Psalm 84 Worshipping in the Temple

Once we have turned our attention Godward, we are transformed. When we have had a taste of the Truth it becomes irresistible to us. Even though there are many challenges to be met along the way, when we have experienced the joy of letting go and letting God, it is impossible to forget. There is such happiness and harmony when we go with the flow of Spirit rather than resisting. What a gift it is to learn that God truly has only our best interests at heart! When we put ourselves completely into God’s hands, we can have all of these things with no effort of our own.

Psalm 111 Praise as Practice

Many believe that in order to praise God we must go to church or secret ourselves away in prayer and meditation. While these are fine ways to spend time, we must understand that with every breath we take we make a choice whether or not to praise God. If we live in worldly consciousness, we praise that giving our thoughts to the external. When we decide to view all things in our lives spiritually and act accordingly, we praise God.

Psalm 24 Sincerity

Contemplative moments (ascend the hill of the Lord ) are ones in which we are acutely aware of the Presence of God within us and in our midst and our connection to that Presence. It is interesting that while we are in the world, we are never separate from God (the earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it.) And yet even the most devout people proclaim the experience of separation from God. Despite the presence of God everywhere, in the world there are many distractions, internal and external, that seduce our attention and energies away from this truth. During these times it is critical that we stay connected to our deep down, burning desire to know God (clean hands, pure heart.)

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 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 72 Illumination

Illumination is the ability to, despite our circumstances, see the Truth behind the appearance and make that Truth the basis for all of our thoughts and actions. Intuitive knowledge (spiritual understanding) is the key to abiding in Christ consciousness. Wisdom and understanding are the true source of power, for they give us the ability to create our experiences.  Divine understanding, in essence, means accepting God as the only Power and Presence in our lives.

Psalm 146 Trust in God

Human beings are strange creatures in that we trust that the sun will rise and set but do not trust in the omnipotence, omniscience and omnipresence of God. No other creature in all of creation has less than absolute faith in Spirit; that which is behind, within and around everything we experience. It is absurd for us to trust in the sun but not trust in God. Each and everyday we are confronted with the miracles that are proof of this Presence, yet we question.

Psalm 34 Lessons for Life

One of the most challenging aspects of the spiritual life is that the Spirit of the Divine requires a blank canvas (poor soul), on which to paint its perfect portrait. We must approach God with pure humility, laying aside our personal will, in the search for true spiritual understanding. Any troubles we experience are only a reflection of our erroneous beliefs of our separation from God and each other. We experience separation primarily when we become deeply self-centered. When we choose to make ourselves our center, our connection to God fades.

Psalm 1 The Path to Happiness

So often we find ourselves very unhappy although we are following the culturally prescribed path to happiness. The media tells us if we buy more things, we will be happy. Our friends and family tell us that if we become powerful lawyers, doctors or CEOs we will be happy. These worldly things may bring a semblance of happiness, but it is always transient. Any time that we look outside of ourselves for happiness, we will inevitably be disappointed.

Psalm 29 Renewal and Glorification

It has been said that glorification is the highest spiritual state of consciousness attainable by human beings. In order to glorify the Lord, we must understand God. This is a difficult concept to convey in words because typically when we think of understanding, it implies some intellectual or analytical exercise. Spiritual understanding does not have this connotation.

Psalm 4 Changing Your Thinking

The process of transformation is always marked by upheaval. This is the challenge of the intermediate seeker, one who has successfully begun to re-orient their life towards God. Just as the death of the seed precedes the growth of the sprout; there must be a death of the old ways of being, so that the new can emerge. We often do not understand the changes taking place, so that the appearance is that there is chaos in our lives. None of the things that we used to rely on work anymore. When we try to help we end up making things worse. Even our valiant attempts to pray more faithfully seem fruitless.

Psalm 111 Praise As Practice

Many believe that in order to praise God we must go to church or secret ourselves away in meditation. While these are fine ways to spend time, we must understand that with every breath we take we make a choice whether or not to praise God. If we live in worldly consciousness, we praise that giving our thoughts to the external. When we decide to view all things in our lives spiritually and act accordingly, we praise God. Christianity is a practical daily application of Universal Truth, not theory.

Psalm 5 The Straight and Narrow Path

When we approach God we must do so with a pure heart (right intention). Spoken words alone are not enough. Behind the words are the true beliefs of the seeker, which will impact the outcome. We all have problems that we want to take to God, but it is important for us to understand that desire is not just a mental exercise. Sighing and crying for an answer to prayer indicates the emotional posture that a pure intention requires. We have to reach the point where we truly want to turn our problems over to Spirit with all of our heart. Most often we find ourselves finally able to turn our problems over to God, once we come to the conclusion that we have done all that we can do ourselves (in the morning I plead my case to you, and watch).

Psalm 148 The Rejuvenating Activity of Praise

Praise has the capacity to transform our bodies, hearts minds, and souls.

To praise God essentially requires us to willingly put God at the center of our lives. We have both a soul and a mind. The soul is that which has the capacity to communicate directly with the Divine. If our minds were to directly apprehend the fullness of God, we would perish from the intense energy. (Recall Moses’ countenance after the burning bush experience).

Psalm 31 Cycles of Growth

As we walk along our spiritual path, our lives and experiences move in cycles. First, there is the 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 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 this Divine energy that moves us forward through the process of evolution. It is the source of all life. From every beat of our heart, to the seed that becomes a plant, this life force creates life. We can choose to cooperate with that force or we can attempt to fight it, for God has given us freewill. We must understand and accept that there are consequences of resisting. This force moves us towards the greatest good at all times.

Psalm 148 The Rejuvenating Action of Praise

It has been said, “prayer and praise change people, not God.” What happens to us when we offer praise to 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 34:1-8 Lessons for Life

One of the most challenging aspects of the spiritual life is that the Spirit of the Divine requires a blank canvas (poor soul), on which to paint its perfect portrait. We must approach God with pure humility, laying aside our personal will, in the search for true spiritual understanding. Any troubles we experience are only a reflection of our erroneous beliefs of our separation from God and each other. We experience separation primarily when we become deeply self-centered. When we choose to make ourselves our center, our connection to God fades.