The “I AM” Discourses 2
THE DISCOURSE
When Jesus said: “ ‘I AM’ the Resurrection and the Life,” He gave forth one of the mightiest utterances that can well be expressed. When He said “I AM,” He did not refer to the outer expression, but He did refer to the Mighty Master Presence—God Within, because He repeatedly said:“I of myself can do nothing. It is the Father within—the ‘I AM’—that doeth the works.” Again Jesus said: “ ‘I AM’ the Way, the Life, and the Truth,” giving recognition to the One and Only Power—God in Action within him.
Again He said: “ ‘I AM’ the ‘Light’ that lighteth every man that cometh into the world,” prefacing every Statement of vital importance with the Words “I AM.”
Contemplating “I AM” as anything and everything you wish to be is one of the mightiest means of loosing the Inner God Power, Love, Wisdom and Truth, and setting It into action in the outer experience.
Again let us refer to His mighty utterance, perhaps one of the greatest ever spoken into the outer expression: “ ‘I AM’ the Open Door which no man can shut.” Do you not see how very vital this is when you come to review understandingly these Mighty Statements?
When you recognize and accept fully “I AM” as the Mighty Presence of God in you—in action—you will have taken one of the greatest steps to liberation.
Now mark you, in the utterance of the Truth that, “ ‘I AM’ the Open Door which no man can shut,” if you can but realize it, you have the key that allows you to step through the veil of flesh, carrying with you all consciousness that you have generated or accumulated which is imperfect; and there transmute it, or in other words, raise it into that Perfection into which you have stepped.
Too much stress cannot be laid upon the importance of contemplating as often as possible the “I AM” as the Mighty, Active Presence of God in you, in your home, in your world, in your affairs. Every breath you breathe is God in Action in you. Your ability to express or send forth thought and feeling is God acting in you. You, having free will, it is entirely up to you to qualify the energy sent forth in your thought and feeling, and determine how it shall act for you.
No one can say: “How shall I know how to qualify this energy?” for everyone knows the difference between destructive and constructive thought, feeling, and action.
The student, in receiving instruction, should constantly analyze the motive back of the question to detect if in that motive there is a feeling of intellectual pride, arrogance or stubbornness in the outer mind and body. If there is within the motive a lurking desire to argue and prove the instruction wrong rather than receive the Blessing and Truth intended, the individual has unknowingly shut the door, for the time being, to his ability to receive the good offered.
Again may I remind the students, regardless of their personal opinions as to what the Truth shall be, I have proven through many centuries, these condensed Instructions now being given forth. If one wants to receive the greatest benefit possible and the comprehension that will be absolute, certain freedom and liberation, listen with an entirely open mind, with the consciousness that the “I AM”—the Active Presence of God in you—is your certain ability to receive, accept, and apply without limit the Instruction which is being given forth with an accompanying Radiance—which will enable certain students at this time to comprehend these simple, yet mighty Assertions of Truth to their great Blessing and Freedom.
The admonition has been before humanity through many centuries: “Ye cannot serve two masters.” Why is this so? First: because there is only One Intelligence, One Presence, One Power that can act, and that is the Presence of God acting in you. When you turn to the outer manifestation and give all kinds of expressions and appearances power, you are attempting to serve a false, usurping master, because the outer expression can only find an appearance through the use of God’s Mighty Energy.
Your ability to lift your hand and the Life flowing through the nervous system of your outer form is God in Action in your body, through your mind.
Dear Students, try to use this simple means as a reminder of God in Action in you. When you start to go down the street, think for an instant: “This is God’s Intelligence and Power by which I walk, and this is His Intelligence by which I know where ‘I AM’ going.” Thus you will see that it is no longer possible to go on without understanding that every move you make is God in Action. Every thought in your mind is God’s Energy, which enables you to think. When you know this is a fact—and there is no disputing it—why not adore, give full confidence to, trust in, have faith in, and accept this Mighty Presence of God in Action in you; instead of looking to the outer expression which is clothed, qualified, and colored by the outer, or human concept of things, regardless of the One Mighty Presence which enables the outer to express.
All outer form and its attendant expression is but the experience Life by which each individual may learn—through his own experiences—the True Source of his Being, and come again into the Fullness of Perfection, through the Self-conscious knowing thus attained.
