1998-04-19. On Faith
Nashville #57
Topic: On Faith
Group: Nashville TeaM
Teacher: Ham
TR: Rebecca
Opening
Ham: Greetings, children, friends, I am Ham and I greet you each with an open heart. You are all treading into new areas that very few have gone ahead so that there are very few sign posts left for you by others. There are many different tasks and there is much work to be done ahead. For those of you who are yet waiting for an assignment, know within that your time is ahead and these things will be revealed.
Lesson
Faith
Ham: Now, what is faith? What is meant when we use the word symbol, “faith”? Faith is like an umbilical cord to the Father, to higher universe reality. Faith is also like an outstretched hand reaching upward toward security, hope, and trust. Faith is the living spiritual connection between you, as a mortal reaching upward, and the Father’s secure love reaching downward. Faith, then, is always there but it remains up to the mortal person to take hold of his faith and to use in their lives.
Faith is like a lifeline into the realms of peace. When you utilize your faith, when you exercise your faith ability, what you are doing is bringing higher peace, security, and trust into the present moment. When you are faced with a disaster or seeming disaster, it requires faith to look past the present moment and to bring peace down from the higher realms of consciousness, the super-consciousness, into the present time and present consciousness. When all things worldly crumble around you, do you despair and give up hope or do you rather exercise your faith and trust in God knowing that his love and purpose will lead you through any temporal disaster? Can you then bring this greater peace down into your being and therefore be calm and equalized in your reactions and in your thinking?
The spirit filled mortal is for the most part filled with joy and hope in all situations, whether they be seemingly good or seemingly bad. The spirit filled mortal knows that these temporal labels are only passing and are not the eternal reality of his soul which can be always peaceful, calm, and joy filled. The spirit filled mortal calmly watches as earthly things crumble, secure in the knowledge that the Father has something even greater is store.
To some it can seem that the spirit filled person is oddly detached and this can be interpreted as being out of touch or cold. But the spirit filled mortal, while empathizing with the suffering of others, is gradually letting go of earthly suffering and does not require it any more.
Also, the spirit filled mortal is untouched by worldly success. He knows that success and failure are both obstacles to be dealt with and surmounted. In a way, children, life is like an obstacle course with each circumstance, success or failure, bringing with it its own set of problems. So, how you deal with these problems is the important thing. The important thing is to always walk humbly with the Lord through every situation, every circumstance.
Remember, this is his way of teaching you, you are learning with every situation to take what lessons there are and to incorporate these into your spiritual growth. Remember, you are building your eternal soul in partnership with the Father and all this drama of life will at first seem like a hazy dream when you awaken on mansonia one.
So, you don’t need to take everything so seriously and act as though you are really in charge of any thing. Let the Father teach you, learn from the people he brings into your lives, learn from the circumstances he puts you through, learn from the ups and the downs, and above all exercise your faith at every opportunity. The more you exercise your faith, the more you will grow in faith, and the more you grow in faith, the stronger your connection to the Father is, and the stronger this connection is, the more peace, happiness, and contentment you will experience during this life. Therefore, take nothing for granted. Live in the now as much as possible and bring your higher self into the now with all its peace and tranquility as much as you can. Are there any questions at this time?
Dialogue
Pain
Q: That was all interesting of course, but I was especially interested you said you will no longer require suffering, will you enlarge on that?
Ham: Yes, as you grow in the spirit, and increasingly are able to live in the higher realms of peace and equanimity. You are no longer so tempted to suffer from the little annoyances and things of life that can cause pain depending on where your consciousness is. When your consciousness is focused overly on the material level, then all the vicissitudes of material living batter the consciousness and thus cause suffering. But as you climb up into a higher spiritual consciousness, and are sustained through faith with the Father’s constant loving attention, these material vicissitudes are no longer affecting the consciousness, the consciousness stays steady, joyful, and at peace. But, I might add this is not an either or situation, but one of gradual changes from one level of living to another.
Q: I was thinking of the saying, no pain no gain, and I thought you might be referring to the fact that as we go along, our growth can be one more of perception rather than having to learn everything the hard way, that pain is not required as a learning tool as much.
Ham: Correct.
Buddhism, Detachment
Q: Is there a difference between what you are saying and what the Buddhist philosophy is?
Ham: Yes there is a difference, the Buddhist philosophy emphasizes the turning away from the world and letting go of attachment. I am saying rather that there is a transfer of attachment from the world to God or spirit-faith. And this attachment, this new and greater attachment, is real and lasting. And yes, gradually, the spirit dominates the consciousness and directs the entire personality so that the person is increasingly identifying with the spirit and in effect merging with the spirit rather than trying to identify with the things of the world and mistakenly make them meaningful.
Q: If a discussion comes up of attachment to the world and desire, then the way to handle this is to talk about making a transfer of attachment from the world to God rather than emphasizing the need to let go of attachment to material things or things of this world.
Ham: Yes, one can be spirit led in any circumstance and it is not required that you should all become monks, no.
Comfort
Q: A criteria is where do you turn for comfort, do you turn to God or these other nonspiritual energies. Is that valid?
