Behold! The Kingdom of God Is Within

By Sipiwe Mashingaidze

The book explains that we were created as images of God, and masters of our destiny, yet we are unaware of this. We live miserable lives of war, poverty, crime, hard work, hate and crime. Yet we have God power within us, waiting to be recognised and used. Being the image of God means we have the right, privilege and ability to do what God can do.

Various spiritual masters came to teach us that the Kingdom of God is within us. All ancient texts written after each master went away, point out the same truth. Unfortunately, due to misunderstanding and corruption, religions always sprang up after each master, and the religious teachings and dogma overshadowed the truth. That has kept us in complete ignorance as to who we are.

If the Kingdom is within, we must claim our right as heirs to it, tap into the power within, and become masters of our destiny. It is time for us to know this truth and release ourselves from all types of slavery and the belief in limitation, for we are unlimited! Each one of us is a child of God, with equal rights to the kingdom of God, and each one can live in it in his own way.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sipiwe Mashingaidze
• Release date: Oct 23, 2012
• ISBN: 9781301428328

Sipiwe Mashingaidze

I am a 54 year old woman, married since 1981, with 3 grown up children, and 1 grandchild. I am a Chartered Management Accountant turned writer. I had health challenges starting from my mid-30s up to mid-40s. I was not sick but I was definitely not healthy. No solutions from my doctors, just pills and more pills. So I researched for myself between 2006 and 2007 and came to the conclusion that food makes us well and food makes us sick depending on our choices. In January 2008 I embarked on a 4 month experiment to change the way I ate. All 8 symptoms disappeared. As a bonus I lost weight. That is when I decided to write my first book Top Secrets of Health. Because I have seen people struggling with weight, I have decided to write my latest book Lose Weight Naturally and Look Younger. It's all from my personal experiences.Since I was 24 years old, I searched for answers to life's mysteries. I read a lot of books. I was searching but I had no idea what I was searching for. Later I had life challenges that "experts" could not help me with. I dug deep within myself and came up with my own answers. That is when it finally came together for me that all power is within, not out there. That is when I wrote the books Behold! The Kingdom of God is Within and the book Journey to the Kingdom in 2012. These are living books. I keep updating them as I find more information.I am the type of person who will not accept the commonly held beliefs. Just because 3 billion people believe in something does not mean I have to. I cannot conform. I prefer to find out for myself what it is all about and form my own knowledge based on my own learning and my own conclusions. I don't mind if only 2000 people out of 7 billion people agree with me.

Book preview

"We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the life that is waiting for us." - Joseph Campbell.

In the first book, Destiny Mastery 1: Start With Your Health, I discussed how to adopt a healthy lifestyle in order to keep the temple of the Most High healthy, pure and holy. You cannot separate the body from the soul, or your body from your mind. The three are part of the same system, you. You can stop there if your only interest is great health and the enjoyment of life.

This is the second book in the series Master of Your Destiny. If your interest is spiritual growth, then this book is for you. Now that you are looking after your body and mind, it is time to look after the spiritual side of your life.

You are mind, body and spirit. When you focus on the body only, it means that you are only interested in the animal side of your life. It means you want to eat and drink well, defecate, have great sex, beget some children, defend your family and your country, grow sick, grow old, then die. This is what animals do.

But, we were made in God's image, and given dominion over all earth. We are Spirit, in a body and body in the spirit. The intention of this series of books is to re-connect us as spirit, with the Infinite Spirit in whose image we were formed. In this book, we discuss the true nature of who you are, who God is, and how everything is inter-related.

This book is for souls who seek to understand well the scripture, 'With all thy getting, get understanding.' It is for those who are hungry for the Truth. It is for seekers who know that there is a deeper mystery of life, and they are keen to know that mystery. It is for seekers who read the scriptures, it does not matter which, and they know that within the scriptures, there are mysteries hidden below the seemingly interesting stories. It is for seekers who might love their religions, but feel that they are being bound by the narrow creeds, dogmas, doctrines and rituals. It is for seekers who want to know, speak with and walk with God, rather than worshipping an unknown god. It is for the open minded who want to ever increase their knowledge and consciousness.