The outer experience of Life is but a constant, changing, passing picture that the outer mind has created in its pretense (imagination) of being the Real Actor. Thus is the attention so constantly fixed upon the outer, which alone contains imperfection, that the Children of God have forgotten their own Divinity and must come back to It again.
God is the Giver, the Receiver, and the Gift, and is the Sole Owner of all the intelligence, substance, energy and opulence there is in the Universe. If the Children of God would learn to give for the joy of giving, whether it be love, money, service, or whatever it may be, they would open the door to such vast opulence that it would be impossible to want for a single thing in the outer expression.
The unfortunate thing in humanity—which has caused such rampant selfishness and unprecedented condemnation of each other—is the idea of claiming ownership to these wonderful Blessings of God; for there is but One Love acting, One Intelligence, Power and Substance, and that is God in every individual. The Warning that should be placed before every student and individual is to guard against the desire of the outer self to claim power of its own. If in every act of the personality, God were given full credit, transformations unbelievable could not help taking place in the one thus giving full credit and power where it belongs.
There has rarely been a correct understanding of supply and demand. There is positively abundant supply omnipresent, but the demand for it must be made before the Law of the Universe permits it to come into the expression and use of the individual.
The individual, having free will, must consciously, with full determination, make the demand, and it cannot fail to come forth into expression—no matter what it is—so long as the individual holds an unwavering, determined consciousness.
This simple Statement used with sincere determination: “ ‘I AM’ the great Opulence of God made visible in my use right now and continuously,” will bring to the individual all he can possibly use.
The limiting element so many students seem to be unaware of is that they start out declaring the Truth, for instance, as in the above Statement, but before many hours have passed over their heads, if they were to analyze themselves conscientiously, they would find in their feelings lurking doubt or fear, for both these are feelings. Naturally, this neutralizes to a large extent the constructive force that would quickly bring about the fulfillment of the desire or demand.
Once a student can become fully aware that every right desire or wish is God in Action, propelling his energy forth to full accomplishment, and is always Self-sustained, he would become aware of the Limitless Love, Power and Intelligence he has with which to accomplish any given purpose.
With this simple understanding, the word failure would be completely wiped out from his world, and in a very short time from his consciousness, because he would see that he was wielding Intelligence and Power that could not fail. Thus, students and individuals come into their Full Dominion as God intends. It was never intended by the Great, All-wise, All-loving Father that any of His children should want for a single thing; but because they allow their attention to become fixed on the outer appearance, which is like the changing sands of the desert, they have, knowingly or unknowingly, cut themselves off, to a large degree, from that Great Opulence and Intelligence.
This Great Opulence is their birthright which everyone can have who will again turn to the “I AM”—the Active Principle of God forever within himself—as the Only Source of Active Life, Intelligence and Opulence.
All through the ages there have been certain standards of conduct necessary for the student who desires to reach beyond certain attainments. This is the conserving and governing of the Life Force, through the sex.
For an individual who has been using this energy without any thought of governing it to suddenly say, “I will cease this,” cut it off as it were, without understanding the correct attitude of consciousness, would be simply suppressing a flow of energy which he has caused to flow in the wrong direction. Any student who wishes to govern this will find this simple Statement the most efficient—if used understandingly—of anyone particular thing that can be given. This will normally and naturally govern the flow of the Life Energy and bring it back into its natural channels. It is the Mighty Statement of Jesus: “ ‘I AM’ the Resurrection and the Life.”
This Statement will not only purify the thought, but is the most powerful, lifting, adjusting force that can be used for the correction of this greatest of barriers to the Full Height of Spiritual Attainment. Anyone who begins to feel the Inner Impulse to correct this condition and will use this Statement earnestly and continuously will raise this marvelous current of energy to the highest center in the brain, as was originally intended.
He will find his mind flooded with the most marvelous ideas—with the abundant, sustaining Power and ability coming into expression and use for the blessing of all mankind. I ask any student to try this and watch the results in his own mind and body.
Feel deeply this Statement of Jesus: “ ‘I AM’ the Resurrection and the Life.” Repeat it three times, either silently or audibly, and notice the lifting of consciousness which you will experience. There may be some who will need to try this several times in order to feel the amazing uplift that others will experience at the first trial. This will show you in a small way what can be done by its continued use.
