Faith

[tides2dust]

I have to really think on this one. In a recent discussion titled, "Instant Healing" the word Faith was brought up.

Yesterday, someone defined Faith for me quoting the bible.

This morning, a channeled message on another forum was randomly selected defining Faith.

I have Faith that there is a guiding Spirit bringing this energy and contemplation to my awareness.

Now I find myself questioning whether I agree with the definitions brought to me, how I understand it, what I think it means.

I'm curious how others experience and define Faith???

[LightBeam]

It appears that you are experiencing a synchronicity with that word, Tides! Keep exploring deeper

In my opinion there can be as many definitions of Faith as there are people on the planet. And each definition would form that person's personal reality. It would make it true for them in their current focus of now. I am saying this because our perceptions and definitions change, and in another now our definitions may be different. There is not one right answer. Each answer is right for their owner. And when they wish to change their experiences, they need to change their definitions, and by extension that will change their perceived realities. And that applies not only for the definition of faith but for everything.

To me faith is the absolute trust in something or someone. And that something or someone can be many things in various situations. Faith in myself as a personality, higher self as an oversoul, All That Is, my parents, my sister, friends, guides, abundance, health, synchronicities, manifestations, etc. The absolute belief that something will happen.

[Adrian]

On a day to day basis, Faith is an implicit knowing that something is so without question, for example:

You have Faith when going for a meal at restaurant, the chef will not poison your food.
You have Faith that  your employer will pay your wages each week or month.
You have Faith when using public transport or driving your car, you will arrive safely at your destination.

Ultimately the highest form of Faith is knowing that, beyond doubt, with absolute that Faith we ARE God, Source, and the power that created the universe is within and available to us all. Absolute Faith IN God, AS God. Then all things are possible. As Jesus said - "according to your Faith, be it to you". This is the Faith Jesus spoke of.

Another bible quote - "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen". ~ Hebrews 11:1

In other words we have the power within us to have or be anything, subject only to the degree of Faith behind it.

Imagination backed by unwavering Faith is the most powerful creative force in the Universe - it is the power behind All That Is. That same force, power, knowledge is within every person, without exception to the extent it can be realised. An important aspect of Spiritual Evolution towards becoming fully God, Source Realised, is to find that power, knowledge etc. within, which can only be found in the Heart, never the rational mind.

Faith need not be categorised as religious or Spiritual - Faith is Faith, and its power is always the same no matter the object of the Faith. Also, our personal Faith is also God's Faith, just as our thoughts are also God's thoughts, because they are One and the Same. Therefore all healing is of God, no matter its apparent origin. I understand it can be a stretch for some to fully accept and know beyond doubt that we ARE God, Source, but equally to doubt we are in fact God, Source is to doubt God in absolute terms Consider, for example, these words of Jesus:

Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? The words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. ~ John 14:10-12

So Jesus was saying that if people believe what he is saying, with enough Faith, all the things Jesus did, everyone can also do, and even greater. Yes - Faith is a most valuable subject for discussion, and thanks Tides for raising it.

[LightBeam]

the works that I do shall he do also

I think this is the most critical aspect of Jesus' teaching, but twisted by the church to disempower instead of empower. The correct interpretation indicates equality of power to all, but only if fully realized and embodied. 

[tides2dust]

Hi guys,

Thank you for taking the time to share your personal insights, interest and experiences. It may be that one day we are with limited faculties and unable to consciously express ourselves. I am grateful this place exist, and allows us to explore these spaces together.

One might ask why, at the astral pulse forum, is there so much talk about God and Faith coming from this guy tides? Well, I believe the astral and spiritual concepts we share belong together like grapes to wine. And I agree with you, Adrian- one needn't be 'religious' or 'spiritual' to attain or experience either/or. And I agree with you- LightBeam that even specific words can have different meaning depending on the individual. Like how my understanding and use of the word Religion is completely different from the conventional and often negative association ordinarily ascribed with the word. Not that I don't understand the underlying disagreeing energy people feel when they think of 'Religion'. And there are words that we are so attached to, that have a potential to create sparks where firm or rigid personalities find themselves rubbing together. 

I have many points of interest that spurred during my morning walk through the bayou that I'd like to share, but for now I will try to keep it most relevant to the thread and the direction we take it- together. Perhaps that my mind was in this space, with both of you, means we were together at this time.

