*ACIM Lesson 307*

“Conflicting wishes cannot be my will.”

The Core Teaching

This lesson is about remembering that you have only *one real will, and that will is wholly aligned with God*. The “conflicting wishes” it speaks of are not actually your will at all; they are the ego’s wishes—its shifting, anxious, contradictory desires that never really satisfy.

The ego lives on conflict. It needs you to believe:

• You want peace, but you also want attack.
• You want love, but you also want specialness and superiority.
• You want safety, but you also want to keep your grievances.

So your mind feels split. You say, “I want peace,” but then you also want to be “right” about how someone wronged you. You say, “I want love,” but you also want to protect yourself from being hurt, so you keep your heart guarded. This inner tug-of-war is what the Course calls “conflicting wishes.”

The lesson gently reminds you:

*Your true will does not conflict.*

If it conflicts, it is not your will, but the ego’s wish.

What is the ego trying to hide?

The ego is trying to hide the *simple, radiant fact* that:

Your will and God’s Will are the same.

If you truly accepted that, the ego would disappear, because its whole existence depends on the idea that you are separate from God, with a separate will that can oppose Him.

The ego wants you to believe:

• “If I follow God’s Will, I’ll lose what I want.”
• “God’s Will will demand sacrifice.”
• “God’s Will will take away my special relationships, my pleasures, my individuality.”

So it manufactures *conflicting wishes*:

• “I want peace, but I also want to hold onto my anger.”
• “I want love, but I also want to keep my judgments.”
• “I want God, but I also want to control everything myself.”

These conflicts keep you busy, confused, and guilty. As long as you feel internally divided, you won’t fully remember the quiet, steady joy of your true will.

What is the Holy Spirit revealing?

The Holy Spirit keeps repeating, in many forms:

“You are not divided.

Your will is wholly loving.

You want only what God wants for you: peace, joy, innocence, and union.”

The Holy Spirit reveals that:

• Every time you choose peace over attack, you are following your true will.
• Every time you forgive, you are honoring your will, not sacrificing it.
• Every time you let go of a grievance, you are choosing what you *really* want.

The Holy Spirit’s message is very simple:

• **You do not want pain.**
• **You do not want guilt.**
• **You do not want fear.**

You may think you want them when you cling to grievances or self-attack, but that is only confusion. Underneath every ego wish, the Holy Spirit shows you the same quiet truth:

“My child, you want peace. Only peace. And that is all I give.”

Applied to Daily Life

Let’s see how this plays out in ordinary situations.

1. Relationships

You might feel:

• “I want a loving relationship.”

But also:

• “I want to punish them for what they did.”
• “I want them to feel guilty so they’ll change.”

These are conflicting wishes. Love and punishment cannot coexist. The ego tells you that you can have both: “I can love them, but also keep this grievance.” The result is tension, distance, and pain.

The Holy Spirit gently shows you:

• Your true will is to **join**, not to separate.
• Your true will is to **understand**, not to condemn.

When you notice yourself rehearsing old hurts, you can say:

“Conflicting wishes cannot be my will.

I choose the wish to love, not to attack.”

You are not “giving up” justice. You are giving up *self-torture*. You are choosing the only thing you truly want: peace in your heart and healing in the relationship, whether outwardly or inwardly.

2. Work and Career

You might think:

• “I want meaningful work, guided by Spirit.”

But also:

• “I want to prove my worth by success, status, or money.”

The ego’s wish is to *be special*, to stand out, to be “more” than others. The Holy Spirit’s guidance is always gentle, inclusive, and loving. When you feel torn between following inner peace and chasing external validation, you are feeling conflicting wishes.

You can pause and ask:

“Holy Spirit, what is my *real* will here?

Show me what I truly want, beyond fear and pride.”

You may be led to make the same outer choice—but with a different *inner purpose*: not to glorify the ego, but to extend love, kindness, and honesty wherever you are.

3. Illness and the Body

With illness, you might feel:

• “I want to heal.”

But also:

• “I want to use this illness to get attention, sympathy, or to avoid certain responsibilities.”

This is not about blame; it’s about *honest, gentle self-observation*. The ego can use anything—even sickness—to reinforce separation and specialness.

The Holy Spirit says:

• Your true will is **health of mind**, which is peace.
• From a peaceful mind, you will be guided how to care for the body.

You can say:

“Conflicting wishes cannot be my will.

I choose the wish to be whole in mind.

Let my body’s condition serve the purpose of healing, not of fear.”

This opens the door for miracles in perception: you may still care for the body in ordinary ways—medicine, rest, treatment—but now with less fear and more trust.

4. Anxiety and Daily Stress

Stress often comes from trying to serve two masters:

• “I want to trust God.”

But also:

• “I want to control everything myself.”

