This World Is Not Your School. It Is Your Assignment.

“You are going to climb a great mountain.This requires equipment and preparation. This requires planning and determination.” – Inspiration¹

I remember the day when I was first struck with the notion that we aren’t actually here in the world for our own personal edification but rather are here to serve. It was stunning to my idea of what to expect out of life, and it still takes effort to adjust to this way of looking at the world.

I might have had no problem shifting away from my idea of existence on Earth less as a training ground and more as a place of work, but the New Message from God heightens the ante further:  it says we came here to fulfill a specific mission with certain others. Oh, well, now this is going to require much greater commitment. Believing that we are only put on Earth to learn to be nicer is an aimless goal, compared to the tight focus in the New Message. 

The New Message from God has a ground-breaking perspective on the particular crises that humanity is facing. This is the view from 30 million feet. From this perspective can be seen the fragility of the state of the world and what we hold most dear in it. From this perspective can be seen the huge milestone we face as a species. From this distance we can see that we are underprepared.

The New Message from God provides the preparation needed to maintain a higher focus. For those who can maintain this capacity for seeing the world as it exists in the wider universe and at what crucial time of its development, it becomes just a matter of grasping the importance of being alert at this time, and the great role that preparation plays. 

“This is a period of transition, which will be difficult and turbulent. Its opportunities and demands will be tremendous. Its risk of failure will be substantial. It is not a time for the faint of heart or for the weak minded. It is not a time for the ambivalent or the self-indulgent. It is a time for great strength and dedication. Knowledge within you will give you this strength and determination as you become a student of Knowledge, as you advance in The Way of Knowledge and as you take the steps to Knowledge. This
is because you are needed for something great in this life.” –“What Is Human Destiny?”2

The New Message from God provides the preparation given for these times while acknowledging the preparations given in millenia gone by and the strength they bring to humanity. It is not intended that every human being follow the same Way of Knowing and Being nor to debate about religion.

The recommendations given in the New Message are practical and wise. Anyone can appreciate practical wisdom like this:

“Every student needs a teacher. Every traveler needs a guide. Every explorer needs a map. You have all of these now. Take heart. Now you must find the courage and the determination to proceed. Do not become fixated on the great spiritual assistance that you have. Rather, become focused on solving problems today and tomorrow and the day after. Solve a little problem today and you will be able to solve a greater one tomorrow. Start with little things. Attend to the practical matters in your life. Bring your life into greater harmony. Do not try to make everything beautiful, quiet and peaceful. This is not what we mean. What we mean is bringing things into right order.”–Who are the Unseen Ones? ³

This practice of tending to the details that are right in front of us can take longer to cultivate for some who prefer things of the spirit. How much we spiritualize everything could be a measure for self-deception, but it can also be a way to start a sluggish engine of will. Those who do see this world as a place to learn are bystanders in the world, a step removed from the world, ever observing and learning but perhaps unable to commit to action. 

“The Way of Knowledge is not a beach. It is not a refuge. It is work. It is choosing a direction to which you apply yourself with determination. In this, you become aware of what you need to work on in your life, and you begin to work on these things.” – Work⁴

For those who do wish to strengthen the spirit — while attending to practical matters or to find the inner resilience to face all the details of life — the New Message from God provides the Steps to Knowledge, the inaugural work of Marshall Vian Summers. It is a splendid approach to a practical spirituality that ultimately gives the strength to face even the most daunting realities.

“In following Steps to Knowledge, you develop a consistency, perseverance and inner determination that are not dominated by your emotional states.” –Walking The Way of Knowledge⁵

Self-responsibility is the goal. Through taking personal responsibility comes the freedom to connect with the higher Self, for a Self-responsibility of a higher order.

“To be lifted out of [the maze of your own thoughts] requires preparation, and it
requires you to follow this preparation because you yourself must climb
out. In this, you will regain your strength, your determination, your perseverance
and your true will born of Knowledge.” –What is Grace? ⁶

The process of regaining strength becomes a matter of tending to the smouldering fires–increasingly there are fewer fires to extinguish and greater freedom to deal with the rest. It becomes a matter of making the right choice with greater and greater frequency.

“As your sense of commitment and determination is set free from your personal ambitions and need for self-importance, then your commitment and determination will have a strength that will abide with you and that you can rely upon as a foundation for living and progressing in life. All of this is possible for you if you will persevere. You will reach your destination if you keep going. If you allow the journey to be what it is instead of trying to determine what it must be, then you will
not lose your way in life.” – Perseverance⁷

People with this kind of resilience are what is most needed in the world, with the drive and commitment to find where their gifts are most uniquely suited. The New Message from God gives the guidance that any can follow to develop that resilience. 

“Inspiration is something that you must generate within yourself. You
must also seek it in your environment and in your relationships. To seek it
in the environment, you must direct yourself to those individuals, to those
events, even to those historical accounts, that reinforce your conviction
and commitment and remind you that greater things are possible given
true determination, true companionship and a worthy goal.” – Inspiration¹

It is not about enlightenment! It is not about perfecting your soul. It is not about escaping this mundane existence. All of those wishes and drives that we bring to the Steps to Knowledge are clarified and transformed into a willingness to face what must be.

“You will not have great realizations every moment. You will not have wonderful experiences every moment. You will not feel confident and self-assured every moment. In fact, there may be great gaps between these experiences. Here you must rely upon your determination and perseverance. Here you must cultivate a greater perspective and understanding that transcends your immediate sensations, emotions and experiences.” –  What is Steps to Knowledge?⁸

This realities at this vantage point are so widely misrepresented, from so many competing voices communicating information about the wider universe. The New Message from God presents a valid preparation. For those who did have the notion that we were here for our own needs rather than the needs of the world, the Steps to Knowledge offer a consistently effective pathway for personal development and for fulfilling your deepest inclinations.