The text I presently find myself engaged in also mirrors the sentiments you two are sharing. While I can not deny this important aspect, I believe just as critical- what should always be remembered, is the personal/experiential relationship with God. We humans of Earth crave Experiential Wisdom.

The text I am reading, and find very interesting at this time- explains God as both impersonal and personal. And, that we have the opportunity to fuse with God. This fusion is experienced by degrees of both realization and actualization. It is an evolution that continues even after the attachment to our mortal body is released. It goes on to say that we will even meet God, as a personality, and even after- go on to provide acts of service in systems our finite and mortal minds can not yet comprehend. This acknowledges God, again, as all that is(from no thing to every thing). For simplicities sake, it may be better to allow paradox since linear reasoning is not enough to conceptualize the infinite I-AM.

The text does say that fusion with God is possible in the present incarnation we find ourselves. This is where words may begin to constrict, even if we are ultimately saying the same thing. For clarification, others call this fusion a shift in identity. We may even achieve amazing God-like abilities once we actualize and fuse with the fragment of God within ourselves and with God all around us. There are two masters that I know of who, by their understanding of God within and all around could not only materialize and de-materialize their physical entity by Will... They could teleport their followers. Babaji is one such Master Personality who could teleport a handful of his disciples from one geographic location to another. Jesus could walk on water and even raise the dead. 

There are also many great Saints, hermits, and even ordinary people who make no claim of Godship, religious path or spiritual discipline that are worthy of our respect and admiration. Nothing is impossible. I suppose believing that is a great leap of Faith. And the acts we find worthy were actualizations accomplished by fellow mortals, human beings of Earth. The other day, I tried to Will that a friend/acquaintance get hired on the spot. I prayed to Father God to make it so. It didn't happen. But, there was a very unique energy in the air. A stillness like no other as if I were discovering a new space/plane as I made my plea to God and tried placing my Faith in this exchange. Perhaps, Faith is a practice that requires a bit of training. That I became aware of something tangible, something new- maybe this is an introductory towards that experiential wisdom we so often crave. 

I think I realize now, the degree of my actualization of God within/God around. I notice it in moments people call synchronicity, but for me, these synchronicities are more than just some cool alignment. They are the works of something so powerful that space-time will bend and distort in order to acknowledge what is happening within, undisclosed to my fellows, as a way to further encourage and propel me towards my Hearts desire/Fusion with God.

The text coins the phrase, "Eternal Career" but I do not think of God Actualization as a daunting task- especially once we understand the varying degrees of Love, and many potentials ahead- such an endeavor is instead taken and shared with the greatest Joy. Eternal-Joy. And who else do I know, in their capacity to know God, has said similar? Paramahansa Yogananda. His phrase: "Ever-New Bliss" was born from peering into and experiencing the nature of God.

This morning I experienced the outside again speaking to me internally, where engravings in the cement came with whispered ideas and phrases. When I looked at the light reflecting off the tinted building across the street, the windows slowly started to move, swirl and stretch and a feeling inside of me started to match. As if everything around me, within me, was in slow motion moving to a point of collapse. At the same time, my Heart felt expanded and the very nature of reality- expounded. I'm not sure how much I understood, but that I received this lesson I do consider a blessing and am grateful for the Divine assistance.

Yesterday, just after-noon... A woman whispered my name. She was not visible... There was no physical body around. But she came into my left ear- I could feel her, and tried to welcome her by opening up the energy in my back along my spine. She came over the left side- and the way she said it, there was so much love coming from her voice. Her voice was not interpreted at the thought level. It was an audible whisper, external. It immediately placed me, "in a state." My heart longed. I want to know you.

This morning- WBTB... From 6AM-7AM, I can't remember the dream details that much... Only that there was a woman gifting me these gems. I think they were blue and green. She placed them in my hand. The feeling is, whoever she is- she is trying to help me wake up. She was trying to wake me up from my dream. The gems were somehow a way to pull me out from being unaware during the dreaming state. Well... That's as far as I got.

It feels the degree I have actualized is not even an inch on a ruler compared to the Master-Personalities who have walked this Earth. But I do have Faith that I have one foot in, whatever door is opened. I do feel and believe I am being guided and helped. And I excitedly draw ever-closer, as a burning desire to do so. And still more, I have Faith that the degrees of my actualization will continue even after this Life. 

