

### Values Of

### A Spiritual Mind

16 Essays For Living

Roman New

~~~

Smashwords Edition

VALUES OF A SPIRITUAL MIND: 16 ESSAYS FOR LIVING

Copyright © 2012 by Roman New

All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the copyright owner except in the case of brief quotations in articles and reviews.

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# CONTENTS

1 Value of The Human Body

2 Value of Fruits

3 Value of a Spiritual Mind

4 Value of Spiritual Construction

5 Value of Patience

6 Value of the Spiritual Creature

7 Value of Empowerment

8 Value of Spiritual Worth

9 Value of Truth

10 Value of Bonding

11 Value of Humbleness

12 Value of Forgiveness

13 Value of Joy in Trials

14 Value of Prayer

15 Value of Integrity

16 Value of Truth with Neighbors

#  Chapter 1  
VALUE OF  
THE HUMAN BODY

What? know you not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which you have of God, and you are not your own?

—1 Corinthians 6:19

THE HUMAN BODY HAS VALUE TO THE SPECIAL SPIRIT IN us. The value is that our body is where the spirit lives. This spirit has assumed possession of our inner being. How do we respond to this presence in our body? We respond with openness, welcome, and thanksgiving. We want the spirit to absorb into us like moisture absorbing into a sponge. This is why we want our attitude to be tender, gentle, and welcoming. These soft, moist attitudes are an invitation for the spirit to own the human body. When the fruit of the spirit blossoms from within us, that is a sign that the spirit of God lives within. The spiritual fruit includes love, goodwill, kindness, peace, meekness, gentleness, faith, joy, goodness, perseverance, self-control, and patience.

We believe that there is a living spirit that is supernatural to the human body. We believe that this special spirit resides within the body. And we believe that the spirit has assumed ownership of our inner being. We respond to this spirit according to those beliefs. Therefore, we respond to the human body in a way that honors the spirit in us. We desire to please this presence in our body so that we can feel the blossom of the spirit's fruits. These fruits please our inner being.

The human body is owned by a special spirit within, and this is why we have to honor our body with health. First, I will say that the fruits of the spirit are such things as love, goodness, kindness, goodwill, and faithfulness. These feelings are good for the human body. These are signs that we honor the spirit within us. These fruits make us a good neighbor, a wanted employee, and a loving person to family members. If our health becomes jeopardized through toxins, and we die, that is one less home for the spirit to live in. Alternatively, if we drink to a point to where we become obnoxious, then there would be no signs of the spirit's fruits. We have dishonored the home of the spirit, and the fruits are withheld. In addition, what if we eat ourselves to oblivion until we force ourselves to throw up, where are the fruits in that? We have dishonored the home of the spirit, and the fruits are withheld. What if we smoke in a way that offends those around us, where is the goodwill of the fruits in that? We have dishonored the home of the spirit, and the fruits are withheld. How we respect our body in health ways relates to how we honor the spirit that owns the human body. We know that we have grieved the spirit when there are no signs of the spirit's fruits. The fruits are the spirit's way of giving comfort, joy, and peace to the human body in return for honoring the spirit's presence.

The human body is owned by a special spirit and is needed to establish our security. Everything in life is only as good as the body. What I mean is that if you own a home but live in a casket, then the home is of no value. Once again, let's relate to the fruits as being a sign of the spirit's favor with us. The fruits are a way of keeping the body functioning so that we can enjoy the things of this life. Some of the fruits are comfort, joy, self-control, patience, love, goodness. Now envision the human body with no fruits and only filled with sadness, uncontrollability, hatefulness. What would happen to our security? The inner being of the human body would be so insecure, there would be no security in any other area of life. Holding a job would be near impossible, healthy family relations would be nonexistent and even health conditions would fail. This is why the special spirit within our inner being has to be thanked, praised, rejoiced. When we give homage to the owner of our inward being, then we are rewarded with the fruits of the spirit. Those fruits provide physiological, emotional, and social security within us.

We want to love the spirit that possesses our body. The human body has value because there is a special spirit that lives there. Only because of that spirit do we feel joy, comfort, peace, and many more fruits. Conversely, how could we possibly live in peace with an unwelcome houseguest? Imagine the constant quarreling. This is what our life would be if the spirit within us was unwanted. If we make the spirit within us feel unwelcome, the spirit's fruit would be withheld from our inner being. Then we would have a house filled with arguments. None of our relationships would ever be able to bond. Not with family, not at work, nowhere. We would find it hard to find belonging or acceptance anywhere. When we welcome with acceptance, and love the spirit within us, then we are given the fruits of faithfulness, joy, love. That is how our relationships bond with the joy of love. When we give love to the owner of our inner being, then we are able to share love.

The human body has worth because a special spirit has assumed ownership of our inner being. The value of the body is only as good as the honor given to the spirit. As we acknowledge the value of the spirit, new life blossoms within us. These blossoms are the fruits of the spirit. These fruits add more value to the human body. This is like when we acknowledge that we love a particular home and buy the home, then we add all the comforts to make the home feel like ours. This is what the spirit does for our inner being. We acknowledge the worth of the spirit, then the spirit adds value to our inward being through the fruits. And these fruits add even more worth to the spirit, the owner of our inner being. This is why there is no amount of praise from the mouth of others that can add value to our worth. This is why there is no amount of trophies and awards great enough to add value to our worth. Only by acknowledging the spirit's worth can we ever feel the value of our own worth.

Since the spirit owns our inner being, how should we express ourselves? We want to express ourselves in a way that brings homage to the special spirit. We can express ourselves through body postures. This means to stay within the realm of the spirit when posturing. This refers to postures that flow with the fruits of the spirit. For example, wagging our tongue in a hateful way to someone is like thumbing your nose to the spirit within. Where are the fruits when you are expressing your posture in that way? Definitely, the joy of laughter is not present, and that joy is a fruit of the spirit. There are many ways to posture our body in a way that brings fruitful rewards to our inner being. Instead of wagging our tongue, just keep our mouth closed tight and feel the peace and joy return. We can also express ourselves verbally in ways that will relate to the special spirit within us. If we use angry words, that is hostility to the owner of our inner being. What happens to the fruits of peace, goodness, and goodwill when hostilities are hurled? They are withheld from our inner being. On the other hand, the attitudes of prayer, thanks-giving, and rejoicing please the spirit within. Then we feel the fruits of peace, goodness, and goodwill return. We express ourselves through body language, verbal language, in the clothing we wear, and in our writings. This expression is received by the spirit that owns our inner being. If the spirit is pleased, then we receive the fruits of the spirit. If the inner spirit is grieved, we receive turmoil and unrest.

Some people deny the presence of a special spirit that lives in us and also denies that our body belongs to that presence. This is a hostile person at war with the spirit and angry at the thought that the spirit is the owner of the body. These people are filled with depression, resulting from the war made with the spirit and trying to maintain the body on their own terms. These people will bargain in a way that brings comfort to the body while denying the spirit's presence. They rely on narcotics, alcohol, and sex while neglecting the value of the spirit's presence. Acceptance of the special spirit in them is not a reality for them, although acceptance of the spirit as the owner of our body is the only way for peace. This acceptance brings the spiritual fruits. And these fruits bring comfort, peace, love, goodwill, and goodness.

What are the pathogens that infect the human body as a spiritual home? Those pathogens which come from what we crave as humans; these cravings grieve the spirit and cause the fruits to be withheld. For example, consumption of substances that causes the person to lose a sense of goodness, goodwill, joy, and love, which in turn promote feelings that provoke cruelty, rudeness, or just being out of control toward others. Alternatively, sexual relations when the rewards of the fruits are not present. That involves giving sensual pleasures to "bad boys," which causes abuses to others in the community.

Where are these reservoirs of fleshly vices found? Wherever people are seeking solace for human emotions. These people will be lurking in every barroom, every dance hall, every brothel, and anywhere where spiritual fruits are neglected. They seek to soothe the body with earthly desires and deny the presence of a spirit who rewards with comforting fruits.

How do these desires exit into our community? They come to us in just about every way imaginable. When we have a health problem, there is a pill to "soothe your soul." If there are insecurities, there is a human hand nearby. When there are relationship problems, there is a lawyer down the street. If you have low value of yourself, someone will invite you to have a "pick me up" drink. When you have trouble expressing yourself, others will give you the words to say. They remove reliance on the inward spirit, and increase dependence on earthly or fleshly resources.

How are these vices transmitted to others? They transmit by word of mouth or witnessing with the eyes. People will say how great a drink made them feel so that they could "unwind." Alternatively, they talk about how wonderful someone made them feel when they were down. In addition, they talk about how beautiful a lover was during sexual intercourse. They testify to the gratitude of the flesh, and say nothing about the presence of the spirit that dwells within. All these things contribute to soothing the body while violating the spirit within and consequently, receive no rewards of the fruits.

How do these vices enter our society? They come to us from being clueless of any other alternative; that is to say, unaware that the human body is owned by a special spirit that rewards us with fruits to soothe our state. They follow the advice and behavior of those who misguide into destructive behavior, and away from the inner presence of god's spirit. When these people feel down, they might decide to try narcotics. When feeling lonely, they will seek the arms of a lover. When feeling of no value, they will seek a party where everyone is "loved." When unsure of how to express themselves, they will copy the behavior of others.

Who are the ones susceptible to human vices? Those who are made to feel that the body has little worth. They believe it is best for them to belong where the vices are fun and accepted. They are those who place no value on the health of the inner being and feel more secure among those destroying the body. They would rather express themselves the way others do than to honor the body as having something special inside.

How do we break the cycle of dishonoring the human body? We do this by realizing that the body is the home of a special spirit. This spirit owns our inner being. When we honor the special spirit as our owner, then we are rewarded with the fruits of the spirit. As we feel the comfort, joy, love, and goodness flowing through us, we realize that this is more exhilarating than any human vice.

What assessment can we make? That the inner creature owns our inward being; when we are reverent to this owner, then we will experience the rewards of the spirit's fruits. What is the diagnosis? That when we are irreverent to the inner creature, we are filled with emotional turmoil; the result is the destruction of the body. What is the plan? It is to honor the spirit with a loving welcome within ourselves as well as within the body of others. How do we implement this plan? In everything, we desire to please the special spirit in us. How do we evaluate this? The spirit within evaluates this and gives rewards. These rewards are the fruits of the spirit. When the fruits are evident, then we can feel confident that the spirit is pleased with our behavior.

#  Chapter 2  
VALUE OF  
FRUITS

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. .

—Galatians 5:22

OUR INNER BEING NEEDS TO BE VALUED AS FERTILE ground for growing spiritual fruits. When we are soft, tender, and open to the spiritual realm, we become moist to allow the growth of spiritual fruits. Then within our inner being sprouts the evidence of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and more fruits. Some may value the written law greater than we value the spiritual fruits. When this happens, our inner being dries like soil receiving concrete. Then the fruits of the spirit wither away. This is when violations of the written law begin to materialize.

Our body is where the special spirit lives, which generate the fruit of that spirit. This is why the fruits of the spirit live within the person who honors that inner goodness. The rewards of that fruit make us feel love, peace, faith, and perseverance in our thoughts, emotions, and behavior. The person who places greater value on the law books and rules, and less on the rewards of the spirit do not have those fruitful feelings. This person would have turmoil, regret, and probably even self-hate due to sacrificing the inner goodness for legalities.

We believe in the fruits within our inner being because we feel their presence. In addition, w believe in the fruits because we see how peace and harmony are created within relationships. We see how rules and regulations with no fruits are abusive to the value of others. Therefore, we respond to circumstances according to the values of our belief. A spiritual person filled with the fruits responds to circumstances with love, peace, patience, gentleness. A person who is void of the fruits is filled with hate, unrest, irritation, no self-control, and cruelty. They respond to others with harsh, quick responses that abuse and violate the value of their worth.

