The Response of the Soul in an Emerging Crisis
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 response of the soul in an emerging crisis.
And now, sit back and listen to today's message.
The Response of the Soul in an Emerging Crisis
"And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, 'O my Father, if it be
possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.'" Matthew,
Chapter 26, Verse 39.
Brothers and sisters, how does the soul relate to the Father's spirit in the face of a crisis? How does
the appearance of outside events trigger the response of the soul. What values are involved? What
meanings are at stake? What role do the angels play in such a crisis? And what is the role of prayer
and worship as the crisis unfolds? What happens when the crisis reaches supreme level?
Sometimes a crisis can be sudden, other times gradual. At the start it may not appear to be a crisis
at all, but as time continues, and events begin to unfold, the soul realizes that it is within the jaws
of a crisis. These crises are usually triggered by something happening in our relationships or within
ourselves. Sometimes these crisis can be triggered by material events; other times they can be
triggered by moral events; and sometimes they can be triggered by spiritual events. But no matter
how they are triggered, they represent crisis because of the sudden or emerging threat to a person’s
belief system.
Something can threaten our livelihood or our health, which may represent the same kind of threat
to our livelihood. This is perceived as a crisis, and the self struggles to adjust to it, to find someway
to cope with it, to neutralize it if possible, or if not possible to neutralize it, then to ameliorate it, and
failing that to accept it. When this threat occurs gradually, there is an gradual emotional response to
it that get stronger and stronger as the crisis continues. The emotional self struggles with the crisis
trying to accommodate it.
But it is difficult to integrate something that the self perceives as harmful or disruptive in a
substantial way. The disruption could be permanent. This causes quite a bit of anxiety and emotional
turmoil. Anxiety is almost always followed by depression as the self perceives a significant loss. It
takes time to adjust to change, especially change that we perceive as altering our way of life in a
negative way. But eventually the crisis reaches its peak, and resolution occurs, and the self adapts
and adjusts to a new level of functioning. Once more the emotions subside as the self reintegrates
the new changes. This is what happens in the physical aspects of a crisis.
Now we would like to know what happens in the moral and spiritual aspects of such a crisis. When
the self senses some moral or spiritual aspect of a crisis, there is also an emotional component, but
the moral and spiritual aspects require a different kind of response. This crisis finds the soul in its
usual state or relationship with the divine spirit so that prayer and worship are already a part of its
daily routine. But what the emerging crisis requires is a change in the relationship of the soul with
the heavenly Father. When the soul is faced with a growth stimulus requiring greater faith and trust,
additional moral and spiritual power are required to adequately deal with the perceived threat. In
order to maintain its tranquility of poise, the soul must grow. It does this by seeking to know the
Father's will. As the crisis deepens, so does the desire of the soul to seek the Father's will. It seeks
to know the Father's character at such a time, to see how it can respond to the growth stimulus
according to the Father's will. The emotions are raging and must be calmed.
Previous values and meanings are insufficient to manage the crisis. A deeper grasp is required. As
the soul continues to pray and worship, it is transformed and translated to a new and higher level of
functioning. Its faith and trust grow. It acquires a new vision of its purpose, a newer meaning of faith
and trust. It is stabilized. As the crisis reaches supreme levels, so does the growth of the soul. Growth
is the response of the soul to the stimulus of crisis. It grows in the very face of the crisis.
The angels play a critical role. They move to translate spiritual influences from other and higher
sources so they are made more meaningful to the mind. They move to make the new meanings of
the mind more intense, to make them more graspable. They coordinate the various influences that
will assist the soul in mastering the crisis. They seek to stimulate decisions with the goal of
increasing consciousness of the Father through His Son, Jesus.
Each time the soul seeks the Father's will, the divine spirit reaches down just a little bit more,
imposing its divine nature on the human nature. And as the soul continues to pray, and the crisis
reaches supreme levels, the divine nature triumphs and the soul now stands on eternal foundation,
fully conscious of its union with the Father and aware of its indestructibility. This has the effect of
imparting to the soul the divine qualities that it needs in order to master this crisis. And though the
crisis may overcome the material self, the soul is left stronger and more resilient than before. It is
even now more dedicated to doing the Father's will than before. It utters that eternal cry:
"Nevertheless, Father, not my will but your will be done." Another spiritual test has been acceptably
passed. And the soul rejoices with worship and receives a clearer and sharper picture of the Father's
character of love.
This concludes today's message on understanding the response of the soul in an emerging crisis. 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.
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By Dr. James Perry
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The Response of the Soul in an EmergIng Crisis