[tides2dust]

Adrian, thanks for quoting what Jesus said. I am actually back to reading paper 196 "The Faith of Jesus" and I really enjoy the first few paragraphs:

JESUS enjoyed a sublime and wholehearted faith in God. He experienced the ordinary ups and downs of mortal existence, but he never religiously doubted the certainty of God's watchcare and guidance. His faith was the outgrowth of the insight born of the activity of the divine presence, his indwelling Adjuster. His faith was neither traditional nor merely intellectual; it was wholly personal and purely spiritual.

196:0.2 (2087.2)The human Jesus saw God as being holy, just, and great, as well as being true, beautiful, and good. All these attributes of divinity he focused in his mind as the "will of the Father in heaven." Jesus' God was at one and the same time "The Holy One of Israel" and "The living and loving Father in heaven." The concept of God as a Father was not original with Jesus, but he exalted and elevated the idea into a sublime experience by achieving a new revelation of God and by proclaiming that every mortal creature is a child of this Father of love, a son of God.

196:0.3 (2087.3)Jesus did not cling to faith in God as would a struggling soul at war with the universe and at death grips with a hostile and sinful world; he did not resort to faith merely as a consolation in the midst of difficulties or as a comfort in threatened despair; faith was not just an illusory compensation for the unpleasant realities and the sorrows of living. In the very face of all the natural difficulties and the temporal contradictions of mortal existence, he experienced the tranquillity of supreme and unquestioned trust in God and felt the tremendous thrill of living, by faith, in the very presence of the heavenly Father. And this triumphant faith was a living experience of actual spirit attainment. Jesus' great contribution to the values of human experience was not that he revealed so many new ideas about the Father in heaven, but rather that he so magnificently and humanly demonstrated a new and higher type of living faith in God. Never on all the worlds of this universe, in the life of any one mortal, did God ever become such a living reality as in the human experience of Jesus of Nazareth.

https://www.urantia.org/urantia-book-standardized/paper-196-faith-jesus

Here, it isn't as much of what Jesus spoke but how he lived. Here I understand Faith is not just a belief in great miracles, or drawn upon in times of despair. It is constant. It is living. That God is all-ways present. And more so, that Love is one of the greatest forces in this world. And it is Love that is guiding us. I especially love how the text exemplifies the idea that "living in the presence of god" is a sublime reality, full of thrills, joy and wonder. My own experiences affirm this notion.

I think the great truth is we are always in communion with God/Love. We wish to cultivate mindfulness, to be 'more' present. It tells me we do not always realize the constant communion with our Beloved. But, as we seek to harmonize our own Being- we may place greater Faith in this relationship with God.

Faith for me is God as Love, living and guiding all souls. Here and now.

And if it needs to be said, it is a personal relationship. Unique between you and God. For me, this life really is marrying the spiritual with the material. Heaven and Ego. This has been a desire of mine, even since a child. That declaration is here now- and heaven on earth can be attained. And we don't do it alone. (My humble opinion)

 

[Kodemaster]

I have to really think on this one. In a recent discussion titled, "Instant Healing" the word Faith was brought up.

Yesterday, someone defined Faith for me quoting the bible.

This morning, a channeled message on another forum was randomly selected defining Faith.

I have Faith that there is a guiding Spirit bringing this energy and contemplation to my awareness.

Now I find myself questioning whether I agree with the definitions brought to me, how I understand it, what I think it means.

I'm curious how others experience and define Faith???

Sometimes when the Universe talks to us, we don't always know the context. For example, maybe Faith is the name of a person. See if someone by that name needs your attention.

[tides2dust]

   Hi Kodemaster,
I thought about what you said today
and,
A customer named Faith came to our store shortly after. She's not a new customer, but she hasn't been in for a while.
Interesting timing.


She needed help getting our waffles back on the menu. =P

Hah.

Well, she is actually a pretty incredible woman. She has one arm, no one but me noticed the first time she came to our store. Here is her youtube channel:

https://youtu.be/oipt73CTy3M?si=OnePl6_4eVyGN1k7

Maybe it's not what she needs but what she has to offer-

Cheers 

[tides2dust]

This one's pretty cool, too.

I'm home now instead of working, I have been battling an infection. I wasn't sure, but went to a local clinic and after taking a urine sample they said I definitely have an infection. I normally prefer to self-treat, so it took an act of Faith for me to walk over there. But I was happy to have done so, I even found a penny right there on the floor after checking-in. A personal sign of being in the right place at the right time.

I am beginning to recognize Faith, for me, as surrender to the now as a guiding personality.

