I Release. I Let Go. I Let God.

During my meditation this morning, I found myself singing the chorus of the Rickie Byars Beckwith song, “I Release and I Let Go.” It is a popular song in Unity and other New Thought spiritual centers. The lyrics to the chorus are,

I release and I let go
I let the Spirit run my life
And my heart is open wide
Yes I’m only here for God

No more struggle, no more strife
With my faith I see the light
I am free in the Spirit
Yes, I’m only here for God

I have sung this song countless times over the past twenty-plus years. I even know the lyrics by heart. And, today the words arose from my heart, and I felt them more deeply than ever before.

I believe these words are Spirit’s response to my asking, “What is mine to do in 2018?” So, I am choosing this as my mantra and my intention for this year (and beyond).

I fully realize that to live this intention I must continually affirm and know that I am only here for God and make choices, moment-by-moment, to let go of all struggle and strife; keep my heart open wide; ignite my power of faith; and surrender to Spirit.

If you resonate with this message, I invite you to join me. Use the following statements to align your mind and heart to the energy of this intention.

I am only here to be the highest expression of God that I can be in any given moment. I am only here to embody the unconditional Love of God, behold all through the eyes of Love, and express that Love for all creation, including myself. I commit to keep my heart and mind focused on the God of my being, to love God with all my heart, mind and spirit, and to love others as myself (Matthew 22: 37 – 39)

I let go of the struggle and strife that comes from believing that I have to do it, whatever “it” is. I stand with my brother and teacher, Jesus, and proclaim, “The words that I speak (and the works that I do) are not my own. Rather, it is the Father in me who is doing the work” John 14:10. I choose to release the idea of a “self” separate and apart from God, for this belief is the beginning of all suffering.

I breathe deeply into the area of my spiritual heart, which is just behind and to the right of my physical heart. I consciously open. I open to allow the flow of Divine Love. I am a channel for Infinite Love and Light as I open to welcome the awareness that all people are and all creation is the Living Light of God. I choose moment-by-moment to keep my heart open wide. I am a vessel for receiving and giving to the world all that God is as me.

I focus my attention on the area at the center of my head and ignite the blue light of Faith which is my power to perceive the activity of God in and through all circumstances. Faith is also my power to behold, with conviction and joyous anticipation, the fulfillment of my deepest desire, which is to know myself as I am known in the Mind of God. With my power of Faith, I see the true Light and Life of God living itself through all that was and is and is yet to be.

I surrender to the indwelling Spirit in all things. I realize that the spirit of Life and Love, in whose image I am made, is the Intelligence, Presence and Power that sourced all creation, holds it all in perfect harmony and order and responds to my every thought and feeling with precision. I surrender now to a power greater than I have up till now believed myself to be. I reclaim the power of Spirit working in, through and as me to do its perfect will. Again, I stand with the master teacher, Jesus, when I say, “Not my will, but thy will be done” (Luke 22:42). I surrender the will of the ego-identified self, and reclaim that the will of Spirit is my will.

Stating each of the forgoing declarations is an empowering step toward living the intention. Making these declarations aligns us with the energy inherent in them. It is a beginning. It is not sufficient to make these declarations only once, no matter how emphatically we do so. It is imperative for us to continue to align ourselves.

I have printed these statements and posted them on the wall just above my computer screen so that I can look up, see them, and read them aloud multiple times each day. They will serve as a constant reminder of my stated intention. I encourage you to do something similar.

I also encourage us all to make the commitment to staying aware of when we slip into old patterns of worry, struggle or strife. Commit to noticing when we are trying to take control, and instead make the conscious decision to release and let go. Trust and know that the Spirit of God indwelling is doing its work in its time.

Proclaim unabashedly and with conviction, “I am Free in the Spirit. I am only here for God.” And, so it is!

Join us on Sunday at 10:00 as we explore further how we can “Release, Let Go, and Let God.”