Feeling empty or spiritually unfulfilled

How many of you often feel empty, or spiritually unfulfilled, as though something is missing, despite going to church on a regular basis? Have you found that you have drifted from one church or religion to another, searching for one that can meet your needs? Perhaps you find one, but it only fills the void temporarily.

What does it mean to be 'saved' anyway?

From my own experiences, I became dissatisfied with each new religion that I embraced, stemming from one fact. Every church I attended kept telling me, "You cannot enter the kingdom of God, unless you are saved.". Repeatedly, I heard this phrase, declaiming an action from a source entirely from outside of me.

The definition of 'save,' provides the following descriptions:

  • redeem;
  • to put aside;
  • to rescue;
  • to secure;
  • except; and
  • retrieve.

The word 'redeem' renders the meaning 'to regain.' Does not 'regain' mean that you must get back to something from which you have separated? If you are 'putting aside,' are you not separating yourself from something? The other definitions listed above all suggest one of these conditions, implying that to be saved one must go outside of oneself.

The kingdom of God is within you

If the kingdom of God is outside of you, then you are, undeniably, separate from it and from God. However, the light of God is not outside, but encompasses all, including the inside. He speaks to you every time you receive that little intuitive flash of light. Jesus himself spoke of such a fact when he said, "The kingdom of God is within you," (Luke 17:21 KJV). Jesus validated that God was not apart from you.

God is whole, encompassing all

I never really understood why I was ambivalent towards religion, until I met a shaman named Charles Crooks. One of his most prolific quotes is, "You are not separate, but are part of the whole." It all made sense. When you think of separation, you think of disconnection.

Revelation 19:6 (KJV) says, "For the Lord God omnipotent reigneth." The original Greek word for 'omnipotent,' as used in this verse, is pantokrator, derived from two Greek words, pas and kratos. These words mean 'whole' and 'power and strength,' respectively. Therefore, one can discern the intention of the original author of this verse, written approximately two thousand years ago. Since God is whole, he encompasses all, including you and me.

Truth with a veil – never disconnected

The Church and many other structured religions appear to teach this same idea. Based upon the Bible, those systems speak truthfully about this concept but do not validate the entire truth. It is truth with a veil. Just think about it for a moment. There is a paradox, which the Church and others seems to imply, that the spirit of God is entirely outside of us. If God is everywhere, as they appear to teach, how can He be outside of us? The two foundations do not mix and do not make sense.

Most everyone will probably concur that a person not only has a physical body, but also consists of another part, the inner spirit. Many people refer to this as our soul. Just about every religion speaks of our soul or inner spirit. Most religions believe and teach that this part will be reconnected to a greater, divine being, known as the Creator, once we die. However, as shown before, if God is also within us, how can we be separate and in need of reconnection? We were never disconnected in the first place! Since God is a part of us, we are a part of God.

Therefore, since we have always been, and will continue to be, a part of the whole, or part of God, all answers lie within each of us—not somewhere out in space. We are not separate.

Copyright Statement:
This article was written by Cindy L. Herb and may be reproduced on any related website provided the text is not changed in any form and this copyright statement is displayed unedited in its entirety at the foot of the article and you use the exact same HTML code to ensure a clickable link back to the author's site. Further articles are also available. Contact the author for more information. Copyright 2009 Cindy L. Herb, http://www.cherbchronicles.com. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.

Author's Bio: 

Cindy L. Herb, author of Awakening the Spirit: The Open Wide Like a Floozy Chronicles, specializes in Mind, Body, and Spirit healing, and Physical/Sexual Abuse Recovery. As an inspirational speaker, Cindy L. Herb offers others an alternative approach to healing from any trauma, allowing people to view life's tribulations as an opportunity for spiritual growth. http://www.cherbchronicles.com. To download your FREE report, Some Helpful Steps to Healing, please visit the author's website.