The Teachings of Jesus

By Rt. Rev. Debi Livingston, Bishop

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"Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again,

he cannot see the kingdom of God."

--The Gospel of John 3:3

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Ask yourself this question. Are you the same way with each person in your life, or do you switch gears depending on who you are with? There's the face for Mom, the face for Dad, the boss, your spouse and your friends. Each person has their special set of expectations for you, each "seeing you" in their own certain way.

People use their psychic abilities to perceive what the other person is looking for. Then they become that way to gain approval and acceptance, and to get what they want. Like a Polaroid snap shot, the first impression has been made. Now each time you're with that individual you must present yourself the same way or they will get upset. Multiply this by all the people you know and you can begin to feel pretty laden down by all the valances you must uphold. For most, these are not extreme Dr. Jekyll to Mr. Hyde changes, but more subtle variations on the theme you call you. You have created an album of perfect pictures and have become the perfect mother, the perfect wife, the perfect dad and so on.

Then you wonder why you're always tired, drained, cranky, uninspired and depressed. Your life-force energy has been distributed into each one of these false valances, leaving no energy with which to regenerate your true self - spirit. It's similar to the water that is directed into the desert cities, leaving the farms and gardens dry. You have succumbed to the belief that you are that body/personality with its vast facade of characters. The walls have been built from the outside and you've imprisoned yourself outside of your body into each one of those roles.

There are simple tools taught at the Academy For Psychic Studies that are designed to help you understand and experience yourself as a spirit embodied. These techniques help to create a space called freedom, where you have the permission to be yourself and express yourself through your body in the way you choose. This is learning to accept yourself right where you're at in present time.

This is the re-birth Jesus is speaking about. It is a shift in awareness from believing yourself to be the body, to realizing you are spirit. The kingdom of God is within you, bonded in the sacred connection between yourself and the God of your heart. This is not easy to see from the physical perspective. When you make the decision to drop the old games and desire to have the change in heart is when this re-birth takes place.

The re-birth can be now, it's only a decision away. All it requires is a subtle shift in your awareness of attitude. In that light I will end with a quote by Rev. Wm. Duby, Pastor of the Spiritual Rights Foundation, Inc. Read it more than once and digest it slowly. It could change your life. It changed mine.

"Once someone asked me if I knew where God was... Yes, I replied, He's in your ATTITUDE and when you ask Him, He will heal it."

And So It Is.