The Accuracy of Spiritual Insight
Greetings and good morning 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 accuracy of spiritual insight.
And now, sit back and listen to today's message.
The Accuracy of Spiritual Insight
Jesus said, "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my
name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever I
have said unto you." John, Chapter 14, Verse 26.
Brothers and sisters, in today's broadcast, we shall consider the accuracy of spiritual insight. How
accurate is our discernment of the spiritual insight that the comforter gives us? Insight is the ability
to see the insidedness of things. Insight is the quality that allows us to penetrate to the core of the
matter, to see what is really there as opposed to what we may feel is there. We know that spiritual
insight is analogous to material sight. Both of these phenomena allows us to see and comprehend.
During the course of a conversation with my son, the subject of solving problems came up. He felt
that problems don't go away on their own, that if you don't solve them, they keep reappearing. And
he also said that he believed that even in the afterlife, if you do not solve the problems of this life,
they follow you to the next life as well. He stated that once you solve the problem, it no longer
appears as a problem because you can apply the solution without any emotional difficulty. He also
said that panic was never the right reaction. It did nothing to help solve the difficulty, in fact it made
it worse. I was amazed at this insight that he had discovered and wondered how this insight and
insight in general was made available to the mind.
In considering the analysis of this illustration, I looked at the facts leading to this insight. The first
fact that came to mind is that he obviously had to have some experience with problem avoidance and
with panic reactions in order to discover the futility of them. Now it is not certain how long it takes
or how many experiences are required before an individual realizes that his response is inappropriate
to the presenting stimulus, but we know that when there is a tendency to avoid problems and respond
with panic reactions, it is difficult for the individual to realize that this is not the correct response.
They have formed this habit of reacting, and it usually requires some kind of shock before they are
convinced that this kind of response is inappropriate. But for others, even when they realize that the
outcome is not what they expected, they still fail to see that this is the incorrect response. And some--
even after they discover the response is inappropriate--will not make any changes. Next there must
be some kind of intellectual recognition, understanding, and association that this way of responding
to a problem is inappropriate. And finally before the insight crystallizes, there must be a desire to
change. This is the most difficult step in translating insight into actual reality. Fear may be the
greatest barrier preventing the translation of insight into reality.
Fear blinds the self to the recognition of truth. Fear is a generalized emotion that appears in the mind
in the face of the unknown, the inexplicable, and anything that we perceive may be dangerous. This
fear in its material aspects can only be eliminated by acquiring knowledge, understanding, and
wisdom, and in its spiritual aspects by the grasp of the living love that the Father has for his children.
Material sight allows us to see that which is on the outside, while spiritual insight allows us to see
what is on the inside. We know from experience that error is always a possibility, sometimes a
probability, and often a certainty. We know that the accuracy of material sight is dependent upon the
quality of the eye as well as prevailing external conditions, as well as the familiarity with the object
being viewed. In the desert, it is very easy to see something that is not there. The interplay of sand
and light often causes mirages. So we see that material insight is not always accurate. Material
insight can only be corrected by observation and experience. That is, we must apply our insight to
the problem at hand to see if it agrees with the reality of experience.
Sometimes when we observe something with which we are not familiar, we always interpret it in
terms of what we already know. This interpretation is not only influenced by that but also by our
desires, our fears, our biases. And sometimes when we are familiar with what we observe, we
misinterpret the situation (for example, the phenomenon of different people offering a different
explanation of the same event). And now we turn our attention to spiritual insight.
Spiritual insight allows us to view the spiritual experience, which is knowledge of spiritual reality,
the realization of our relationship with the Heavenly Father, and the subsequent recognition of the
truth, beauty, and goodness of his love. This spiritual insight is the gift of the heavenly Father. It is
the eyes of the soul even as the material eyes are the eyes of the body. It allows the soul to see, to
understand, to comprehend the personality values and meanings of the relationship between itself
and the Father. Like all spiritual qualities, spiritual insight is to be had by exercising faith. This
spiritual insight of the soul was bestowed upon us by the Son, Jesus, who took on human form and
revealed the personality values and meanings of the Father-Son relationship. And this spiritual
insight abides in his Spirit of Truth, which surrounds the soul, always declaring "this is the way."
This way is the way of love, patience, mercy, and forgiveness. This Spirit of Truth is constantly
teaching the soul the correct conduct that is acceptable to the Father. And when fully embraced by
the wholehearted dedication to doing the Father's will, the accuracy of spiritual insight reaches
supreme levels in human experience. But remember that this insight is growing in the human soul.
The soul must grow and develop before it is able to grasp more and more of this insight. But even
so, the Father is love, and we are his children, and while it requires experience to fully realize this
relationship, nothing changes the fact of our sonship with the heavenly Father.
We are experiencing material creatures, subject to the vicissitudes of that status. All the pain and
suffering, the emotional ups and downs, the disappointments as well as the successes are apart of our
material state. We are going to have problems in this life; we are unable to prevent or find optimal
solutions for some of these problems. Sickness, accidents, and all other kinds of mayhem are also
apart of our state. Why doesn't the heavenly Father put an end to all of this suffering? While we may
not be in a position to appreciate all of his reasoning for not interfering in the material aspects of our
lives, we should consider the spectacle of the butterfly emerging from its cocoon. The struggle is the
butterfly's; no one can ease that struggle for him. To do so would destroy the butterfly, who is in the
process of emerging.
This spiritual insight propels us through these struggles. This great insight empowers us with the
desire to face all of our problems. This insight encourages, fortifies, energizes, gives hope, and keeps
us struggling to the end of this material life. When we really appreciate this great spiritual insight,
we will never give up the struggle as long as we are able to struggle. The heavenly Father loves us,
and this great truth insures us that in our inner lives where we live, where abides the most vital part
of us, where all values and meanings that are true, beautiful, and good are stored, will survive. This
spiritual insight and everything that derives from this great truth is one hundred percent accurate.
This concludes today's message on the accuracy of spiritual insight. 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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The Accuracy of Spiritual Insight
