Psalm 147 Giving Praise

Praise is the act of recognizing the good (God) in any and every situation. When we understand that God is with us always, our reaction to challenges in our life is transformed from attempting to escape into profound appreciation. Each and every situation brings with it an important life lesson, if we choose to investigate it. When we are spiritually blind we spend our lives trying to avoid tests and end up in a lot of pain because of it. If instead we give thanks for every circumstance no matter how small or how difficult it may appear, it will refine our hearts and minds.

Psalm 148 The Rejuvenating Activity of Praise

Prayer and praise change people, not God.  To praise God essentially requires us to willingly put God at the center of our lives. We must surrender all of ourselves to the Spirit.

Psalm 89 The Covenant of Love

No matter how far we veer from our spiritual path, God is true to God’s promises. Even when we are in the depths of despair, we should know that all experiences in our lives have one purpose: to lead us to God. We need only recognize that fact and step forward in faith and love to claim our divine inheritance.

Psalm 126 Awakening from the Dream

Have you noticed that we tend to label things we do not want or do not like, evil? It is interesting how we take our own expectations and standards and make them the benchmark for ‘right’ in the world. Much of the suffering in this world is merely a dream (or perhaps nightmare) of our own creation. This is not to say that we should completely discount the presence of evil in the world, but it does help us take a step back and look more closely. More often than not our experience of suffering is caused by our own inability to let go of what we think should be and instead accepting what is.

Psalm 85 Understanding and Growth

The challenge in walking the spiritual path is that the more we learn, the more disciplined our lives must become. We must become the evidence of our understanding. Spiritual growth is never a straight upward climb. There are always surges forward followed by times of retreat and backsliding. When we become deeply aware of our spiritual nature (restored the fortunes of Jacob), the edges of our lives are smoothed and we seem to coast along more easily. Inevitably, we will be asked to explore another growing edge. These opportunities are challenging and at times it can feel as though we are being punished (will you be angry with us forever).

Psalm 80 Look Within

As we take our spiritual journey, we should expect to have trials and tribulations along the way. These experiences help us broaden and strengthen our understanding and faith. There are times, however, when we are caught off guard by these troubles and instead of looking within for guidance; we are seduced into relying on external signs for information and direction. Undoubtedly when we make these errors, we experience a great deal of suffering in our lives.

Psalm 100 Present in Praise

Have you noticed that it is difficult to praise God when we are focused on the past or the future? The only moment in which we can truly experience the Divine is now. This poem calls every fiber of our being in to joyous praise. We are to be fully present in the present. Giving thanks to God should be done with gladness not fear or moroseness. Singing is an activity that draws our whole being into praise. When we sing  the sound causes vibrations within and around us, creating harmony. Also singing relaxes the left or analytical brain. It allows us to be fully present in the moment.

Psalm 123 Spiritual Pride

Servants look to their master for direction (hand).  And so must we with the Christ presence within. Those who choose to serve God are given relief from the contempt of the worldly life. This requires a single-minded focus on the spiritual. When we begin to know the nature of God, we can have faith we will be protected in our time of trial. The mercy of God is grace—aid from God in the process of our regeneration. If we allow, Spirit can guide us so that we cooperate to the best of our abilities with God’s Law, and limit our suffering. But we cannot do this half-heartedly; it is an all or nothing proposition.

Psalm 78 Revelation

While study and spiritual practices are an important part of the journey, there comes a time at which these helpful tools have a limited capacity to help us move forward. Knowing God is a process of transformation for us not a destination. We must never be attached to the ideas or practices so that we miss that God is constantly revealing new and more profound aspects of God’s self to us.

Psalm 107 Giving Up The Fight

Have you noticed that it is hard work to rebel against God? In a sense, it is similar to fighting against the laws of nature. If we try to act contrary to the law of gravity, eventually we are bound to get hurt. Likewise, when we resist the Laws of Mind and Being, much unnecessary pain and suffering result. It takes a lot of mental energy to actively resist the presence of Spirit in our lives. And yet so many of us are deeply committed to this practice.

Psalm 90 Wrath

Divine law is designed for the expression of pure spiritual potential. As with any law the rules are accessible, but it is our choice to cooperate with the law and minimize our own challenges.
  
We turn to our own ways (dust) and then God calls us back to our spiritual nature. This is an on going process in our spiritual awakening. We make forward progress and then slip, as we are given tougher tests in life.  We experience a process of degeneration and regeneration on our spiritual path. But we who are persistent continue on honing our understanding.

