Soul Development Without the Help of Divine Love
This mediated message deals with soul development without the help of Divine Love. It is a continuation of a previous message by Jesus and explains how to replace wrong thoughts and desires with those that are harmonious with God’s will. For more on this topic, see other messages in Chapter 7.
Jesus Continues His Message on How a Mortal May Obtain the Development of His Soul
Without the Help of the Divine Love
I AM HERE. Jesus.
I see that you are in better condition tonight, and it may be that we can continue the message.
Well, as I was saying, the only way in which a mortal may obtain the development of his soul condition, without the help of the Divine Love, is by attempting to exercise his will in the way that will cause the thoughts of evil and error to leave him, and to be replaced by thoughts that will bring his heart and soul into harmony with the laws of his creation as mere man. This can be done by his seeking for those higher things of morality, and the subordinating of the purely animal desires and appetites of the mortal to the aspirations and desires of the higher and nobler part of his nature.
As I have told you before, man was pure and good until, by the exercise of his will, following the suggestions of the animal desires, he permitted himself to degenerate from the high and perfect condition of his creation.
These sins and desires do not belong to his original nature, for his true nature was pure and in harmony with the Laws of God. And although he has lost it by the excessive and wrongful exercise of his will, obeying the desires of his animal nature, yet, he can recover his condition of original purity and harmony if he will get rid of these sins and errors so that his nature may again become free from everything that defiles it, or that places it out of harmony with the laws that created it.
So, you see, it is not necessary for man to obtain, or add to his original condition, any qualities that were not his in the beginning. He merely has to get rid of, or eradicate, those things from that condition which are mere excrescences or parasites, and thereby have his nature in the same condition that was his when he was created and was the perfect man.
So long a time has the nature or condition of the nature of man been in this state of defilement and alienation from the true condition of his creation that the effort to bring about the restoration will necessarily be great, and he will have to use all his power of will that he is capable of to effectuate this object. And, in such efforts, he will find two conflicting forces always fighting each other for the mastery.
The fact that he believes his present condition is the natural one, and that the state and purity and freedom from sin and error is one that does not belong to him naturally, but must be acquired by adding something to what he now has and always possessed, will make the fight more uneven.
Therefore, the first things that man must believe are that his present condition is not his natural one and that he has nothing more or greater to accomplish than to relieve himself of those things which prevent his condition from becoming as it was when he was the perfect man.
If he will get this belief firmly fixed in his mind, and assert that he was made by God, and that God never created anything impure or not in harmony with His Laws, then, he, man, will have accomplished the first step towards his regeneration and towards success in his effort.
He must not consider himself to be a weak, low and unworthy creature of God, not being entitled to those conditions of purity and greatness which made him the beloved child of the Father. Of course, self-esteem and pride and everything of that nature must be eliminated from the estimate that he must have of himself. But, on the contrary, the idea that he is degenerated and an utterly helpless being must not be permitted to enter his mind. Such thoughts do not make him pleasing to God, as he has been taught that they do, but only make him subservient to his masters of sin and error, and prevent him from asserting his own superiority over these things. In his conception of his true condition, it is necessary that this assertion exists in order that he may obtain the ascendancy over those masters.
When he shall have assumed this position, then he will realize that these animal appetites and desires, and evil thoughts which arise from them and from the belief that he is by nature degraded and unworthy of a better and higher condition of nature, are really beings of his own creation, and subject to his will and self-control and total destruction. And with such realization will come a consciousness that they are not parts of his nature, but foreign to it; and that, in order that his nature may become separated from them, he must look upon them as enemies and treat them as such— to be destroyed and utterly extinguished, and never more to be taken to his bosom and cherished as inalienable and dominant parts of his nature.
Of course, in treating them as such enemies, great watchfulness and determination will have to be exercised. For they are very insidious and, whenever the opportunity arises, they will at all times and in all ways try to convince him that they are an integral and necessary part of his being, incapable of being separated from him.
But, by the exercise of this belief, based upon a right conception of what is and what is not a part of him as the perfect man, and by the exercise of his will power in accordance with this conception, he will be able to rescue himself from these unnatural appetites and desires and thoughts of error and sin.
As this belief becomes stronger and this conception clearer, and his will is exercised in closer harmony with the two essentials, these excrescences will gradually, and one by one, fall away from him until, at last, he will rise again the perfect man with the pure and harmonious nature which God gave him at the time of his creation.
But this process will be slow and sometimes hardly perceptible. For the long years of misbelief in the idea of original sin, and that God created evil and error for the purpose of defiling man’s nature and making a disobedient devil of him, without any inherent goodness or the possibility of becoming regenerated unless by the operation of some miracle, will make it difficult for the acquiring of the true belief as to what he and what his nature are that would enable him to become the master and not remain the servant.
