Do Your Beliefs Serve You?

            Rev. Marilyn L. Redmond 

My mother took me to church at the age of five. It was close to where we lived. In those days during World War II, we had to walk. Each Sunday we strolled down the avenue to the church in the neighborhood. I earned a gold lapel pin in Sunday School to wear with a number. My pin had the number 10 for years of perfect attendance. As I grew older, my mother decided it was time for confirmation classes to become a member of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod.

 Since we had moved out of the neighborhood to a new home, the distance to attend the classes was a big challenge. Every week for two years, I took the school bus to where I could catch a county bus into Seattle. I then transferred to a city bus that let me off on the other side of a lake from the church, where I then completed the trip to the church on foot. Conveniently, my parents picked me up at a neighbor's near the church to take me home at night.

 I always have been a diligent student and learning the Biblical Stories and memorizing the Small Catechism by Luther was the program of study.  I know today the catechism was the dogma and beliefs of the church. I now know that religious beliefs are rules placed upon us. I did the memory work, but never took it to heart as I was in survival growing up. It was just words to me. Therefore, I was not entirely indoctrinated. This ultimately served me well.

 However, I did attend church and continued to take my own children to church for their confirmation classes.  During my domestic violent marriage, church was a safe place to be.  I was out of the house and in a pleasant environment. I understand now how it did benefit me to have a safer place then being home, in those days. However, when I needed to ask myself the deep questions in recovery from addictions to the prescriptions, I found that the church dogma did not keep me from being addicted. I needed different answers that were more realistic not for just surviving in life, but how to thrive without medications.  

 In treatment, I was introduced to a path of spirituality to replace the medications. It took a while for me to understand the difference between religion and being spiritual. I had lived from my head/ego trying to be safe for years thinking someone would save me from the trauma. Moving into listening to my heart was new to me. In fact, my church preached against meditation saying it was the voice of the devil. Consequently, this was a traumatic shift in commitment. Taking that step of faith was harrowing. Using a higher power of love was foreign, as I did not know about love. I was raised that love hurt. Therefore, I had closed my heart as my stepfather said, "I am only beating you because I love you".

 I needed to attend 12 step programs to stop the addiction route. Over time, I found my old beliefs had underlined my addiction. I was looking for love in all the wrong places.   As I released my fears, guilt, shame, and more, I replaced the negative for the positive. My life began to shift into a more pleasant life. Realizing that I had lived in fear and negative messages of beliefs that were not true was a huge awakening.  Since life is about cause and effect, my cause had a base in fear and falsehoods. I found affirming the truth brought real results. I was determined to change my negativity into being positive for better outcomes. I had allowed the dogma and creeds of the church that were placed on me to be the focal point of my thinking and actions. Replacing the old beliefs with affirmations to affirm the truth replaced the lack of truth about who I am. I now understood God is always positive. I have always been loved. I am a worthy person.

 Learning that the word beliefs has the word "lie" in it was now meaningful. I was taught lies to live by. If God is always positive and PURE LOVE, then I am not a sinner, nor guilty for the past, nor is there a hell. I did not cause anyone to die. In my just published book, "A Spark of Truth" at Amazon, I share how this dogma through the Nicene Creed in 425AD became the basis for many religions for centuries. It is also affecting us today.

 In the future, I have to find the truth for me and listen to my heart, I want to be led to that future reality by my feelings; they are guiding me towards the truths that serve me best. I move from listening to others, authority, experts, or my head into listening to my heart and the truth within me. This is why it is important to know that it serves me more to process information through my body than through my minds. If something does not feel good to me, then I no longer pay it attention.

I had based what I believed to be true on what others told me. I learned to change my focus on faith and listening to my heart messages, rather than in beliefs.. I think for myself today.. I found love never fails. What goes around comes around. I moved into being a love-based person and send that out for happy returns.

I discovered there is another way to view life; I get to choose which action to take, and how to imagine what feels good. Selecting my own path puts me into harmony with the real me and what is around me. Try feeling into it, determining for yourself whether it is a road you really want to go down, and a reality you actually want to experience. You can feel into the truth of it, then you know that what you feel is telling you it is true for you; it feels good. That love creates was new to me.

My book, "Paradigm Busters" at Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Marilyn-Redmond/e/B0069WIKDChas the process of how I moved into my heart from the negativity of my past. Today I live from my Creator's spirit of love and not my old beliefs. I know in my heart are the answers to my life for loving solutions. I see through the eyes of love. "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are become new." 2 Corinthians 5:17   Maturity is no longer living in the immaturity of fear. PURE LOVE brings us into unity and community. 

My newest book, "A Spark of Truth" at Amazon has the history to how the church doctrine has been used to misinform people for the benefit of those manipulating and controlling our lives. https://www.amazon.com/Spark-Truth-Rev-Marilyn-Redmond/dp/0944851630 In addition, "A Spark of Truth" has current information about how we have been told other beliefs that do not serve us presently.

