[tmtranscripts] Ham: Further lessons on connecting with the indwelling presence of God

[David G. Schlundt, Ph.D.]

August 15, 2004

Ham: Greetings, children, I am Ham and I am very happy having this time 
with you tonight. Let us discuss further the art of receiving God's word 
and God's guidance. We use the term spiritual guidance to denote the 
input from your indwelling monitor or from the Spirit of Truth or even 
occasionally from your guardian seraphim because this guidance is 
unified in your experience and you will not necessarily understand from 
whom your spiritual communication originates nor is it necessary to do so.

Experience of the spirit is always in accordance with the Father's will. 
You will never have conflicts or errors to be concerned with. Your 
indwelling spirit is simply concerned with spiritualizing your thinking. 
He is concerned with opening your mind always to greater options, 
greater perspective and deeper insight. Your indwelling spirit unifies 
all your spiritual experience. Ever will this unified experience lead 
into levels of expanded moral choice, deeper insight into your human 
heart, and elevated vision concerning your place in the world and the 
path which lies ahead.

The Master often took little breaks apart from his friends so that he 
might ask for the Father's guidance, wisdom, expansion, and deepening 
insight. The Master continually demonstrated how human beings might 
spiritually recharge through prayer and meditation after the depletion 
from long periods of social intercourse.

It is important for you to use your human understanding all the way to 
its limits, but then to recognize those limits and begin utilizing the 
Master's technique in expanding the mind levels. Each of you functions 
routinely on about three levels of mind comprising normal consciousness. 
The lowest conscious level impinges on the unconscious and is the source 
of impulsive and compulsive behavior doing things which are not the 
product of the fully conscious mind but also the product of repressed 
unconscious desires or fears, things of that nature. The main level of 
consciousness is also multi-leveled, but for our purposes it involves 
everything of which the conscious mind is aware, both sensory and 
mindal. The levels of consciousness which impinge upon the 
superconscious mind is that level where your indwelling spirit organizes 
streams of consciousness. By the time thoughts are fully formed at the 
conscious level, they have undergone a sorting and organizational 
process which is the function of the superconsciousness. When you speak 
your thoughts are not fully formed and organized consciously before 
hand, they are formed and organized superconsciously beforehand.

Part of the functioning of the indwelling spirit is to expand your 
thinking by pulling together knowledge, insight, meaning, and values in 
such a way that the conscious mind seems to be continuously harmonious 
and streams of consciousness are unified on a high level. As you begin 
to consciously cooperate more and more with the indwelling spirit, you 
are also allowing him to expand, deepen, and broaden his powers of 
thought organization.

The indwelling spirit is constantly introducing slightly higher and more 
profound concepts to the mind in very small increments. But as you come 
to trust this good spirit ever more deeply, and as you come to 
increasingly banish fear from the mind, this good spirit can introduce 
higher concepts in larger doses or more completely unified pieces.

Always, the spirit is subordinate to your own human will and so it is 
very useful to consciously request guidance and insight. It is very 
important that you signal your receptivity to the spirit's suggestions 
and options. Thus, the Master would excuse himself from meetings, from 
discussions, in order that he might pray for the Father's guidance for 
his own human mind. The Master was always conscious that his human will 
acted like a gate keeper and that the Father's spirit, even for him, be 
asked to enter.

There is no coercion of the mind, no coercion of the spirit at any level 
of this process. All spiritual progress is entirely voluntary. The 
Father in heaven - with all his vast power, all his vast wisdom, all his 
infinite awareness - does not for an instant trespass upon the 
prerogatives of his creatures. The Father's plan has never included the 
concept of forced love or involuntary servitude. The Father's plan is 
one of allowing. He allows all his creatures the greatest freedom 
possible and for his ascending sons and daughters, there is increasing 
freedom at each level of advancement.

Free will is central to the Father's plan and when the Father allows 
free will to have reign, even over the limited material sphere, there is 
bound to be a lot of chaos, a lot of sin, a lot or error, even among the 
well meaning. But this is a temporary condition. Always is humanity 
moving slowly forward in the acceptance of human responsibility and 
human freedom.

Each of you has been called into greater spiritual service and thus each 
of you has increased responsibility to always seek for higher guidance 
and more profound wisdom than you are capable of on your own. The 
pathway to Paradise is very long, practically eternal from you earthly 
standpoint. Each level of growth contains new freedom, but also new 
responsibility as well. Therefore, as you grow in your spiritual 
capacity, so also must you grow in wisdom and wisdom is found in the 
seeking after the Father's will, seeking after the highest spiritual 
choice.

