There is nothing to fear

It’s a short lesson for today, simple and quick.

There is nothing to fear.

The idea for today simply states a fact. It is not a fact to those who believe in illusions, but illusions are not facts. In truth there is nothing to fear. It is very easy to recognize this. But it is very difficult to recognize it for those who want illusions to be true.

Amazing idea. There is nothing to fear. It is so alien to the world and yet it is your natural state. In God there is indeed nothing to fear, but when you trust in your own strength and try to make sense out of chaos you are in fear all the time. You don’t even realize that every moment of every day you worry, think ahead or back, you are in a constant fear-state. It is so common to you that you don’t even realize it. You think it offers you comfort. You even use it to protect yourself, call it instinct. When you are in fear, something is wrong. But you are in fear all the time, be it big or small, so something is definitely wrong. Today you decide you are not going to do it anymore. You deserve peace and it is right there in a place where you can find it: it is in you.

The presence of fear is a sure sign that you are trusting in your own strength. The awareness that there is nothing to fear shows that somewhere in your mind, though not necessarily in a place you recognize as yet, you have remembered God, and let His strength take the place of your weakness. The instant you are willing to do this there is indeed nothing to fear.

It’s really simple, but it does take the willingness to be corrected, even if it’s every so slightly. Any twinge of concern is fear. Any sense of depression is fear. Any stab of anger is fear. Let it all be lifted from you, simply by applying the idea for today. Let yourself be corrected by a power that is greater than you and in that you will realize that this power is you. It’s undoing and resurrection at the same time. And it is all happening in you.

There is nothing to fear.

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God is my strength. Vision is His gift.

The idea for today combines two very powerful thoughts, both of major importance.

God is my strength.
Vision is His gift.

It also sets forth a cause and effect relationship that explains why you cannot fail in your efforts to achieve the goal of the course. You will see because it is the Will of God. It is His strength, not your own, that gives you power. And it is His gift, rather than your own, that offers vision to you.

It is amazing when you really read what A Course In Miracles says. Really read it. You take a moment and let every word, every sentence, sink in. The message is not of this world, it is completely from out of time. The words take you out in the universe, where you truly belong. They lift you out of very trial and tribulation, out of depression or anger, out of sickness and pain. Let it sink into your mind today: God is my strength. Vision is His gift.

God is indeed your strength, and what He gives is truly given. This means that you can receive it any time and anywhere, wherever you are, and in whatever circumstance you find yourself. Your passage through time and space is not at random. You cannot but be in the right place at the right time. Such is the strength of God. Such are His gifts.

God’s gifts are truly given, each and every moment, right here and right now. It has nothing to do with place, it has nothing to do with time, nothing to do with seeming things outside of you, it’s all happening in you. You are given everything you need right now. That should make you indescribably happy. Read today’s lesson and joyous thoughts come to mind, joyous thoughts of God.

Vision must be possible. God gives truly.
God’s gifts to me must be mine, because He gave them to me.

Remember this lesson often today. As Jesus tells you, it is the reminder that the goal of this course is important to you. That you haven’t forgotten it. It is a statement of your determination, your perseverance, your gratitude.

God is my strength. Vision is His gift.

My holiness is my salvation

If guilt is hell, what is its opposite? Like the text for which this workbook was written, the ideas used for the exercises are very simple, very clear and totally unambiguous. We are not concerned with intellectual feats nor logical toys. We are dealing only in the very obvious, which has been overlooked in the clouds of complexity in which you think you think.

Jesus makes it very clear to you in A Course In Miracles that your understanding is not required. Anything you offer in the idea that it is helpful, actually hampers you in reality. You, as you see yourself within a body and an identity in space and time, can bring nothing to the totality that is God. God is whole in and of Himself, and you are created in His likeness. Your holiness remains untouched by any intellectual feats or logical toys. It is time to put your toys away. The message of this course is very simple, and the application of the workbook lesson has no complexity whatsoever. Simply do as you are told. You get out of the way, ask for help, and follow instructions. It is really that simple.

Your holiness is the answer to every question that was ever asked, is being asked now, or will be asked in the future.
Your holiness means the end of guilt, and therefore the end of hell.
Your holiness is the salvation of the world, and your own.

How could you to whom your holiness belongs be excluded from it? God does not know unholiness.
Can it be He does not know His Son?

This lesson is incredible, every sentence is immaculate and an immediate confrontation. I am grateful that this morning I was offered a beautiful example of pure dedication and willingness. This lesson does work. Immerse yourself in it, trust it, follow instructions, do as you are told, and you will get the immediate result that is not of this world. You can see it as a weapon, given you by God, to use when thoughts of anger and depression arise.

My unloving thoughts about ___ are keeping me in hell
My holiness is my salvation.