We value the spiritual fruits in regard to the resources to fulfill our basic desires. Physical food covers many, many acres of crops, orchards, fisheries, cattle, and every sort of seafood. Spiritual fruit also blossoms abundantly within us distributing health, love, goodwill, kindness, and goodness in our thoughts, emotions, and behavior are essential in caring for the welfare of others. Relating to a population of people, and within our community, we value these fruits concerning our food resources. We want to feel that food is being distributed to us in a manner that ensures value to all. We want to have plenty of food to meet our day-to-day needs. Those who value the inner spiritual fruits will also value the nutritional desires of the population.

A person whose inner being is void of the fruits would be cruel, hateful, and have no self-control over the resources. This person would regulate the source of food reservoirs with harsh rules and laws. And even the distribution of the food would be regulated to communities according to strict dictates. There could be hate and cruelty for the population, while having no self-control in consumption by the governing officials. Thus, the population receives very little, and the governors receive a great deal.

With the fruits of the spirit living within us, there is also patience, self-control, kindness, and love concerning consumption of resources. The spiritual fruit regulates our consumption, and enables compassion to the needy. By valuing the fruits of the spirit, law and order will follow throughout society, relating to resources. The value of our senses also has more worth within the fruits of the spirit. When we see, hear, and feel with love, kindness, patience, self-control, and joy, we respond to others in a way that values the person. If we see one who is hungry or thirsty, our response would be to add resources to restore health to the person. A person who is void of the fruits would see a starving person and respond with cruelty. The hungry person would be denied the nutrition needed to sustain life.

Furthermore, a person filled with spiritual fruits would be tender and soothing on a person's health. This person would be comforting to the heart, nerves, muscles, bones, and every physical part of the body. A person void of the fruits would be cruel to the human body. The fruitless person would be abusive to the physical needs of others. The value of a person's heart, nerves, muscles, and bones would be given little worth because the person is filled with hate, cruelty, and pain. There would be many human violations concerning physical needs and the value of the body. A mother might neglect the welfare of her child, a baby. Alternatively, a government would neglect the nutritional needs of the people and rule with harshness. As the values of the spirit's fruits are neglected, the abuses and neglect of the people increase. When we live by the spiritual fruits, we care for our family and care for the value of the human population.

The spiritual fruits relate to the value of our security. We want to feel secure in having a place to live, in having a job in being protected from harm, in being comfortable in our living, and in being stable from day to day. The fruits of love, peace, kindness, goodwill, and gentleness contribute to our security. Through the spiritual fruits blossoming in us, we feel the value because we feel secure. The spirit makes us feel the fruits within our inner being. That makes us feel protected, comfortable, and stable from day to day.

And the value of these same spiritual fruits gives value to the security of others. The fruit of the spirit lives through a person by conveying love, goodwill, help, and comfort. That enables us to value others' desire for shelter, a job, and for protection. On a personal level, we help our family and friends to find shelter, food, a job, and to be protected. On a governing level, there will be a focus on helping the people to have a job, to feel protected from harm, and to feel stable in their communities.

A person who values legalisms more than the spiritual fruits will create insecurities. Instead of love and kindness, there would be hatefulness, cruelty, and pain. For example, there are hardened parents causing their child to leave home due to disobeying a harsh order. Alternatively, there are some who neglect to bring a child in from the heat or cold. In addition, consider the wife who is battered and feels that she could be harmed repeatedly. Furthermore, there are governments where the people have no security in the country, and suffer tragically.

When we value the spiritual fruits, we are loving, gentle, kind, and capable of providing goodwill to others. And the value of the spirit fulfills our desire for a safe, comforting, and secure environment. However, those who value legalisms more than the spiritual fruits violate our need for safety and security through cruel and harsh treatment. In contrast, when we value the fruits of the spirit within us, law and order will follow.

The spiritual fruits give value to love and acceptance. The fruit of the spirit includes the qualities necessary to enable us to accept one another through the spirit of love. The spirit's fruit help us to value others with compassion, goodness, and kindness due to the fruits blossoming within our thoughts, emotions, and behavior bringing peace, harmony, bonding, and unity. These fruits make us feel accepted and wanted by belonging in a place of happiness, comfort, and goodwill. These fruits live through us to bring tolerance to one another in a way that inspires faith in goodness. Through the spiritual fruits, we find love for one another; we find acceptance; we experience kindness from one another, and we bring faithfulness into the inner being of others.

A person whose inner being is absent from the spiritual fruits is hateful, cruel, and unfaithful. There would be very little love in the relationship, faithfulness would be null; kindness would be void, joy would turn to sadness, and peace would not exist. There would be constant arguments, hurtful affairs, harsh physical contact, short tempers, and no self-control. The relationship would be filled with mental cruelty, domestic abuses, troubles from outside relationships, verbal abuses. The value of the police department would be needed to restore some order. Furthermore, the value of family services would be needed, especially if children are involved.

The value of the spiritual fruits gives love, kindness, peace, joy, and comfort into relationships. The value of rigid rules over the fruits will violate the law, thus making regulatory agencies and police force necessary. By valuing the fruits of the spirit, law and order will follow within relationships.

The fruits of the spirit relate to how we value ourselves and others. The spiritual realm lives within us, and the fruits are the evidence of this indwelling. We convey a sense of esteem within the spirit of goodness, peace, faith, and goodwill. That provides us with a feeling of value for our worth, apart from human praise. Even though, some will use praise to add value to our feeling of worth. However, more valuable than that is the worth we feel through the fruit of the spirit living in us. Through that fruit, we feel very good about ourselves.

The spiritual fruits within our inner being also enabled us to feel a value to the worth of others. Through the fruits living in us, we can esteem the worth of others through love, peace, kindness, joy, gentleness, and goodness. The fruit of the spirit living through us conveys an attitude that adds value to the worth of one another. It's a wonderful feeling of esteem, ego, and worth being loved, praised, and cared for.

There are those that value legalisms, written documents, and orders over the spiritual fruits. If the fruits of the spirit do not live within us, what is remaining? There would be feelings of hate, unrest, sadness, emotional pain, evilness, cruelty, and harshness. These unfruitful feelings make you feel like you have no value and no worth. They make you feel worthless of love, kindness, joy, goodness, and gentleness. That could lead to self-destructive thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.

There is no compassion for the worth of others without the fruit of the spirit. These people relate to others with hate, cruelty, pessimism, and unstable responses. These are those who use legalisms to hurt your value, either through an office where written documents have violated your worth or through actual physical violence toward the human body. These people are capable of multiple crimes toward humanity, from blue-collar crimes to serial killing.

In summary, the spiritual fruits fill our esteem with love for ourselves and others. That adds value to the community. A person who values legalisms without the fruits finds no love for the worth of others and adds chaos and crime to the community. By valuing the fruits of the spirit in the esteem we feel for ourselves and others, law and order will follow.

The spiritual fruits relate to how we express ourselves. As we open ourselves to welcome the fruits into our inner being, the way we express ourselves begins to form. Imagine yourself filled with love, joy, comfort, peace, goodness, kindness, self-control, and faithfulness. You would be a cheerful and pleasant person to be around.

What we learn to believe is guided by the life of the spiritual fruits within us. As we sit in a school classroom listening to history lessons, the fruits of the spirit help us to learn. When listening to lessons about Hitler's Germany, we learn that he is a man void of the fruits of the spirit. Then we realize how important the fruits are in defining historical events. On the other hand, suppose a person who is void of the fruits listens to the same lesson? First of all, that student would be filled with hate, sadness, unrest, impatience, and cruelty. A person like this would sympathize with Hitler and even be prone to defend his deeds.

Therefore, how we value the spiritual fruits within us guides how we express ourselves in the community. We would desire for our clothing, our behavior, our words, and our responses, to be kind and loving. A spiritual person might wear plain clothes or some that say, "WWJD?" or "Wear pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Week." Someone voided of the fruits might wear a shirt that says, "God hates soldiers" or "Kill them all, let God sort them out." The spiritual fruits would even express themselves in the food we eat or how we eat. With the fruit of the spirit, we eat with self-control, moderation, and joyfully. However, someone voided of the spirit's fruit could be extreme in their eating, such as cannibalism or eating platefuls of food through no self-control.

The self-expression of a person void of the spiritual fruits would be cruel and hateful. That comes in forms of white supremacy, wearing the colors of violent gangs, or wars between motorcycle factions. All these groups are cultures where crime and violence are prevalent and where the fruits of the spirit are absent. On the other hand, when a person is filled with the spiritual fruits, he brings peace, security, goodness, and love into our community.

Some people want to deny us the blossoms of the spiritual fruits. These people are not fruitful and are filled with anger and turmoil. Depression fills their emotions because comfort and joy are not within them. There is no bargaining with them because goodness and kindness toward others do not exist. They have no acceptance for the special spirit within. And only by accepting the spirit's presence will we experience the fruit of that spirit.

What are the pathogens that attack the spiritual fruits of our inner being? That includes behavior such as being picky with technicalities and valuing the letter of the law over the fruit of the spirit. In addition, when written documentation is given more importance than the spiritual fruits, the inner goodness becomes infected. These are issues that attack the values of the spirit's fruit and create reservoirs of hateful and spiteful people.

Where are the reservoirs of these people found? These could be people who try to assassinate politicians. People like that are spread through our society, void of spiritual fruits and with hate and cruelty with them. Alternatively, they could be people who hurl hateful, cruel, and unkind insults to good and kind people. In addition, they can be found in groups of hate-filled cultures living within societies.

How do these sentiments exit from the reservoirs into mainstream society? The spiritual fruits within us are goodness, kindness, gentleness, and joy. And insults will be hurled at those who value these fruits. As we respond with a smile to goodness and kindness, there will be hateful and unkind sentiments hurled at us. The self-worth we have through the fruits will be attacked, as many will make us believe that we have no worth within the fruits. In other words, goodness, gentleness, and happiness are of no worth to those who do not value the spirit. These "pathogens" are creating hate-filled and cruel citizens.

How are these pessimistic sentiments transmitted into our society? Because the goodness and love of the spiritual fruits are not fully absorbed into the inner being causing us to respond with "righteous indignation;" this means when we see something of value to us—like our children or spouse or another loved one—being insulted, we want to lash out in defense. This results in arguments and being quarrelsome. And these negative feelings are not from the fruits of the spirit.

How do these sentiments enter other realms of our society? Because we value earthly love more than we value the spiritual fruits. For example, through self-control, patience, and gentleness, we survive many trying times. The fruits help us to grit our teeth when attacks are hurled at our spiritual values and to grit our teeth when hurtful insults are showered onto our loved ones. Every day we hear on news how a person who is void of the spirit's fruits has violated and murdered precious children. We value our children and the preciousness within our communities. Thus, it becomes very easy for fruitless sentiments to enter our everyday living.

Who are those most susceptible to fruitless attacks? They are those who want to feel love, to feel kindness, and to feel a form of earthly peace. For example, the attacks to their spiritual fruit may cease if they let go of the goodness that is within. And then we are made to feel valuable, have an earthly peace, and receive fleshly kindness. Except that the spiritual fruits of kindness, peace, and love begin to wane. They accept us into new social circles where the fruits are void. Within them lives hate and cruelty. In exchange for spiritual love, they are given sexual love and material goods as a show of kindness.

How do we interrupt this cycle? We do that by placing more value on the spiritual fruits and less value on legalisms. That comes by desiring love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The spiritual fruits interrupt the cycle of hate, sadness, unrest, impulsiveness, cruelty, evil, unfaithfulness, and harshness.

What assessment can we make? We can conclude that the spiritual fruits are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The diagnosis is that lawlessness, cruelty, hatred, evil, betrayals, and impatience exist without the fruits. We can plan to please the special presence within us, which is the spirit, because the spirit rewards us with the fruits. We implement this plan by praising the supernatural spirit in us. How do we evaluate how we are doing? We do this by asking the following questions: are we loving or hateful? Are we joyful or saddened? Are we at peace or in turmoil? Do we maintain self-control, or are we out of control? Are we kind or cruel? Are we filled with goodness or evil? Are we faithful, or do we betray? Are we gentle or harsh?

