Spirit Control
Greetings, brothers and sisters. This is Dr. James Perry continuing with our series where we seek to
explore the deeper meanings of our relationship with Jesus Christ. Over the years, the heavenly
Father has revealed many revelations of spiritual truth to me, and I want to share them with you. This
morning we seek to understand the control of the spirit.
And now, sit back and listen to today's message.
Spirit Control
"Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it. "
Proverbs, Chapter 22, Verse 6
Brothers and sisters, we know there must be some mechanism for guiding the will of the mortal so
that he perfectly chooses the will of the Heavenly Father. The Father's spirit resides in our minds and
souls. Within the conscious aspects of our material minds, there exists self consciousness and the
priceless power of choice, the ability to choose. This self may choose to do the Father's will, that is,
to subordinate its will to doing the Father's will. The self may make material and moral choices, the
spirit directs the mind in selecting those choices that have moral and spiritual significance. We see,
then, that their must be some mechanism first for identifying and choosing the Father's will, and
secondly for following through on that will. Thus there are three phases of doing the Father's will:
we identify it, choose it, and then implement it. Following this, we see the repercussions of the
completed decision.
When the self is confronted with a moral or spiritual decision, the stage is set for the will to respond
in some way. It may decide to ignore the confrontation altogether, thus leaving the question begging,
or it may decide to postpone the question; or it may decide to act on the question. For purposes of
discussion, we are concerned with the decision to act on the moral or spiritual question. The
reflection process begins when trying to decide what course to pursue or what decision to make. The
process may take a moment or longer, but always a reflective process takes place, where the soul
rises to meet the Father's will, causing a temporary union of the mind with spirit. The values of the
Father are diffused into the conscious mind. This process may be the sudden interjection of an
entirely new value or it may be the reinforcement of a divine value that the mind has already
identified.
We know that moral and spiritual decisions are made in consonant with our value systems. Seeking
the Father's will in response to a moral or spiritual question is seeking the highest value possible.
And when this value is finally grasped, the decision will be of the highest value. Thus the spirit
controls and directs us through our value systems. A moral or spiritual choice changes the moral and
spiritual environment of the self. It is similar to a hot knife cutting through butter. The butter is
irreversibly altered. Choosing the Father's will gradually transforms the human self into the image
of His Son, Jesus.
Now lets us consider the divine values themselves and the mechanism whereby they exert control.
In any given situation, there are certain values that are essential to completing a spiritual decision
in a time-space situation. One of the most important of these values is long suffering. It is supremely
important because of the nature of growth in our time-space universe. It requires time to effect moral
and spiritual changes in an individual. Though the decision to make a moral or spiritual decision can
be made without delay, its outworking requires time. And this creates problems for the self when the
value of long suffering is missing.
Some moral and spiritual problems require sustained contact with the person who is presenting the
moral or spiritual problem. Since the power of the spirit works through love, the attitude of long
suffering must be displayed in order for it to be recognized, considered, accepted or rejected.
Without this, the individual is not likely to remain in contact with the individual presenting the moral
or spiritual problem long enough for the process to run its course. Or if it is a situation where the
individual is in an enforced relationship, the spiritual display of love is likely to undergo the slow
process of death, being replaced by hate or indifference. But if the spiritual displayer remains in
contact, then there will likely be a completed transmission of the spiritual value.
Since the transmission of spiritual values is based on attraction rather than promotion, there must
be some other values that attract the intended recipient. These values are peace and joy, which are
clearly discernible to the recipient. Peace and joy are what every soul craves, for in this world
material peace and joy are here one moment and gone the next. Emotions of material peace and joy
are tied to the ups and downs of material life, but peace and joy are not tied to anything in the
material world. They are projections of the eternal and infinite heavenly Father's nature. When these
two qualities are received in the soul, then is the chooser of the Father's will prepared to calmly and
serenely face the ups and downs of life.
Spiritual joy and spiritual peace are hard to define but easy to experience. We know that material joy
is a pleasant satisfying emotional reaction to good fortune; material peace is a calm emotional state
where nothing is disturbing; the self perceives of no threats to its well being. Spiritual joy is a
spiritual reaction to discovering the relationship between the Father and his children, along with the
astounding ramification of this relationship, temporally and eternally. Spiritual peace is the spiritual
attitude of one who enjoys this relationship and recognizes that there can be no threat to his spiritual
well being. One who has dedicated himself to doing the Father's will is simply indestructible. Storms
may come and go, clouds may block out the material sun, but nothing can disturb or block the
spiritual shining of the Father.
In the course of the delays of time and the handicaps of space and the threatening appearance of
defeat at some junction, it becomes apparent that there is a requirement for some values to stabilize
and assure the ultimate victory of the Father's will. This assurance and stabilization are the values
of faith and goodness. Faith is a value that permeates the entire fabric of and dominates every aspect
of the self, including feelings, thinking and doing. This faith is not only the recognition of the
Heavenly Father but also the power of the Father. This faith is the undaunted, undeniable and
unstoppable conqueror of all spiritual reality. It is a mighty translator of potential spiritual values into
actual spiritual values, and though its realization may be delayed by time and handicapped by space,
it never suffers defeat. This faith when exercised in the face of certain moral and spiritual problems
has the effect of projecting confidence and assurance to the problem-maker. It is said that when Jesus
smiled upon an individual, that individual experienced increased capacity for solving his problems.
Goodness is the essence of the Father's character. It is the foundation upon which all relationships
with his children are based. This absolute, eternal, and infinite foundation is surety for the peace,
security, and trust of all of his children. It is the quality that when fully admitted to the soul causes
repentance of all known sin. God is good; taste and see if He is true. This goodness is the insurance
of salvation for all who are true of heart, even for those who are ignorant of Him. When the banner
of love is flown from the flagpole of goodness, it evokes mighty spiritual emotions, emotions of such
a nature that it casts out all fear-based emotions.
When interacting with such a powerful person, there would naturally be a tendency for one to be
timid in their approach and even fearful of his might, but his character is cloaked in such gentleness,
temperance and meekness that no emotions of fear are generated in the contemplated approach
towards him. The approach toward him is open and inviting, calling forth emotions of security, love,
and attraction. He is after all a loving Father who loves His children with an infinite affection.
This concludes today's message on understanding the control of the spirit. We hope you find
something in this message to ponder and pray about as you go about your day.
Until next time, this is Dr. James Perry
Inspirational Messages
By Dr. James Perry
Your Kingdom Come, Your Will Be Done!
Spirit Control
