The Leading of the Spirit
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.
Today we seek to understand the leading of the Spirit.
And now, sit back and listen to today's message.
The Leading of the Spirit
Jesus said, ". . . Lo, I am with you always, even unto the of the world." Matthew, Chapter 27,
Verse 20.
Brothers and sister, the spirit leads, and we can choose to follow if and when we so desire. The spirit
is eternal and exists before our minds, and therefore exists prior to and after all thinking, even though
this same spirit can direct our thinking. Since the spirit is eternal, and always exists in the present,
the leading of the spirit is always in the present. It is the eternal presence. In our human experience,
being time conscious, we are aware of past, present and future, but the spirit only deals with right
now. It therefore follows that whatever we are doing right now is subject to the spirit leading, not
what we did yesterday or will do tomorrow.
To ignore the spiritual leading of the day in favor of yesterday or tomorrow is to essentially ignore
the leading of the spirit. Only the present is real, this moment. Act now, and the consequences of the
reactions of the past become apart of us today. Always must we act in the present, but this does not
mean that we ignore the past and the future. Remember the spirit lives in the present, and the present
of the spirit contains our past and our future.
The spirit reveals this past and future to us through the insights gleaned from our past experience and
the foresight of our prospective future. And when the insights and foresight are brought to bear on
a decision in the present, the fullness of the spirit functions. Such a decision not only incorporates
the experiences of the past, but is also reflective of the prospective experience of the future.
When we choose good over evil, prior to our making the decision for good over evil, the spirit has
already acted. The spirit acts during the formulation of the decision. The spirit acts to influence the
factors that go into making a decision. The end result-the decision--is like a mixture of ink and water.
It is impossible to tell where the ink ends and the water begins, and vice versa. But the divine flavor
of the spirit is shown forth in the decision by the quality of the decision--the content of goodness.
In making a decision, we look at all the factors that go into making any decision. Admittedly, some
factors may be so distasteful, that little or no consideration or weight may be given to that particular
factor. Selfish interest may exclude some factors while unselfish interest includes some. The spirit
operates to make those unselfish factors more real, those carrying more weight in the final decision.
The final decision then is a combination of all the factors, both selfish and unselfish.
This process becomes more effective when we dedicate our selves to the conscious pursuit of the
leading of the spirit, when we dedicates ourselves to choosing that which is best at all times, and
under all circumstances. We are in fact choosing the Father's will. When we dedicate ourselves to
doing the Father's will, we no longer become supremely concerned about adverse material
consequences to ourselves as the price for the pursuit of truth and righteousness. And when we are
dedicated and consecrated to the pursuit of the leading of the spirit, the spirit operates on all factors
that go into making a decision at all times and under all circumstances. Under these circumstances,
spiritual progress is constant, and relatively rapid. Soon the soul is born again with its super human
potential for perceiving the meanings and values of truth, beauty, and goodness, and reinforces the
self in its moral decisions. The spirit also supports the soul, reinforces it, and strengthens it.
This concludes today's message on understanding the leading 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!
The Leading of the Spirit