Your lives are made up of choice. You have, stretching before you, a 
well night unlimited array of choices. Each one has the ability to bring 
you closer to God or further from him. You may accept or reject each 
choice the Father lays before you. Your path may be all kinds of 
different combinations of all the various choices you have made and all 
the choices you will make. So, always my friends, it is wise to imitate 
the Master and to seek spiritual input at each juncture no matter how 
seemingly small. The small choices are sometimes the most profound: the 
choice to be gentle where you once may have been harsh, the choice to be 
loving and considerate where once you may have been indifferent, the 
choice to be open and responsive where once you may have been closed and 
set upon a certain path. All these choices are part of finding the 
Father's will which is always hovering above and guiding your will. The 
immature human being thinks of doing God's will in great heroic terms, 
spectacular acts of wonder and amazement will be undertaken it is 
thought. But my friends, the Father's path is all of your life and all 
of your mind. The Father's path is small decisions as well as great life 
changing moves.

The Master's profound, intelligent, and kind character was not created 
full blown, but was rather the result of many years of prayer, many 
years of talking things over with God until the best attitude was 
arrived at. The Master always had time for children, for animals, for 
the neglected in society, the people who had given up hope. He had time 
for the laborers. He had time for prostitutes. He had time for all. His 
love for each human being was so profound and complete that each human 
being who came into his presence could not help but be profoundly 
changed and moved by that love. The Father knew of the Master's 
difficult path and the Father's good spirit ministered to his human mind 
at every juncture. But still the human mind of Jesus, just as your human 
minds must do, opened the door to the Father's spirit continually and 
constantly.

Think of it, the creator of the Universe, millions of worlds under his 
direct management and control, untold legions of angels ready and 
waiting to carry out his wishes, and yet the Master followed the human 
pathway, the pathway of admitting his human mind did not know the 
answer, the pathway of asking for divine guidance. And you, my children, 
how much more in need are you for divine help? How much more must you 
acknowledge that need and open that door?

The Master certainly fought through temptations of the ego self which 
said, "I know enough, I am enough, I can do all things on my own". The 
ego temptation is always present, always wanting to assert independence 
and claim independent victory. You my children must also fight the 
temptation to revert toward self-assertion and self-aggrandizement just 
as the Master did and you must rely instead upon greater spiritual 
wisdom, greater spiritual guidance that sees into the eternal past and 
the eternal future. Certainly you can propose what would be most 
advantageous to you now for the immediate future, but you cannot know 
what lies in the far future, or what the far future will require. Thus, 
the Master subordinated his human longings and human desires for the 
Father's far-seeing plan. The Master, in subordinating his will to the 
will of man demonstrated the eternal truth that the Father will always 
allow human will to play out. He will always suggest but never will he 
force.

Yes my friends, you are indeed growing in the spirit, you are indeed 
accepting the responsibilities of the spirit and you are indeed 
demonstrating through your own lives the power of the spirit. Learn as 
you do how to allow guidance, how to seek after the higher way so that 
your will is glorified by expressing the Father's will. Resist ego 
temptations for self glorification and focus instead upon glorifying the 
Father who has sent his spirit to dwell within you. Allow the purpose of 
your lives to be part of the greater purpose of the Father, just as the 
Master did so must you also go through the same process, the same 
decisions. Gradually then you will come to rely upon the Father's good 
spirit and you will rest your concerns and all your problems in the 
Father's hands. You cannot do this without acknowledging that you need 
it. Therefore, freely acknowledge your need for guidance, freely seek 
it. Be uninhibited in your prayers. Be open to all that is coming into 
your mind through the Father's spiritual auspices. But above all, love 
God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. Then, will 
you come to know him and as you come to know him you will come to 
increasingly rely on him. This is the ultimate aim of your spiritual 
path, complete dependence and yet my friends in that dependence you will 
also find unparalleled levels of freedom and the thrill of ever greater 
spiritual discovery even while your heart is comforted by ever greater 
levels of love experience.

Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. Trust all 
levels of the mind into the Father's hands and you will be rewarded with 
that peace which passes all understanding and you will see no longer as 
through a glass darkly but with spiritual clarity and certainty of insight.

What are your questions?

Q: Ham, may I have a personal message please?