This book is based on information that was found after seeking for 25 years, exactly half my life. A number of things I was taught as a child did not make sense and I refused to buy into certain assumptions. I chose to find the truth for myself. What I found made more sense to me than the assumptions that I was asked to internalize without question. From each source of my information, I found a gem, and I have compiled all the gems from hundreds of sources, into this book.

I hope you maintain such a questioning mind. Research and meditate as you learn this new information. Read widely from books and the internet. As you digest what you learn, use what makes sense to you, and shelve what you doubt until you feel assured about its truth. Read again, and again, until each chapter reveals its truth to you.

I hope you benefit greatly from this book, and that you will continue with the whole series of books, which have been planned in such a way that you work on one area at a time.

Stay blessed, stay informed, and stay empowered.

Sipiwe

Introduction

The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that seeing, they may not see, though hearing, they may not understand. ~ Luke 8:10

Every chance the master (self-perfected soul) called Jesus taught the crowds, he taught about the kingdom of God or of heaven. And, invariably he taught in parables.

To his chosen disciples, he taught about the kingdom of God, properly, and that was kept secret from the crowds. Persecutors of early Christians and Essenes destroyed most of the writings that contained the secret teachings. A few were hidden in caves and under desert sands. Whatever was not destroyed was later edited severely by those who created the New Testament, leaving us mainly the parables.

All is not lost though, because some of the scrolls hidden in caves have since been found and translated. But that is not all. If you have read Buddhist teachings, you have probably found that Jesus adopted them and taught them to his disciples. Best of all, ancient writings like the Bhagavad Gita, the Upanishads, and the Vedas have survived unharmed for more than 12,000 years. And Jesus learned from those as well during the years that he spent in India and Tibet (from age 12 to 30 years of age). Therefore what he taught the disciples secretly is still available to us in ancient writings.

There are four types of people in this world. They are:

Those who do not believe in anything beyond their basic five senses.

Those who are open to the possibility that there might be something beyond those senses.

Those who definitely believe there is something more.

Those who know there is something more.

By reading this book, you have indicated that you believe there is something more beyond the senses, or at least you are open to that possibility, or maybe you already know.

I have a feeling that those who read this book do not wish to remain part of the crowd, listening to parables time after time. You now prefer to learn the deeper mysteries taught to the disciples. You are have discovered that blind faith is not serving you, and you wish to be in the 'know', to develop absolute faith.

We live in a world where we witness 'effects' without ever knowing the causes. We feel that we have no control over anything in this life. We feel total lack of power. Yet we are children of God, made in His Image, and given dominion over all earth. We must ask ourselves whether we are here to give up to the influence of the environment or whether we are living to attain such full control over our powers and talents that we can control, modify and perfect the environment. Are we in a position to perfectly control ourselves that we can become all that we can be?

It is time to become masters of our destinies, to be the masters of the causes in our lives, not to be the tennis balls of fate. To do that, we must achieve self mastery by freeing ourselves from all kinds of external control, and learning to think, take initiative, control, decide, feel and act, solely based on self-will. We must stop being mere dependent weaklings, and become independent, while living and working in harmony with others. This is a choice that each person has to make, a vision that each has to develop.

BACK TO THE TOP

Chapter 1: Man, Know Thyself

"Wisdom is supreme, therefore get wisdom; with all thy getting, get understanding." ~ Proverbs 4:7

I came across this article by President Gordon B. Hinckley, First Counselor in the First Presidency, in August 1988. It says exactly what I want to say. So I decided to share it with you verbatim.

"I remember a day some years ago when I strolled about the campus of a great university. I was impressed with the splendor of the buildings, the immaculate laboratories, the teaching theatres, the magnificent library, the dormitories, the gymnasiums. But I was more impressed with the students. There were thousands of them—handsome young men and beautiful young women, seemingly serious and intent and earnest.