There is only one means of overcoming, or rising out of anything, and that is, after you know what it is you are to rise out of, to take your outer attention completely away from it, fixing it firmly upon the above Statement. Any condition in the outer experience that one wishes to overcome can readily be accomplished by the use of this Statement, as well as using it to change the flow of the misdirected energy.
I had one student who felt the Inner Impulse to redirect this Mighty Energy, and the use of this single Statement alone enabled her with little assistance to raise her body. In one year a marvelous transformation took place in her entire outer appearance.
It seems incredible that in the recorded Statements accredited to Jesus—which were only a part of what He really gave forth—that so few of humanity would receive the mighty import of those wonderful Words of Wisdom. At no time in the history of the world have so many Mighty Statements been given as He taught. Everyone of these, when conscientiously used, holds within it the attendant Radiance and accomplishment with which He attained. You not only have this Power of the “I AM,” but His individual Assistance also when these Statements are used. One should often contemplate the true meaning of these Mighty Statements of Jesus. When once you understand that your thought, feeling and expression of “I AM” sets the Mighty God Power in you into action—without any limit—then you receive that upon which the desire is fixed.
It should be no trouble for the student to see and understand that the outer appearance is but man’s distorted creation—by claiming the outer as a source of power—when a moment’s contemplation will cause him to realize that there is but One Love, Intelligence, and Power which can act, and that is God.
The human, or outer defects or discrepancies, have nothing to do with the Omnipresent Perfection of God, for anything imperfect is the creation of the outer concept of mankind. If man will turn to the “Mighty I AM” within, knowing that God is all Perfection, and that all outer appearance is but man’s creation through the misuse of the God Power, he will see at once that if he sincerely contemplates and accepts the Perfection of God, he will cause to come into manifestation in his Life and experience this same Mighty Perfection.
There is no possible means of bringing this Perfection into your mind, body and outer experience except by knowing and accepting the Mighty, Active Presence of God in you. Such full recognition will cause this Inner Power to propel this Perfection of God into your outer visible experience.
Say to students: “ ‘I AM’ putting forth, as a Messenger of this Truth, Statements of Truth which will positively produce results—if unwaveringly held to and used.” Students think things do not work because they do a thing today and forget it all next week.
The desire for Light and Truth is the Presence of God in the desire—propelling Itself forth into action. For illumination use the Statement:
“ ‘I AM’ the full comprehension and illumination of this thing I want to know and understand.”
The day your eyes are opened to see some of these Marvelous Ascended Beings, the joy will last through eternity.
If one does not take the attitude that: “I have the ability to do this,” he never in the world can accomplish the thing he wishes to do.
The moment you express, “ ‘I AM’ the Resurrection and the Life”—in thought and feeling—it immediately turns all the energy of your Being to the center in the brain which is the Source of your Being.
You cannot overestimate the Power in this Statement. There is no limit to what you can do with it. It was the Statement that Jesus used most in his most difficult trials.
Always know that when you decree a constructive thing, it is God in you propelling you to do it.
It is the most foolish question imaginable to ask, “Have you proved this in your own experience?” Each individual has to prove it for himself or it will mean nothing to him. Nothing ever really means anything to anyone until he uses it.
The feeling carries with it a certain coexistent sight. One often feels a thing with such clearness that he really sees it from the Inner Standpoint.
As you enter the Ascended State, thought, feeling, seeing, and color are almost simultaneously manifest.
Harmonious sound is quiet. This is why ravishing music is the most quieting in its effect, while bombastic music is just the opposite.
BENEDICTION: Thou Mighty, Majestic, Conquering “I AM,” we give praise and thanks for our comprehension of Thee as God Acting in us; and with Thy Mighty Presence and Radiance, cause us to feel the Mighty Import of Thy Mighty Truth and Wondrous Presence. When we contemplate Thee, let Thy Mighty Radiance fill us with that comprehending Consciousness to know and apply Thy Assertions of Truth more and more perfectly. We give praise and thanks for Thy Mighty Perfection and Truth for all those who look unwaveringly to Thee.