GOD IS THE FATHER OF ALL, AND LOVES HIS CHILDREN. AND, AS HE ORIGINALLY PROVIDED FOR THEIR HAPPINESS, SO, NOW, HE DESIRES THAT ALL MAY BE HAPPY, EVEN THOUGH THEY MAY NOT SEEK FOR THAT DIVINE LOVE WHICH MAKES MORTALS AND SPIRITS MORE THAN THE MERE PERFECT MAN.
Forgiveness is, in effect, forgetfulness. And when men, in their efforts, cause all these things of evil and sin to cease being a part of their nature, and only thoughts of purity and righteousness remain to find a lodgment in their minds, then these other things are forgotten and forgiveness has taken place. Man no longer is the slave of false beliefs and unrighteousness, nor is he their associate; and, even in memory, they become things of nonexistence. And when he gets into this condition of purity and freedom, and in harmony with the laws of his creation, there exists nothing which can be the object of forgiveness, and he is the man of perfect creation.
But, in all this, man must realize that he does not exist by and for himself alone. For he is always surrounded by mortals or spirits, or both, exercising upon him their influence for good or evil. And they are either helping him to turn his thoughts from these things of evil and sin into those higher things which are his by nature, or, they are causing him to receive and foster these evil thoughts with increased intensity. He cannot get rid of these influences of one kind or the other. Hence, he should seek the influence of those who are good, and who desire to help him in his efforts towards the recovery of that condition which is his by right of birth.
Among God’s Laws, which never change and which work impartially, is the great Law of Attraction; and it works in the case of all mortals and spirits, and never rests.
And the great principle of this law is that like attracts like, and that unlike repulses the unlike. So, man must know that as he is—I mean in his state of mind and soul—so necessarily will be his companions or those who desire his association. Hence, he should realize this important Truth and all that it implies.
If his thoughts and deeds are evil, he will attract those spirits or mortals who have similar thoughts and deeds; and they will not help him to higher things, but will retard his progress towards his first estate. And if his thoughts and deeds are good, then his associates will be only those of like qualities who can and will help him in his progress.
Every effort to create good thoughts strengthens the desires and will in that direction, and assists the coming of other good thoughts. For with these efforts comes the help of these unseen influences, and the repulsion of the in- fluences of the retarding forces.
Man is a wonderful being and the highest creation of the Father; yet his greatest master is his belief in the power and supremacy of these things of evil of his own creation.
BUT, BEYOND ALL THIS, A MEANS TO ACCOMPLISH MAN’S RESTITUTION TO HIS PERFECT ESTATE IS THE HELP OF THE FATHER, WHICH IS NEVER REFUSED WHEN MAN SEEKS FOR IT IN EARNEST, SINCERE PRAYER. ALWAYS THE FATHER IS WILLING TO RESPOND TO THE TRUE PRAYERS OF MAN. AND, BY HIS INSTRUMENTALITIES, HE WILL MAKE THE EFFORTS OF MAN SURE AND EFFECTIVE SO THAT HE CAN ACQUIRE THAT CONDITION THAT WILL FREE HIM FROM ALL SIN AND ERROR, AND FROM THE SLAVERY OF FALSE BELIEF IN THE MASTERY OF HIS EVIL CREATURES.
MAN MUST BELIEVE IN THE LOVE AND HELP OF THE FATHER, IN THE MANHOOD AND GREATNESS OF HIMSELF, AND IN THE UTTER ERROR OF HIS BELIEF IN THE MASTERY OF HIS OWN CHILDREN OF SIN AND ERROR.
I have written enough and must stop, as you are tired.
So, assuring you of my love for you, and my care and help, I will say good night.
Your brother and friend, JESUS.
Martin Luther, Former Monk and Reformer, Affirms That the Master Wrote
I AM HERE. Luther.
I come tonight to say that I would like to write again very soon, as I desire to write further in the line of thought of my last message.
I see that you are too tired to write tonight and I will not ask you to do so. But if you can give me the opportunity to write soon, I will be much obliged.
(The Master’s message tonight was most interesting.)
Yes, I know. I enjoyed his message and believe that it will be readily understood. What a Master he is! So beautiful and powerful and loving!
Your brother in Christ, LUTHER.
Mrs. Padgett Also Affirms That the Master Wrote
I AM HERE. Helen.
Well, my own dear Ned, you have had a very entertaining letter from the Master tonight, and I am glad that you were in condition to receive it so well. He said that you were very successful and he is pleased.
Good night.
Your own true and loving HELEN.
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