#  Chapter 3  
VALUE OF  
A SPIRITUAL MIND

If you then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sits on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

—Colossians 3:1–2

THERE IS VALUE IN A SPIRITUAL MIND BECAUSE THIS softens our inner being for receiving the spirit. In contrast, when we focus on earthly values, we become closed and hardened to the spirit's indwelling. Through a spiritual consciousness, we remain receptive to absorb and witness the inner workings of the spirit. The value of being aware spiritually is like the soil absorbing the rains for new growth. And being earthly minded is like rocks being hurled into the earth.

We value our spiritual consciousness for keeping us aware that our body is the residence of the spirit. In contrast, there is no earthly substance that can add value to the inner dwelling of the spirit. Our inward being is stifled and hardened when we focus the mind on things of the flesh. And the inner realm of god's presence rejoices with the spiritual mind. We believe we should focus on the special spirit in us because this brings the blossoms of the spirit's fruit. And we believe that a mind focused on earthly values is grievous to the spirit, and the fruits are withheld.

Being spiritually minded has great value for our health as well. And in contrast, our health could be jeopardized through an earthly mind. For example, what we consume is a response from what we value. As we value the earthly substances while neglecting the spiritual, we make unhealthy decisions. Suppose that you are thirsty and feel like you need a "spiritual lift." You reach for a bottle of "spirits," which is actually alcohol. In doing this, you have decided to place more value on the effects of alcohol and less value on the spiritual. Alternatively, suppose you feel a need for food to help you through a moody time. You may decide to eat chocolate because you believe this will soothe your mood. In doing this, you value the effects of food more than you value the effects of spiritual fruit. Alternatively, suppose you need rest and thus decide to use medications to help you sleep, called depressants. In doing this, you value medications more than you value the spiritual realm. And even sex can be given more value than the value of the spiritual. A person may indulge in sex to receive a comforting and pleasurable feeling. And in doing this, the spiritual fruits that give comfort, joy, and pleasures are neglected.

A spiritually minded person will make decisions from a response to the indwelling of god's presence. This includes drinking, eating, and resting to the glory of the supernatural realm within us. Yes, at times we will eat chocolate, maybe sip some alcohol, and use medications according to professional advice. The key is that everything we do is from the value of a spiritually oriented mind. And nothing will ever be valued over a spiritual mind. With a mind of the spirit, we are always aware that our body is the dwelling place of the supernatural. And that supernatural realm owns our inner being. And in all that we do, we honor that presence within us.

The value of being spiritually minded makes us feel more secure from within. In contrast, valuing earthly goods for our security brings more insecurity. For example, a person who values earthly things could be flamboyant in taste, while neglecting the spiritual to have a sense of security. A case in point is someone who feels secure in $1,000 suits, but neglects the supernatural realm within. Alternatively, the person who dresses in revealing clothes, hoping for financial tips to pay bills, but neglects the spiritual fruits also lacks security having neglected the values of a spiritual mind. In these cases, a person's security fades as soon as the clothes rot, or a more appealing body comes along. In addition, there is the person who values employment so ardently that the value of the inner spirit is neglected. That person is working for earthly gain, possesses fleshly values, and bases security on employment. When the job fades, the worldly values are still present, and this person is susceptible to destructive behaviors. And even at work, this person could always want an increase in earthly rewards and could be a thief within the workplace.

Only by being spiritually minded will we find security. The focus of the mind on the special spirit within us provides consistent and enduring security. The mind focused on god's realm places value on the inner spirit rather than the types of clothes we wear, physical appearance, or financial circumstances. The spiritual mind does not overvalue the security found in earthly gain.

Having a spiritual mind is valuable in our value of love and acceptance. In contrast, placing our value on earthly worth can leave us feeling unloved and unwanted. For example, a spiritually minded person values friends and love relationships according to the spiritual fruits. And the fruits of the inner spirit are those such as love, kindness, joy, comfort, peace, and patience. The inner spirit brings us together in a caring, loving, and comfortable way. A spiritually minded person will possess these qualities and add value to the relationships of the people they are with.

A spiritual mind wants others to feel love and feel acceptance, with enduring bonds. In contrast, love and acceptance based on the value of earthly goods will soon dissolve. The relationship would amount to the number of dollars in your wallet or pocketbook at the time. When one person would run dry in earthly means, then the other person would be seeking a new relationship. We often hear of how strained relationships become when one loses employment. And this has even led to divorce. A mind focused on the elements of god will find value in each other far beyond payday and will love each other within the worth we feel by the spiritual fruit.

The value of a spiritual mind contributes to a person's value of self-worth. And this contribution is to build the person into the realm of the spirit. In contrast, an earthly minded person does not contribute to a person's value of self-worth and does not try to build the worth of a person according to spiritual values. A mind focused on heavenly elements will find value and worth in others. They will try to aid in circumstances where a person's value and worth can increase spiritually. An earthly mind finds no value or worth in individuals who value the special spirit within. They do not esteem the spirit's fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, comfort. To a worldly person, these inner fruits are considered of no worth. And an earthly person will find no value or worth in this person as a friend, an employee, or a mate.

Therefore, a spiritual mind values the inner realm of god, which adds value to our feeling of worth. And in turn, a mind focused on heavenly elements adds goodness to the worth of others.

The value of a spiritual mind reaches into our self-expression. A mind focused on heavenly qualities will express values coming from the inner realm of god's presence. An earthly mind will share from the values of worldly concerns. A spiritual mind will talk and behave as one who values self and others based on expression of the special spirit. A fleshly mind will talk and behave as one who values earthly gain, the lusts of the flesh, and destructive lifestyles. And a mind of the world will express no concern beyond that of self-gratification. A spiritual mind will want others to feel free in expressing the inner self and to feel free in expressing the wonders of the spirit's realm. An earthly mind will discourage expression coming from the presence of the spirit. Because within this realm are values that consider the spiritual as being better than the fleshly. The worldly mind will attempt to shut up and close off expression to the spirit. The spiritual mind will never consider the world to be greater than the expression of the spirit.

The earthly mind denies the importance of the heavenly elements of our inner being. The spiritual mind acknowledges the presence of a divine source. Therefore, the mind focused on the spirit finds peace; the worldly mind is angry. In addition, the spirit's mind finds joy and comfort; and the earthly mind feels depression. Furthermore, the spiritual mind does not negotiate heavenly qualities; although the fleshly mind will bargain away divine qualities to gain resources of the world.

What are the pathogens infecting the value of a spiritual mind? The pathogens are those with earthly values. A spiritual mind values the heavenly realm, whereas a mind of the world neglects the spirit's realm. What are the reservoirs of these earthly pathogens? These are pools of people where worldly values reside. When you see destructive lifestyles, you are probably seeing the effects of earthly values. For example, when health fails due to desires of the flesh or when security of employment is rocky due to worldly values (like when you start calling-in to spend your money on great vacations). Alternatively, when relationships and friendships start meaning less and earthly desires mean more. In addition, the worth of others means very little, and the worth of world gain means more.

How do the values of these pathogens exit into other areas of the population? One way is through the health treatments many use to improve their appearance of health. Alternatively, when you wonder how secure you could be if only you had the earthly wealth of someone else. In addition, when you see how many friends others have because of their world values. Furthermore, you see how much esteem is given to a person's worth because of earthly endowments. And when you hear others express how worthy fleshly values are. And how are earthly values transmitted? We see "Dancing with the Stars," with the glitz and fame. Alternatively, we see reality shows based on improving physical features through cosmetic surgery. Within the work environment, there is importance based on hours worked and the size of the paycheck. Our friends and mates may expect earthly success. And people may listen to us more and make us feel comfortable if we express worldly values.

How do earthly values become a reality? That happens when we feel a need to please those with a mind focused on fleshly elements. We begin to desire cosmetics to make us look healthier and more desirable. We will work long hours and desire big paychecks to have the resources of the world. We will think it is necessary to possess earthly resources to maintain relationships. And we will begin to value others based on their fleshly prestige. Who are the people most susceptible to earthly values? They are the ones whose self-worth has been devastated. They seek to be accepted by others. Their esteem has been ruined by people who attack the heavenly realm within them. And these attacks come through ridicule of god's realm within the person's ego. They are made to feel of little worth relating to earthly values. And because of these attacks, along with the desire to be valued, and accepted by others, the person succumbs to fleshly longings.

How do we interrupt this cycle of earthly values? That results by valuing a spiritual mind. That mind focuses on the heavenly realm in us and loves the inward goodness. The mind of the spirit accepts the health and appearance of others, just as they are. The heavenly mind makes others feel secure through the spirit's fruit and make others feel loved and accepted according to that goodness. The spiritual mind esteems the divinity in others and adds value to their worth in whatever circumstance they are in.

What assessment can we make? We need to learn to focus our mind on the spiritual realm and to move our focus away from earthly values. What diagnosis can we make? That an earthly mind is void of the spiritual fruits and creates chaos. We should plan to live by a heavenly mind where the fruit of the spirit blossom. We implement this plan by coming into the presence of the special spirit within us. When we have pleased God, then the rewards are the blossoms of the spiritual fruits within us.

#  Chapter 4  
VALUE OF  
SPIRITUAL CONSTRUCTION

In whom you also are built together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

—Ephesians 2:22

THERE IS VALUE IN US AS THE DWELLING PLACE FOR THE special spirit. This value is that our inner being can be constructed into the sole habitat of the spiritual realm. Like play dough being molded into castles, so is our inward being. Play dough feels moist, which makes the putty easy to form. This is similar to our inner being. When we are soft, tender, and moist within ourselves, we are flexible. And being pliable is the starting process of the spirit's construction. Within, the spiritual realm is constructing our inner being through our flexibility. This construction will result in our body being the home of the spirit.

The spiritual realm owns our inner being, which gives the human body worth, in the same way that a mortgage holder owns an earthly home. The mortgage holder can construct the home in any fashion chosen. In the same way, the special spirit within us will construct our inner being in a way that is suitable for the spirit. When we believe that the spiritual realm lives within us, we will understand the construction process. When we feel changes within us, we will believe that these feelings are of the special spirit. Because we believe we are under construction, we will respond accordingly. We will respond with thankfulness, prayer, and rejoicing.

The living spirit is making real changes to us physically, beginning from the inside. The result of this construction is physiological changes. The tastes we have for what we consume will change. Where we once drank soda pop excessively, the spirit gives us self-control and a new taste. Now, we may prefer a fruit juice. Where we once ate pizza and chips excessively, the spirit gives us moderation and a new taste. Now, we prefer to eat nutritional foods. Where we once smoked excessively, the spirit gives us an appreciation for fresh air.

This construction process is creating a new birth in us. We are becoming a different person. And most importantly, there are going to be emotional changes that are evident to everyone. This is because the fruits of the spirit are beginning to blossom in us. We now feel full of goodness and loving. We feel comfort, joy, patience, and empowerment. We now have new emotions, interwoven with fresh tastes in life. We are a brand-new person because of the spirit's construction in us.

We value the spirit's construction of our inner being because we feel more secure. We value our safety and security, and many emotions could cause insecurities. We could fear our fate if we had no shelter to live in. Alternatively, we could feel insecure about our only clothing being worn and unappealing. In addition, we might fear harm may come to us, or fear unemployment. Furthermore, there is the insecurity of losing everything we ever earned or separation from our loved ones. Feeling these emotions of fear and insecurities are terrible, ugly, and fruitless experiences.

The good news is that there is an owner of our inner being. This also includes being the owner of our emotions and all the feelings of insecurity. The feelings of emotional insecurity are of the human body. The construction of our body is of the spiritual realm. This means that our emotional insecurities are also under construction by the special spirit within us. Our body, the home of the spirit, is being remodeled moment by moment. The emotions of the human realm are being remodeled moment by moment, giving us the ability to feel less fear and less insecure. Instead of fear, we feel peace; instead of insecurity, we feel comfort. This is because the constructor uses the spiritual fruits as construction-grade paste and glue. The newly constructed home comes equipped with love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and self-control.