Ham: Yes, certainly it is. When you turn to the comforter for help and solace in times of trouble, you will receive increased fruits of the spirit, increased peace, level of joy, and delight in righteousness. When you turn to the physical world to give you comfort or solace or happiness, you are destined to be disappointed for the material world is inert, nonliving energy. It cannot give you comfort, only a personal spiritual presence can do that.
Q: All these other energies can only give you momentary escape?
Ham: Yes, perhaps, momentary forgetfulness but not comfort.
Beauty
Q: I have a question about the difference between appreciating material things and attachment. I get an experience of appreciation of beauty from material things sometimes, and i get come comfort from that. How do you balance this, is there comfort that comes from beauty of a painting or a beautiful object?
Ham: As you grow in the spirit, you ability to appreciate and admire the beautiful is enhanced for God is inherently beautiful and harmonious so as you identify with the spirit, you then are drawn to the harmonious and the beautiful more and more. This is not material attachment, at all, no. Material attachment is the mistake of seeking answers and solutions to spiritual problems in the material world.
Faith, Exercise
Q: The point I get from your lesson tonight is that faith is something we achieve or acquire through using it, like a muscle. I was taught growing up that faith is a gift of grace, but it is more like something that we have to work at?
Ham: Certainly, yes.
Q: Use it or lose it?
Ham: Yes
Q: You certainly helped my faith Ham.
Q: I want to ask some things for some people.
Q: Jim from Oklahoma sent this letter of thanks from someone named Norman. {read quote}.
Ham: Norman, I am touched by your words and am sincerely grateful that you would feel moved to tell me these things. Your faith is growing and you are learning to walk in the higher ways every day.
Q: Is there any chemical or herbal thing that you know of that will help Earl’s wife’s Parkinson’s disease at this time and also would you give a message to Earl?
Ham: Son, this baffling disease is truly an opportunity for you both to grow in the spirit through the exercise of faith and trust in God. Your ever present devotion to Faye is a true testimonial to your great faith and love of God. Serving God through serving another of his children is in fact the highest privilege of human existence. Therefore, be strong, have courage, show your love openly and let go of any anger or unthinking frustration that can cloud your thinking and steer you in the wrong direction. Stay focused on your own spiritual growth. Your soul is like a garden that must be weeded, must be fed, must be given sunshine in the form of contact with the Father through spiritual meditation. Tend to this garden and you will find yourself feeling much better.
Q: Is there no help that you know about for the condition?
Ham: She is on a good medical routine already. No, there is no miracle cure and therapy will have to come through the medical establishment channels which is slow.
Q: Steve T. would like a message.
Ham: Son, you are opening up to the Father’s love increasingly every day. Look always for guidance within and allow the changes that are coming over you to continue.
Q: Dillman?
Ham: Dillman, son, you have come a long way in releasing and letting go of the spirit poisons of anger and resentment that have plagued you for many years. Now is time to embrace joy and peace and balance in your life. All is well and as it should be. There is nothing to fear or to have anxiety about anymore and also your finances will begin to straighten out or be easier to handle soon.
Q: Esmirelda?
Ham: Yes, daughter, you are finding a calmer, inner strength that has always been there and others have had its benefits and now you yourself are making that connection. The Father’s love is always with you. You are doing well, continue with your spiritual work for everything is being transformed as a result.
Q: Elena?
Ham: Elena, life is beginning to settle down and your emotions are likewise becoming calmer and more predictable or reliable. Everything is going very well for you at this time. Continue your stillness practice and journaling every day. You have come far and all is well.
Q: Rebecca?
Ham: Yes daughter, you are again experiencing much love and faith and happiness. Know that your life is going along as it should and you are discharging all your duties well.
Q: Jarad?
Ham: Jarad, you must be calm and content for all is well and as it should be with your album work. Let go of you fears and your worries over this effort. You are seeing problems and fears where there are none. You need to let go of this phase and now concentrate on the next phases of this work. You will have much more to worry about in the future. You will not be lacking in things to worry about. So let go of your worries now.
Q: Do you have anything about my spiritual situation to speak of to me.
Ham: Do not neglect your spiritual work. In meditation you should concentrate on deep breathing rather than just trying to still the mind, concentrate on the breath, trying to slow the breath.
Q: Do you have any guidance for me Ham?
Ham: Yes, Kellan, you are now entering into a new and advanced or more advanced stage of understanding in your life. The superficial answer has never satisfied you and now you are seeking the deeper and more complex questions and answers in life. You are likely to find much soul satisfaction in the next few months of this inner journey.
Q: Ham do you have feedback for me this week, please?
Ham: Yes, Brodan, you are also going through a time of deeper searching, deeper questions, broadening and deepening of your soul. The time is approaching for even deeper searching and deeper questioning than you have allowed yourself to work through in yourself before. Remain open and receptive to others advice and suggestions as well for sometimes it is easier for another to see your soul than it is for you to see it clearly.
Q: Ham do you have a message for me tonight?
Ham: Yes certainly daughter, you are working out some old feelings like airing laundry in the sunshine. Sometimes it is necessary to just get out and express old anger or resentment that was glossed over and forgotten as you carried out all your duties in life. Don’t be embarrassed by being human and feeling normal human feelings. Rather, embrace this humanness, embrace this imperfection, and love yourself in all your many complexities.
Closing
Farewell until next week, my prayers and my love are with you all. Farewell.