This is just about you, not anybody else, because there isn’t anybody else. Only your thoughts affect you. You wouldn’t be affected by figures in a dream if you knew that you were dreaming. They can be as vicious as they may, they could have no effect on you unless you failed to realize that this is your world. Your inner world is the cause of your perception of the outer world. Only your thoughts affect you, and today you have been given the key to your salvation and the salvation of the world.

My holiness is my salvation.

My attack thoughts are attacking my invulnerability

The exciting thing about A Course In Miracles is that everything changes in an instant. Literally in the blink of an eye there is a whole new configuration and it is happening in you. This is the power of your mind. It can move mountains, it can part the sea, because in God all things are possible and you were created by God in His Likeness.

Today you are looking at your attack thoughts and the result that they give you. It is quite obvious by now, or it should be, that everything that happens to you is by your choice. By allowing for attack thoughts, by giving them power, you are stating your vulnerability and denying your invulnerability.

It is surely obvious that if you can be attacked you are not invulnerable. You see attack as a real threat. That is because you believe that you can really attack. And what would have effects through you must also have effects on you.

It starts with your decision, with your belief, it always does. Cause and effect are not apart. You believe you can attack and so you simultaneously believe that you can be attacked. This happens in one instant and now you proceed from that belief. You are trapped. Thank God for A Course In Miracles and the clarity of its message.

Because your attack thoughts will be projected, you will fear attack. And if you fear attack, you must believe that you are not invulnerable. Attack thoughts therefore make you vulnerable in your own mind, which is where the attack thoughts are. Attack thoughts and invulnerability cannot be accepted together. They contradict each other.

It’s not outside of you, because nothing is outside of you. Everything you experience is happening in your mind.

Nothing except your thoughts can attack you. Nothing except your thoughts can make you think you are vulnerable.  And nothing except your thoughts can prove to you this is not so.

Look at it for a moment and you will see the complete reasonableness of it. Your thoughts make up the whole world you see, your thoughts are a continuous story of a sequentiality of  time. One thought, after another, after another, following each other in a continuous movie reel that plays inside your head. It is up to you to stop it, it’s up to you to say, “No more.” In that one instant where your mind is empty, God enters in. He has been there all along, but while you were preoccupying your mind with thoughts about past and future you could not feel His presence and the Gifts that He offers you.

The practice period should begin with repeating the idea for today, then closing your eyes and reviewing the unresolved questions whose outcomes are causing you concern. The concern may take the form of depression, worry, anger, a sense of imposition, fear, foreboding or preoccupation. Any problem as yet unsettled that tends to recur in your thoughts during the day is a suitable subject.

Look at this offering, it is the complete release from depression, worry, anger, fear or preoccupation. You have the key in your hand right now for a day wherein you trust completely in God without any concern. Simply apply the lesson for today and allow it to work in you. It will work. God is here and He is complete Love.

I am concerned about  ___.

I am afraid ___ will happen.

That thought is an attack upon myself.

Wow! The power is in you to let go of all thoughts of attack today, this instant. All you have to do is be willing. You don’t have to believe the idea, you don’t even have to believe that it will work, just apply it. Let it work in you. Let it amaze and surprise you as it reveals the truth of itself to you. Miracles are offered you today, they are all around you. They are the most natural thing in the world. They are, in fact, the only natural thing in this world. They are your birthright.

I am determined to see things differently

In the lesson for today Jesus asks you to use the emotion that you are feeling and He focuses on one on particular: anger.

In the practice periods, begin by repeating the idea to yourself. Then close your eyes and search your mind carefully for situations past, present or anticipated that arouse anger in you. The anger may take the form of any reaction ranging from mild irritation to rage. The degree of the emotion you experience does not matter. You will become increasingly aware that a slight twinge of annoyance is nothing but a veil drawn over intense fury.

The fact is that the application of the workbook, practicing the lesson for the day every day, increases the frequency of light in you. This frequency you may identify as something that has nothing to do with the actual experience; you may identify it as anger. It can feel like the pressure is building up in you and looking for a release. You will look for anything or anyone to leash out at. Now is the time for the practice of the lesson. Now is the time to let all your ideas, all your assumptions, be undone in you. Now is the time for defenselessness.

Try, therefore, not to let the “little” thoughts of anger escape you in the practice periods. Remember that you do not really recognize what arouses anger in you, and nothing that you believe in this connection means anything. You will probably be tempted to dwell more on some situations or persons than on others, on the fallacious grounds that they are more “obvious.” This is not so. It is merely an example of the belief that some forms of attack are more justified than others.

I am determined to see ___ [name of person] differently.
I am determined to see ___ [specify the situation] differently.

Keep in mind that you really do not know anything. This is not an attack, but simply the fact of the matter. As you are using your mind you can’t know anything, because you are trying to dissociate yourself from your Creator. This world is a dream, you are looking at dream figures that are reflections of your mind. They don’t mean anything. It does take a practice, for a moment. And Jesus tells you in A Course In Miracles, “If you forget, try again.” Don’t hold the past against yourself, let go of your mistake. This is a brand new moment in which you are reborn. Practice the lesson anew and let it reveal itself to you anew.

