Lesson 364:

**“This holy instant would I give to You.

Be You in charge. For I would follow You,

Certain that Your direction gives me peace.”**

I. The Core Teaching

This lesson is a quiet, profound surrender.

It is you saying to God, through the Holy Spirit:

“I do not know what anything is for. I do not know how to find peace on my own. Take this moment. Take this day. Take my mind. Be in charge.”

The ego’s entire strategy is built on one idea:

*“I know.”*

“I know what I want. I know what will make me safe. I know what will protect me. I know what this situation means. I know what this person is doing to me.”

This “I know” is the ego’s fortress.

What is the ego trying to hide?

1. *That it has no idea how to bring you peace.*

The ego promises safety through control, judgment, attack, defense, and planning. But every time you follow it, you end up with more anxiety, more guilt, more conflict. The ego cannot give what it does not have. It has no peace to offer.

2. *That you are not the ego.*

The ego wants you to believe you are the small, separate self that must defend itself to survive. It hides the truth that you are Spirit, already safe in God, unthreatened by anything in time or space.

3. *That the present moment is your escape.*

The ego lives in the past and the future—regrets, grievances, fears, and plans. The “holy instant” is now—this very moment, free of past meaning and future fear. If you truly enter the holy instant, the ego cannot survive there. So it distracts you with memories and worries.

4. *That God’s Will and your true will are the same.*

The ego insists that if you let God be in charge, you will lose something: freedom, pleasure, individuality, control. It hides the fact that God’s Will is your happiness, your peace, your joy—and that your deepest desire is actually to remember Love.

What is the Holy Spirit revealing?

1. *You are safe in God right now.*

Not after you fix your life, not after you heal, not after you become “more spiritual.” Right now. The Holy Spirit gently reinterprets everything you see to show you that nothing real can be threatened and nothing unreal exists.

2. *You don’t need to know “how.”*

The Holy Spirit is the Answer already placed in your mind. You are not asked to solve your life. You are asked to *offer each instant* to the One who knows what everything is for. Your job is willingness; the Holy Spirit’s job is guidance.

3. *Peace is available in every situation.*

Not because the situation will always change, but because your perception can change. The Holy Spirit reveals that the only real question in any moment is:

“Will I choose fear or love? Will I let the Holy Spirit interpret this for me?”

4. *You are not alone.*

This lesson is a deep reassurance: you are guided, you are held, and you are never left without Help. The Holy Spirit is the Voice for God in your mind, always ready to answer the slightest invitation.

When you say, “Be You in charge,” you are not giving your life to something outside you. You are letting your *true Self* lead, instead of the fearful, defensive self you made.

II. Applied to Daily Life

Let’s bring this into the ordinary places where the ego feels very loud.

1. Relationships

You’re upset with someone—your partner, a friend, a family member. The ego says:

• “They’re wrong.”
• “They don’t understand me.”
• “I have to protect myself.”
• “I know what this means: they don’t love me / respect me / care about me.”

In that moment, the holy instant is available.

You can pause and say inwardly:

“This holy instant would I give to You.

Be You in charge. For I would follow You,

Certain that Your direction gives me peace.”

Then you might add:

• “I do not know what this relationship is for.

Show me how to see this person as You see them.”

What might shift?

• You may feel a softening in your chest.
• You may feel less need to “win.”
• You may remember their pain instead of just your own.
• You might be guided to speak gently, or to say nothing right now.
• Or you might be guided to set a boundary—but without hatred or blame.

The form of guidance can vary, but the *content* is always the same: peace, shared innocence, and a step away from attack.

2. Work and Decisions

You face a difficult decision at work: a job change, a conflict with a colleague, a fear of failure.

The ego says:

• “You must figure this out.”
• “If you choose wrong, you’ll suffer.”
• “You’re on your own.”

The Holy Spirit says:

• “You are not alone in this.”
• “The outcome that serves your peace is already known.”
• “Let Me guide your steps.”

You might pause before a meeting and say:

• “Holy Spirit, I give You this instant.

Be in charge of my words, my reactions, my choices.

Let me value peace more than being right, more than being admired.”

You may still speak firmly. You may still negotiate, plan, or take action. But the *inner teacher* has changed. You are no longer following fear; you are following peace.

3. Illness and the Body

When the body is in pain or illness appears, the ego rushes in with:

• “I am this body.”
• “I am vulnerable.”
• “This proves I am weak, aging, or punished.”

The Course never asks you to deny symptoms. It asks you to question the *meaning* you give them.

In a moment of fear, you might say:

• “This holy instant would I give to You.

Be You in charge of how I see this body, this symptom, this diagnosis.

Let me not use this to prove I am separate from God.”

