Further Insight Into Execution of the Father's Will
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 and grasp further insight into executing the Father's will.
And now, sit back and listen to today's message.
Further Insights into Executing the Father's Will
"Jesus saith unto them, 'Verily, verily, I say unto you, the Son can do nothing of himself, but
what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever He doeth, these also doeth the Son
likewise.” John, Chapter 5, Verse 19.
Brothers and sisters, today shall examine executing the Father's will from the internal perspective.
We have defined will as the act of choosing. Will is a creative gift that the Father gives us. The
choice may be wise or unwise; true or erroneous; good or evil. But let us see if we can discern further
insight into the mechanism of choice itself.
What happens before an actual choice is made? We know that will does not operate in a vacuum but
is acting on behalf of the whole self, the whole personality. We shall further restrict our definition
of will as applying to the moral and spiritual arena, the only two areas in which we are completely
free. We further know that at any given time, we are bombarded with impulses and desires. Some
of these originate in response to internal stimuli, whereas others originate in response to external
stimuli.
We are endowed with life, and this life is ever in motion between the adjustments mandated on the
inside with those on the outside. This constant changing relationship between the external and
internal factors constitute the process of life, both material and spiritual. Let us look at some material
examples of this exchange. Take the stimulus of hunger. This impulse appears in our consciousness
in response to the needs of the body for nourishment. This need must be met from outside resources.
A choice must be made in response to this unmet internal need. Being confronted with danger is an
external stimulus that is registered on the inside. Some sort of response must be made. When danger
threatens, we must make a choice to fight or flee.
So will, then, becomes the agency or force of the self that decides which impulse or desire will be
actualized. It does this by the priority of values. Given mind and emotions, will is now in a position
to think before it acts. Thus the impulse to satisfy hunger must be delayed when confronted with
danger that requires the fight or flight response. Will then chooses on behalf of the self. This will
does not act in a vacuum but is reflective in discerning priorities. When the human will chooses, the
repercussions of that choice determine what the self becomes: "as a man thinketh in his heart, so
shall he be."
Now that we have described how self will works in the purely material sense, we are now in a
position to see (understand) how it works in the moral and spiritual environment. But first we must
consider the divine will. The divine will is in our minds and souls but is subject to our will. We must
choose it. The divine will is also composed of impulses, urges, and desires. When we select the
divine will, we do so in two phases. First we select the divine will (divine qualities) and then we
actualize theses qualities by choosing them in our moral and spiritual reactions with our brothers and
sisters. This is similar to selecting a meal and then eating it.
We are experiencing beings and are therefore subject to experience, even the experience of learning
how to do the Father's will. It requires intelligence and wisdom to effectively reveal the Father's will,
and this means that we must have a knowledge of facts in order to function effectively in our social
groups. It is within the social group that we function, that we reveal the Father's will. We must have
knowledge of the people we serve. And we must have wisdom in order to be effective in our
revelations. Wisdom only comes about as the result of experience of trying to execute knowledge,
in this case knowledge of the Father's will and knowledge of our brothers and sisters with whom we
are in relationship. We cannot be like a blind canon with divine impulses; we must reflect and think.
We must wisely determine the best approach, the best circumstances for revealing the Father's will.
In some cases this revealing is limited to displaying the divine character; in other cases, a sustained
relationship is initiated, but this must be wisely done or otherwise much evil will be the result.
Prayer and worship provides us with essential spiritual knowledge and reveals the divine wisdom
that is extracted from our experiences. Prayer is the process whereby we learn how to do the Father's
will, whereas worship is the process where we become like the Father, and thus allows us to
recognize more and more of the divine character. As time passes, we become increasingly effective
in choosing and revealing the divine will in ever increasing perfection.
This concludes today's message on understanding and grasping further insight into executing the
Father's will. 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!
Further Insight Into . . .
