Lesson 6 Divine Indwelling Set 4 Part 2 of 2
Continue reading the second part of Sis Zsa Halili’s meditations on Set 4 of Lesson 6 Divine Indwelling. She shares with us God’s wisdom thats been revealed to her as she continues to journey with the walk throughers through Divine Indwelling.
The meditation guide is intended to be shared in a “Walkthrough” where fellow members can share each other’s reflections and discernments.
We invite you to join us here in divineindwelling.org for our Weekly Online walkthroughs where every week we will show you the reflections of different Mission Aspirants in our community. We hope this inspires you to continue your internal journey with God dwelling inside you.
Most importantly don’t forget to share your reflections in the comments!
**For the intention of this article we will only post the Set Question and the reflections of the Mission Aspirant. If you want to follow along with the complete Set please contact us for further details.
Set 4 Lesson:
It is simply for man to be with God, and God will release whatever is good for man. God may only release to man whatever good God may share only according to the measure that man is united with his God. Hence it is extremely important for man to grow in union with God forever.
There are several reasons why people cannot see the wisdom and knowledge of God. Some of the basic causes are ignorance, concupiscence, sin, distractions of the world, and pride of life.
Since we do not know how to be with God, God promised to give to us His Holy Spirit who will stay within us to teach us all that God wants us to know and to lead us into all the truths.
“The Father will give you another Advocate who will be with you forever…. You know him because he is with you and is in you.” (Jn 24:16-17)
“When the Spirit comes…. He will lead you into all the truths. The Spirit will take what I give him and tell it to you.” (Jn 16:13,15)
If the Divine Indwelling is the key, then every Christian must be taught this and how to use the key. This is the reason for the mission: to tell everyone, especially the Christians, the Good News that they have already what they are looking for: “all the treasures of God’s wisdom and knowledge.”
Mission Aspirant for Lesson 6 – Set 4 Part 1: Zarene Halili
Key Commentators:
Bro Josefino Rona: Red Text
Sis Tess: Blue Text
Sis Terri: Purple Text
Sis Lei Halili: Pink Text
Sis Rhona: Orange Text
Set 4
- What are we to do with this key?
If the Divine Indwelling is the key, then every Christian must be taught this and how to use the key. This is the reason for the mission: to tell everyone, especially the Christians, the Good News that they have already what they are looking for: “all the treasures of God’s wisdom and knowledge.”
Zsa’s Reflection:
Knowing that God has given the Holy Spirit in all of us reveals the beauty of life and the meaning of creation, finally I understand why God created the world! A question I’ve been asking since I was 8 years old!
If we can understand the unlimited capacity that we hold by being in Union with God then how much more unlimited can we all be if we are to open up this knowledge to everyone else, how much more wisdom, love and compassion will there be in the world if we can all share in this “mindset”.
Since we know the Holy Spirit is dwelling among all of us baptized then we all hold wisdom and secrets of the kingdom of God… all unique and all different, shaped by the different experiences that we have all gone through… how overwhelming to think of how vast and unlimited this is, how amazing! For there are billions of people.. hence there are so much that we can learn while we are in this life, so many secrets to unfold in this life, through everyone waiting to be unlocked through the Spirit dwelling in their hearts.
Why search for virtual Pokemons on our Phones when God has created the ultimate treasure hunt! The ultimate hunt to find the secrets and wisdom that dwells inside each and every unique Spirit! That is the ultimate mission! Find the treasure hunt dwelling in all mankind and unlocking the Holy Spirit dwelling in all of us!
Bro Joe’s reflection:
That is why all my life, although I know that I have found Him in me, I still follow Him in looking for Him in the hearts of everyone and to see the reflection of what He wants to tell me through the things, places and events that He sets before me. Divine Indwelling is really the key that unfolds all these “treasures” kept hidden through the ages, but now is made available to everyone like a little child believes in the Word of the Lord.
Sis. Rhona’s reflection:
The only way to achieve world peace, justice, equality and freedom is for all to practice DI.. God has given us the answer and it may seem like a big task ahead of us to let others know about it. But if we all start within ourselves and fully embrace the practice of DI, WT and the mission, it will be God working in each and everyone of us that will make all things possible! Amen! Amen! And Amen!
- What are we to do then so that His graces of wisdom, knowledge and all spiritual blessings can flow from within us?
In order to let flow God’s graces of wisdom, knowledge and all spiritual blessings from within us there are two basic things that one need to do: DI and Walk Through.
The exercise of DI (Divine Indwelling) is to keep constant contact with God who is already in us. We only have to be recollected in God’s Presence within us in Contemplation and ask for His wisdom, knowledge and guidance.