"I am awed by the great forces of knowledge represented in our time. Never before have so many been educated in the learning of the world. What a powerful thing it is—the intensive schooling of a large percentage of the youth of the world, who meet daily at the feet of instructors to garner knowledge from all the ages of man.

"The extent of that knowledge is staggering. It encompasses the stars of the universe, the geology of the earth, the history of nations, the culture and language of peoples, the operation of governments, the laws of commerce, the behavior of the atom, the functions of the body, and the wonders of the mind.

"With so much knowledge available, one would think that the world might well be near a state of perfection. Yet we are constantly made aware of the other side of the coin—of the sickness of society, of the contentions and troubles that bring misery into the lives of millions.

"Each day we are made increasingly aware of the fact that life is more than science and mathematics, more than history and literature. There is need for another education, without which the substance of secular learning may lead only to destruction. I refer to the education of the heart, of the conscience, of the character, of the spirit—these indefinable aspects of our personalities which determine so certainly what we are and what we do in our relationships one with another.

"Over fifty years ago while serving in England as a missionary, I went to the London Central YMCA. I suppose that old building has long since gone, but I can never forget the words that faced visitors in the foyer each time they entered. They were the words of Solomon: With all thy getting get understanding. (Prov. 4:7.)

Understanding of what? Understanding of ourselves, of the purposes of life, of our relationship to God who is our Father, of the great divinely given principles that for centuries have provided the sinew of man’s real progress!

Wow, I couldn't have put it better myself. There is great shortage of learning in matters of the heart, the mind and the spirit. Have you ever wondered what life is all about? Have you ever wondered if there is more to you than the visible body, and the brain that you know is in the head? Have you ever wondered if there is a difference between the brain and the mind? Have you ever tried to find out?

Here is a preliminary exercise that I found in a book that I read a few years ago. It is the first step towards self-realization. Please do it.

Sit quietly in front of a full length mirror. Look at your reflection. Study yourself carefully. Slowly bring your thoughts to concentrate upon nothing but your image. Consider well this figure upon which you gaze, this home of the person who answers to your name. It represents the sum total of ALL you have ever experienced. Does it reflect some errors and misjudgments along the way?

ARE YOU PLEASED WITH WHAT YOU SEE? Don't be disturbed if you are not. Continue to observe yourself. You are going to probe even deeper.

Settle your attention only upon your face for a moment. Study intently your lips, nose and the full impression of your features. Then focus exclusively upon your eyes. Disregard everything else. Look deeply. See through your eyes as though passing through a forbidden portal to the hidden stronghold of a vast treasure.

What do you discover? Only you can answer that.

However, you must come to the realization during your intense study of yourself, that on a day to day basis, you only see your outer shell, not 'you' at all. Your eyes will reveal more of the real 'you' than any other feature. The full impact of this realization is quite startling. You and the body are two entirely separate things; you are separate parts of a system.

In Destiny Mastery 1, you had to decide whether the body is a tavern, or a brothel, or a toxic waste dumping ground, or a temple of the Most High. How you look after the body, what you put into it, and how you treat it determine which one it is.

The purpose of this book is for you to know who you are. This is self-knowledge. Self knowledge will lead you to know about God. God Knowledge will lead to self-realization. Self realization will lead to God-realization. Therefore, man, know thyself. And, with all thy getting, get understanding.

BACK TO THE TOP CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION

Chapter 2: The Problem With Humanity

The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Do you enjoy the news? I don't really enjoy the news, whether it is on television, radio or in the paper. It is rare to get any good news. Besides natural disasters, there is murder, rape, fraud, war, starvation, bad politics, poverty, religious violence, gender violence, robberies, tribal and racial violence, subtle attacks on people through TV shows and art, to name but a few. Really and truly, I am tired of hearing the same type of news.

From watching world news, one is very much aware that human problems everywhere, though apparently dissimilar, are really more or less similar. If you make a habit of speaking to people where ever you go, you will find that they are all asking what life is all about. They want a better life, and they want answers to life's questions.

