This talk was given by Richard Billings on March 22, 2009.
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Thank you Christine. That is one of my favorite prayers and we will be concluding our series on the 12 powers. Hallis will finish it up next week, summarize the series, and today we have the lesson on renunciation, the power of renunciation. We know that renunciation is a very important part of the role in the 12 powers. We must understand that these are not powers really because there is only one presence and one power, but they are faculties under the dominion of the Christ in dwelling, directing these faculties to individually work in harmony with each other to create the whole person. And each one of these is very important. Renunciation is the power to release, the power to let go. It particularly is based on the ownership we take of old beliefs and old ideas that we have cherished even though they have worn out their welcome with us, but we hold on to them because we are not sure of something else in our life.
So renunciation is a willingness to let go of old beliefs, old habits, old forms of thinking, and begin to accept a newness of life, to be open and receptive to the current life we are living rather than to be living the life that is history. And so many people in our world are doing that. Just as the picture of Jesus, the Christ of our childhood has been dissolved with a more mature outlook. We begin to recognize and see the Christ within and honor the presence and power of our inner God's self. This was the message of the master teacher Jesus Christ, that each one of us find that self, that reality, that truth we are and begin to bring forth the new Jerusalem. We are a living example of the evolution of righteous thought. We are hopefully emerging as mature spiritual beings at one with the source.
And our source is what? It's the same for everyone. There is only one source. One of my teachers, Elizabeth San Turner, used to try to get this point over to us. She happened to be from Texas and so she had a bit of difficulty with language sometimes, but she would say, she would say, I am telling you about the source, the source, get back to the sauce. And then she would add, and I don't mean apple sauce, I mean sauce. So we're getting back to the source of our identity, the source from which all blessings come as we emerge in a more mature form and become one with the source. This requires much releasing, doesn't it? And much forgiving, much letting go. Eventually, we are able to move past the labels we have held in the past, the divisions we have created and awakened to the reality as did Jesus to our own Christ in dwelling.
It's very interesting how long it takes for us. Is it not to be free from those past things? I mean, I can think of my past now and talk about it and there's no pain in it. And that's important because when we no longer have an emotional attachment to the pain of the past, we are free as long as we talk about the past and it brings pain and discomfort or anger to us. We are not a free person. So as we begin to fully accept and believe in the possibilities that are before us, we make that great discovery within us, which Paul talked about this secret hidden for generation and ages now revealed Christ in you, your hope of glory. And so it is the awakening to that truth, that reality all of us have within us a genius. It empowers us to act as the extension of God in the world.
We are the only hands God will ever have. We are the only mind that God will ever have. We are the only example God will ever have because God works through us, not for us. And we are inspired to know this God self, this individualized creation. And we are motivated to hold the vision, to hold the vision of this new heaven and new earth when here and now. Most of us, what I hear people are talking about the economy and how bad it is. And you know what? It's going to get worse. I refuse to accept that that is not my truth.
I am holding the vision that as people of faith and people of courage, that we will hold the vision for all people. That life is improving, change is coming and it is what good. It is good. So renunciation enables us to break the shackles, the bondage that has held us and kept us from moving forward in the great evolutionary process where we are harvesting in the fields that are white under harvest. Remember Jesus was walking with his disciples and they were talking about when the harvest would come and some said, oh, in one month, in two months and three months. And he said to them, I say unto you, the fields are already white with harvest unto harvest, but those harvesters are few. There are not that many people that can see because he's talking about the harvesting of souls, the educational process that awakens people to their individual identity and is transformative by nature.
So those of us who have been willing to renounce the past have an important role to play in the restoration of the kingdom. And that's what the world is going through. It is a process of birth. It is the rebirth that is spoken of in the scriptures. It is being born into a new consciousness and birth, what has pain in it. And so there is pain, there is fear. There are all sorts of things. As we are going through this process of birthing the new heaven and the new earth, it is called the new Jerusalem. The gospels were born out of the life of renunciation and the world in which you and I have come to live in a higher dimension. And as Jesus said, I am in the world but not of it. And that's a hard place to be, isn't it? And so you and I are what in the world?