 

 

LISTEN TO YOUR HEART

 My journey into wakefulness has not been easy. Tough times still manifest on my path. The journey continues today with my trials and tests; however, I have tools now to face life challenges and I no longer run from reality.

 The emotional barriers I had built to protect me were actually preventing health and good things in my life. The lack of light blocked the flow of intuition that stopped my ability to make a rational decision or determine a productive resolution to my problems. Currently, honesty is my connection to a higher power. I got truthful with myself and moved out of the fearful darkness from past harms and illness. Moving into the light is the solution to my medical and relationship problems.

 I found my answers in my heart and now have ample self-esteem to rise above my dysfunctional past gatherings of family or circumstances. I do not have to react from my fearful history of difficulty. Supportive alternative assistance such as massage, chiropractic assistance, and flower essences support the flow of prana to nurture my body and mind back to health and clear thinking.

 My minister said to stay in my domestic violent marriage. My psychiatrist kept prescribing medications that were toxic to me and my body said I was dying. I would not be alive today if I followed their advice. In the past, I listened to the experts and their instruction and I was on my last legs. My answers now come from within instead of the insanity around me or the negative influence of the ego.

 Today, it is possible to see a bigger picture by understanding with forgiveness and compassion. I can make myself cheerful and meet my own needs when I consciously connect to my inner higher power. “To heal is to make happy” is stated in "A Course in Miracles". I choose to be happy. This means I take responsibility for myself and respond in love for others and myself.

 I learned to pray daily and meditate before I put my feet on the floor in the morning. Prayer is raising my energy into a higher consciousness beyond the ego that has negative messages from my fear, abandonment, or shame. The ego has been identified as Edging God Out. I am tuning into the right station on my spiritual radio dial. In the past, listening for my inner voice to provide guidance was missing. "Be still and know that I am God," means to still the ego for listening to God within. Listening to the silent voice from my heart bypasses the ego's influence and has given me directions and assistance in numerous traumatic situations.

 When being assaulted by my husband, I was in deep trauma believing that was the end of me. Strangely, time stood still while I heard the silent message tell me, "Forgive him for he knows not what he does,” I added, “God bless him”. I prayed that twice and then was told I could leave the room. Angels held him so he could not move toward me or stop my leaving. After praying this twice, I was escorted by angels out the room. He walked away to watch television in the family room. He never touched me again. This experience has created a trust in God that I never had before. Since I have had several of these situations, I am writing a book called "Divinely Protected".

 It taught me to pray for my foe. "Put on the whole amour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Ephesians 6:11-18 I found that sending love is the safest place to be; it has become my armor. When you are in the presence of God, no one can attack you.

Learning to ask for “Thy will be done” and apply my inner assistance, I continue to allow the Father dwelling within, to provide my path. In another situation, I was delighted to feel I had one hundred dollars cash in my hands for a change. It was left over from insurance money from my car repair. In my marriage, my husband held the purse strings. Usually, I had no cash. In meditation, I was told, the money is for your friend who is leaving town on an airplane. She is traveling to receive training for a new job. She will need the money for food. I knew that she was living on nothing trying to find work.

 In silence, I am connected to my Creator who supports me in all things. I become the channel through which God helps others. I find myself part of the Creative Intelligence and aligned with the omniscience spirit of a loving energy within my heart. I am individualized spirit on earth acting as His arms and legs being in service. I discovered doing the right thing is never wrong.

 My new world came into view that all things work for good if I am on the spiritual path. With the guidance and help of a loving spirit, I take action from my inner direction. Currently, my dysfunctional and abusive past is an old chapter in my personal history book. In my new chapter, I live through prayer and meditation to be a blessing to others and myself. Praying daily, I live without others opinions or advice. I call myself God employed.

 Choosing to have a conscious contact with my higher power was my answer. It allows rational thinking, clarification, and understanding. This knowledge and approach became the basis for my moving out of a dysfunctional lifestyle. Turning to the "Father of Light" in all things, brought serenity, and wisdom. When I am daily in the presence of God, there is only light, joy, sanity, and gratitude.

Marilyn Redmond's books are being distributed internationally to prisons and used as a booked study in San Quentin. She was included in the current, prodigious book, "Who's Who in America. This concept is explained further in her books, You Tubes, readings, and counseling. Redmond is an ordained minister for spiritual counseling, readings, regression, IBRT, and healing, ABH. In addition, she is a teacher, speaker, and medium offering information from the other side for illness, relationships, and issues in your life. Redmond can help you find health, happiness, and prosperity.

Check out her website, http://angelicasgifts.com/

Books: at https://www.amazon.com/Marilyn-Redmond/e/B0069WIKDC

Barnes and Nobel https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Marilyn+Redmond?_requestid=16065424 176 videos on You Tube at  https://www.youtube.com/user/puyallup98372

Blog at http://marilynredmondbooks.blogspot.com/