Series 2 - Lesson 9 - Annotation 15
is there any power outside of man to harm him?
15. There is but one Presence and one Power in the universe, God, the good omnipotent.
Therefore, there is no power outside of man to harm him. However, he harms himself by giving power to the imperfect pictures that the imagination projects in the mental or psychical realm.
Man has freedom of choice and may choose either the divine ideas or the human concepts upon which to think. If he does not use his God-given power of dominion and allows idle or vagrant thoughts to register in his mind, he has to deal with them. While nothing outside of man can harm him, he can allow himself to become receptive to outside influences and circumstances. It is man's thoughts and feelings that he must watch and govern, for they bring about the conditions of his life. His reactions and attitudes toward those conditions formulate and shape the conditions of the future. Jesus Christ assures us in Luke 10:19:
"Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall in any wise hurt you."
Man is not intended, however, to attempt deliberately to test these promises in order to prove his immunity and spiritual power. "Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God" (Matt. 4:7 A.V.). Man is intended to exercise wisdom and good judgment in all the conditions and circumstances of his life and affairs. He must know that God is indeed within him and with him, and that through the indwelling Spirit — I AM, the Christ — he has all authority.
Man's awareness of the presence of God assures him of instant and constant protection at all times. The following statement from Emilie Cady Lessons in Truth 55, held in mind will help free man from the belief that there is any power outside of himself to harm him:
"I am Spirit, perfect, holy, harmonious. Nothing can hurt me or make me sick or afraid, for Spirit is God, and God cannot be sick or hurt or afraid. I manifest my real self through this body now."
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Preceding Entry: Why is it unwise for one to give himself up to excessive daydreaming?
Following Entry: What is the cause of "bad dreams"?