Of course we're here as human expressions, but we are not of that complaining, fearful, discouraged, depressed nature. We are here as an uplifting state of consciousness to bring forth the good news. We are challenged to restore our earth. We have been so used to convenience and good that it's hard for us to go through a little time of change and accepting there is a different way to live. We must develop a strong passion for the truth, not just reading it, but it must be a activity that comes forth through us. It is we are here to create a cosmic community, including all people. Yes, there are black, there are white, there are English, they're Irish, there are Italians. But beyond that separation we use, there is only one, as Paul says, one body, one spirit. And we are all drawing our breath from one source.
It doesn't matter who you are. And the rain falls on the just and the unjust God is no respect or persons. So wherever we are on this path, we are respected for being where we are, but challenged to move forward, challenged to move forward. We are here to restore that kingdom that's spoken of in the Lord's prayer on earth as it is in heaven. We are the seed of tomorrow. And I think that's very, very important for us to know we are the seeds of tomorrow, the seeds that you and I are planting as individuals, seeds of hope, seeds of living, the righteous life, seeds of kindness, of appreciation. These are the seeds that will bear fruit tomorrow and we will bring forth a new generation of people. It must include understanding, peace and plenty. Many individuals today are in the growth potential of unused potential.
A majority of the people in the world are dealing with what we call unused potential. We have that potential, that awareness of something we could do, but hope that somebody else will do it. And so this is the unused potential, that great gift of the universe that is giving us opportunities, filling our life with blessedness and giving us the opportunity to be a true light in the world. But somehow fear, anxiety blocks the way for us to bring forth that potential that wants to express itself and it wants to do it now. That is what is causing a lot of pain in the world because we are dreaming somebody is going to come forward and do something that will change our lives and make them better. Maybe it's you.
And so friends, instead of making just the best of life, the best of the way, it is surrendering our creativity. And depending on someone else, we must bring forth our own potential. Otherwise, we're going to be living with disappointment, depression, frustration and fear. When Carl Jung said, depression is the lack of expression. When I took training in the Jung Institute, that was one of the important things that I learned, that when we are not expressing who and what we are, we're depressed. There's something in me that wants to come forth, but I'm afraid to do it. What would people think? Well, at my age, you don't care what they think anymore because time is getting shorter. So you take the calculated risk.
You and I must be willing then to use the gift of renunciation to free ourselves and to liberate this tremendous power that is within us. Eric Butterworth and his wonderful book, discover the Power Within You speaks to this magnificent power that is within us. However, we have to make very sure friends, we do not abuse it because the scripture tells us when we misuse this power for personal gain, it will turn and render us what powerless. So if we are feeling powerless that somehow our power has been taken from us. Remember somewhere along the line, we have given over our power to fear, doubt, anxiety, and we need to take our power back. It is when we fully realize the power of renunciation that frees us to express our deep desires and fulfill our divine destiny. In truth, we surrender the old world of dependency on even religion to move from a religious status to a spiritual understanding where there are no what doctrines and creeds, but each person must maintain the integrity of their own soul.
And this then will bring peace, prosperity, and health. When we commit ourselves to this Christ principle within taking responsibility for our spiritual birth, no longer seeing as Paul would say in a mirror darkly, he said, when I was a child, I was expected to think like a child. But now that I am a man, I put away my childish things and I see in a mirror darkly. And what I was not seeing is now revealed. So as we cleanse the consciousness, we are going to see more and a lot about ourselves, aren't we? So our experience of today could be the awakening of ourself and in that awakening to pray with, to awaken to the truth that lives within them. We are on the threshold of bringing forth that new Jerusalem. It is letting go of separation and seeing the merger of all faiths working for the good of a universal community. We are not saying that one philosophy is better than another, as long as they all are a movement toward the higher dimension of men's and women's ultimate goal. They have something within them that is a golden thread of truth that is woven into the tapestry of all life. All life. So Paul said it very well, he said, we don't need any more of these lukewarm Christians. Lukewarm Christians who don't want to risk anything.
