A message channeled by Rev. Jeff Munnis on November 3, 2024, about how to deal with this time we are living in where there is great hope, but also much tension by what we see and experience in the world.

Transcript

Anytime that we find ourselves in the presence of love and kindness, when we look from a larger perspective at that same love and kindness, there are feelings of hope. But we should also remember that, in addition to the similar things that are called out by our goodness, by our hope, that a corresponding response or reaction to that can often feel quite negative and evil. In order for us to understand how this evil functions, we have to understand that evil represents something that is incomplete, that’s not whole. So that when goodness, and hope, and peace, and love are coming out, all of those incomplete versions of that longing, that desire, that love, that hope that falls short of unconditional love, this often finds expression as evil, where someone’s dreams are thwarted, where someone’s desires are cut short, where someone’s ability to see is limited, or even our ability to hear can be limited. And the imperfect human beings that we are, this incompleteness is hard to recognize because when we see something, we almost always believe we’re seeing the whole picture before us. Or when we hear something, we believe that we’re hearing the fullness and the wholeness of the words we hear or the message we hear. But we also know that the world contains many things that are not visible. And we also know that we can’t hear everything all the time that is being said or the messages that are being give. So, this incompleteness leads to a distortion of what we see as good, what we see as love or kindness. One example of a distortion of kindness would be kindness that’s reserved for only those who we see as our friends, and if we don’t have the ability to be kind to those who are different or difficult for us.

So, this is important because of what we will see and hear in the days ahead. We’ll see the hope and the anticipation on one side, we’ll see expectations and the limitations on another side, and the clash of those two forms of energy in our consciousness will create a great deal of tension. So, for each of us in this time, there is a need for prayer, for wholeness—a prayer that recognizes the fullness of who we are as human beings. That we have a depth, that we have an understanding of ourselves, that we know our hearts, and we know what comes from our hearts versus what comes from our minds. It’s not that our minds can’t be used for good, it’s simply that they have a process that is easily diverted without the direction that comes from reflection and care, from introspection and self-examination. So, when our prayers ask for wholeness, when our prayers hold the fullness of the world in our prayers, when we hold that fullness and can recognize all of the different forms of energy in the variety of people—those we are comfortable with and those we are uncomfortable with—then our prayers begin to resonate at a deeper level.

And there is something also to be careful with our discernment about evil in the sense that the grosser forms, the bigger, more spectacular displays that grab our attention or that have a seeming horrifying effect, these evils are not the most difficult to overcome. The evil that is the most difficult to overcome is very subtle, sometimes even quiet, and we hear it like a whisper. But it is just a whisper. It’s not that deeper voice that we hear from God, but something more material, and the subtlety of it is that it comes in disguise. Sometimes in the disguise of the appearance of good or to be motivated by the good or motivated by wholeness, but really, underneath is a pattern of selfishness, a pattern of self-aggrandizement, a pattern of fear that arises out of selfishness or a fear that one’s own needs are not going to be met. These subtle forms of evil are more insidious, more difficult to discern, more difficult to confront because they hide in the cloak of a different kind of intention that’s difficult to see. This kind of evil that is in human beings exists everywhere in the world, and it’s hard to accept that there is this kind of selfishness in the world. But we also have to recognize that all of us are here, in part because of some kind of selfishness that has stood between us and God.

There is a surrender of ourselves to God. An opening of ourselves and an acceptance of things just as they are before us—a certain kind of humility, a kind of gaze upon our own soul or our own hearts that allows us to see the ways in which we hold ourselves or our needs above others or above the needs of others. We fear that there is competition and limitations of what is available to nourish us or to help us grow. But the truth is, there is abundance that is sufficient for everyone and every circumstance if we see that that abundance is fulfilled through God.

If you are feeling the burden of this kind of discernment, meaning how to recognize evil, how to recognize the incompleteness, remember that it is in patience that you possess your soul. So, in not being too quick to judge, but with patience, letting the world unfold before you, and eventually the truth is revealed. Trusting this process and having faith in this process is sometimes hard. But it is also essential for our own growth. And when we speak about growth, we are speaking about the growing union with God that is within us—the connecting of more of our own being of that essence that is the source of our own life, so when we grow, we are growing into the presence that surrounds us. We’re growing into the consciousness that is there for us as a source of light and love. This consciousness has many times a perspective that helps us see accurately the world before us, the intentions of those around us, the motivation of those around us. And if we use our prayer to be able to see and accept, to hear and accept, then the path will open before us, and the prayer will protect us.

When it is said to you to have the mind of Christ or to put on the mind of Christ, it is meant that you should grow into the expansion of consciousness that we identify with Christ. It is not as if you are imitating Christ or following a pattern that’s been established by someone else. But you are growing into a consciousness and an energy that is without a pre-defined pattern or a pre-destined pattern. It is a freedom and a perspective that comes knowing that you exist within this consciousness, and with a certain amount of humility, this consciousness is available to you at any moment, and that you can call on help in those moments.

(S.G. – I don’t really have a question, I just want to, or maybe I do. I just want to acknowledge how powerful and poignant this is and how ripe it feels. And, yeah, I have lots to say but that seems to be the best way to summarize it.)

(M.C. – I’m feeling the same way. I feel like there were so many things that were said, and I will listen to this again over the next few days, probably the whole week, as reminders. I try to be in contact with the Divine regularly, but I’ve had sadness this week. It just hits me, and some anxiety, and I know that it’s related to what’s happening to our country. I’ve been meditating more and, but there were so many things you said, Jeff, that were so helpful. And that our disconnection is us. Those aren’t the exact words that you used, but I will look forward to listening again because there was so much in there. So, thank you so much, so very much. I even feel tearful now and perhaps some relief and hope, hope in your words and reminders. Thank you.)

This is a time where there is potential for a great healing, where there’s a great opportunity. And that opportunity will exist like a window that opens for the world. And part of the question for us is how long we can hold that window open for ourselves and for the people around us to see out into the clearness of what the opportunity is to be healed, to be united, to be in a community that cares for one another, and that we can go to any place in this country or in the world and to be able to see the healing work that is being done. That would be a gift of sight—to be able to see, even in the midst of great pain and suffering or fear and anxiety or for hopes to know that that opportunity is there, and that healing is possible in every circumstance. It’s up to us to do this individually, but it is in our individual doing that others are also raised up.