One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

In this world, the phrase, "one step forward, two steps back" means you are not making progress. You take one step forward and you're set back two steps. It means something negative.

In the spiritual world, the world of our intention, the phrase, "one step forward, two steps back" means you are making progress. Your intention is getting more and more similar to God's intention. It means something positive.

In the spiritual world, when we receive to bestow we work with our desire to receive but only if it has an intention to bestow. We start with a small desire to receive, which gets larger as we grow. The diagram below shows how we work in reception and bestowal: one step forward, two steps back.

Copyright © 2011 , Carter Kagume. May be used for research purposes only. May not be used for any commercial purposes.

What is the Barrier?

The barrier is the divide that separates your intention to receive from your intention to bestow.

You are born with an intention to receive and you live your life oblivious to your intention. When you want to know the true meaning of your life you send a heartfelt cry to the Creator. If this cry is genuine and sincere, you cross the barrier.

When you cross the barrier you become aware of your intention for the first time. You realize you’ve been extremely selfish and self-centered, you’ve been using your intention at the expense of others. You want that to stop so your intention changes from reception to bestowal.

This is known as being born again. You're born into a new perception of reality, you become aware of your intention, which is tied in to how you perceive the world.

It is also known as death because your intention to receive dies. Jesus was crucified on the cross and died. “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13, NIV)

Copyright © 2011 , Carter Kagume. May be used for research purposes only. May not be used for any commercial purposes.

Love your Friend as Yourself

Leviticus 19:18 reads, "...love your neighbour as yourself"
In Hebrew - וְאָהַבְתָּ לְרֵעֲךָ כָּמוֹךָ  ve’ahavta lere’acha kamocha.

Love your friend as yourself is one of the best known phrases from the Bible. But what does it actually mean? There are several meanings depending on your perception of reality:

1. How To Treat Others
Before you cross the barrier you're not aware of your intention so the phrase "love your friend as yourself" can only be understood literally, treat others the way you would like to be treated. If your friend needs a pillow give him a pillow, if someone drops something help them pick it up. 

When you first cross the barrier you become aware of your intention for the first time and realize you've been using it at the expense of others. You want to stop harming others so your intention changes from reception to bestowal. "Love your friend as yourself" can be understood to mean do not harm others, "... do to others what you would have them do to you." (Matthew 7:12).

3. Your Friends are Your Intention
When you cross the barrier and become aware of your intention you notice something else, your friends tell the story of your intention. 

You're able to make a connection between your friends and your intention. The friends you're surrounded with tell the story of the stages that your intention goes through. So "love your friend as yourself" means that your friends are actually you since they tell the story of your intention.

We are all interconnected in this way. Your friends and I tell the story of your intention and my friends including you tell the story of my intention.

3. God is your Friend
In this world your friends are people you spend time with and know something about. When you reach the degree of "love" where your intention is similar to God's intention, you spend time with God and you know something about Him. You know His intention, He's your friend. The friend in "love your friend as yourself" is God. Love God.

Also, in spirituality when attributes have equivalence of form they become one. When your intention is similar to God's intention you become one with God. You can't tell where God starts or ends and you can't tell where you start or end. "Love your friend as yourself" means love God as yourself because you and God are one.

Copyright © 2011 , Carter Kagume. May be used for research purposes only. May not be used for any commercial purposes.

Reading the Bible

Do you have to read the Bible? No you don't. You don't have to do anything you don't want to do.

Is it a good idea to read the Bible? Yes. It's a very good idea. Actually, it's a great idea. Here's why.

1. The Bible Develops a Foundation
Reading the Bible develops a foundation that you can draw on when you enter the kingdom of heaven, that is when you go through a change in the perception of your reality and become aware of your intention.

Knowing the stories from the Bible will help you draw parallels between the events that took place in the Bible and the events that are taking place in your life. They won't be exactly the same events, they'll be parallel stories.

Drawing parallels between your life and the Bible will provide comfort because you'll know what you're going through has purpose and has been ordained from above.

Think of it at prudent planning such as packing a grab bag in the event of an emergency. Anything is easier to handle if you're well prepared. Reading the Bible will prepare you for when you enter the kingdom of heaven.

2. The Bible Creates a Deficiency for God
Today we are so far away from God we question whether or not He exists.

If we are thirsty, we drink water. If we are hungry, we eat food. First the deficiency, then the fulfillment. Without a deficiency for God there is nothing for God to fulfill.

Reading the Bible creates a deficiency for God, especially if you read it with a desire to get to know Him. If you create a deficiency to get to know God, God will fulfill it. The greater the deficiency, the greater the fulfillment.

3. The Bible Provides Comfort
The Bible provides comfort in times of hardship. These are difficult times for a lot of people, it doesn't hurt to read a book that knows exactly what to say and seems to speak to us personally.

Copyright © 2011 , Carter Kagume. May be used for research purposes only. May not be used for any commercial purposes.