There is too much violence, whether justified or not. Problems between men and women never seem to end. There is too much discrimination (racial, religious, tribal, gender related, sexually oriented, or even cultural) and its resultant pain. There are more diseases, some of them wiping out whole generations. Poverty, starvation and the utter despair of the poor, in spite of scientific and technological advances, are problems that need attention. Wealth is accumulated mostly without morals, leaving others without. Hence the gap between the haves and the have-nots is ever widening. Which society claims to have none of the above?

There are ideological divisions between the Muslim and the Christian, which have brought about such incalculable harm, through antagonism, violence and real wars. Instead of teaching people how to love, give and live in peace, they teach division and hatred for anyone with a different belief system.

Human hearts are incredibly mean, brutal and violent, though outwardly educated and conditioned to repeat prayers of peace. This is why it is written, The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? Jeremiah 17:9. This is due to hate and separation based on human-made criteria.

Has it ever occurred to you, that these external events are a reflection of humanity's inner world? Would there be any type of discrimination if people loved? I don't think so. Discrimination, cruelty and violence exist because human beings are full of hate.

Some of the violence is also caused by pure greed for worldly goods, leading to the suffering of countless people. It can be empire building at gangster, mafia, national or corporate level, or sale of drugs and guns. Whatever way the greed is expressed, no one cares about the people who are left dead, hurt, starving or homeless. How many legitimate national leaders have been toppled from power, to be replaced by puppets that can be controlled by those who want a particular nation's resources?

All the hate, violence, greed are caused by fear. Almost everyone lives in fear. First there is fear we get from cultural and religious conditioning, e.g. fear of going to hell. Then there is fear of living, fear of dying, fear of failure, fear of being dominated or suppressed, fear of losing a job, fear of poverty, fear of disease, fear of losing a spouse, fear of loneliness, and fear of not being loved. Unfortunately, when one is afraid one becomes very aggressive, in attack or defense

The media add to the fear. Watching the news makes one feel very insecure at home and nationally. Movies bring fear of alien invasion, war and terror attacks. We are afraid in case our secrets are uncovered. We fear the future because it looks so bleak, and ancient prophecies are not helping. Are you aware that some people have been hoarding food, arms and ammunition in their basements and drilling wells in their backyards, in preparation for the end of the world in December 2012?

There are problems everywhere, at personal level, national level and global level, all caused by us. We have created society and that society has conditioned us. Our minds are tortured and heavily conditioned by a morality which is not moral. Society admits and encourages violence, greed, competition, ambition and so on, which are essentially immoral. Using immoral and violent methods, people pursue material goods. Those who have morals find it difficult to operate under such conditions.

Our minds are tortured and twisted, because we are making such tremendous efforts to live, to do, to act, and to think. Imagine the stress of running a country or an organization, when the economy is slow or when the people revolt! Imagine the stress of raising a family when you earn a minimum wage, or you do not have a job. Imagine the stress, when you cannot grow food because of a drought. Imagine the stress of failing to pay your debts (sometimes for 'airtime') and facing the possibility of losing everything that you have worked hard for. Life is very difficult.

With millions of problems in the world, you would expect the haves to be happier but they are not. You expect the 'haves' to help the 'have-nots', but only a few will do that. There is no kindness, love, consideration, affection, and tenderness. Even governments spend billions of dollars on space programs and facilities for international games, yet they have no proper social programs for needy citizens. They have priorities upside down.

The challenge is how to bring about a genuine and better relationship between man and man, so that he may live at peace, with some decency and not be constantly in conflict, not only within himself but also with his neighbor.

Uncertain and insecure, man is groping, searching, asking, looking for a way out of this chaos. So he goes to leaders and specialists and pays a lot of money to get answers. Yet, they never seem to get answers, and their problems are never solved.

Most people believe in one God. However they do not understand how a loving God can leave His children to suffer like this. They join one religion or another, or join one church after another, looking