Actualizing our spiritual right to live without the frustration of fearful limitations is not a question of achieving something new; it begins with choosing to end a relationship with that which has never been true. So, it isn’t a question of “What do I do?” but “What must I bring an end to?” Hence, the Christ’s saying: “Whoever shall lose his life shall gain it.”

All fear-producing false beliefs share one thing in common, something we can see if we observe our thoughts closely in the appointed hour. Whenever we consider striking a long-overdue blow for our freedom—whether it’s to walk away from an abusive relationship, start a new career, or maybe just spend more time by ourselves—these fears only grant us their consent to move ahead after they’ve considered our proposed action in the light of what may become of us should we take it.

These discoveries prove two things beyond the shadow of a doubt, even as they point to the need for a whole new action on our part: first, it’s clear that who we have been up until now—our old nature—has no interest in helping us shake loose of its inherent limitations. This realization leads us to only one conclusion that must be carried out through this bold new action: we must lose all interest in protecting the interests of this fearful self.

Reality itself is on our side in this struggle; truth is our ally, and its light empowers us to succeed, which means we can’t lose. For instance, in any moment that some fear appears in our mind, and we remember that what we’re seeing there is simply the dark spawn of negative imagination, then where is its power to push us around? That’s right: the light of our realization in the moment needed is the same as dismissing that fear.