in my human consciousness, which is still a mixture of fear and faith) and tell me whatever spiritual truth I still need to know, in order for fear to be thoroughly vanquished. Soon, more unfoldment of spiritual love, safety and law comes to the forefront of thought, and with it, my peace, not of this world, also comes. This Christ Consciousness is within us. It is our real, divine mentality and our oneness with God, who says, “Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.” (Luke 15: 31). Part of this “all” is the comprehension and full understanding of all spiritual truth, known to God and to all God’s sons and daughters. It is our spiritual confidence that in God’s forever kingdom (of which we are a valuable part) there is never any evil in existence to fear. God has declared Its creation good. Good has no opposite in Spirit’s realm. There is no such thing as spiritual evil. Healing in this manner is simple to learn. A child can do it. No one is a special healer. In fact, what one really has to know, at all times, is that there’s never anything in God’s creation to heal. Spiritual perfection, in its ever-lasting glory, has never changed to discord. We must SEE this; not try to make it so. It’s already so in the spiritual dimension, where we really are. Thus, it is the goal to become a Seer, not a healer, which we must pursue. And we need not despair when there is no physical evidence right away. Healing is still going on. It will come, when all fear has been handled. Even the disciples had their own problems to heal with spiritual truth. They were just fortunate to have the greatest healer of all time with them, explaining reality to them. And Jesus always addressed the role of faith (not any personal power of himself) when saying to those healed of something, “…thy faith hath made thee whole.” (see Matthew 9:22, Mark 10:52, and Luke 17:19). When one learns to be a pilot, a builder, an astronomer, or anything else, it isn’t a special gift. These things can be taught to those who wish to learn, depending upon their own efforts to that end. Likewise, turning human fear to faith in the invisible kingdom of God (and God’s ever-present spiritual laws of perpetual health and eternal life) takes practice, prayer and meditation—just as one learning to be proficient at anything else takes practice and effort. To heal spiritually, one must learn to heal consciousness first. If fear is present, it must be the first thing to be cleared out of thought. When fear has been cast out of thought, faith in the truth of spiritual being, under God’s divine government of love, must replace fear. Faith is full confidence, with no doubt. Only the practice of turning from the material scene, to the realization of God’s invisible presence and absolute control over the harmony in Its own creation, brings forth that peace, not of this world. When spiritual peace comes forward, sometimes the whole body relaxes before the physical transformation has even begun. But with each spiritual thought, the healing is already taking place, and the body (or situation) must follow the new state of consciousness. For those who choose to find it, the logic behind the words, “Fear Not” is already deep within themselves.
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