As the spirit reforms our inner being, the construction also reshapes our relationships. The spirit owns our inward selves and owns our relationships. A carpenter constructs a home by adding supplies that contribute to the home and setting aside supplies that do not. In the same way, the spirit constructs our inner being so that things that belong to the spirit's home are included, and there is no value for things that do not. This includes our relationships as well. Before we can love someone else, we must first love the spirit's home within us. Any relationship that is different than the construction that the spirit is doing will not be included. In essence, when we love the spiritual realm within us, then all other relationships will follow. And these relationships will be loving, gentle, and faithful because the spirit loves us gently, and faithfully.

We have moms and dads, brothers and sisters, wives and husbands, friends, relatives, boyfriends and girlfriends, work relationships, and church relationships. Every relationship in our life has to mold into the construction that the spirit is designing within us. This is the only way to have successful relationships. The glue of the fruits of the spirit will keep our relationships built together. And this is according to the construction that the spirit is doing within us.

The construction that the spirit is doing within us also remodels the value we feel for ourselves. Furthermore, it remodels the value that we hold for others. Why do we feel more value for ourselves? That is because the human body is becoming the home of a very special spirit of the heavenly realm. As the spirit constructs our home, the value we feel for ourselves increases in the same way that remodeling a home adds value to real estate. Except that the value of the human body has supernatural worth because the spirit lives there. The feelings we receive from the spirit's construction of our inner being are multiple. A few of those feelings are comfort, joy, love, peace, empowerment, meekness, gentleness. The spirit massages our inner being with feelings that make us feel cozy, warm, and good about ourselves. The spirit builds our esteem with the bonding materials of love.

Being aware that the spirit is doing construction within the human body makes us value others differently as well. We view the body as a building where spiritual construction is in a process. And this is why we respect others with meekness, gentleness, love, patience, and self-control. Like when we see a new home being built, we value this construction enough to respect the materials and allow the construction to continue. As we gently approach others, we anticipate with patience the fruits that are to come. We value ourselves as the home of something special, and we value others as the home of something special. We are being built together as homes of the supernatural realm.

We should express ourselves in a way that reflects our awareness that the human body is being built by the spirit. We realize that every day our inner being is under construction by the spirit. Therefore, we remain flexible to this construction process and realize that nothing is already made. Our faith will also become a part of the construction process. We realize that some of our inner-self is yet to be built, yet we express our faith that tomorrow will be better. And this expresses our faith in the constructor within the spiritual realm. For example, we may desire better relations among different cultures today. Even so, we have faith that tomorrow we will live together through the fruit of the spirit. We realize that every human body around the world is under construction by the spiritual realm. Accordingly, we may desire better clothes for today, but because the spirit constructs something new every day, we feel hopeful for tomorrow.

The way we express ourselves should be according to the construction happening in us. The spirit is supplying love into our words and deeds. Therefore, wearing clothing, using words, or behaving in ways that express hate would be a tumultuous thing to do. That is because peace and comfort come to us when we express ourselves according to the construction process. A piece of the puzzle that fits perfectly into the right place brings a smile and a blessing of accomplishment. A piece of a puzzle in the wrong place, which will never fit no matter how hard we try, is aggravating and grievous. The fruits of the spirit are comfort, peace, and joy. When we express ourselves in a way that makes us feel comfort, peace, and joy, we know we are contributing to the construction within us. The fruits of the spirit are the glue that bonds the house together.

Some will deny that there is a spiritual construction process at work within us. These people want us to believe that we are already "made" and nothing more needs to be done. These people become angry when things said to have been "made'" become "unmade" through the construction process of the spirit. Depression will set in. Depression sets in because "making" personalities stifle the spiritual fruits. Inhumanities are committed when the fruits of love, goodwill, and kindness are absent. These people will try to bargain in a way that clears them of any wrongdoing. These are the people who will say, "It wasn't me!" and the bargaining for forgiveness begins there. Even then, these people cannot accept the changes that blossom through spiritual construction. Acceptance of the inner changes pleases the spirit. This brings the blossoms of the fruits within us.

What are the pathogens that infect the construction process? These pathogens are the belief that we are already "made." This belief stifles the construction of our inner being and stifles the blossoms of spiritual fruit. These fruits are the keys to living together in love, gentleness, and kindness. Where are the reservoirs of these beliefs found? They are found where people do not want change. They are resistant to the fruits of the spirit and hardened in the construction process.

How do these beliefs exit the reservoirs? These beliefs exit the reservoirs through hostile behavior. When people are resistant to the inner construction of the spirit they resort to hate and cruelty to stifle the fruits of the spirit from blossoming. The fruits are a sure sign that construction is under way. How are these beliefs transmitted? People who are terrorized by hate and cruelty become fearful of trying to change. They say, "we are already made" except will have no signs of the spiritual fruits. These people are spiteful and cruel to those who possess the fruits within their lives. They are hostile to those who live in newness of the spirit each day.

How do these beliefs enter mainstream society? People who feel a little value for themselves want to feel accepted by others. They will feel a sense of worth by having others praise them for already achieving being "made" and will feel security by having their own cruelty to others accepted. The ones who receive the cruel treatment are those displaying the fruits of the spirit. Because the spiritual realm brings newness and refreshment every day, these people are considered "unmade." Who are susceptible to these beliefs? Those people who, somewhere in their life, have had the spiritual fruits stifled. These are people who believe the natural process is praise from others. People who believe security come by not trying to change "who we are." They believe the healthy thing to do is to follow the status quo. In addition, they have always belonged with others without having the fruits, and had no desire for lifestyle changes.

How do we interrupt the cycle of the "already made" belief? by recognizing the spiritual realm within us that is ready to reconstruct our inner being through the spiritual fruit. This construction is a continual process of renewal. Every day something new is made resulting in spiritual growth. And this newness is evident through the fruits of the spirit. The fruits bring love and kindness to others. And we are being built together to be a dwelling place of the spirit.

What assessment can we make? We can assess that within our body, construction is in a process through a very special spirit. We can make the diagnosis that if we assume that we are already "made," or complete, we will become stagnant within ourselves. We plan to live in a way that allows the spirit to construct our inner being moment by moment by being open to changes within our body. We implement this plan by encouraging changes, self-awareness, new healing, and rebirth in social areas. We can evaluate our attitude to the construction process through the fruits of the spirit. The fruits are evident that we are in the presence of a very special spirit. In this presence is the constructor of our inner being.

#  Chapter 5  
VALUE OF  
PATIENCE

Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

—Isaiah 40:30–31

THERE IS VALUE IN PATIENCE WHEN WE HAVE reached our human limits. Patience is a way of waiting for the doors to open into the presence of that special something in us. In that presence is a resource that renews our physical abilities. For those doors to open, we need to be tender within ourselves to show love for that divine presence. Then we can absorb the source of renewal. Like sponge absorbing moisture, we absorb supernatural renewal.

Our body is the home to the source of renewal. Except that the special something within us is the owner of those resources. As we honor our human body as the home of that spirit, then we will find favor. And this favor is to allow us access to the place of those resources, resources of renewal. With this renewal flow the fruits of the spirit. The fruits are evident that we are in the spirit's presence. We believe that there is a renewal in the presence of that divinity that is in us. And that the body will reach human limits of functioning. We also believe that through patience, the doors to the source of renewal will open to us, and then we will experience supernatural renewal. When we have reached human limits, we must wait until access into the presence of the spirit is made possible.

There is a value in patience when we have reached our human limits physically. Cardiopulmonary functioning is the sign of the presence of life. The movement of our lungs when breathing in oxygen and exhaling carbon dioxide is one sign of human life. The pulse we feel in the arteries of the body is another sign of a living being We know that we have reached our human limits when breathing becomes difficult, and the heart begins to pump inefficiently. Renewal comes when we come into the presence of that special spirit in us. In this presence, we find the favor of the spiritual fruits. The fruits fuel our body with comfort, joy, and perseverance. And patience opens the door to that presence. These are supernatural feelings that enable the body to endure beyond the human limits. The fruit of the spirit comforts our heart and lungs making us feel joyful, and increase perseverance.

Joy from an earthly minded joke will not add to our human limits. Comfort from a fleshly source will not add endurance to our limits. And an earthly desire to persevere beyond natural limits will only jeopardize our life. The blossom of the fruits comes as a reward for honoring the divine presence in us; then we find renewal of our strength and sprout wings like eagles.

There is a value in patience when we have reached the limit of human security. We often feel stressful with worry over things that help us feel secure in life. We feel pushed to the limits of our human endurance. Finance is one area where we are pushed to our human limits. Only through finances do we have what we require to live. Rent, tuition, automobile, food. Without these things, we begin to feel stressed, worried, and may verge on a mental breakdown. During this time, we are seeking employment to help cover expenses. This time of unemployment adds more worry to our stress. Then we will even work two jobs; sometimes we work twelve or sixteen hours in a day just to feel secure in our employment. We become involved in a vicious cycle of stress and insecurities. A cycle of having no finances leading to stress, then having employment into stressful hours and circumstances. This cycle pushes us to human limitations. There is patience that leads to inner peace as we wait for the opening into the presence of the special spirit in us. In this presence, we find comfort, peace, perseverance, and joy.

The spiritual fruit brings peace of mind in circumstances where we should be feeling a mental breakdown. Through patience, we feel peace blossom in us that goes beyond human comprehension. We find renewal of our strength, and we sprout wings like eagles.

There is a value in patience when we have reached our human limits socially. We sometimes feel as though we have come to the end of our rope when relating to other people. This could begin with our spouse. The issues of faithfulness often arise. An example is a suspicious spouse who constantly suspects unfaithfulness or seldom returns affection when you need love the most. Alternatively, sexually, a person may feel neglected in a relationship where sex is not given when a loving mood is felt. Even friends will say cruel and unkind things. These words are hurtful and push a person to our human limits socially. Work relationships will also push us to our limits socially. There are always those who feel no goodwill for others and have no goodness within. That includes coworkers that place stress on teamwork by not including you into important details or excludes you from associating with essential people in the chain of command.

In these relationships, there is no return of kindness; instead, there are unkindness and cruelty. Where there should be acceptance, there is exclusion. This leaves a person to feel isolated, alone, unloved. A person can reach their limits socially and feel hateful and want to lash out in anger.

Patience can open the door to fruitful relations. Through patience, we enter the presence of the special spirit in us. In this presence, we blossom with the fruits of love, goodness, perseverance, meekness, and goodwill. Through unfruitful treatment that we may receive from others, there is no human reason for the spiritual fruit to blossom in us. And yet they do. Through patience, we persevere in our kindness, goodwill, and love for others. We find renewal of our strength and sprout wings like eagles.

There is a value in patience when we have reached the limits of human worth. Our endurance is tested in many ways relating to the value of our worth. In one example, consider the brilliant 4.0-GPA college graduate that lands the "dream job." Then once at the job, her work is discouraged and is given no value in the workplace. To add insult to injury, the graduate is put in the kitchen to help the cooks prepare lunch. The value this person would feel for their own worth would plummet. Consider the spouse who prepares a fabulous or surprising meal for the partner. And the other partner suggests she has a date with her boss and then says that she despises the food that you prepare. This would devastate the sense of worth you had to your partner. Alternatively, consider the friend who always had the best of everything, yet would talk about you to others in a way that degraded your worth within the friendship. All these circumstances can make you feel worthless and make you feel that you have no value to family, friends, or coworkers. Feeling no value for self can push a person to the limits of human endurance. A person who feels like they have no value to society and feel worthless to others may grow to hate their community. This could result in violent hostilities.

Patience can overcome our feelings of being worthless. That patience will open the door into the presence of the divine spirit in us. That door opens to the spiritual fruit of love, goodness, comfort, joy, and perseverance blossom. Within ourselves, we feel worth. We feel a value for ourselves through an inner love, comfort, and goodness. The worth we feel for ourselves increases as we value that special spirit in us. We feel our self-worth when there is no human comprehension for that. We find renewal of our strength and sprout wings like eagles.

There is a value in patience when we have reached the limits of human expression. We enjoy expressing our beliefs, ideas, and inspirations with others. Suppose that some people would rather not listen to your expressions. Those who regard your beliefs as being ridiculous and suggest that nobody believe that way. Alternatively, you have an idea that you are sure will be beneficial, and others always knock the idea off the loop as being unacceptable. In addition, consider the time when you have an inspiration that you just want to share in a sociable way, yet nobody has time to listen, and they become impatient with your "imagination." Such responses to others self-expression is oppressive. Some people want to suppress the goodness within our beliefs, ideas, and inspirations. When this happens, we could be sitting somewhere stewing, boiling, and feeling indignant about the suppression of our inner self. We start reaching the limits of our human endurance, and hostilities toward others could result.

