A friend recently asked me if I believe in Heaven. I said, "Of course, I do. I am living in it right now. It's pretty obvious heaven and hell are states of mind. I have been in and often slip into hell. Unlike hell, you do have to consciously choose heaven which makes all the Bible says about it make perfect sense."
Heaven is not some ethereal afterlife. There is no afterlife. There's only LIFE: eternal and everlasting. If you aren't living in that frame of mind, making a conscious choice of heaven in every moment, or being consciously aware when you slip into hell, if you do not feel you are at choice, you are not living. There isn't some magical or spiritual one-and-done choice in your past to escape from present and future choices that Christians often believe in. Yes, most Christians (myself included) at one time, believe(d) in some idiotic singularity choice notion that is not backed IMHO by the teachings of scripture.
Yes, you have to choose to believe in Jesus, not as your Savior by might but by example. He made good choices- not so you wouldn’t have to. It’s not like, you are picking sides in a holy war happening outside yourself. Jesus isn’t some little man in your heart and mind telling you what to think from now on after you choose His side in this mythological, external war. Dogmatic and literal interpretations of every scripture prescribed for centuries by authoritarian war mongers are not your friend. Those authoritarians have also conveniently manipulated people to believe for centuries that what should be interpreted as literal (such as everlasting life, presence and heaven) should be considered as happening on another plane of reality and not this very here and now.
Trust me, when you, Christians are living in doubt and worry which you inevitably will, you have unconsciously slipped right back into hell and are not saved from it (as evidently you are IN it) until you make another choice. I have proof. Never in those moments of doubt and worry are you believing completely in your own salvation. Sorry to say it, you must choose heaven again.
Heaven is right where you are. Some times are harder than other times to make the choice or to see what your choices (or lack of conscious choices) hath wrought. But with practice, I can tell you, it gets easier. There will be challenges. Overall, it gets easier. It's like any muscle. The choose-heaven muscles get stronger and more dominant each time you consciously choose them.
But perhaps the most powerful realization of all is that any choice can be re-chosen. There is this ever present now, and we must make our choices in the present. There is no other time in existence. So, choosing heaven doesn’t require any extra guilt or regret for slipping into an unconscious state of hell or a conscious one for that matter. In fact, shame, blame, guilt and regret will just pull you right out of heaven. This is why I have always said, “Don’t be sorry, be better.” You think you owe someone an apology? If you owe anyone anything, it’s a better choice, a good decision. Flagellation is not a virtue, to oneself or others. “Forgive us our debts as we forgive those who debt against us.” For-give is a present moment choice. It means to give (love) NOW as we once did before whatever infraction took place. Perhaps, the self-forgiveness muscle needs some strength. Practice this now or not. The choice is yours.
Christianity is no less mental science than any other spiritual teaching that has the net end of invoking the peace that passes all understanding. What we are all given to wield (which is the only thing we truly have control over) is our mind. I know psychology and psychiatry are both riddled with corruption. Particularly since Rockefeller commercial medicine (made from their own oil byproducts and contaminated waste) has become involved, they have told us otherwise. They convince millions of people every day, particularly in America that we do not wield the power of our mind but rather are slaves to it.
More and more, we are coming to learn that even extreme mental unfitness is brought about often by certain nutritional choices. Some of these choices that affect us, our parents made. “The sins of the father…” But I remind you, a “sin” just means “missing the mark.” It means we aimed for something and fell short. Aim again! Aim until you get it right. For many people, even this epigenetic mental unfitness has been reversed, through better nutritional choices. Choices, get it? You may have inherited some of the results of bad choices. Choose better, be better. It’s that simple.
To be Christian literally means to be Christ-like. Most Christians when asked to define it will rattle off long statements of belief they chose (past tense). These beliefs ultimately hinder them by believing in Jesus as an external savior who will forever save them from past and future bad choices ultimately in another plane of existence for deciding to believe something once upon a time.
“The kingdom of heaven is at hand” (here and now).
“The kingdom of heaven is within” (your choice).
“Neither shall they say, ‘Lo here, or lo there’ - This shall not be the language of those who are, or shall be sent by me, to declare the coming of my kingdom. For behold the kingdom of God is within or among you - Look not for it in distant times or remote places: it is now in the midst of you: it is come: it is present in the soul of every true believer: it is a spiritual kingdom, an internal principle.”
You must always choose to believe NOW. Because the second you decide heaven is later or the choice was once upon a time (your testimony), you become an unbeliever. Re-read these passages of scripture. Your testimony is every day. Do not rely on the past to save you from what you must do now. Choose or not. The choice is yours.
But for thousands of years or at least a couple thousand years, self-espoused Christian teachers have been telling you it’s out there, beyond death, not present and always tomorrow. People in churches have been standing up and sharing their testimonies of once upon a time. I think we need to share these stories of times when we made a resolute decision to always choose Christ. But the truth is, we won’t. We especially won’t if we are relying on past choices to predicate our present. I think there are going to be tough times ahead and times of complacency and for these reasons, it’s good to be inspired by others. However, every now requires a present commitment, not a yesterday, last week, last year or last decade commitment. Let’s stop fooling ourselves. We all know how well New Years Resolutions last if not reignited and re-saluted every day.
Still, these moguls of Christianity, titans even, will tell you it’s one and done: choosing Him. They are not sent by Him. The vows you took on your wedding day don’t make you choose fidelity on a daily basis. The good food choice you made three weeks ago won’t keep the pounds off you’ve been eating ever since. Not one aspect of life on earth is grounded permanently in what we did yesterday. That’s why it’s called in-tegrity, not from-tegrity. If someone is selling you a prescription for peace that relies on anything but your own present choice, they are running a scam.
Stop believing them.
Should you believe me? No. But, you might agree with me. Or you might not. It’s all your choice any way.
I choose heaven. I choose now.