The course
states that its purpose is the escape from fear. Let us suppose, then, that
what you ask of the Holy Spirit is what you really want, but you are still
afraid of it. An individual may ask for physical healing because he is fearful
of bodily harm. At the same time, if he were healed physically, the threat to
his thought system might be considerably more fearful to him than its physical
expression. In this case he is not really asking for release from fear, but for
the removal of a symptom that he himself selected. This request is, therefore,
not for healing at all.
The Bible emphasizes that all prayer is answered, and this
is indeed true. The very fact that the Holy Spirit has been asked for anything
will ensure a response. Yet it is equally certain that no response given by
Him will ever be one that would increase fear.
Can you ask of the Holy Spirit truly, and doubt your
brother? Believe his words are true because of the truth that is in him. You
will unite with the truth in him, and his words will true. As you
hear him you will hear me. Listening to truth is the only way you can hear it
now, and finally know it.
The message your brother gives you is up to you. What does
he say to you? What would you have him say? Your decision about him determines
the message you receive. Remember that the Holy Spirit is in him, and His Voice
speaks to you through him. What can so holy a brother tell you except truth? But
are you listening to it? Your brother may not know who he is, but there is a
light in his mind that does know. This light can shine into yours, giving truth
to his words and making you able to hear them. His words are the Holy Spirit's
answer to you. Is your faith in him strong enough to let you hear?
Prayer is the restatement of inclusion,
directed by the Holy Spirit under the laws of God.
You will not trust the guidance of the Holy Spirit, or
believe that it is for you unless you hear it in others. Hear of your brother
what you would have me hear of you, for you would not want me to be deceived.
Never forget, then, that you set the value on what you
receive, and price it by what you give. God's laws are always fair and
perfectly consistent. By giving you receive. But to receive is to accept, not
to get.
What you give is therefore the value you put on what you
have, being the exact measure of the value you put upon it. And this, in turn,
is the measure of how much you want it. You can ask of the Holy Spirit, then,
only by giving to Him, and you can give to Him only where you recognize Him. If
you recognize Him in everyone, consider how much you will be asking of Him, and
how much you will receive. He will deny you nothing because you have denied Him
nothing, and so you can share everything. This is the way, and the only way to
have His answer, because His answer is all you can ask for and want. Say, then,
to everyone:
Because
I will to know myself, I see you as God's Son and my brother.
T-9.II
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