Through patience, we find peace. Patience will open the doors to the special spirit in us. In this presence, we feel peace, calm, comfort. Then we can express ourselves, molded with the inner divinity and filled with the spiritual fruits—a "self-expression" that prevails through suppression and surpasses human comprehension. We find renewal of our strength and sprout wings like eagles.

Some people will try to deny you the patience where the renewal of our strength blossoms. These people will be angry at the patience of others. They will try to rattle your cage at every opportunity until you lose your patience. These people are depressed by the self-control of the patient ones. They will even try to bargain in a way that makes you more impatient. For example, I will pay you double time if you hurry to work. These people are slow to accept the patience in those who obey speed limits on the way to work. Acceptance of a patient attitude opens the door to a special spirit in us. This spirit brings goodwill, helpfulness, and teamwork with us and in every area of our life.

Pathogens are those people who infect our patience. These people want to push the body beyond the limits of human endurance. There are reservoirs of places where this could happen—through our employers, through social groups, or through community activity. How do these infections exit from these reservoirs? They exit through impatience. There will be people who are always pushing others to hurry through with a work assignment. Alternatively, there are social groups that want responses to be now with no time to wait. In addition, there are those drivers in the community who always want to drive up close to your bumper, making you feel you may need to drive faster.

How is impatience transmitted into our community? If a customer needs an order "right now," then you will need to tell the supplier that you need the product shipped "right now." Alternatively, if a social group needs someone immediately for a last-minute conference, you make phone calls to rush someone in. In addition, there are those "three-day only" sales where we need to gather resources right now to buy the merchandise. How does impatience enter? We want to please and bring goodwill to others. So we will rush through an assignment to meet a deadline. Because our social standing depends on performance, we will rush to accomplish the goals needed for a last-minute meeting. Alternatively, because we want to save big at the Black Friday sale, we will rush to start our shopping on that day amid shoulder-to-shoulder circumstances.

Who are the ones susceptible to the impatience of others? These are people who feel that meeting the demands of hurried deadlines will bring rewards. They believe that by pleasing the impatience of others, their own worth is established. So they feel a value in being able to keep up with a hurried pace. And in doing this, they find a belonging among others who will use that self-sacrificing goodwill. These people are susceptible to exhaustion, nervous ailments, emotional outbursts, stress, and mental fatigue. How do we interrupt this cycle of impatience? By knowing that impatience could be grievous to the spirit and cause human dilemmas and by realizing that patience is the door into the presence of a special spirit in us. The spirit will reward us with fruits of patience, perseverance, goodwill, and kindness. And we will be able to carry on and to endure beyond human comprehension.

What assessment can we make about patience? that when we are patient, there comes a renewal of strength where we can sprout wings like an eagle. And without patience, we will push our human body beyond rational limits. This is why we intend to live through patience. This opens the doors to something special within us, into a place where spiritual fruit blossom. We put this patience into action through our daily relations with friends, coworkers, family, and through the community. We can then evaluate how successful we are in doing this. Do we feel physically stressed and filled with impatience, or are we filled with the fruit of patience, joy, and comfort?

#  Chapter 6  
VALUE OF  
THE SPIRITUAL CREATURE

Who is like unto you, O Lord, among the gods? who is like you, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?

—Exodus 15:11

THERE IS VALUE IN PRAISING THE SPIRITUAL creature's holiness, glorious deeds, and wonders. We want this praise to absorb into our inner being—praise for the creature's holiness, glorifying deeds, and wonders. We want the holiness to be absorbed into us, and we want the glorious deeds to be molded into our being, and we want the wonders to be enfolded within. We want all this to absorb into us in a way where praise flows continuously from within us. With holiness, awesome deeds, and wonders, we are established.

Our inner being is the living place of the spiritual creature. That divine creature deserves our praise to open many joyful feelings within us. There is joy because the spirit of holiness lives within. The spirit performs glorious deeds in our inner being, and does wonders within the body. Our body is caressed with wonders, glorifying deeds, and majestic holiness.

We believe that the spiritual creature is praiseworthy. We believe the spirit is majestic in holiness, is awesome in glorious deeds, and does wonders. This is what we believe, and we respond accordingly. That response is to realize that the spiritual creature majestically requires our pure intentions toward the divine realm of god; to realize that the spirit is capable of awesome results, and does incomprehensible wonders. We believe that it is in our best interest to praise the divinity within.

We praise the spiritual creature for wonders in the realm of the human body. Through praise, the door opens to awesome outcomes. Holiness is where the spiritual creature, the fruits of the divine presence and human responses are all molded into one.

Can you envision a body where our nerves, reflexes, and every bodily function are absorbed as one with the spiritual creature? The creature's fruit would make us feel so pure, and holy, in our inner being. Our inward self would fill with comfort, joy, love, goodness, and the awesomeness of the divine spirit. What we see, hear, or feel would be from the standpoint of the spiritual creature, interwoven with peace and calm. How awesome to see the environment as the divine creature sees the environment. Furthermore, envision the glorious deeds that result from that inner presence. Our inward being would feel so healthy, comfortable, and good that many healings would be imminent. There are wonders being done in our inner being. Praise continuously flows from the holiness and great feeling we have within us. With holiness, awesome deeds, and wonders, our physiology is established within the spiritual realm.

We praise the spiritual creature for establishing our security in the divine realm. Just imagine the security we would feel within this holiness. The creature is called God, the all-powerful, the all-knowing. Then to have that inner divinity, the spiritual fruits, and human responses all molded into one. How could we ever have any insecurities? We may lose control over finances, lose our job, and lose our home, and we would still have a feeling of perfect security. The fruits of the spirit would ensure our calm and tranquility. I am sure there would be awesome deeds to establish our security even more. Only the spiritual creature knows what deeds will be performed to establish that security. We do know that the divine creature does wonders. With holiness, awesome deeds, and wonders, our spiritual security is established.

We praise the spiritual creature for establishing our belonging with God's realm. Would you have any idea what our relationship to others would be like? When we belong to the spiritual creature, we are established as belonging with a supernatural family of believers. We stand apart from others. Imagine the love, faithfulness, and goodwill we would feel in our inner being within social situations. This is the reward for praising the spiritual creature within us, and our human responses flow accordingly. This holiness gives us perfect social responses. Of course, there would flow awesome deeds within our interactions with others, these deeds being the responses from the spiritual creature living through us. There will be wonders continuously seen in the social area. With holiness, awesome deeds, and wonders, our belonging with the spiritual realm is established.

We praise the spiritual creature for the value added to our worth. We call the creature within us God, and we know that divinity is all-powerful, all-knowing, and everywhere. This is a boost to the way we feel about the value of our worth, to know that this divine creature is alive within us. Beyond alive, we can be molded with that divinity through the spiritual fruits. The fruits are the spirit's way of rewarding the body for the praise we give to the divine creature. Through this, the inner being feels a real sense of love, comfort, goodwill, goodness from within. Tremendous value is added to the way we feel about our worth because the spiritual creature, spiritual fruits, and spiritual mind are interwoven into one being. We feel awesome within our inner being, and experience a value for our worth beyond earthly explanation. Who could ever shake the worth we feel through the spiritual realm? We belong to the realm of a divine presence within us. With holiness, awesome deeds, and wonders, our value is established.

We praise the spiritual creature for the expression flowing through us. We express ourselves through the divine creature, as our body fills with the fruit of the spirit for the praise given to the presence of our inner being. And this flows through our human expression. Our expression becomes a mold of the spiritual creature, the fruits, and our responses. Envision expressing ourselves exactly the way God would while feeling the fruits of love, peace, faith, and perseverance. Because the spiritual creature is all-powerful and all-knowing, our self-expression carries the power of the spirit and carries knowledge that only the divine realm could know. Our self-expression becomes much, much more than can be comprehended through ordinary means. With holiness, awesome deeds, and wonders, we find expression through the spiritual creature.

Some will deny that anything fruitful resides within us. These people become angry at the human body when the spiritual fruits are evident. Their inner being is filled with depression because the divine creature is grieved, and the fruits are withheld. These people will attempt to bargain in a way that still attacks the human or spiritual bond. They will agree to a kindness in a manner that would be hostile to the body; for example, when a father agrees to celebrate a 4.0 GPA of his daughter by celebrating with a "night on the town." This person will be seen through by the fruitful eyes of the spiritual realm within others. Social pressure is added by the spirit toward unfruitful behavior. Acceptance of the spiritual creature, the divine fruits, and the human body as the home of God's divinity is the only way to peace.

What are the pathogens that infect the human body from becoming molded with the spiritual creature? These pathogens are those people who have no value for the creature within, the divine fruits, or the body. Where are the reservoirs of these people? These people gather where there is no value for the human body, and destructive health habits form. They gather where there are no spiritual fruits, where people are filled with hatred, unkindness, and cruelty. They gather among those who seem to be at war with the divine creature of our inner being. How do these sentiments exit from these reservoirs? they exit into our community in every area—restaurants, shopping malls, schools, public service, neighbors, workplace, within our own homes, and with acquaintances.

How are those infections transmitted to others? They transmit through attacks within our human feelings of self-worth. We are ridiculed and treated rudely when expressing ourselves from the spiritual creature, or ridiculed when communicating through the divine fruits. The fruits of goodness, kindness, love, goodwill is answered with hostility. And any sign of our inner being coming near to the spiritual creature is treated with isolation. How do these sentiments grow roots into mainstream society? From a desire to express goodwill, a person may agree to a New Year toast, then one drink becomes two until the person finds no more self-control or goodwill. The spiritual creature "grieves"; the fruits are withheld. Alternatively, the human body becomes so worn from the fray that any earthy vice to restore a sense of relief is accepted. The spiritual creature is dishonored. The fruits wither, and the destruction of the body occurs.

Who are the people most susceptible to those infections? These are people who value earthly praise from others. These are people who want to belong within a social group, whether at school, work, or in the community. Except that because the spiritual creature is not honored, there are no divine fruits, and the human body becomes an unkind and cruel habitat. How do we interrupt this cycle of infecting our relationship to the spiritual creature? We interrupt this cycle by praising the divine creature of our inner being, producing rewards of the spirit's fruits. And then our body fills with love, peace, faith, and perseverance. That is how the spiritual creature, fruit of the divinity, and our body mold into one. Our body is meshed together with the spirit by the fruits. With holiness, awesome deeds, and wonders, we are established.

What assessment can we make? That praise flows from the holiness, awesome deeds, and wonders performed by the spiritual creature. The diagnosis is that some people do not want the spiritual creature to be praised. Their intent is to stop the spiritual fruit from blossoming, and cause destruction to the human body. We should plan to praise the creature and pray for the blossoms of the fruits so that our human body will be molded together. We implement this plan through praise, thankfulness, and rejoicing for the spirit within us. And by caring for our body in a way that is conducive to the blossoms of the spirit's fruits. We evaluate this according to the fruit of the spirit within our life. When we have fruits, then we are respecting our body as the home of a divine presence. If we are lacking fruits, we are grieving the spiritual creature through attitudes, words, or through misuse of our body.

#  Chapter 7  
VALUE OF  
EMPOWERMENT

Lift up your heads, O you gates; and be you lifted up, you everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.

—Psalm 24:7–8

WE VALUE OPEN DOORS TO OUR INNER BEING FOR absorbing the empowerment of the special spirit. Absorbing this empowerment happens when we are receptive to the divine presence in us. Receptivity happens when we are soft within our inner being. This softness turns into glory, strength, and might. Like sponge absorbing water, the tenderness of love within us opens the door to receive the might of the inner divinity. This empowers the human body with a supernatural spirit.