Ham: Yes of course. My son, you are doing very well. Do not avoid pain 
for pain is part of healing, pain is part of growth. You are gradually 
coming into increased levels of self-awareness and are verging on 
increasing self-acceptance. You must past through many levels of 
self-acceptance before you will truly find levels of love for yourself. 
You won't be able to skip steps, you won't be able to avoid the pain 
which is part of growth and part of self-realization. Give yourself time 
for simple relaxed contemplation without pressure. Your physical healing 
is progressing slowly but surely just as your spiritual healing 
progresses. You are doing ever better. Do not worry that you will lose 
spiritual progress, for you cannot. Personality unification is always a 
permanent feature once it is completed. Levels cannot be lost, but you 
may have realizations about not being as far as long as you might have 
thought. This is human and part of the process. Be easy with yourself.

Q: Do you have anything for Rebecca?

Ham: Certainly my dear. You must grow in the habit of continually 
turning over responsibility. You are a person who take on responsibility 
readily and you must understand there comes a point when you must 
relinquish that responsibility and trust instead that the Father's good 
spirit will guide you and give you everything needful. Grow in the habit 
of turning to him, not simply now and then, not simply during times of 
pressure, but continually. Lean not upon your own understanding, but 
rather lean upon the Master's arm and allow him to enlighten your mind 
and allow him to organize those thought processes and ideas which he 
desires to be brought forward. You are beginning to utilize the power of 
prayer ever more effectively. Work toward expanding this but most of all 
go in peace and allow the Master to give you courage. Lean on him and 
all will be well.

Q: Jarad?

Ham: Yes my son, you must also place your trust and confidence in ever 
greater measure in the Father's gentle spirit. You must release 
everything else, all things human which you have held onto all your 
life. The claim the Father makes upon his children is total. 
Transformation is not half way. The Father's spirit must guide and 
inform everything. Each old thought pattern, each outworn attitude that 
is relinquished is replaced immediately by that which is greater, that 
which is more real. Have courage then in your letting go as well as in 
your grasping of the spirit and all that is new. Pray that you might 
withhold nothing even you might actively pray for helplessness, actively 
pray for the realization of your human helplessness so that the Father 
might fill your soul completely and create anew your life continually. 
Do not be in any way concerned. For you will fulfill all that is 
required one step at a time just as you have done. Always remember in 
each new circumstance to claim your sonship first and foremost, all else 
will be added.

Q: Can I have a message please Ham?

Ham: Certainly my son. My son, as each day goes by slowly you are 
strengthening your spiritual legs and your faith muscles. Faith is not 
something that can be acquired without being used. Faith must be used to 
be acquired. Therefore my son, reach out in faith and be aware that each 
time you do, you strengthen your faith and you grow in spiritual purpose 
and direction. Do not doubt that your life, your mind, your personality 
and all that you are is firmly in the Master's arms. Slowly it is 
dawning upon you that you are indeed a son of God and the implications 
of all that this realization entails is coming slowly but surely into 
your consciousness. My son, this world was created for you. You belong 
here. You are not some outsider looking for a place to belong. You are 
in the midst of belonging profoundly and completely where you are as you 
are. When you are tempted to be pulled by the ego into anxiety or 
uncertainty, banish those thoughts by remembering who you are in this 
world and who you are in the next. Remember, your place as the Father's 
son in the Father's universe is secure. You have a place on earth as you 
have a place in heaven. Relax in this knowledge. Allow this knowledge to 
give you perspective as to the ups and downs of your earthly life. Seek 
only to understand those lessons the Father gives you. See you life from 
this perspective and the victories and defeats of living will be easier 
to take. Love your fellows but be understanding with their weaknesses. 
Remember all human beings are children. You are all taking your first 
steps so you must be gentle with each other and understanding. Let this 
knowledge temper the disappointments with people you may face. Live each 
day to its full. Don't try to live in the future and release the past as 
well. For what does the Father require of you but that you should grow 
in love? Seek this and all else will be added unto you. You are doing 
just fine.

Q: I love you Ham.

Ham: My son, I have a great and abiding love for you as well. You may 
always rely on that love for my devotion to you is equal to my devotion 
to the Father. Doubt not the truth of this.

Q; Can I have a message Ham?