The Walk Through is a process to study and share the endless truths of the Lord’s revelation in Scriptures and in the life of Church. All truth is already in us. We simply have to surrender ourselves to God’s instructions how to get into ourselves. This is the purpose of studying and sharing the Word of God in a team or community.
Zsa’s reflection:
When I first started doing DI and joining the walkthrough, I found it hard to relate to people’s sharing. While I found peoples stories inspiring I felt I wasn’t growing spiritually. I knew it was because of my pride that I wasn’t able to move past this because in my mind a lot of things that were being said I felt “I already knew”.
Although, while my mind said “I already know this, I already know that” my heart was saying “yes – and because of this, you don’t really know anything…”, without the risk of sounding crazy it felt like 2 people inside me, one full of pride and the other trying to be humble (but not succeeding). Now I understand it was God speaking to me, humbling me and “keeping me real”… I was unable to see that he was speaking to me at the time because of my pride. How beautifully put, Zha.
So when asked to “share” something I would often pass, I felt that I didn’t deserve to share my thoughts being someone so full of pride.. I recognized my pride and I disliked it but at the same time I was unable to detach from it… instead I prayed for God to grant me humility to be better, to not use my intelligence as a measure of myself and my esteem. I can’t say there was a momentous moment when things finally changed but slowly God taught me that the “wisdom” is not mine, by committing everything to God’s glory and not my own I now understand they are God’s wisdom… I do not own anything, not even my thoughts which are formed only from his teachings…
Through my own pride I was unable to see what the walkthroughs really were… God’s wisdom in all of us…
Slowly I started to share my own thoughts and I found as I shared, I would say things that I hadn’t even thought of, ideas that were forming as they were coming out of my mouth… by verbally sharing my thoughts a small seed that was planted in my mind was now growing into a tree with branches of different thoughts all coming from the initial seed. Praise the Lord!
Internalising through DI has helped me to see the world differently, it has helped me to stop and listen to God before jumping into negative thinking and action, through walkthrough I have learnt to appreciate the creation of God which is to recognise the wisdom and knowledge he bestows upon every unique person… each sharing is a treasure of gold that has been unlocked and we are fortunate to have God share it to us. You make me cry, Zha. They are tears of God’s love flowing simply because He allowed you to express Himself through you.
Sis. Rhona’s Reflection:
When I was invited to attend the Divine Indwelling Retreat last year, I came because I was just trying to be nice to ate Lei who invited me. I didnt know what Divine Indwelling meant and I was too shy to ask ate Lei about it. I remember searching in Google for the definition of Divine Indwelling to give me some idea of what it was about. It sounded ‘deep’ and I didnt want to be at the retreat not knowing what it was about. My initial reaction from Reading about it in Google was “boring”… so I tried to think of an excuse not to go anymore. But it was pride that got me to go anyway because I did not want to break my word. When I said I am going then I will go! Looking back, I am so grateful for the invitation because if I hadnt been invited, I would’ve continued to live a meaningless life, no direction and afraid to face reality. A lot has happened to me within a year since that retreat! But I know it is all part of God’s great plan. He has shown me how He works, how He loves, how He forgives and how He comforts. Through DI and WT, I have come to know more about our loving God!
Sis Lei’s reflection:
This is the first I’ve heard of this confession. Your pride has done you good in some way because had you not honoured your word to me then you wouldn’t be in this journey Rhona. Why would I forsake the peace that you will experience through DI? As far as I know, I invited you because I know that you will understand and you out of all my friends (not that I have many) will give this a go. I know that you will benefit from knowing about DI. Little did I know that in the next month, you’re going to need it.
I am very happy that Zsa and Jon gave Divine Indwelling a go because now we as a whole family are in this mission. You accepted Gods invitation & the most profound things is that you have allowed the Spirit of God to start working within yourself.
Through your sharings & reflections, I get to see glimpses of your humbleness but also your yearning to seek more of God and about Him.
Bro Joe’s reflection:
Sis. Rhona, like anyone serious in living DI and Walk through, they come to a moment of feeling that they would like the burn the whole world with His Presence and Love. Yes, the world is waiting for each one of us. What I have experienced through the years, what Mother Mary taught me, now I share with you. And you allowed the Lord to just work within you with the simple faith that you have. Now we are about to come to the point to reaching out to the many out there to see the glory and love of the Lord. It is not so much in the activity that we do; but rather it is when we help someone else to “fall in love with God” that we shall have done our part. There is no more stopping in loving the ONE WHO HAS LOVE US SO MUCH AS TO GIVE HIS ONLY SON FOR YOU, FOR ME, FOR EVERYONE. On that day that the Lord allowed me to see Him within me in 1968, I had to face the people with tears in my eyes and just uttered these words: IF WE ONLY REALIZE HOW MUCH GOD LOVE US…. IF WE ONLY REALIZE HOW MUCH GOD LOVE US.” Then I went back to my place in the corner near the altar and continue to pour out my tears the love of God for each one of us. WE ARE ALL PRECIOUS IN THE SIGHT OF THE LORD. The Lord is looking for Himself in the image and likeness that He has made us to be.
