The Creation of Inner Peace
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 spiritual truths to me, and I want to share them with you. This morning we
seek to understand inner peace.
And now, sit back and listen to today's message.
The Creation of Inner Peace
And the peace of God which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds
through Christ Jesus." Phillipians, Chapter 10, Verse 7.
Brothers and sisters, the creation of inner peace is the natural consequence of pursing the Father's
will. This inner peace is spiritual and must not be confused with material peace. Material peace is
a reaction to the emotions of the self while inner peace is a reaction of the spirit. Material peace
results from the factors of the material world being in such a state that the material mind is satisfied.
It results from a material consciousness that all is well. Things are preceding along apace, to the
liking of the material self. The material purpose is enjoying a temporary respite from the ups and
downs of the material world. Material peace results from the illusion that we are in control of all
internal and external factors that have a bearing on our material lives.
The pursuit of a material purpose cannot bring lasting peace. There are several reasons for this,
among which are the following: The object of the material purpose is likely to change, thus bringing
into existence pain, sorrow, and disappointment. The material purpose itself is likely to run into
obstacles and barriers which it cannot surmount; and the material purpose is likely to be narrow in
scope, having as its motive a selfish reason that excludes all others except for their selfish utilization
in carrying out the material purpose. A brief analysis of this situation reveals that the utilization of
other people for a selfish purpose gives rise to resentment, anger, and hostility in those same people,
thus disrupting material peace.
Only the pursuit of a spiritual purpose can bring inner peace of a lasting nature. The purpose must
be so large, so lofty, so inspiring, so worthwhile that not only does it include all others, but it causes
all others who are true of heart to want to pursue this purpose as well. This purpose is so large in
scope and so endless and beginningless in duration that it wholly transcends all attempts at
definition.
The purpose includes one's highest and deepest longings, as well as the highest and deepest longings
of all other selves. This spiritual ideal transcends anything that we can conceive, but though we can
never encompass the ideal, it is nevertheless very real, and very serviceable. Through the pursuit of
truth, beauty, and goodness, we can approach this ideal, as they are united in love. Always keep in
mind that this ideal transcends our concepts of truth, beauty, and goodness, and no matter how much
truth one knows, or how much beauty we appreciate, or how much goodness we revere, always will
this ideal transcend our concept.
Looking at things from a material point of view, it might appear that the pursuit of such a goal would
be replete with frustration and anxiety. In the material world, the inability to achieve a material goal
does lead to a state of frustration and anxiety, but not so in the spiritual realm. In the spiritual realm,
the increasing revelations of truth increasingly liberates the soul of man. To be truly free is an
achievement of all achievements. Each revelation of truth imparts a new concept of freedom to the
soul. Each new appreciation of beauty fills the soul with exquisite pleasure, a pleasure that constantly
increases. The soul is literally raptured, and then super raptured, super, super raptured, and the
process goes on without end. The increased augmentation of goodness to the soul strengthens the
foundation of the soul in the reliability of the Father's goodness, and upon the solid foundation which
the soul may absolutely depend. This is the basis for all relationships with the Father. Finally the
pursuit of these spiritual qualities are gradually synthesized into a consciousness of divine love.
The pursuit of the spiritual purpose is not divorced from the realities of the material life, for we are
material beings. Rather, it is in and through these material realities that we discern truth, beauty, and
goodness. From a practical point of view, the creation of inner peace is a gradual and reciprocal
process. This is so because what is involved is a shift in supreme loyalties. One's supreme loyalty
is that which represents one's religion. It is that which one invests with one's self. One's energy,
emotions and purpose all go into creating what one considers extremely important. We do not like
to see things go wrong. We dislike having to adjust, and often times having to accept less than what
was expected. Every situation of a material import is pregnant with less than what was expected, be
they things, meanings, or values. And when we appreciate these circumstances of less than ideal,
material peace goes out of the mind and is replaced by turmoil.
The commitment to a spiritual ideal gradually solves this problem. If we commit ourselves to a
spiritual ideal then when we have a negative emotional reaction to the rapid changing tides of
material waves, we can recognize in this very reaction that this represents our supreme values, and
that a further shift in loyalty is needed. We should welcome the discovery that something is standing
in the way of our whole-hearted pursuit of our spiritual ideal. How else can we shift away from it?
For every shift in loyalty away from the material towards the spiritual, there is a corresponding
increase in the inner peace in our souls and minds. It then becomes a matter of refusing to attach
supreme loyalties to material things, while at the same time increasing our loyalties to our spiritual
ideals, even the supreme spiritual ideal--the heavenly Father. And all of this is still yet another way
of saying, "Not my will, but your will be done."
This concludes today's message on understanding the creation of inner peace. 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!
The Creation of Inner Peace