Psalm 99 Mystery and the Sacred Life

What does it mean to live a sacred life? At its heart is a single principle:  to engage the world from the the Christ presence within us. We are created in God’s image and likeness, and as such our thought life (peoples) and physical life (earth) were created for the purpose of serving God. Spirit protects that divine spark within each an every one of us (he sits enthroned upon the cherubim). We only have to ask to be shown its magnitude, but that spark is always lit, no matter how dim the light appears to us.

Psalm 106 Obstinacy

When we successfully navigate a challenge to our faith, we must be careful not to rest on our laurels. Also we must not take personal credit for the success, it is only through Spirit that we are able to rise above our weaknesses. We can be assured that there will be a greater challenge ahead of us and we must always be prepared for that lesson.

Psalm 19 Divine Intelligence

There is an underlying intelligence in all things that is evidenced by the constant change in the world. Nothing stays the same. That is because of the Divine energy that moves us forward through the cycles of life. It is the source of all life. From every beat of our heart, to the seed that becomes a plant, this force creates life. We can choose to cooperate with that force or we can attempt to fight it, for God has given us freewill. But there are consequences of resisting.

Psalm 78 Revelation

While study and spiritual practices are an important part of the journey, there comes a time at which these helpful tools have a limited capacity to help us move forward. Knowing God is a process of transformation for us not a destination. We must never be attached to the ideas or practices so that we miss that God is constantly revealing new and more profound aspects of God’s self to us.

Psalm 145 The Nature of God

When we begin to understand the nature of God, we cannot help but be awestruck and humbled. Thanksgiving and love are the only appropriate response. As we step out in faith, we do so based on the character of God (bless your name forever and ever), not our own worthiness. We can declare that God is foremost in our life (I will extol you, my God and my King) when we begin to understand the nature of our relationship with God. The reason that we are saved is because of God’s steadfast love. But the breadth and depth of God is infinite; and just when we think we know all there is to know about God’s wonders, we are surprised by something greater.

Psalm 98 Breakthrough

Spiritual growth is not a straight climb. We experience times of major forward progress. Then we reach a plateau stage, where things roll along smoothly. After this phase of development, we typically have some sort of major upheaval in which our faith is tested. If we pass these tests with harmlessness, we begin the cycle again. The shift from upheaval to major advancement is called a breakthrough.

Psalm 149 The Two-Edged Sword

The power of the uttered and thought word cannot be underestimated. We can use the creative authority of the word to craft a life of joy or pain. It is our choice. The throat is the power center through which our understanding is expressed. Our word in tone and vibration always reflects that which we truly believe. Regardless of the actual words spoken, our true intention can always be discerned. This is why the tongue is the two-edged sword. On the one hand it is the source of all creative energy in our lives. However it can also be the most destructive force in our lives.

Psalm 26 Integrity

What does the word integrity mean? Most of us think of this word in terms of either being in accordance with worldly standards or some standard we have set for ourselves. Spiritually speaking, we claim integrity when we know that God is before us and behind us every step so that we can rest in our faith. To stand in integrity is to conform unwaveringly to God’s standard or God’s will through attention to the Christ presence within us.

Psalm 124 A Place of Safety in the Flood

Have you noticed how one negative thought can quickly turn a positive state of mind into a chaotic mess? These thoughts are extremely destructive and have been compared to wild beasts in this poem. They certainly wreak havoc on our state of mind when we allow them to linger. When we are overwhelmed with thoughts based in the deluge of material and worldly consciousness (flood, raging waters), we can always turn to God for help.

Psalm 133 Oneness

When we begin to understand our spiritual heritage, our entire perspective is changed forever. The commonwealth of God is only experienced from the perspective of unity. It is godly (good) to recognize and embrace the oneness of all things (live together in unity). Because we are all of God, we are all one. Spiritual consciousness is the recognition and experience of unity, the oneness of everything and everybody in God. From the unified perspective nothing but love exists, for we are all God and we are all one.

Psalm 105 The Promised Land

As seekers we must accept and embrace one major truth. The path is a process not a destination. There are times when we feel as though walking the path is joyous and simple. We should also anticipate times in which there are trials and it seems as though we have taken steps backwards.

Psalm 17 Effective Prayer

When we approach God in prayer, we must do so with an understanding of the Truth. God is divine law and just like the laws of nature there are certain rules (principles) that must be adhered to in order to effectively communicate with God. The golden key is the phrase hears my prayer from lips free of deceit. We must approach God with a pure heart, and God will see the intention behind our supplication.