You still may go to the doctor, take medication, rest, or seek help—these are neutral forms. But now you are inviting the Holy Spirit to use this situation to teach you:

• that you are more than a body,
• that you are not guilty,
• that you are still loved.

The body can then become a classroom for remembering Spirit, rather than a prison.

4. Anxiety and Daily Stress

You feel anxious about money, time, family, or the future. The ego says:

• “Worry is responsible.”
• “If you don’t obsess, you’ll lose control.”
• “You must rehearse every possible disaster.”

The Holy Spirit says:

• “Your safety is not in the world.”
• “Your safety is in God.”
• “Let Me reinterpret this for you.”

In a moment of racing thoughts, you can pause:

• “I give You this instant, this fear, this story.

Be You in charge. I don’t know what anything is for.

I only know I want peace.”

You might feel only a small shift at first—a little more space, a slight softening. That is enough. Each time you do this, you’re training your mind to turn toward the Holy Spirit instead of the ego.

III. Overcoming Resistance

Why might this lesson feel difficult?

1. *Fear of losing control*

The ego believes control equals safety. Surrender feels like danger.

But notice: has your control ever truly brought lasting peace?

Letting the Holy Spirit be in charge does not mean you become passive. It means your *inner guide* changes from fear to love.

2. *Fear of God’s Will*

Many carry an unconscious belief that God’s Will will demand sacrifice or loss. The Course gently corrects this:

God’s Will is your happiness.

If something truly brings you guilt, fear, or conflict, it is not God’s Will for you.

3. *Attachment to grievances*

Part of you may want to stay angry, stay right, stay victimized. Letting the Holy Spirit be in charge means you are willing to let your grievances be undone. That can feel like losing your identity. But what you lose is only the mask; what you gain is your Self.

4. *Doubt about hearing guidance*

You may think, “I don’t hear anything,” or “What if I get it wrong?”

The Course reassures you: your little willingness is enough.

Guidance often shows up as:

• a gentle sense of what feels peaceful,
• a quiet inner nudge,
• a softening of harsh plans,
• a recognition: “This feels like attack; that feels like peace.”

You are not asked to be perfect. You are asked to be willing.

IV. Today’s Practice

Here is a simple way to practice Lesson 364 today.

1. Morning

Upon waking, sit quietly for a few minutes and say slowly:

“This holy instant would I give to You.

Be You in charge. For I would follow You,

Certain that Your direction gives me peace.”

Then add in your own words:

• “Holy Spirit, I give You this day.

Guide my thoughts, my words, my choices.

Let me value peace above all else.”

Rest for a minute or two in silence. You don’t need to feel anything special. Your willingness is the prayer.

2. During the Day

Use short, frequent reminders, especially when upset:

• When confused or pressured:

“Be You in charge. I choose peace, not control.”

• When angry or hurt:

“This holy instant I give to You.

Show me another way to see this.”

• When anxious about the future:

“I will follow You. Your direction gives me peace.”

Pause even for 10–20 seconds. Let the words sink in, not as magic, but as a real invitation.

3. Before Any Important Action

Before a meeting, a conversation, an email, a decision, pause:

• “Holy Spirit, be in charge of this.

Let me not lead myself, for I do not know.

Lead me to peace.”

Then proceed, trusting that even if you don’t feel different, something in your mind has shifted.

4. Evening

Before sleep, gently review your day:

• Where did I remember to give the instant to the Holy Spirit?
• Where did I forget and follow the ego?

Do not judge yourself. Simply say:

• “I give all of it to You now—the moments of fear and the moments of trust.

Correct my perception while I rest.

Be in charge of my mind, even in my dreams.”

V. Comparable ACIM Lessons

This lesson is closely connected with several others:

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

Both lessons invite you to stop following the ego’s plan and accept that there is a higher plan already in place.

• **Lesson 135: “If I defend myself I am attacked.”**

Letting the Holy Spirit be in charge means you no longer rely on your own defenses as your safety.

• **Lesson 155: “I will step back and let Him lead the way.”**

Almost the same core idea: stepping back from the ego’s leadership and letting the Holy Spirit guide.

• **Lesson 189: “I feel the Love of God within me now.”**

The holy instant is the experience of this Love, available now, when you stop insisting on your own interpretation.

• **Lesson 365: “This holy instant would I give to You. Be You in charge. For I would follow You, certain that Your direction gives me peace.”**

Lesson 364 prepares you for the final lesson, which repeats this same prayer, sealing the year with a commitment to let the Holy Spirit lead.

VI. Closing Thought

Today you are not asked to fix yourself or your life. You are only asked to *offer each moment*—as best you can—to the One in you who knows the way to peace.

You do not walk alone. Every sincere whisper of “Be You in charge” is heard, answered, and gently used to lead you home.

Rest in that. Let this instant be holy, simply because you are willing to give it to God.