I am determined to see things differently.

I am upset because I see something that is not there.

The exercises with this idea are very similar to the preceding ones. Again, it is necessary to name both the form of upset (anger, fear, worry, depression and so on) and the perceived source very specifically for any application of the idea. For example:

I am angry at ___ because I see something that is not there.
I am worried about ___ because I see something that is not there.

You can’t get away with anything in this lesson, and that is the beauty of it. Jesus is asking you to look directly at your upset and He immediately gives you the key to let it go: it is not there.

You see what you want to see. This is the power of your mind. Projection makes perception and you do people the world you see with scenarios that you made up. You don’t have to understand today’s lesson, this is not about conceptual understanding, but you can accept it for a moment and let the truth of it be revealed to you.

There are no small upsets. They are all equally disturbing to my peace of mind.
I cannot keep this form of upset and let the others go. For the purposes of these exercises, then, I will regard them all as the same.

Just stay in the mind training. It does work. Each lesson is set up perfectly for the day that it is offered. There is no accident in any of it. Whatever upset may come up today: use it. It is the perfect platform for the lesson today.

I am upset because I see something that is not there.

I am never upset for the reason I think.

Well, there you have it. You are never upset for the reason you think. You think you know what is upsetting you and you give that all the meaning it has for you. Now you have placed the source of your upset outside of you and you are at the mercy of things you have no control over. This is how you have lived your life, and you have taught yourself that it is what life is. You were mistaken. Today you will see things differently.

I am never upset for the reason I think.

This idea, like the preceding one, can be used with any person, situation or event you think is causing you pain.

Notice how specific this lesson is. You are not asked to gloss over the emotion, to push it down and tell yourself that everything is okay and you are happy, happy, joy, joy. Instead you are asked to let the emotion rise to the surface, whatever it is. You are asked to look at what you think is causing this emotion and then you are offered the way to let it go.

There are no small upsets. They are all equally disturbing to my peace of mind.

I am never upset for the reason I think.

All you have to do is apply the lesson for today. Again, you are not asked to understand it or to add anything to it. Simply do as you are asked.

I am not angry at ___ for the reason I think.
I am not afraid of ___ for the reason I think.

I am not worried about ___ for the reason I think.
I am not depressed about ___ for the reason I think.

Have fun with this lesson. Look at everything that is going on in your mind, at everyone and everything you think it is related to. If you are angry, use it. If you are worried, use it. If you are depressed, use it. Help is right here, right now. All you have to do is be honest, so that all obstacles in your mind may be removed by a power greater than your own. There is a God.

I am never upset for the reason I think.

Anger must come from judgment. Judgment is the weapon I would use against myself, to keep the miracle away from me

Today’s lesson is so great. Read the title and the message is perfectly clear.

Judgment is the weapon I would use against myself, to keep the miracle away from me.

There it is. You can no longer fool yourself that your judgments are about someone else, they really do only affect you within your own mind. You use judgment to defend yourself against the miracle. You have gotten so used to judging that you don’t even realize the pain it is causing and how wrong you are. It says it beautifully in the Manual for Teachers, How Is Judgment Relinquished?:

Remember how many times you thought you knew all the “facts” you needed for judgment, and how wrong you were!  Is there anyone who has not had this experience? Would you know how many times you merely thought you were right, without ever realizing you were wrong? Why would you choose such an arbitrary basis for decision making?  Wisdom is not judgment; it is the relinquishment of judgment. Make then but one more judgment. It is this: There is Someone with you Whose judgment is perfect. He does know all the facts; past, present and to come. He does know all the effects of His judgment on everyone and everything involved in any way. And He is wholly fair to everyone, for there is no distortion in His perception.

Today you are looking at your judgments and your addiction to it. You love to judge. You separate yourself from that which you judge and you give an opinion that has nothing to do with reality. You don’t have to do it anymore.  You can’t do it anymore. There is nothing outside of you. When you hurt your brother, you hurt yourself. When you judge your brother, you judge yourself. And you will do it until you can no longer stand the pain of your judgment. The power of your mind gives you every opportunity to stop what you are doing at any moment and to see things differently.

Father, I want what goes against my will, and do not want what is my will to have. Straighten my mind, my Father. It is sick. But You have offered freedom, and I choose to claim Your gift today. And so I give all judgment to the One You gave to me to judge for me. He sees what I behold, and yet He knows the truth. He looks on pain, and yet He understands it is not real, and in His understanding it is healed. He gives the miracles my dreams would hide from my awareness. Let Him judge today. I do not know my will, but He is sure it is Your Own. And He will speak for me, and call Your miracles to come to me.

Listen today.

Be very still,

and hear the gentle Voice for God assuring you

that He has judged you as the Son He loves.