We believe that we should open the doors of our inner being to the special spirit. We believe that when we open ourselves to the spirit, we will experience a unique empowerment. Because we believe that, we will respond in ways that are conducive to opening those doors. We respond by honoring the spirit within us with praise, thanksgiving, and rejoicing. In return, the mighty power of the spirit is pleased from within us, and we feel the might of the spirit's empowerment.

Some will engage us into battles over our spiritual health through our physical health because our human body is the spirit's home. These are the ones who will attack the fruits of self-control, temperance, and moderation. The human body drinks, eats, and breathes to sustain life from day to day. A healthy drink, a nutritious meal, and fresh air are pleasing to the inner spirit when the spirit of self-control, temperance, and moderation lives. Here, we feel the rewards of the spiritual fruits, from the mighty divinity in us. The battle comes when some encourage unhealthy practices. That battle induces an alcohol consumption way beyond moderation. Alternatively, some will induce binge eating way beyond what the body can tolerate. In addition, there will be those who encourage smoking far beyond the goodwill of the body. These indulgences become addictions where the fruits of the spirit are neglected. The human body becomes embattled into vices too strong to overcome. We need to discover a divine power in us to overcome.

When we open the door of our inner being to the supernatural spirit, then victory is on the way. Our inward being will absorb might, strength, and glory to overcome the addiction of the vices. The spirit's rewards of temperance, moderation, and self-control will return. Our health will return. The divine presence in us will be pleased, and spiritual health results. Empowerment comes within our health because we open ourselves to a mighty power in us, the source of divine fruit.

Some will embattle us in our earthly security to shake our spiritual security. The fruits of comfort, peace, goodwill, and goodness will be attacked. This battle could be on our financial front. We may constantly be battling for earthly finances to the point where it hinges on our inner spiritual welfare. This battle could be in the area of our employment as we continually need to defend our proficiency in the jobs we do. This puts our job at risk. We also want to feel secure that we will always have a stable place to live for our shelter. Unless we have a way to afford rent, and have peace in the home, we may begin to feel insecure with our spiritual reliance.

Even through these battles of our earthly insecurities, we have an inner spiritual security. Through the fruits of patience, faithfulness, and goodness, we open ourselves to the spirit's might in us. Then within our inward being comes a feeling of might and strength to endure the storms with an inner glory. Even though our security comes crashing around us, there is a mighty spirit of strength within us that brings us comfort, peace, and perseverance. Our inner being is empowered with spiritual security.

Some will embattle us because of our acceptance and love for the spiritual realm. The fruits of love, faithfulness, and goodwill are attacked. This battle is to create conflict in our relationships. There are efforts to implant hatred toward others, to solicit betrayals, and to instill evil toward our neighbors. We will feel ridiculed, unloved, alone, unaccepted, hated. By opening our inner being to the divine presence in us, we feel the spiritual fruits within. A mighty sense of love, peace, goodwill, and comfort will flood our inward being. Within us, we feel the spirit's acceptance and love for us. And within we know that we belong to a very special, mighty, and awesome family that is born of the spiritual fruit. And then we feel an overwhelming sense of our acceptance within the community. We are empowered through the hospitality of the divine presence in us.

Opening ourselves to the spirit empowers our sense of value in life. Very easily, the value we feel for ourselves can become embattled by those who express no worth to the life of others. They are people who suggest we have no value to those around us. They also imply we have no value within the community that we belong to, and no worth as a participating citizen. During that battle, there is a mighty esteem within the inner spirit. That is a strength coming from within that brings glory to our feeling of worth. An overwhelming and mighty sense of inner love, and joy for the value we feel for ourselves.

The Africans were captured as slaves and brought to America. Their worth as a human being was degraded with no value to the American society. The Americans treated the worth of the Africans to be below human, and they were given no value to society. Their station in life was to be slaves. These Africans opened their inner being to the supernatural realm of the spirit, inducing might, strength, and glory. These people possessed a strong and mighty sense of value for their self-worth. This is a supernatural glory from within their souls. And many inspiring spirituals come as a result. Eventually, their strength and mighty esteem from the supernatural realm brought freedom, beginning from an inner glory.

By giving value to opening the inner being to the supernatural realm, might, strength, and glory follow. Our inward being is empowered with spiritual worth.

Some people will battle our expression of the spiritual realm. We may state we believe in the power of the divine presence within us, and the fruits are rewards for pleasing that presence. As we do, some will challenge those beliefs with legalisms to engage in heated debates. These debates are attempts to defeat the spiritual fruits within us. As we sit in quiet solitude to absorb into the presence of the spirit, there will be attacks. Instead of quiet, there will be sudden noises, shouting, or rude interruptions. These are efforts to defeat the blossom of the fruits. As we express ourselves through bringing kindness, smiles, and goodwill to others, there will be attempts to stifle the results. We may be ridiculed during the kind deed, or the worth of the recipient will be attacked for receiving the kindness. As we speak words through the fruits of the spirit, there will be verbal rudeness heard. This rudeness is an attempt to block the flow of the spiritual fruits.

These attacks are attempts to oppress spiritual expression, to suppress the divine fruit, to stifle love, goodness, and kindness. However, the sufficiency of the divine presence is mightier. When we open our inner being to God's realm, we find mighty strength, and glory blossoming within us from the good fruit. We find victory in the battle to express ourselves within the spiritual realm. There is a mightier expression of the spirit that prevails. We find a stronger ability to express the inward spirit as we experience an awesome sense of glory of our inner being. Empowerment comes to our self-expression by opening ourselves to the divinity in us.

Many people will attempt to deny that openness to the spiritual realm will bring empowerment. These people will display anger and hostile behaviors to combat the opening of those doors. And by closing these doors to the glory of this mighty spiritual strength, they will succumb to emotional fatigue and depression. These people will begin to do some form of bargaining, such as allowing a bit of openness, truth and civility. This in exchange for not opening the doors any further while attempting to close them. That is like someone with a foot caught in the door and bargaining gently for the man to remove the foot so that the door can be shut. Eventually, the door begins to open even further, and the strength and might and glory of the supernatural realm is evident. The person is compelled to accept the empowerment that comes through opening the door to the divine realm.

What are the pathogens that affect the openness to the empowerment of the spirit? The pathogen would be shutting and slamming the doors to our empowerment. The reservoirs of those who wish to keep these doors shut are easily seen. These are those who wish to prohibit the mighty strength, and glory of the spirit that brings our empowerment. These are those who desire to keep people powerless while attempting to increase their own power. How does the shutting of the door exit into our society? We hear doors slamming, people being disagreeable to every gentle deed, people shouting and doing everything possible to keep the doors into the spiritual realm shut.

How is the opposition to the values of openness transmitted? People begin to hang up phones to pushy telemarketers, begin to close off friendships because of the aggressive negativism, and begin to withdraw from social gatherings due to disgust and futility. Doors begin to close. And only through gentleness, value of openness, and value for one another does the doors of the supernatural realm open. What are the entry points where the doors begin to close? After a long, embattled day at work, you come home to rest and the children and wife are asking for you to join the family in a fun family time. Because of the hectic day, you respond in a negative way, which closes the door of harmony, peace, and value for others in the family. Alternatively, because of hostility toward your beliefs and ideas, you begin to discourage these same values in others. In addition, due to social pressures for employment and security, a person begins to discourage openness to the source of empowerment.

Who are those who are susceptible to attempts to close the doors to the supernatural realm? Those people are ones who are initially open to the concept of the special spirit within us. They are the ones who will agree that love conquers all and that in the spirit is the power to overcome all circumstances. What makes these people vulnerable? Their desire to feel worth and to belong with others makes them susceptible. They feel that closing the doors to the concepts of empowerment of the spirit is the path to calm. These people will close the doors to the special spirit in exchange for earthly values—fleshly relationships, security, and self-worth. How is this cycle interrupted? By opening ourselves to enter the presence of the divine spirit in us where we find might, strength, and glory. And we receive the rewards of the spiritual fruits, which keep us strong. These fruits are perseverance, self-control, goodness, faithfulness, and love.

What is the assessment? The assessment is that as we open our inner being to the special spirit in us, there are a mighty strength, and glory. This empowers our inward being. The diagnosis is that some people will embattle us on all fronts. And the plan is to open ourselves to the spiritual realm and to value this empowerment in the life of others. We implement this by encouraging the opening of doors into the spirit's realm to allow empowerment to all people. Our evaluation is by seeing the fruits of the spirit. The fruits allow a cooperative, gentle spirit toward one another, signifying the doors are open.

#  Chapter 8  
VALUE OF  
SPIRITUAL WORTH

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised...

—Luke 4:18

THE SPECIAL SPIRIT IN US BRINGS VALUE TO OUR worth when we bring good news to the poor, help others feel inner freedom, and to see the divine presence within. We should remain sensitive, tender, and open to a spiritual message. That message should absorb into us to remain soft for the welfare of others. We know we are ready to receive the mission when we want inner wealth for the poor, when we want to free those who feel bound inside and when we want to bring insight to those who are blind to the special spirit. We receive the rewards of the spiritual fruits to equip us to bring the message of God's favor.

Our body is the home of the spiritual creature. How do we relate to this? We give homage, praise for all that the spirit does for us on the inside. The spirit creates a home full of the spirit's fruits such as love, goodness, kindness, goodwill. Through these fruits, we can carry a message of spiritual value. We believe that the spiritual creature fills our body with divine fruit. That fruit equips us to carry a message so others can believe there are riches of the spirit for the impoverished, and freedom from being inwardly bound. We want to believe that the eyes of the spiritually blind will open. And we believe this comes through the spirit's favor, a message that the divine presence wants us to carry.

The spiritual creature wants us to feel free within ourselves. In terms relating to our physical needs, we can define a captive. A captive is someone whose every drink of water, every taste of food, every breath taken, every moment of rest given, and every bathroom privilege depends on the mercy of another. Liberty would come from someone who made provisions possible while valuing the worth of the individual. There are those who are being oppressed and are captives held from entering into the presence of the spirit. The realm of God in us wants us to see the spiritual world within the body. When we see the spirit's presence in us, then we see our way to liberation.

Here might be some examples of seeing the spirit: we see water as being the spirit's moisture to keep us soft to blossom with divine fruit. In addition, we see the value of food as being the spirit's nutrition we need, and see oxygen as the life given through the spirit. Furthermore, we see the value of rest as being the comfort we find by resting in the spiritual realm. Moreover, we see elimination as the earthly waste in us that the spirit cleanses every day. The spirit wants us to see. When we see the spirit, then we know that we are free to access the special presence in us. This freedom leads to experience the spirit's favor.

We would be very insecure people if we were inwardly bankrupt of spiritual fruit. In addition, insecurities exist from being prohibited from entering the presence of the special spirit. Furthermore, we become disoriented when we do not see the inward presence of the spirit. For a moment, let's look at some earthly insecurity's. This could be someone who is financially impoverished, with no-good news for future prosperity. Alternatively, add the insecurities of a captive who is locked away in a holding cell, not knowing from day to day when life may come to an end. In addition, consider the insecurities of the blind who needs the care of others to do basic tasks such as shopping or driving. Furthermore, there is the insecurity of never feeling the favor of someone else. The spirit wants people to know that we can be secure in freely accessing the spirit. Here, we feel comfort and safe from the spiritual wealth inwardly, and security with our insight into the divinity within. We can bring this message of security because the fruits of the spirit enable us. We are secure with this message because the spirit brings comfort and peace.

The message we receive from the special spirit in us brings friendship. Can you imagine a community where the poor are always fed bad news, and there is never any hope given for friendship? In addition, consider the people held captive in their own homes and being oppressed, or people who are blind with no aides such as Braille, walking canes, or Seeing Eye dogs? Alternatively, people who have never experienced the favor of the spirit? Can you envision the hostility in that community?

The divine spirit in us wants to send a fruitful message of goodwill and kindness. That message brings good news of the spirit's friendship to those who were once friendless; a message that gives free access to a place where many spiritual friends would be found. A message that opens our eyes to the friends we have through the spirit's favor. And a message that friendship has always been there within us, that friendship is of the special spirit. The message the spirit wants us to bring makes us valuable to others. To make us ready to bring this message, our own value is increased as well. The spirit favors us with fruits such as goodwill, love, meekness, kindness, goodness. Through these fruits, we feel comfortable with our worth bringing the message.