Psalm 105 The Promised Land

As spiritual aspirants we must accept and embrace one major truth. The path is a process not a destination. There are times when we feel as though walking the path is joyous and simple. We should also anticipate times in which there are trials and it seems as though we have taken steps backwards.

Psalm 139 God is All

When we sit back and truly contemplate all that we are, we cannot help but be mesmerized. Each beat of our heart takes so many interrelated processes working in exact harmony. We know that it is impossible that human being could create something so perfect. If we sit and observe the precision of nature, we are filled with a profound reverence for life and for God. One can only take comfort in the immanence and steadfast love of God. We should take time to contemplate our lives and marvel at the wonder that is our existence.

Psalm 119:105-112 God in the Center

It is not through intellectual understanding that we follow God. It is through surrendering to the Divine that we attain wisdom and understanding. Knowing God is not an overnight process but a lifelong one. Age does not necessarily bring wisdom, for we can be obstinate and live many years, but not learn the true lessons of life. We can only hope that each day, in fact every minute and second, that our mind is open and receptive enough to learn all of the new lessons before us. When we follow the law it is a sweet thing because we can rest in the comfort of God’s protection and in the Truth.

Psalm 45 The Spiritual Marriage

In the Scriptures we see many different types of relationships between man and woman, beginning of course with the story of Adam and Eve. When reading the texts in the context of the deeper spiritual meaning, one sees that both the masculine and feminine represent various faculties within the individual consciousness. Masculinity symbolizes the intellect, mind and wisdom. Femininity on the other hand symbolizes for the intuition, emotions, feelings, love and the soul. These are not intended as pejorative labels and these ideas do not necessarily represent social roles for individuals. Within each man and woman all of these faculties exist and are to be developed appropriately.

Psalm 13 In God's Time

How long?

This is the eternal human cry. Waiting on God is one of the greatest challenges every believer faces. We must recognize that we are part of God’s plan not vice versa. It is our responsibility to maintain our faith in the divinely ordained outcome in every situation. Often we believe we are praying correctly for what we want in our lives but we get overly specific.

Psalm 86 Comfort

Once we have given our lives to God, we can reach out to God in humility in the times that are the darkest and find light. The comfort we need is available by calling upon God in our time of need and opening our hearts to guidance (teach me thy way). Sometimes we create our own troubles by making life more complicated than it needs to be. We allow warring ideas to confuse us. Spiritual guidance always gives an integrated perspective (please unite my heart).

Psalm 8 Dominion

God granted humankind dominion over the earth at the time of the creation (Gen 3). What does this mean? It does not mean that we have the right to do whatever we want to do to the rest of the creation. What it does mean is that we have complete control over our world. What each of us experiences individually is a product of our mental and emotional state. It has been said that at any accident scene there are as many accounts of the events as there are witnesses. What we experience and how we experience it, is a product of our own creation. When things appear to be chaotic around us, it is a reflection of our chaotic mind. In a state of spiritual mindedness, there is no chaos and confusion, regardless of the external circumstance.

Psalm 104 Divine Creativity

We have the opportunity to participate in the field of Divine creativity each and every day. God is constantly reaching towards us (laying the beams of his chambers). We need only be receptive. This current of life imparts divine ideas (messengers) and the cleansing and purifying activity of the Holy Spirit (fire and flames your ministers).

Psalm 47 Joy

Joy is more than an emotion; it is an energy that radiates from your whole being. You cannot be partially joyful; it is an all or nothing proposition. Our call is to praise God in song with unrestrained passion (loud songs of joy). For God is the ruler over our lives. The earth manifests the changes in our consciousness and therefore it is the last level on which spiritual changes take place. At this point, God has given us dominion over our thoughts (peoples and nations under our feet). Our heritage is control over our mind, the creative force in our experience of the world.

Psalm 66 God's Grace

Most of us are blessed with grace filled moments in which we recognize that all of the blessings of our lives are not because of anything that we have done to deserve them (who has kept us among the living and has not let our feet slip). All of the marvelous works in our life and in the world are because of the nature of God (his name). When we realize that God has taken care of every detail—from our conception, to the beating of our hearts, to the way the brain processes information—we cannot help but give praise. There is so much around us that we cannot explain or replicate with human understanding. All of these gifts give us clues to the character of God.