20.What has Divine Indwelling got to do with our temporal need?
We now know that Divine Indwelling is the key that opens up for us all the treasures of God’s wisdom and knowledge which are hidden within the spirit of man. Such divine wisdom and knowledge enable us to see and understand that everything in Creation that God has made is a symbol, sacrament and indicator of God’s endless graces, generosity and providence for the survival and sustenance of man.
One who is truly one with God can never grow hungry, because God will give him the grace to see the endless potential of God’s abiding graces from the things of Creation. Just to think of it: one seed, planted and nurtured with love and care, yields a hundred seeds. A hundred seeds yields a thousand seeds. And a thousand seeds yields a million seeds. And so on. So, if guided only by the love of God, no one on earth will ever grow hungry. And yet there are a million other seeds available just waiting for man to nurture according to the intention of God: to manifest his love and generosity for all.
“Man shall not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Mt 4:4)
Zsa’s Reflection:
MAN vs ROBOTS
A thought came to me as I came to the realisation that “our own wisdom does not come from us but from God”… I started to compare Man and computers.. or “robots”…
Computers have a processor, this is technically the “brain” of the computer, it holds memory, information, data… it can even start making its decisions if given enough information and experiences… but how does a computer get further information? It needs a person to write programs and codes and it needs to continue to “upgrade” itself, it needs to download more information.. but what it cannot do is get new information and create new ideas from scratch – from nothing… there must always be an entity that gives it new information – the one providing the information is the “computer technician” the one writing new code to allow it to function, etc, from there the computer can create a multitude of possibilities.
We are much similar to a computer… the brain is our processor, it holds memory, data, information… our senses – see, hear, smell, taste and feel are what we use to continuously “download” new information and from there our brain processes this information and creates knowledge, understanding and a multitude of ideas and possibilities… but what is the difference between man and computers? The one that provides us new information to “function” is God… and that is the biggest revelation for me.
The problem is that we cannot recognise this because of our pride and arrogance… in fact pride is instilled in human nature so much that we fail to recognise it is there… the Snake in Genesis deceived us into thinking that by eating the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil we will be as smart as God, but it was a deception to fool us and as the saying goes “to pull the hood over our eyes”. Eating the apple? There is no apple in the story. It is only the first evangelist Americans who went to the Philippines to teach us about the apple as a figure to make us remember the story. But there was no apple. The devil did not give us our own knowledge It merely opened our eyes to know that our brain can process and form its own opinions, to make its own choices but somehow we mistook this for knowledge… that is pride.
So our natural pride is not all our fault, it has become human nature for us to think that everything we conjure is ours, we are used to thinking in this way right from the beginning of our ancestors… But what we don’t understand is the recognition of God dwelling within us. Man’s usual “mindset” is that wisdom is associated to the brain, hence the ideas, inspirations and knowledge formed in our minds is ours alone! We get so stuck in this idea that we become proud of our own mind, “oh I’m so smart, I thought of that myself!” or “I knew that already”… But the truth is wisdom is separate from the mind, wisdom is not in the brain it is in the heart, wisdom is in the Holy Spirit dwelling in our heart, wisdom is God teaching us in the form of the Holy Spirit. – love this to pieces Zsa– you are so inspired when you are writing this, it penetrated right through me, here in the bosom of my being, praise be to GOD!!!
Therefore God is the computer technician continuously writing code, continuously upgrading us… our brain then processes this to create a multitude of ideas, under- standing, formed opinions and stores it in the memory. That is all our brain is! A processor! How humbling! How then can we be so proud when without God we are just a great processor of information? A really good processor but all the same the brain is just a storage device that pulls the information from all our senses, all our nerves and processes it.
That is why man who is always searching for happiness, peace and the answers to all their problems look for it in their mind but can never find the true answers. Why? Because our brain is just a storage device, a processor… we search our mind but our minds are limited to what we know of the experiences that we’ve had, what we’ve seen, what we’ve heard… But if we search for the answers within our hearts and search for the answers through God we allow for him “to upgrade us”, to teach us new things.