Imagine how worthless you might feel if you were poor and no one ever shared any good news with you. Alternatively, how low your esteem would be as a captive. Moreover, how worthless you might feel if you were blind, and you depended on everyone, and no one depended on you. In addition, being numb to your own value because the divine spirit's favor is not felt. The message from the spirit is one that brings value to our worth. Where we once felt no worth, the spirit gives us a wealth of value inside. Where before we felt valueless, the spirit provides free access into the spirit's presence where we find worth. Where we were blind to our value, the spirit opens our eyes to the worth we have to the special spirit. And where we once did not feel the favor of the spirit, now we feel the value of that favor.

The way we express ourselves is according to the message that the spirit implants within us. This expression will flow from the fruits of the spirit, filled with hope, love, and goodwill. First let's envision expression with no hope, no love, and no goodwill. People would express themselves with hatred, evilness, and hopelessness. This type of expression keeps others poor in expressing themselves, keeps others' expressions oppressed, refuses to enlighten the spiritually blind, and hurls hatred instead of favor. Where we were once void of expressing ourselves through the fruits, the special spirit wants us to have a wealth of expressive ways. Where we were prohibited from speaking, the spirit wants us to have open access the place where a freedom of expression is found. Where we were blind to what we need to say, the spirit gives us insight to speak with enlightenment. Where our speech stifled the favor of the spirit, we now receive the fruitfulness through our expression.

Some people want to deny access to the special spirit in us. These people want to keep us bankrupt of the fruits, to bar us from free access to the spirit, to keep us blind to the truth about that divine spirit in us, and to keep us from receiving favor from God's spirit. These people will be angry when fruits begin to appear, when people freely access the spirit, and when we begin to see the fruitfulness of giving respect to that spirit. These people feel depressed on the inside because they have been barred from accessing the source of comfort and joy. These people will try to bargain their way into the favor of the spirit. This bargaining is from the value they hold for themselves, not for the value they hold for others. This is similar to a hostage taker who bargains for an escape route while holding weapons to the hostages. No bargain will be negotiated. Acceptance comes when we are willing to help others find their way into the presence of that special spirit in us.

Pathogens are those people who do not want good news brought to the spiritually poor. Neither did they want inward freedom brought to the oppressed. They do not want people to see God's inner realm, and do not want the spirit to appear as being favorable to us. Where are some of these reservoirs? Many activist groups have an interest in keeping people blind, oppressed, spiritually empty, and filled with negative communication. And they also want the spiritual realm to appear as hostile to our kind intentions. How do these infections exit from those reservoirs? They exit when someone has an interest in keeping the fruits of the spirit from blossoming. These fruits help others to see, help others to express themselves, and help to fill others with spiritual riches. By not seeing, we are blind to hostile activity that can oppress us and rob us of the spirit's riches.

How do these infections transmit into our population? When the fruits are affected, we may lose our desire to offer goodwill to others and may lose the hope we once held for others. Instead of helping to fill the spiritually poor with inner riches, we may give up hope. Instead of helping others to find divine liberation, we cannot find that goodwill in our spirit. Instead of helping others to see the spiritual realm, we close our eyes as well. Instead of making known the spirit's favor, we say nothing. How do those oppressive infections enter our community? Somewhere, people came to value the attitude of the oppressor more than the fruits of the spirit. The fruits become absent in the person's inner being, and feelings of hatred and hostility are present. These people come to believe that the only way to be free is by knocking down others who challenge their earthly liberation. In trying to fight for their own liberation, they violate the fruits of meekness and kindness. And this violates the special presence in us. Hostilities escalate into a desire for liberation.

Who are susceptible to those infections? Let's use a nurse aide, for example. We have to realize that spiritual oppressors can also be residents in a nursing facility. They are the ones whose inner being is void of fruits and even hostile to the evidence of the fruits. As a nurse aide, the responsibility is to bring goodwill, hope, care, and love to the resident. This is done by serving food, water, and helping to dress. This is goodwill. The resident will be hostile to the nurse aide at every sign that a fruit is present. Very easily, the nurse aide could lose hope and faith in trying to relate to the resident. Instead of bringing goodwill, the aid becomes oppressive by ignoring the resident's calls, oppressing the resident's communication, and being reluctant to assist. Instead of a liberator, the nurse aide unwittingly becomes an oppressor.

How do we interrupt this cycle? We realize that the spirit gives us worth through the divine fruits. The rewards for honoring the spirit are patience, goodwill, meekness, kindness, perseverance. In these fruits, we feel comfort and joy. Only when these fruits are present do we feel our inner liberation. We feel the warmth of the spiritual riches within. And we are able to see how others relate to the fruits. Those who want to oppress us will attempt to suppress the fruits. We realize that we have a favor from the supernatural realm when the fruits are present.

We can assess the situation this way: that a special spirit wants people to know the value of that presence. A presence that can provide wealth in us, help us to see the spirit, and make us feel freer within. We could make a diagnosis that if we refuse to recognize that spirit, we will be inwardly bankrupt of fruits. We will not be free to access the spirit. We will be blind to the spirit's way, and we will not receive favor. We will have to plan to be receptive to the special spirit. This means to bring a message to others of free access, inner wealth, and insight into the spirit's world. We should implement that plan through the spiritual fruits. With love, goodwill, meekness, and self-control, we will allow free access to the spirit; we will encourage inner wealth, and we will provide insight. How would we evaluate our success? When we bring the message that the spirit inspires, there will be a reward. This reward comes through the blossoms of the spiritual fruits. When we blossom with the fruits, this is a sign of success.

#  Chapter 9  
VALUE OF  
TRUTH

The lip of truth shall be established for ever: but a lying tongue is but for a moment.

—Proverbs 12:19

THERE IS VALUE IN A TRUTHFUL LIP AND TONGUE, BUT no value in lies. A truth that is kind and filled with goodness is like drops of dew forming on the early-morning seedlings. And our inner being receives the dewdrops to prepare ourselves to absorb the seeds sown to the spirit. The blossom of these seeds is the appearing of the spiritual fruit from within our thoughts, emotions, and behavior; from that, truth surfaces and is interwoven with the fruit of the spirit. That truth flows from the divine presence in us. In addition, we will hear the truth by the interpretation made by the spirit, and we speak the truth through the spirit.

We value the human body as the living quarters of a divine presence. Because we value the inner being of our own body, we speak truthfully about the special spirit in us. This is why we speak the truth respectfully toward others. Furthermore, this is the kind of truth that opens our inner being to the supernatural realm. We believe that speaking the truth through the spirit makes us fruitful internally, and in relating to others. This belief forms how we will respond to others. We will respond to others with truth, a truth that flows from that special spirit.

We value spiritual truth as this relates to our value of the human body. And we have no value for the lies that are destructive to the body. Let's just say that our health depends on what we eat, drink, the air we breathe, and the rest we have. A truth flowing from the spirit will allow us to make decisions about our health. For example, we may depend on food labels to buy healthy foods and drinks. Alternatively, we may depend on reports of air quality before going on a walk. In addition, we may depend on advertisement to buy a special bed to make us rest easier. A truth flowing from the spirit will convey accurate worth of the information made public. That is why we need people who are receptive to the spirit to be in places of authority. Then we can be assured that the products we buy, as well as the information we hear, are valuable for the purpose we intend. And this is why our health depends on truthfulness that flows from the spirit.

Imagine what would happen when people in authority violate the truthfulness found within the spirit. How could we ever believe that the food we are eating is what we paid for? Alternatively, how could we believe that what we are drinking is what we really wanted? In addition, imagine we believe the information concerning the air quality as being good, but when we go for a walk, we collapse into an allergic reaction. Furthermore, we buy a bed because the advertisement says the bed will give you comfort and when you actually rest on the bed, this feels like pins and needles. Obviously, a truth flowing through the fruit of the spirit is healthy and respectful of the human body. And lies are destructive to the health of the body. Of course, those who relay truth will endure in supplying goods to the public. And harmful products that are sold through lies will soon not exist.

We value truth from the spirit because this brings reassurance to make us feel secure. Imagine the foundation of society built through truth flowing from the fruits of the spirit. We feel safe when the buildings we shelter in are strong and stable. These buildings are our homes, the schools, our churches, the hospitals. In addition, consider our roadways. We feel safe when we know that bridges are sturdy, and we can cross, or the roadways are strong enough to endure floods, or can hold up to conditions causing potholes. Furthermore, consider our automobiles? We want to feel secure that our transportation function, as promised to carry us from place to place. We need our architects, roadway builders, and automobile manufacturers to be living within the spiritual realm. Because then there would be divine truth flowing in how the infrastructure is built, and promises would be honored to keep us secure.

A horrifying thought is that the architects, roadway builders, and automobile manufacturers violate the inner spirit. Because then there would be a betrayal through lies concerning our security. Our buildings would be unstable, our roadways dangerous, and our transportation life threatening. This would make us feel very insecure within buildings, on the roadways, and in our automobiles. A city built through truth endures, but a city built on lies will tumble.

We value truth that flows from the spirit because societal bonds are faithful. There are many social areas that we experience from day to day. We have our families, church groups, mating relationships, school groups, and the network environment at work. When truth flows from the spiritual fruits, bonds are made within societal gatherings. Our families can depend on one another, such as children and parents bonding together. The church groups will trust one another to make bonds between the congregation, and the congregation with the pastor. The mating relationships will find faithfulness through trust so that the bond becomes two people being one. The schools will experience an honesty among the students and an honesty from the teacher, making education a valuable social experience.

What happens to these bonds when truth flowing from the spirit is violated in exchange for lies? These lies will separate children and parents. The church group would be dysfunctional and not trustful of the leader or the pastor. The bonds in relationships will dissolve through unfaithfulness and distrust. The schools would be filled with misinformed students and mistrust for teachers. And the social environment at work would find no teamwork to perform the duties, and employees would frequently be terminated. Obviously, the societal structure dissolves in every area when truth is violated. However, when truth flows from the spirit, there are enduring bonds in every area of social life.

We value truth flowing from the fruits because this adds value to human worth. Just being able to feel the love, comfort, and goodness coming from truthfully acknowledging the spiritual realm is a boost to our value of worth. Likewise, when we see our human body as a place where the spirit lives, then we can truthfully give value to the worth of others. We give value to others for the goodness as well as the kindness shown to others. We also give value to others for the perseverance as well as faithfulness given to the special spirit within us. So within all achievements in this life, we give praise according to the truth flowing from the spirit. This praise for others adds value to the human body and increases our worth to the spiritual realm.

In comparison, if the truth about the spiritual realm within us is violated, we attempt to establish our worth through human praise. This type of praise is for things that are of no worth at all and is a lie concerning our value. For example, giving praise for being a violent fighter, except the person dies in a match. Alternatively, a person is given praise for consuming much alcohol and dies of alcohol poisoning. In addition, consider a person who is given praise for being a lover of women and destroys the marriage. This type of praise is a lie because this destroys our value. The people who give this praise have no value for others and have no value for the worth of the human body. By giving us worth through lies, our life soon passes. By giving worth through truth that flows from the spiritual fruit, our life has enduring value.

By valuing the truth that flows through the spirit, we express ourselves honestly. Part of our self-expression comes from what we believe, the way we solve problems, the tolerance we have for others, the value we have for various cultures, and even how we dress or eat. This is why we are compelled to express truth in what we believe, in the way we solve problems, in the tolerance we have for others, truth about our culture, and truth in the way we dress. This truth is our identity. We are honest in what we believe because this is respectful of others. We are truthful in how we solve problems because this helps to reach a solution. We are honest in our value for others because this leads to tolerance. We are truthful about our own culture because this leads to trust from others. And we dress in a way that truthfully reflects who we are. Truth in our self-expression builds an enduring foundation because we value the spirit within us, and we value the life of others.

