"We Overcome Death by Firstly Overcoming Self and Every "Self-opinuation, and
Establishing Our Consciousness in the Recognition of God's Presence.

"The Mystery of Self; The Mystery of Death."--- FATHER DIVINE

Our FATHER'S Message at the Banquet Table 20 West 115th Street, New York City
Tuesday, January 26, 1937 A.D.F.D., Time -- 1:15 P.M.



MOTHER DIVINE in the Chapel Dining Room,
The Mount of the House of the Lord,
Woodmont, Gladwyne, Pa.

Chapel Dining Romm, The Mount of the House of the Lord, Woodmont, Gladwyne, Pa.

One of the most illustrious, unparalleled, instructive and informing Messages ever heard or listened to, by man, was given by the LORD Who giveth Wisdom, and out of His Mouth cometh Knowledge and Understanding. Therefore, let the multitudes of the isles, and the inhabitants of the land Rejoice that the Savior of man has returned to the earth, to change the shame of man to the Glory of GOD; that they might not longer be destroyed for the lack of Knowledge; for lo, the LORD our GOD is a GOD of Knowledge, and by HIM actions are weighed.

FATHER DIVINE points out the fact herein, that the only way to ERADICATE self completely is by the absolute annihilation of the mortal mind; this is obtained only throughby "the dispossessing of self, the removal of self and lastly, the burial of self;" then, and only then, can one hope to have the Victory over all adversaries and over all adversities.

(FATHER speaks as follows:)

PEACE EVERYONE! ("Peace, FATHER Dear," responded the enthusiastic gathering.) It is a pleasant thing -- in other words, a pleasant atmosphere to be in the place where all are calling the Name of ("GOD!" shouted the multitude of Angels.) and by calling on such a NAME, it causes the realness of such results as we have today. I was thinking just then, as you are calling on the Body of GOD, GOD will Bodily respond to your call, and because of the response, you will get a visible result of your request. Now the reverse is equally true; if you continue to call on the negative, the antagonistic, the unreal and the untrue, and stress it vividly enough to conceive the concept of it, it will become to be a living reality to you. That is the mystery.

Just think of living in the consciousness of GOD'S Presence, until nothing real will be in existence in your consideration, saving that which is according to the Fundamental! We are dispelling darkness of doubts and fears, of adverse and undesirable conditions, by the recognition and realization of the POSITIVE, the REAL being established among us. You are calling it into expression -- the Positive -- by constant declaration of the recognition of GOD'S Real Presence, but if you continue to declare the realness of the presence of the negative, the reaction of such a declaration will become to be a living reality, and made manifest to those with whom you come in contact; but how marvelous it is to realize as you sit and stand, you are in an atmosphere of the Conscious Conviction and the Realization of GOD'S Presence rather than man.

The very Name of GOD, and the atmosphere of such a Recognition, will dispel all undesirable conditions, and will eradicate the chaos in your system, and cause you to be physically well, healthy and happy, because you have a hearty and a healthy mind. Whatsoever your ailments or complaints may be or have been, when you concentrate on ME, "the CLEANSER of your sins," through such a concentration and the reaction of it, you will find the results harmonious.

I have long since said, and declare I once again the same, "Make your Mental and Spiritual Contact harmoniously, and everything will be adjusted harmoniously; you will have Peace and Joy and Happiness beyond degrees . . " Just think of the health the millions have received by having a healthy mind and by concentrating on the Positive instead of the negative, and causing the Positive become to be a reality in your conscious mentality, by you establishing it in your words, your deeds and your actions. By refusing to observe the negative, by stressing the Positive vividly, you tend to materialize it, and bring it into outer expression perfectly, until the Positive will move out all negative expressions, and there will be nothing else in existence in your consciousness, saving that which is of the Positive.

Oh, it is a privilege to be in the Presence of GOD! It is a privilege to observe the Truth concerning His Word. It is a privilege to realize the very Name of GOD will charm your fears, and will bid your sorrows cease. If you have tasted of this Infinite Love by being in this atmosphere, it is a foretaste of Glory Divine. It is proving what your heirship would bring you, if you become to be, and if you are real heirs of GOD; born of His Spirit and washed in His Blood.

The mystery of the composition is fulfilled in your experience. When you are going through trials and tribulations, recall the composition for your consideration: "Blessed assurance." Even in the early Christian Dispensation -- in the early days of the Christian dispensation, whichever, "Blessed assurance, FATHER is mine, Oh, what a foretaste of Glory Divine. Heir of Salvation, purchased of GOD, Born of His Spirit and washed in His Blood."

Now, what does the Blood typify, there? What is it a symbol of?

'Born of His Spirit and cleansed in His Life.'