You feel pulled between surrender and control, trust and worry. That pull is the feeling of conflicting wishes.

In a moment of anxiety, you can pause and say:

“I cannot truly want both fear and peace.

Conflicting wishes cannot be my will.

I choose the wish for peace now.”

Even if the anxiety doesn’t vanish instantly, you’ve made a *clear choice of teacher*. You’ve turned away from the ego’s frantic planning and toward the Holy Spirit’s quiet certainty.

Overcoming Resistance

Why might this lesson feel difficult?

1. *Fear of losing individuality*

The ego whispers: “If my will is the same as God’s, I’ll disappear. I’ll be swallowed up.”

But in truth, you don’t disappear—you remember your real Self: unlimited, safe, loved, and loving. You lose only the small, anxious self-image that never truly satisfied you.

2. *Attachment to specialness and grievances*

Part of the mind still thinks:

• “I *want* this grievance. It proves I’m right.”
• “I *want* this special role, this superiority.”

To that part, the idea of a single, loving will feels like a loss. The Course is gentle: it never rips anything away. It simply invites you to *look honestly* and ask, “Has this ever really made me happy?”

3. *Confusion between sacrifice and release*

You may think:

• “If I align with God’s Will, I’ll have to give up what I enjoy.”

But what you “give up” is:

• Guilt
• Fear
• Attack
• Inner conflict

You are not asked to sacrifice joy, but to release what blocks joy. The ego calls that “sacrifice” because it wants to keep the blocks.

If you feel resistance, you can say:

“Holy Spirit, I am afraid of Your Will.

Please show me, gently, that Your Will is my happiness.

I am willing to be shown, even if I don’t yet fully believe.”

Honesty is enough. You don’t need perfect faith—just a little willingness.

Today’s Practice

Here is a simple way to practice Lesson 307 today.

1. Morning Quiet Time (5–15 minutes)

Sit quietly and say slowly, with attention:

“Conflicting wishes cannot be my will.

Father, Your Will is mine.

I want what You want for me: peace, joy, and love.”

Then:

• Notice any fears or objections that arise.
• Don’t argue with them. Just notice and say inwardly:

“This fear is not my true will.

I choose to remember my one, loving will.”

Sit in silence a few moments, letting the idea sink in.

2. During the Day: Use It in Moments of Conflict

Whenever you feel:

• Upset
• Anxious
• Angry
• Guilty
• Pressured

Pause and say (even briefly):

“Conflicting wishes cannot be my will.

Right now, I must be trying to want two things.

Holy Spirit, show me the one thing I truly want: peace.”

Then:

• Ask: “What am I trying to get *and* keep at the same time?”

(For example, “I want peace, but I also want to be right.”)

• Gently choose: “I choose peace instead of this.”

3. Before Any Important Decision

Take a moment and say:

“I do not know my own best interests.

Conflicting wishes cannot be my will.

Holy Spirit, align my will with God’s.

Let me want only what truly blesses everyone.”

Then proceed, trusting that even if you’re not sure, your willingness has opened the door to right guidance.

4. Evening Reflection

Before sleep, look back over the day:

• Where did you feel inner conflict?
• Where did you notice yourself wanting two opposite things?

For each instance, say:

“That conflict was not my true will.

My will is peace.

I forgive myself for confusion, and I rest in our one Will.”

Let the day be washed in forgiveness.

Comparable ACIM Lessons

Several lessons echo and support Lesson 307:

• **Lesson 74: “There is no will but God’s.”**

This is the core idea: your will is not separate. Lesson 307 applies it specifically to the experience of conflicting wishes.

• **Lesson 71: “Only God’s plan for salvation will work.”**

The ego has many plans; they conflict with each other and with peace. God’s plan is simple and unified.

• **Lesson 185: “I want the peace of God.”**

This lesson asks if you really want peace without exception. Lesson 307 explains that any “exception” is just a conflicting wish that is not truly your will.

• **Lesson 200: “There is no peace except the peace of God.”**

All other “peace” the ego offers is temporary and conditional. Lesson 307 reminds you that your will is for this one, real peace.

• **Lesson 329: “I have already chosen what You will.”**

This later lesson states clearly that, at the deepest level, you have already chosen God’s Will. Lesson 307 is a step in recognizing that the conflicts you feel are not your real choice.

Closing Thought

Beneath every fear, every grievance, every anxious plan, there is a quiet, steady truth:

You want peace.

You want love.

You want God.

All the rest is confusion, not your true will.

Today, let yourself rest in the comfort that you are not truly divided. You have one will, and it is wholly loving. Each time you remember, “Conflicting wishes cannot be my will,” you take a gentle step back into the safety of your own heart, where God’s Will and yours are forever one.