After my doctor visit I went back to the work place to clock out and collect my belongings. My co-worker was listening to a song and she said, "oh wow there's this new song by Justin Bieber and Eminem and I really like it. I'm going to send it to you."

She doesn't know about this thread, or the fact that I feel a growing sense of Faith in this personality... Or that I had to surrender my own apprehensions about being diagnosed at the local clinic.

So, pretty cool that she sent me a song called "Faith"
https://youtu.be/c2bTlbzH64M?si=xkSvICHt69gPZng8

She texted me and the time showed: 12:11PM

Never thought I'd dig a Justin Bieber song, or that either of these artist would perform such a song- turns out it's an AI collaboration.

Nonetheless enjoyable.

Eminem reminded me of my own creation with AI- the poem I shared, which turned it into a dark ambient hip hop  =P
https://www.mureka.ai/song-detail/83974034554881

Enjoy and have a great day.

[tides2dust]

I want to share a channeled message called,
"The Potentials of Faith"

This has quickly become a favorite. I do believe there were many like Jesus, known and unknown. This message talks about the lasting effects and what the incarnation known as Jesus brought to the collective for our species- humans of Earth. Like a stepping stone towards the ideal, if we view our spiritual evolution alongside human evolution we see it is progressive. What was once generally accepted without question, like ritualistic sacrifice, is now considered unpopular or distasteful. What was once common place- like torture(death by impalement, saw or boiling people in oil) is now considered cruel and inhumane. Slavery is now considered outrageous. But it is true, these were a part of our design- our expressions. As a side tangent, I think I've memories of being impaled from another life.

Without further deviation, let me bring back to the point... I love how this message highlights what is now understood thousands of years after Jesus incarnation...

Oregon, USA, March 20, 2024.
Thought Adjuster.
Subject: "The Potentials of Faith"

Message received by Anyas.

Thought Adjuster: "The lengthy process of salvation initiated, outlined, and completed by Jesus, a divine son incarnated as a man among men to show YOU the 'living way,' was dwarfed by human misinterpretations, shortsightedness, preconceived ideas, and lingering ignorance. It was presented as a miraculous and instantaneous collective redemption performed by a superhero who shed his innocent blood as a ransom for the sins of humanity to assuage the God of Love. Can you make sense of such inconsistency?

"The cross is not the symbol of the sacrifice of the innocent Son of God in the place of guilty sinners and in order to appease the wrath of an offended God, but it does stand forever, on earth and throughout a vast universe, as a sacred symbol of the good bestowing themselves upon the evil and thereby saving them by this very devotion of love." [UB, 188:5.9]

In reality, the process of salvation is ongoing, lengthy, and sevenfold. Your faith is the vote of confidence that initiates it. By following the 'living way' trailblazed by Jesus, you incrementally ascend "from the material level of self-consciousness to the spiritual level of God-consciousness" [UB, 117:3.3] — before and after death parts you from your physical body.

After his death, the ascending Jesus opened the way for his 'followers' — those making the conscious decision to walk the ways of righteousness throughout eternity — to the next chapters of their salvation.

The salvation he brought to this world and beyond runs deep: "1. Salvation from material fetters in the personal realization of sonship with God, who is spirit. 2. Salvation from intellectual bondage: man shall know the truth, and the truth shall set him free. 3. Salvation from spiritual blindness, the human realization of the fraternity of mortal beings and the morontian awareness of the brotherhood of all universe creatures; the service-discovery of spiritual reality and the ministry-revelation of the goodness of spirit values. 4. Salvation from incompleteness of self through the attainment of the spirit levels of the universe [. . .] 5. Salvation from self, deliverance from the limitations of self-consciousness [. . .] 6. Salvation from time, the achievement of an eternal life of unending progression in God-recognition and God-service. 7. Salvation from the finite, the perfected oneness with Deity [. . .] And all this, in potential, is contained within the reality of the faith of the human experience of religion. And it can be so contained since the faith of Jesus was nourished by, and was revelatory of, even realities beyond the ultimate." [UB, 101:6.9-17]; [Emphasis added]

Jesus started at 'the material level of self-consciousness' — just as you did. Animated by an ardent desire to solve the many riddles of the human condition, he grew quickly aware of the many conflicting and illogical interpretations about his Father in heaven.

His groundbreaking realization was that the Father is in him as he is in the Father. Once he established a living communion with his in-house divine Partner, he worked his human way to the spiritual level of God-consciousness and became 'the living way of ascension from the self to God." [UB, 117:3.3]"

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