You go ahead and do what you want to do, but I'm not going to put my name on the line there. I'm not going to risk that. So we don't have enough people today to have the courage to really stand up and be counted, fully awake to the divine principle within them. And to know that with God all things are possible. And as we move into that realm of conscious oneness, we become one, having authority over what we will do, what we will think and what we will say. Only the truth and the living truth will come from our mouth. So if we had an unhappy past who hasn't, I'm now going to get into that because it would take weeks and I don't want you crying, but that is past. But for many people it isn't. They keep going back and back and back. And if it hadn't have been for that ugly mother I had, or that drunken father, forget it. They're not in charge of your life anymore. You are. Why would you give them the power at our time in history to rule your life? No. We need to mature and move on with a message of deliverance and be willing to give up those cherished memories.
So in the gospel of Matthew, Jesus speaks strongly saying, let the dead bury the dead. How many times we dig up the corpse and look at them again? He said, those dead thoughts that are no longer serving you, let them go. Why do you seek the living among the dead? What do you expect to find going back there that you haven't already lived through? Why do you want to live through it again? Good question, isn't it so? Let the dead bury the dead. Let the past be a time of lessons. What did I learn from it? How did I grow through it?
What happened in those lessons that were presented to me? How did I respond and how did I react to them? Now is the time to move from self-centeredness to God-centered no longer being centered in my problem and what's wrong with me and who did it to me, but to be God-centered, centered in the consciousness of a loving presence. But friends, love is strong. It's very powerful. It does not allow anything to come into it that would cause injury to anyone. That's how great love is. And so we want to develop a spirit of courage. And courage is made up of three things, love, wisdom and faith a trinity. And that's our trinity. Love, wisdom and faith. I have faith in myself as an expression of God to be a true light no longer pulling a bushel over me, but allowing my light to shine that others can come and light their candle at my light.
So all of our faculties then come into play under the direction of the spirit of Christ within. So as we allow ourselves to move through this process of renunciation, the new Jerusalem will be born, will be born. And because what friends the new Jerusalem is in us, it is not a place. It's a consciousness. It's a consciousness. And we become a part of a co-creative, co-creative consciousness with the eternal, no longer living in a world limited by form and by limitation, by fear and doubt and anxiety, but a consciousness free, free to express itself and to be a true light in this changing world. So you and I are part of that, part of that. Finally, the key for each and every one of us is to own our story. Whatever it is, I take ownership of my story and I give thanks for it because it has been that something that has pressed me on, pressed me on to where I am today. Maybe if those things had not happened to us, we would have not looked for something better. If I had liked living in Ohio on that farm, I'd be there yet.
But every day of my life I kept figuring out what I had to do to be out of that situation. And so the first sage was to get to Ohio State University and get an education and to know that I did not have to follow horses and a plow and be out there with a straw hat on my head. That was not the vision I held for myself. But we have to get a new vision. Friends, where do you want to go with your life? How much of yourself are you willing to give? Or we may feel I don't have anything to give. Yes you do. You have a smile. You have a good word, a good thought because God created you to be a blessing in the world and expect you to be about the father's business. So friends, what is the next chapter in our life? What is the next chapter in your life? What do you want to write for yourself that you absolutely believe could be possible?
The old is finished. So our book has a new chapter in it. I always think of Timothy who came to Paul. He was very discouraged with the church and religious people, and he was just wanting to give up the whole thing. And Paul said these beautiful words to Timothy, words of encouragement. And like a good father, I can just hear Paul say it, oh, Timothy, my Timothy, neglect not the gift that is within you, but what press on. Press on to that high calling in Christ Jesus. And so I am saying to you today, whatever the situation might be, press on, press on. There is something greater, something more wonderful ahead than we could even imagine. So neglect not that gift you are to the world. Neglect, not that gift that you have, but press on. Press on in that high calling. And friends, we're in it together. We're in it together. We're not lukewarm Christians. We are powerful people engaged in a time of resurrection.
And every day is a resurrection. We make a big deal of it out of Easter, but it's an everyday thing. We are resurrected from the false concepts, false beliefs we've held. And now what we have to do is ascend to that higher calling of being the true light. The true light. And so I bless you as we continue on this journey and see you as that person who is bringing a gift, a very unique and special gift that only you can bring because you're the one that has it. And only in renouncing fear, doubt, and anxiety are you free to express yourself in its fullness. And as the meditation said to us, and the cup of life, it runeth over and surely goodness and mercy shall what? Follow me all the days of my lives. Not life, but lives, reincarnation, and I shall what? Dwell in that house of consciousness when forever. So that's where we're headed. God bless you.