Those moments in our lives where we come to realisations out of thin air, or as if something just “came to our minds’? That is God bestowing his wisdom to us. Or a skill that we are naturally born with or perhaps didn’t know we were good at, these are gifts bestowed to us by God…
But hang on, some of you might say… I learned to walk from my mum and dad, and teachers taught me everything I learned in school and I learned everything I know through reading, and learning from other people, and teaching myself, etc That wasn’t God! But that is the beauty of the meaning of creation – that God instills everybody with wisdom and knowledge, so that we may learn from God through others also. He is a genius engineer who has created the most amazing system for the whole world to function, grow and evolve from cave men to this digital age… so our minds are always continuously downloading and upgrading as we come in contact with different people, different parts of his creation…
From this I understand now that everything I have learnt in my lifetime is from God who has been quietly teaching me everything all along… the skills that I have at work were taught by him, the career that I have was obtained by him giving me the skills, the material possessions I have was given to me by him through the money that was earned because he gave me the knowledge to do my job… it is truly humbling to know this and a privilege.
That is why Man cannot live on bread alone, the bread being our material attachment; our material attachment ultimately is the attachment to our own minds, our own intelligence, our own understanding. Because if we rely on this alone and discount that God is the creator of every seed that has grown to form in our minds we will not be able to continue hearing his words, we will not be able to continue to “upgrade” and to continue to function… if we live by every word that comes from the mouth of God he will guide us in every step of our lives, to his Kingdom and eventually to join him in eternal life. That is life in union with God, the unlimited capacity to allow God to work through you to continue to download and upgrade your mind.
Terri’s reflection:
Zsa I share with you this journey whole-heartedly and you trusting us the aspirant facilitators with your own amazing God-sent reflections is something I am totally grateful for!!! Your writings truly reflect what has been, what it is now (breakthrough) and what is yet to become of the talent, wisdom and ultimately the love that you and Jon will share to the ministry and to every soul who will say yes to DI – I would have said this one and too many times now and will never tire – THANK YOU ZSA for being in the LLMS-Media Ministry- as you have been called and became obedient – like how you are being led by Mother Mary just like she was called at the time of Annunciation – continue on and God bless you with a humble and steadfast faith!!!
Sis. Rhona’s reflection:
Beautiful analogy Zsa! This is blog worthy to be posted!!! [Symbol] Love how you compared Man Vs Robots/computers! Did you know that a computer is called a ‘dumb’ machine? That is the definition of computer that I was taught in school. It is dumb because like you said on your reflection, it relies on codes or written program behind the scene for it to work. If only we can be ‘dumb’ for God! As in, like a computer, know nothing but depend on God for entirely everything! That is Divine Indwelling!
And a Walkthrough is a single ‘dumb’ machine connected to other ‘dumb’ machines forming a NETWORK of ‘dumb’ machines, working together in harmony and all relying on the one powerful source which is our Triune God!
Bro Joe’s reflection:
Beautiful insight, Sis. Rhona. We are all dumb machines connected to each other. Although dumb we still are powerful. We are supposed to be connected and appreciative of each other in this great enterprise and office of God, which we call the CORPORATE MYSTICAL BODY OF CHRIST. As God says, “For the wisdom of men is foolishness to God.” (1 Cor 3:19)
Sis Lei’s reflection:
We all have started as a dumb machine or computer that has put our own limitations on us, we struggle because nothing that we do is integrated with God, however through the Grace of God and his constant calling to me, He has allowed me to live and experience things that are hurtful so that I am no longer called a ‘dumb machine’ because I have started to allow God to refine, fix, re-align, tune up this machine. If I am a living tabernacle of God and if we are living it then we will not be calling ourselves a dumb machine but a diamond in a rough that needs refining. Not to be boastful or anything, the mercy of the Lord sustains me because His death on the cross is more powerful than our sins.
Ever since I can remember, God has blessed our family with our temporal needs, bringing our family to Australia and the story behind it is one of God’s miracle and awesome work.
I can remember Zsa’s persevering & patient attitude are God’s gift to her because she pretty much funded her own college schooling because Mum & Dad financially struggled because of our situation at the time.
Zsa’s childhood in the Philippines also shaped her to be who she is today.
Even though our situation here was difficult and uncertain, God provided everything and more than enough for us.
Terri’s reflection:
I am just forever grateful to you and Jon for sharing us your time, talent and treasure. In this very instance your talent and time for teaching me DROPBOX, let me know if the editing happened, thank you Zsa!!! God bless you and Jon.
Do you have your own sharings? Please write them down and also share. We would lie to hear from you.
Watch this space for Set 5 reflections next week.