Psalm 31 Cycles of Growth

As we walk along our spiritual path, our lives and experiences move in cycles. Initially, there is a time of rapid advancement in which we have a lot of activity going on and our progress feels very real and measurable. These times can be experienced as a high because we are in the flow and we can feel it with every fiber of our being. We feel the Presence and Power of God in a tangible way. These are the times in which we are acutely aware of Divine activity in our lives.

Psalm 23 Green Pastures

Green is term we use to describe those who are inexperienced and childlike in understanding. But “green-ness” is critical to a fresh perspective and new understanding. Although many of us desperately cling to the “same-ness” and stability in our lives, living is about change and transformation. If we fight to stay the same, we find everything continues changing around us. It is in the new that we are best able to embody those childlike qualities, we desire. When we can drop the facade of expertise and knowledge, we allow ourselves to just experience what is. The excitement and anticipation in facing the unknown is palpable.

Psalm 116 A Near Death Experience

During our darkest times (snares of death, pangs of Sheol), we can always turn to that still small voice within for answers. Death is merely the belief that we are separate from God. If that thought is anywhere in our consciousness, we are dead in spirit. We cannot achieve our full potential without knowing that we are one with God and that in that relationship we live, move and have our being. When we trust in God’s steadfast love and faithfulness (call on the name of the Lord), we are delivered.

Psalm 16 Divine Protection

One of the most important aspects of a relationship with the Divine is that it improves the believer’s everyday life. This is commonly referred to as the protection of God. For the faithful there is a perspective on every situation that is beyond the worldly appearance. Without faith in God and the spiritual perspective, the world seems to be an evil place. This prayer of thanksgiving to God is a strong affirmation of faith that there is no good apart from the Divine. The spiritual life offers us the ability to see any circumstance from the divine point of view (holy ones in the land).

Psalm 118 Rebirth

We celebrate the resurrection of the Christ this week. This triumphant story has a profound connection to our own walk with God.  Death is an important part of our spiritual life.  In order to know God, we must die to what we think we know so that we are available to God's revelation. The creative power of God (right hand) raises us up and out of the confusion of the world. If we open our hearts and minds, Spirit can show us the straight and narrow path (open to me the gates of righteousness), the way to our inner Christ. Only when we surrender our lives to God can we enter into our spiritual domain.

Psalm 31 Cycles of Growth

As we walk along our spiritual path, our lives and experiences move in cycles. Initially, there is a time of rapid advancement in which we have a lot of activity going on and our progress feels very real and measurable. These times can be experienced as a high because we are in the flow and we can feel it with every fiber of our being. We feel the Presence and Power of God in a tangible way. These are the times in which we are acutely aware of Divine activity in our lives.

Psalm 130 Morning Comes

If God were tallying errors how could any us stand tall? But in God’s eyes we are all worthy. God’s nature is merciful, so there is hope for us all. The forgiveness of God merely requires that we be receptive to changing our attitudes and thoughts, and be willing to orient our lives around our relationship to God.

Psalm 23 Green Pastures

Green is term we use to describe those who are inexperienced and childlike in understanding. But “green-ness” is critical to a fresh perspective and new understanding. Although many of us desperately cling to the “same-ness” and stability in our lives, living is about change and transformation. If we fight to stay the same, we find everything continues changing around us. It is in the new that we are best able to embody those childlike qualities, we desire. When we can drop the facade of expertise and knowledge, we allow ourselves to just experience what is. The excitement and anticipation in facing the unknown is palpable.

Psalm 95 Steadfast Faith

God is steadfastly loyal and loving, regardless of our behavior. But what is the human initiative in this relationship? And what does it mean in terms of our life, if we fulfill our promise and potential in God’s eyes? We have the gift of freewill. That power can be put to use in the service of Spirit or it can be squandered pursuing the things of the world.

Psalm 121 The Lord Waits On Us

As we reach a deeper level of spiritual understanding, many things become clearer to us. Christ said, as you give so shall you receive. Most of us relate to this to in a very limited way. We think that if we give money or love, we will receive them in kind. But perhaps the most important application of this principle is in our relationship with God. When we serve God joyously and wholeheartedly, we will find that Spirit will serve us everyday in every way. Turning our lives over to God opens the floodgates so that God’s Presence and Power may guide us.

Psalm 32 Acknowledging Our Sins

Do your sins define who you are? Are they opportunities for you to learn and grow? Or do you hide your sins from yourself and others to maintain a facade? To sin is merely “to miss the mark” and we are all constantly doing that. How we process our missteps is just as important as the actual sin.

