The Recignition of the Father's 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. This
morning we discuss the recognition of the Father's spirit.
And now, sit back and listen to today's message.
The Recognition of the Father's Spirit
"It is written in the prophets, And they shall all be taught of God. Every man therefore that
hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me." John, Chapter 6, Verse 45.
There are many approaches that lead to recognizing the Father's spirit. The variance is on the
individual and his particular path. While there may be many approaches, there is only one method
for recognizing the divine spirit: the method of faith. In our approach to recognizing supreme values,
we shall use the spiritual fruits as illustrations because we are familiar with them.
Of all of the spiritual values presented to the material mind, long-suffering is the hardest to tolerate.
This value requires the human mind to actually forgo some external action that it would much prefer
to act on. Foregoing impatience is a challenge that can only be sustained by the power of the spirit,
which teaches the soul to remain patient in the midst of provocations. The assertion of long-suffering
is a strain on the material mind, but the power of the spirit causes it to submit to the divine will. Now
view long-suffering with the eye of faith. What does it look like?
Next we consider the value of spiritual peace. This peace is often at odds with the peace of the
material mind in that it continues even when there is no material peace. This spiritual peace reflects
the absence of turmoil within the soul, when the soul is in right relationship with the Father. The soul
has peace when it finds its maker, the divine spirit. And this sense of tranquility oozes out into the
material mind. It gives the self a superb sense of well being. When the spiritual purpose is fixed,
there is real peace in the mind and soul. It is a peace that passes all understanding. Now view this
peace with the eye of faith. What does it look like?
We now turn to the value of spiritual joy. Spiritual joy is somewhat difficult of explanation to the
material mind, for this joy is not material and transient--it brings lasting satisfaction. It remains even
in the face of material sorrow. The relationship of the soul with the divine spirit is joy. It is the joy
that the soul experiences upon finding the Father through the Son, and upon learning how to
acceptably do the divine will. This joy is a reflection of real happiness, for what can be more joyful
than the soul that has realized and acknowledged its birthright, that has acknowledged its divine
sonship? Now view this joy with the eye of faith. What does it look like? Let us unify long
suffering, peace and joy into truth. View truth with the eye of faith. What do we see?
Let us look at the value of gentleness. This gentleness is a reflection of the love saturated heart of
the divine spirit. While it always waits to execute the spiritual mandates of the soul in its quest for
divine perfection, this spirit remains so poised despite the unbelievable power it has. Gentleness is
appreciated by the growing soul that is unsure of its progressive steps in the pathway of truth. Now
let us view this gentleness with the eye of faith. What do we see?
Then there is temperance, the mark of a well-balanced character. There are no excesses in the
Father's character, though He is very generous. Balance is stimulative of pleasure. Temperance
signifies the restraint of justice balanced by the flow of mercy. Let us view this temperance with the
eye of faith. What do we see?
Now we turn to meekness, the humility of the spirit. This is the conquest of self. It is a self that has
effectively submitted itself to the Father's will, the Father's way. This meekness is reflective of a soul
who knows the power of truth. All of its aggressive impulses are directed at the execution of the
Father's will. Meekness is the hallmark of a spiritual personality. Let us unify the values of
gentleness, temperance, and meekness into beauty. And with the eye of faith what do we see?
And now let us consider the values of love, goodness, and faith. These make other values possible,
otherwise there is no basis for trust, the quality that is absolutely essential to the soul that knows not
what tomorrow brings. Now let us unify love, goodness and faith into goodness and truth, beauty,
and goodness into love. With the eye of faith see the presence of God, for God is love. This presence
of the Father is the supreme spiritual reality.
Against these divine values, let us consider the divine spirit as the spirit of sharing love. It shares all
of our experiences with us, revealing the truth, beauty, and goodness of them. It comforts us and
encourages us. It provides the spiritual power for overcoming all obstacles that stand in the way of
divine perfection. It gives us a sense of security and safety. This divine value never leaves us but
remains with us forever. It is God within us. Through the long years of prayer and worship, you have
communicated with the Heavenly Father through his divine spirit. You have talked, shared, rejoiced,
cried, sought forgiveness, guidance, direction, courage, love, mercy and so on. Has it ever occurred
to you that when you were making those petitions, not only were you communicating with the divine
spirit, but you were also in the presence of the divine spirit? When you petitioned, who were you
petitioning? There was something in your mind that you were aware of. There was something there
other than just you. And that was the presence of the Father's spirit. All these years faith has been
building this consciousness of the divine spirit. And now it is time to recognize and acknowledge
this spiritual consciousness, which is not an emotional, intellectual or even a moral consciousness.
It is with faith that we acknowledge what has been and continues to be there for us--the spirit of the
loving heavenly Father. If you will thank the Father for the divine presence, your faith will reveal
a spiritual consciousness of that presence. Especially should you do this doing those trying trials and
tribulations, when you are tempted to doubt that this presence still abides. Just because he does not
deliver you from the temporal adversities of life in no way means that he is not there with you.
Remember, the Father's spirit is always with you, guiding and directing, inspiring, sharing all
experiences with you, and constantly revealing his love to you.
This concludes today's message on understanding the recognition of the Father's 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 Recognitioon of the Father's Spirit