The Blood typifies the Life -- in other words, it is a symbol of the Life of CHRIST, When He shed His Blood in the parable, he was shedding His Life for others in the mystery; therefore, when it is interpreted, you can see plainly, the Blood is a symbol of the Life that was given so FREELY, that all others might be made partakers and become to be inheritors of His Blessings as Heirs and Joint-Heirs with the CHRIST. Then I say, it is a privilege to be in the Presence of GOD.

With or without a Bodily Form, GOD is a Living Reality in your hearts and in your minds. Why is it? It is because your minds have been impregnated with the conscious conviction and the realization of GOD'S Actual Presence. When the outward expression of the appearance of GOD is no longer seen among you all from time to time, you are still conscious of GOD'S Actual Presence, as a Living Reality, for you have conceived the idea concerning the mystery, and by this consciousness of GOD'S Presence, everything else is dispelled unlike it. Anything that is unlike the consciousness of GOD'S Presence will be dispelled by such a recognition. Because you recognize GOD'S Presence as an Ever-Abiding Essence and Substance, yea, the Fundamental, the Principle, with or without a Person, you will bring such a recognition into an expression that will always give you Victory over all undesirable conditions.

Oh, it is a privilege to realize what the Name of GOD can do, and what It has actually done. You have declared, "FATHER is the Victory," -- the Victory over every undesirable condition; the Victory over every enemy imaginable; yea, even the Victory over the last enemy, that which is termed death and that enemy is the enemy that cannot be conquered, saving as you firstly conquer yourself. Self, when it is brought to its destination, then and there, self is death; but so long as self is acting, self is quite lively, and apparently deathless; but when self has been brought to its destination, then and there, when the cloak is pulled off of self, you will see plainly, self is death, and self has always been death, but has been dressed up in sheep's garments.

We overcome death by firstly overcoming self and every "self-opinuation," and establishing our consciousness in the Recognition of GOD'S Presence, by denying self whole-heartedly, and living in the Consciousness of GOD'S Presence; yet, making HIMSELF Personal, by taking on bodies as we DENY ourselves individually.

Oh, it is a privilege to realize you can overcome self, and you can do away with self, by doing away with your selfish tendencies, fancies and pleasures; your selfish versions, ideas and opinions. When you do away with these characteristics and expressions of your mentality, you will also do away with self conceived in your system. You will become to be New Creatures in reality, by Denying yourselves whole-heartedly.

Now we have come to the place in consciousness in this great Seminary of Salvation, where the topic this morning for our consideration is, "The mystery of self; the mystery of death," how you can rid yourself of the last enemy, and overcome the last enemy, which is known as death by ridding yourself of self, and by Denying yourself completely; getting the Victory over all of your selfish tendencies. When this is accomplished completely, you will have the Victory over death, the last enemy.

As you sung the song a little while ago: "HE is nothing but a Bunch of Love," if you realize the Truth concerning your GOD you can Relax your conscious mentality and Still yourselves whole-heartedly as individuals and recognize GOD'S Presence, your Real Hope of Redemption, and as your true and real Protector. Why? Because through the Relaxation of your conscious mentality, you will Relax your pre- conceived ideas and opinions even though they may be lying in your subconsciousness dormant. They are Relaxed until they are quickened. They may be quickened if you do not Deny yourself of them, but if you Deny yourself continually of all your pre-conceived ideas and opinions, all of your pre-inherited pleasures, fancies and tendencies, they will eventually come out of you; for such kind cometh out by Fasting and Prayer -- fasting from allowing them to exist or to be active in you. This is the way of Fasting; refusing to allow any selfish mortal, detestable and antagonistic tendency to exist in you. If he is there, Hold him Down and Refuse to Allow him to Express in self.

When the man was cutting himself to pieces in the tomb, Jesus requested the man to HOLD his peace and those things would come out of him and he refused to allow them to act in him. When he stilled himself against his intuition, against his selfish "opinuation," why, the evil spirit came out of the man, yea, all of those detestable spirits of expression, as being termed "the other fellow", came out of the man and the man became harmoniously a New Creature. ("It is wonderful!" shouted the multitude.)

Oh, it is a privilege to realize what you can overcome by the recognition of GOD'S Actual Presence. When then man understood that GOD was present with him and when he stilled himself by FASTING from those tendencies, fancies and pleasures, every detestable characteristic that was in him came out of him. They desired to go in the herd of swine. Why was it? It was because they knew they would no longer have an existence among the children of men if GOD got among them.

'Allow us to go among the beast;'


those detestable and beast-minded characteristics . . . "Allow us to have some place to exist, for I see as though," they could have said, "I see YOU will not allow us to exist in mankind. YOU are calling us out of the man. That means that YOU are calling us out of all mankind; therefore, suffer us to go in the herd of swine."