It is important to remember that we must acknowledge our sins before we can be healed of them. What does that mean? It does not mean that we wallow in them, feel guilty about them, give them power over us, or punish ourselves over them. It merely means that we must delve deep enough within our consciousness to know they are there. We cannot heal a trait that we do not recognize. As the psalmist says, we try to hide our iniquities from God. In reality, God is omniscient and so we have really only tried to hide our sins from ourselves.

Psalm 2 Overcoming Ego

The human ego is an interesting gift. It allows us to become incarnate and move through the world. Through the ego the personality is formed which enables us to become a unique manifestation of God. But it is also the source of much stress and strife in our lives. Our egos cause us to perceive ourselves as separate from God and each other. The ego is a powerful force that fights to maintain control of the consciousness.

Psalm 119:33-40 God in the Center

We must serve God with our whole heart. This is an all or nothing proposition. A dual-minded person is a confused person and cannot experience peace of mind.

We all experience trials and set backs in our mindset (those who taunt me), as we walk along the path. But we never need fear for once we have heard the word—it never fully leaves us. We may temporarily put it aside but it is still there waiting for us to recall the Truth. When we adhere to the law we experience a freedom like no other. However this freedom comes with the responsibility to keep God at the center of our life and to do it joyfully. In fact if we have truly turned our life over to Spirit, the joy is a product of that decision. (A)nd you will know the Truth and the Truth will make you free.

Psalm 119:1-8 Centering

It is effortless to adhere to the laws of gravity, we do not have to think about it and plan, because it is a law of nature and the way things should be. Only if we try to bend the laws of nature do we find ourselves struggling. When we are single-mindedly focused on God, it is effortless to keep the statutes, because that is the natural way of things. God has a plan for our lives and if we fix our minds on divine will rather than our own, we will find that the struggles of life will fade away. How do we do this? Through daily meditation,
spiritual practice and heeding the call of the still small voice inside of us (our intuition).

We must always remember that words and thoughts are the creative medium through which God (the Law) operates. The Word is not independent of God; it is “God doing the will of God.” We are co-creators with God in our lives, when we follow divine guidance. This is why we must meditate on positive, spiritual things and keep these thoughts foremost in our consciousness. But perhaps more important than the words uttered, is the intent behind those words. We must seek God with our heart; at the end of the day spiritual things are not of the head but of the heart. We can say lots of “nice” things with evil in our hearts and that will result in evil demonstrations. The word is made good through our intentions.

God’s steadfast love is such that we do not have to ask for forgiveness, we merely need to understand the laws of mind and follow them. It requires repentance (a change of mind). If we live a worldly life (live in the land ), we will feel as an foreigner ( alien). How can we be at home when we have not found our spiritual selves? Those who try to avoid their spiritual destiny find that their soul is constantly longing and nothing of this world will satiate it. Only things of Spirit can satisfy that yearning, because in Spirit we are “at home.” As we immerse ourselves in Spirit we find that our negative thoughts and feelings (insolent, accursed ones) become less and less pervasive and we begin to live a life that truly fulfills us.

And so it is! Amen!

Psalm 112 Wealth

We can be truly happy only when we fear God and love the law. What does this mean? Most of us view fear and laws as negative incentives to do something against our will. In the spiritual realm nothing could be further from the truth. Fearing God and loving the law are states of mind in which we direct our full attention Godward. And instead of being binding, it is this that sets us free.

Psalm 15 Abiding

Once we have had a taste of “knowing” God, most of us have the desire to remain in that space and time. Those moments of abiding give us the gift of forgetting our self and being our Self in all its glory. We seek techniques or methods to sustain to that unitive experience. Unfortunately the more effort we give to “trying” to achieve that experience again, the more likely we are to push it away. Eventually we find that the simple spiritual practices keep us on the narrow path from which our awareness of the Presence of the Divine is more focused. From those practices we open ourselves step by step to a Spirit-led life.

Psalm 27 Spiritual Warfare

When we are in the middle of difficult circumstances, there is nothing more powerful than knowing that God is there with us and that all is well. Our needs are already known and supplied. We do not have to ask God for anything, we merely have to open our minds to the knowledge that there is only God in our life and bless our circumstances. In the knowledge and understanding of our rightful place as children of God, what should we fear? If all that is God’s is ours, how can there be any lack? 

If God is for us, who is against us? (Rom 8:31)