Baba says, ‘by following the Father, you receive special blessings from the Father’s heart as the visible fruit of being especially obedient‘.

Worthy children are called faithful and obedient. The first step that Father Brahma took was he became obedient. Shiv Baba told him what to do and he followed it accurately. There were never any ifs or buts. From Amrit vela until night, I have been given instructions for my thoughts, words, actions, connections and relationships. Am I following them all accurately or do I follow some but not others? Are my thoughts accurate or are they mixed? Would I then be called ‘semi-obedient’…is there such a thing?

When I am obedient, I receive blessings from the Father and from other souls constantly. The proof is contentment I experience within the heart and mind. I will feel light, as if I am flying. There is no burden on the conscience, it is clear.

It takes faith and power to be obedient. I need faith in Who is teaching me- this is God! His instructions will always be elevated. When I obey Him, He becomes responsible for me, how could I lose? Power comes from purity, from honesty and cleanliness – not just in words, but in thoughts. Why am I doing something? if it is for selfish reasons such as to garner name and fame, then there will be fear, anxiety, I am always protecting and defending my territory…there is no power. If my intent is clean and honest, then there is power behind every action.

At Amritvela, I have received instructions to situate myself in the seed stage and experience being combined with the Father. This enables me to fill myself with power, experience God’s pure love but I won’t be able to obey that instruction if I have selfish thoughts and feelings throughout the day, if I am hustling for a place in the old world, if I am strategizing and arranging. The Father has told you to have positive and benevolent thoughts, not wasteful selfish thoughts. Similarly, if I have allowed myself to be loose with what I see and hear, I will not be able to obey. I will find myself processing feelings, planning and strategizing even during Amrit vela. In other words, when I disobey one instruction, it have repercussions on how obedient I can be with the rest.

‘I make it easy for you and yet, you labor’, says Baba.

When I have clear instructions for everything, I don’t even have to think if something is right or wrong, if I should do something or not, I just have to follow. But the problem is I forget Who is teaching me. I hear what I am told and then start to use my own limited intellect to assess potential risks, profit or loss from following that instruction. ‘Yes, this sounds right but this person isn’t exactly honest. I know that if I share my expertise, I won’t receive credit for it….and therefore….’, ‘yes, this sounds right but one does need to maintain a certain status to be respected in this world…and therefore…’, ‘yes, this sounds right but sometimes you have to compromise to get ahead…’, ‘yes, this sounds right but this task doesn’t suit me, I am overqualified for it… and therefore…’, ‘yes, this sounds nice but it’s not as if I shoulder all the responsibility…when they change, I’ll change…’ I didn’t have to do any of this thinking, and yet I do. This is a life of labor, of hustle which is a result of a lack of faith and power.

When you mix the dictates of your own mind with Shrimat, you have to labor, says Baba. They make you burdened and prevent you from flying.

The blessing is not in the task, it is in the obedience. Yes, the task might be too simple for my qualifications, but if I just obey, I will find that it was not the task that mattered, there was a blessing hidden in there that I benefit from. That task opens doors to a realization or to a different opportunity. When I don’t obey, I miss the opportunity to move forward and grow. Sometimes, I use my own intellect and go off and do a much bigger task and yet, I feel empty inside. This is because it was never about the task, it was about who I am, how I show up. When I disobey and do things my way, there are no blessings from the Father or others. Maybe I am being required me to humble myself, I am required to let go and detach…when I obey, I realize the benefit in doing those things, it frees me from false identifications with accomplishments or approvals. It frees me from ego. Let me remember that my Father would never ask me to do something that would bring me loss or harm. God’s directions are always elevated and following them makes me elevated.

Simply remember the term of being an obedient child who obeys God’s directions, says Baba. Think about whether something is according to the Father’s directions or not. A father would always automatically remember his obedient children. Such children are automatically loved and are automatically close to their father. So, check to see whether you are close and obedient to the Father. You can remember one sentence at amrit vela: “Who am I?” Am I obedient? Or, do you sometimes obey His directions and sometimes move away from them?