Oh, it is something to consider -- the mystery of the Spirit as it is interpreted. GOD will FREE you from every detestable tendency, from every detestable fancy, pleasure and every adverse characteristic and allow HIMSELF to come in you, in Spirit, and cause you to be a New Creature in reality, but those detestable tendencies must be RELAXED. You must FAST from them persistently and be persistent in your determination to overcome those detestable tendencies, fancies and pleasures by refusing to indulge in them, matters not how you may feel concerning those tendencies that have been in you. FAST from them persistently and they will eventually come out of you and LEAVE you. Such kind cometh out only by FASTING and PRAYER.

It is a privilege to realize, when and wheresoever GOD is, there is VICTORY, for if you do as HE tells you, you will WIN the VICTORY over every difficulty, for HE will establish HIMSELF in you and will make your heart His home; you mind will be His throne, with a Righteous Judgment as the Righteous Government Platform upon which we stand. Oh, it is a privilege to realize it. All of the adverse and undesirable conditions can be overcome by love and obeisance to GOD. Oh, it is a privilege, I say, to contact ME harmoniously. As you overcome such conditions, you will have the VICTORY completely once and forever, and GOD to you in reality will be your FATHER.

I need not say more at this juncture. I believe I said enough to stir up your pure minds. Oppositions may arise from time to time, but if you live in this Recognition, be substantiated in faith and unshaken in confidence, the very Spirit of My Presence will give VICTORY in and at every offence. It has long since been declared, "CHRIST fought through forty-two different generations." This may be a Religious fanatical phrase, yet it is a true thing, it is a true quotation just what it says,

'CHRIST fought through forty-two different generations; He never lost a battle.'


The VICTORY is always on this side when you recognize GOD'S Presence and allow GOD to fight your battles.

As I say at times, I AM talking to Myself, I allow My Spirit which has been declared by the universe to be GOD, to fight My Battles, to fight yours. The universe has declared My Spirit to be GOD. My Spirit will fight your battle; will give you the VICTORY on every account and on every issue, for GOD Himself is always Victorious if you are in harmony with HIM; but if you by chance, make a mistake, Confess your sins and Forsake them and GOD will have Mercy as HE has promised.

Oh, it is a privilege to realize you can overcome all afflictions, sickness and diseases; overcome all adverse and undesirable conditions by the mere recognition of GOD'S Actual Presence and by living in harmony with HIM. If you deviate from HIM and find yourselves trying to automatically condemn HIM, by disbelieving what HE has told you and justifying yourselves as individuals, you may lead yourselves captives into condemnation and be not FREE from that which you seek to be FREE of.

Oh, it is something to consider! As I said to a man once -- I was visiting a prison, there was one man found guilty of a crime and he had been sentenced. He took an appeal and his sentence was increased a few years. I saw him in the prison expressing the very spirit and the nature of that for which he was convicted, and I said, "When he goes before the judge again, he will again be found guilty the next time." I said, "No doubt, he will get life." Why? It was the spirit of that which he was convicted of or for, was manifested in him more effectively than it was when he was first convicted.

Take these thoughts to consideration, but if he would have done as one of these men did among them, CONFESSED his sins and forsaken them, he would not have been found guilty. Even though he were guilty of the act, when he went before the judge he would not have been found guilty of the crime. It is indeed wonderful! But he was found guilty of the crime because the spirit of the crime was still in him. Every time that he would appear before the legal judges of our courts, he would be found guilty of the crime because the spirit of that crime was in him even though he may not have been guilty of the act that he was found guilty and convicted.

That is the mystery. So an open confession is good for the soul; but one great thing is to forsake your sins as well as confessing them. A confession profiteth nothing unless you forsake them completely and live no longer in them. If those tendencies, fancies and pleasures and ideas and opinions can be found in you, they will identify you to be the same person who was found guilty and convicted of the crime; but if the old tendencies, fancies and pleasures that condemned you and convicted you, will no longer be found in you, there will be nothing in you to identify you as being the one who had committed the crime ("It is wonderful!" exclaimed the Assembly.)

These thoughts are well considering. By building upon this Foundation, you will have VICTORY over every undesirable condition, and GOD will give you Peace and Joy and Pleasure, and the Recognition of GOD'S Presence will be a Living Reality wheresoever you may go.

Oh, it is a privilege to live in the Actual Presence of GOD. GOD'S Presence gives Victory over undesirable thinking, over undesirable opinions, over undesirable fancies, pleasures and tendencies, and causes you to be a New Creature in reality. Let us live in this Recognition and stay Dialed in on the Fundamental by being attached to HIM continuously; the transmission of His Spirit will be upon you and in you and naught will be able to hurt, harm nor hinder. I thank you.


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