Ham: Of course my son. Your spiritual progress has been steady and quite 
consistent throughout your life. Your early disappointments and 
disillusionments have been part of your steady grounding in the spirit. 
You have been consistent in your truth seeking, not one to run here and 
there after this or that new spiritual fad or changing cultural devices 
of the spirit. No, rather you have kept the Master's love alive in your 
heart from early childhood and you have measured spiritual wisdom of the 
world by that measure. Thus, you have been quietly about your search and 
this search has brought you now here to me this evening. It is my 
profound gratitude to your seraphim now that must be expressed for I 
have been aware of your search many years and have been watching your 
progress unbeknownst to you. Don't worry for you are finding your way as 
you should and your decisions from this point will always be respected. 
Understand, however, that by virtue of truth seeking you bring yourself 
into spheres of consciousness and spheres of influence that your 
seraphim desire to direct. Trust then that your inner truth will bear 
witness to the truth that is brought to you. Trust your own truth 
guidance and really search your heart for your deepest understandings at 
this time. Do not be afraid of the path of self-honesty, the path of 
complete openness for this is part of the path of truth. Trust yourself 
my son, for the Father in heaven, the Universal Father of all things and 
being calls you his son. He has no requirements but that you grow in his 
love and grow in your reflection of his goodness. Trust that you can do 
this. Have outrageous faith for you will find all that is necessary on 
your journey. Be at peace for you are doing just fine.

Q: Yes, Ham I would like to know if you have a message for me please?

Ham: Of course my son. Your life is continuing to open and you are 
finding new realms of understanding along with spiritual growth. Do not 
be concerned about second guessing yourself or your feelings. Trust your 
own spiritual guidance. Trust your developing wisdom as you make 
progress and embrace greater levels of spiritual action and choice. Do 
not worry that you are doing enough or that your efforts are stalled or 
anything like that for spiritual progress is largely in the realm of the 
unconscious mind. It cannot be limited by the conscious mind but must 
only be accepted by the conscious mind. Therefore be at ease for all 
things are becoming new. Rejoice that you can experience ever greater 
levels of love, ever deeper knowledge of truth and ever greater levels 
of beauty appreciation. Rejoice for all is well.

Q: I feel all of this happening to me know, slowly but surely. Thanks.

Ham: You are welcome my son, go in peace.

Q: Zura: Do you have a message for me Ham?

Ham: Yes my daughter. Your spiritual progress is unimpeded by the health 
difficulties of the body. The spirit continues to grow and expand and as 
this occurs, your loving nature will also expand and your loving 
acceptance of others will deepen. The little irritations of life should 
not be allowed to throw you off your spiritual bearings. Remember to 
always see your life in its broader context of eternal life and have 
complete faith that everything that happens in this life is preparing 
you for your greater life ahead. Rejoice in the Father's love. Rejoice 
that you are his daughter. Rejoice and be glad for expanding levels of 
love and the loving awareness of the Father's presence within you 
awaits. You are doing very well. Be at peace my dear.

Q: Julia: personal message

Ham: Yes my dear, this adventure has been very expanding in the spirit 
for you. You are truly growing in the spirit and you are radiating the 
Father's love and his joy. Certainly, you have come through a major 
spiritual awakening and this will continue to grow and to expand. Trust 
in yourself, my dear. You have the ability to be yourself. You have the 
ability to love yourself as you are. You have the ability to accept the 
Father's love for you and you have the ability to allow this love to run 
over into the rest of your life as you love others as you are loved. 
Rejoice my dear. Be happy, joyful, and always mindful of the Father's 
great love.

Q: Do you have a personal message for Charlie B?

Ham: My son, be at peace. Seek after spiritual guidance with renewed 
energy. Do not be content, at any level, with your own decisions, 
attitudes, and knowledge. Seek always the Father's higher calling, the 
Father's greater option and all will be well.

Q: Do you have any feedback for me this week Ham?

Ham: Of course my son. My son, you are doing very well. You are also 
coming to realize that you can actually claim your sonship. For much of 
your life the concept of sonship was clear but its experiential 
realization was incomplete. Gradually now you are unifying the 
conceptual world with the experiential world and this unifying process 
will continue on ever deeper and higher levels of your soul. Each day 
that goes by, you become increasingly comfortable with who you are as 
you are in the now. And this comfort in your life will only increase, 
giving you increased self-assurance and grounding in a balanced 
confidence as you move forward. Have complete assurance my son of the 
Father's eternal and infinite love for you, not eternal and infinite 
love in the abstract, but love for you. Accept this and be at peace.

Very well then may I express once more my gratitude for your service. 
Your efforts in all areas do not go unnoticed. Let it be known that 
Melchizedek himself sends his commendation. Until the week after next 
week when we shall meet again. My love and prayers go with you farewell.

-- 
*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*
David G. Schlundt, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Psychology
Department of Psychology
Vanderbilt University
301 Wilson Hall
Nashville, TN  37203

Phone: (615)322-7800
Fax: (615) 343-8449
Email: David.Schlundt at Vanderbilt.edu
*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*
To science God is a possibility, to psychology
a desirability, to philosopy a probability, to
religion a certainty, an actuality of religious
experience

The Urantia Book, page 1125
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