The Transformation of the Human 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 the transformation of the human will.
And now, sit back and listen to today's message.
The Transformation of the Human Will
"Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." Matthew, Chapter
5, Verse 48.
Brothers and sisters, there is a vast difference between the will to believe and the will that believes.
But what does it mean when we dedicate ourselves to doing the Father's will, and find that in spite
of that dedication we still do our wills? How can we resolve the paradox of the good I would do, I
do not; and the evil I would not do, I do? How does continued moral and spiritual imperfection stand
in the face of the desire to do the Father's will?
Our understanding of this dilemma is complicated even more so by the truth that we consciously
desire to do the Father's will but unconsciously do it. The entire process takes place at a level where
we are not actually conscious of doing the will of God. We are not conscious of actually becoming
Godlike. What we are conscious of is the desire to do His will, the desire to be Godlike as revealed
in his son, Jesus.
The problem of our manifesting our will in spite of our desire to do the Father's will is locked up in
relativity. Does it mean that we have failed when our will manifests itself in spite of our desire to
do the Father's will? No, it does not. The human will is a manifestation of the urges and desires of
the natural self. This is the beginning of the growth process. No amount of self power can eliminate
these urges and desires. It is true that they can be channeled into different kinds of manifestations,
even religious manifestations, but this does not equal true transformation. This is not true spiritual
growth. True spiritual growth means growth towards becoming like God--becoming like Jesus in
character.
The human will does the things that are natural to its nature because it naturally craves them. The
divine will does that which is righteous because it loves righteousness. The reason our human wills
find it so easy to do that which is wrong and so hard to do that which is right is simply because the
human will craves that which is wrong and dislikes that which is right. And anyone knows how hard
it is do that which we dislike. So the solution to this problem is not to force ourselves to do that
which is right. Rather, we must crave to do that which is right. To begin this process, we must be
born again. The born again experience initiates the desire of and appreciation for divine things.
But how does this transformation come about (and transformation is what it truly is)--to move from
craving that which is wrong to desiring that which is right? Well, no human being in and of himself
has the power to do that. When we decide to do the Father's will (that is, to have the desire to do that
which is right), exactly then does the Father begin to bring about the transformation. It matters not
that we are unconscious of this process. The fact that we will truly desire to do the Father's will is
evidence and proof of this spiritual transformation. Right there and then, the fruit of the spirit begins
to flow through us.
From day to day, we are not conscious of the spiritualizing changes occurring within us. In fact we
notice no change at all, except the increasing desire to do the Father's will. And this increasing desire
increases the flow of the fruit of the spirit through us and on to our brothers and sisters. And while
we may not be conscious of this flow, our brothers and sisters, the recipients of this flow, are well
aware. We are not conscious of our spiritual progress from day to day. We can only discern our
growth when we realize that what was impossible for us to do before being born again is now
possible. We love our brothers and sisters.
This concludes today's message on the transformation of the human 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!
The Transformation of the Human Will