In contrast, there are people who lie in their self-expression. These people misrepresent themselves and have no value for the life of others. These people will lie about what they believe to gain the trust of others. They will lie about their problem-solving intentions to lead someone into erroneous solutions. They will lie about their tolerance for others to gain an opportunity to bring harm. These people will lie about their own social culture to keep others ignorant about their true values. And they lie through how they dress and eat to gain acceptance of others. These identity misrepresentations can range from telemarketing frauds, to stealing the identity of others, and to use of a false identity to bring mass harm through extreme activism. People who lie through a self-expression have no value for their own identity and have no value for the life of others. The results of false expression of our identity bring a short duration of that persona. The results of honest expression of who we are creates enduring personalities.

Some will deny the value of truth flowing from the spiritual fruits. Let's look at the situation where the oil rig in the Gulf exploded and spread massive amounts of oil into the ocean. So much that nearby cities were left in ruins. There were health scares due to oil becoming absorbed into seafood. People in nearby cities lost their security in life due to lost income from seaside employment. And the population had to relocate and depend on government for assisted living. The values of the cities were lost, and people lost a sense of their worth. Their self-expression as coastal dwellers became dissolved. During this time, the truths flowing from the fruits of the spirit were evident. That goodwill toward the people's health was violated. That faithfulness in keeping the city safe was violated. The cohesiveness of the population was tested. That value of the human body was put in jeopardy. And the ability of the people to express goodness and goodwill became affected.

At first, there was much denial that the population was affected in such a massive degree. However, the truth of the spiritual fruits made this obvious. Then, there was anger among the oil executives when the government demanded that the CEOs own up to the truth. They were requested to make huge financial settlements to the local cities, and clean up the gulf as well. After this anger, the oil execs began to bargain and to say that maybe there is some truth to the government reports. Conversely, finger-pointing began. That bargaining is a sign of owning up to the truth while denying any goodwill responses to help clean up the catastrophe. And soon acceptance set in, an acceptance to the value of truth by the oil execs. And they acknowledged that a catastrophe did happen, and there is a responsibility to return goodwill and security to the local people. After this acceptance, a sense of peace set in—a certain amount of relief for the people, a degree of peace for the government, and a taste of goodness by the oil execs.

What are the pathogens that infect an enduring truth that flows from spiritual fruits? Lies are the pathogens that infect the truth. Lies deny the presence of the special spirit in us. And only the spiritual fruits can bring a truth to establish a stable environment. Where are these reservoirs of lies found? These lies are found in those who do not desire an enduring environment. Lies provide a quick way to have something that is wanted, and then the gain is soon gone. For example, someone will commit a bank fraud to have immediate finances. Then the gain from that fraud soon fades. Alternatively, consider the married person who lies to engage in a sexual affair soon loses the wife, lover, and family. How do these lies exit into the general population? Through people, we trust. Trusted people are financial advisors, church leaders, school teachers, workplace managers, politicians, neighbors, and family members. Any one of these people could be misrepresenting through their identity to achieve a fraud within the lives of others.

How are these lies transmitted to others? People we trust will relay the message received from those committing the lies. And through these lies, trustful people bring a fraudulent message. Where is the entry point into society? The entry point would be those who believe their friend and want to join in the opportunity, an opportunity that comes from a fraudulent source, such as group financial schemes. Who are the people who are susceptible to lies? Usually, those who are earthly minded. They seek fleshly success and praise and want to be accepted by others. Alternatively, they seek security through financial or material abundance, or want quick solutions to health dilemmas. How do we interrupt this cycle of lies? We interrupt this cycle by telling the truth according to the divine presence in us. Truth opens the door to bring us into the presence of a special spirit. And in this presence flows the spiritual fruits. The fruits of goodness, faithfulness, love, and goodwill creates a constructive truth. Within these fruits lives an enduring truth to guide and secure us.

What assessment can we make? that when we live by the truth that flows from the spiritual fruits, there is enduring value. What is the diagnosis? that when we lie, this grieves the special spirit within. And when this happens, the fruits of the spirit are withheld. And the very fabric of society will tumble. What should we plan? We will plan to honor our inner being by acknowledging the truth within the spiritual realm. How do we implement this plan? We implement this plan by conveying a truth flowing with goodwill, love, goodness, peace, patience, self-control, and every spiritual fruit. How do we evaluate this effort? The evaluation is to ask if we are living a lie toward the special spirit within us, or if we are living in the truth of the spiritual realm. Lies lead to ruination, and truth will endure forever.

#  Chapter 10  
VALUE OF  
BONDING

Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship has righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hash light with darkness. .

—2 Corinthians 6:14

THERE IS A VALUE IN BONDING WITH BELIEVERS. THERE is no value in bonding with the lawless or those in darkness. Believers live in the law through the fruits and shine light into dark places. There is a value in bonding with other believers because we believe in keeping our inner being receptive to the spirit. Being open requires a soft, tender inward being for absorbing the spiritual fruit. Believers desire this tenderness to allow one another to contribute to the loving moisture of the other. A spiritual bond forms. On the other hand, lawless behavior violates the human body, creating hardness instead of softness. An unlawful person can never bond with a spiritual person. Furthermore, a person who lives in darkness is one who has a lot to hide within the inner being. A spiritual person is a light that reveals the deeds that have violated the divine realm and has caused human atrocities. Darkness cannot bond with believers.

We value our human body as being the home of the spirit. Believers share those same values that form an enduring bond for one another. The fruits of the spirit are our reward for honoring their home. On the other hand, a lawless person has no fruits such as goodness, love, goodwill, and faithfulness. That is because an unlawful person will not honor the special spirit in us. Neither does those who live in darkness. Those of the darkness hide the deeds that they commit, and they have no spiritual fruits. This fruitlessness signifies that the deeds done in darkness are not pleasing to the spirit. A lawless person and a dark person have no value for the inner being and are lacking love and goodness. These persons can never bond with those who love and honor the spirit.

We believe that those who share a common belief in the special spirit form enduring bonds. Furthermore, that the fruits of the believers fulfill the law and that believers shine a light into dark, unfruitful places. We also believe that the lawless have no respect for the inner realm, creating an inability to bond with believers. We believe that those who live in darkness are not able to open themselves in a way that forms spiritual bonds. We respond to these beliefs by establishing relationships within the guidance of the spirit, which rewards with the fruits of love, goodness, joy, and more.

There are also issues of our physiological welfare. Every person will breathe fresh air, eat food, drink fluids, rest as needed, as well as eliminate when the urge is felt. When two people value the special spirit in us, this also brings harmony in how we fulfill the body's desire. Together we will eat in a way that produces the fruits of temperance, moderation, self-control. From this there will be smiles for each other from the fruits of love and goodwill. And this mutual respect produces the same fruits by sharing a welfare for the quality of air we breathe and the fluids we drink. Furthermore, there is fruitfulness in how we allow the other to rest, and share the bathroom.

A lawless person would not have the fruits of the spirit. This person would drink alcohol to excessive limits while driving and would not be respectful of another's preference for a better lifestyle. A lawless person would smoke excessively next to the spouse who does not smoke and would not respect a person's desire for rest. An unlawful person would be abusive to the body. This is like someone violating domestic and pollution laws in front of the EPA, and law enforcement officers, obviously, there is no bonding here.

Consider someone who lives in the darkness, which could be even worse. The deeds of that person are done when no one is around to see, and not done with goodness or goodwill. How could you ever trust your health drinks to be untainted by narcotics and poisons, or just horribly tasting mixes? Alternatively, the same applies to foods, such as putting in spices that are not tasteful to you. In addition, consider a partner who leaves the house because the home was just sprayed for pests, except that person did not tell you, and you walk into the home with your pet and child. Although many things are done "behind your back," you see the truth through the spirit. The light would shine on these dark atrocities. The visibility would be as apparent as dropping ink into a glass of water. This is very obvious why a person who honors the divine spirit will never bond with the lawless or the darkness.

There is a sense of security when two people bond by honoring the spiritual creature in us. The rewards of the divine fruit ensure that there are love, comfort, goodness, and self-control toward each other. We would also feel safer about our financial security. Because of the spiritual fruits, we would honor the finances within the relationship. There would be self-control, respect for the resources in the relationship. Alternatively, even in employment, we would respect the spirit by making fruitful decisions, and this honors our mate as well.

What about a lawless person who disrespects the spirit and has no goodness or self-control? This person would either squander your money on gambling, alcohol, or would bring home wads of money that he will not share. And you know from within yourself that this is from illegal gains. This is like a security camera recording the deeds of a perpetrator. Or what about the person who lives in darkness without goodness, and without love? This person never wishes to reveal what is happening with the money that is missing from the account. Alternatively, there is a mystery about what this person is doing regarding work ethics. The spiritual person sees through the eyes of the divine presence and realizes what is happening. The light would be turned on, and the activity made known. There is no security in forming relationships with the dark and lawless.

Very important are our bonds of love and acceptance. When two people share the same love for the spiritual creature within, there is love, faithfulness, goodwill for each other. That love shares enduring bonds.

Consider a relationship with someone who shares no respect for the spirit and living a lawless life? Without the fruits of love and having no respect for the human body, many violations would result. Forcing a mate into unwanted sex, being physically abusive, being verbally cruel are the results of a fruitless, lawless person. Doing this is like an inmate attacking a guard. There would never be any bonding here. Now consider a person who lives in darkness and is fruitless? This is the person who hides other relationships from the mate and will talk about the mate to others in hurtful ways. The spiritual person sees through the eyes of the divine fruit and realizes what is being done. This person sees the deeds of unfaithfulness, evilness, and hatred. This person sees what is "going on behind my back." There would never be any bonding with that dark person. The fruits of our love come through the special spirit in us, not through lawlessness or darkness.

The value we have of ourselves and the value we have of our mate relate to how we value the spirit. Because we value the divine presence in us, the spiritual fruits blossom, and this adds value to the relationship. We honor the worth of our mate because of the blessings flowing from the spirit. We value our mate the same as the worth we give ourselves because the spirit molds the two together.

Consider the lawless person who has no fruits of the inner being, what type of mate would that be? This fruitless person has no value for your worth and has no value for the fruits of the spirit. The lawless person only finds value with someone who participates in unlawful activities. Therefore, the spiritual mate would be treated as being worthless, would be shoved aside, and would always be pushed into the background. This is like a bank robber trying to "ditch" a dye pack. There could never be bonding with a person like that. Now consider the dark and fruitless person who refuses to value the worth of the partner, and does things when the other person is not around. Their intent is to devalue the worth of the person. These secret atrocities have reached proportions of hiring people to do bodily harm to the other; alternatively, even dominating the children in a way that suggest to the neighbors that the mate is worthless with no value as a parent. A spiritual person would see this happening through the eyes of the inner divinity, and would shine a bright light onto these behaviors. There could never be any bonding with a person like that. However, we value each other because we value the spiritual creature. Lawless and dark people will never be able to bond with a mate.

How we express ourselves is also essential within bonds of relationships. That self-expression allows bonding by honoring the divine spirit within each other's communication. This adds moisture for giving blossoms of loving fruits. Within their expression, both mates feel equally comforted, at peace with the expression of the other. Their beliefs are the same. They both learn in ways for honoring the inner spirit. And they express themselves through the fruits given by the spirit.

How would a lawless and fruitless person express themselves? The fruits of goodness and goodwill would not be present, and there would be no respect for the spirit. The lawless person would be disrespectful, mean to the beliefs of the spiritual person. The ideas flowing from the fruits would be met with hostility. The lawless person has no value for ideas that flow from goodness. These are not the values that the unlawful person is willing to listen to. This is similar to a lawman living with an outlaw. There would be no fellowship of a lawless person with a believer. Now consider the self-expression of a dark person? The person of darkness, void of the fruits, would be in constant denial of unexplained behavior. That implies the deeds performed "behind the back" of others. The spiritual person would see through the eyes of the divine presence and realize the truth and would respond in a way that would shine a light on the hidden deeds. The person honoring the inner divinity would shine a light onto the darkness, and there would be no bonding.

The dark and the lawless people will attempt to deny bonding to the spiritual creature. Their anger is directed toward those who shut out the unlawful, and shine light on the darkness. The dark and lawless ways are shut down by spiritual bonding. Depression sets in from being left alone and without the comfort of the spirit. They bargain in a way that will gain them a relationship while at the same time intending to shut these people out of their lives. They will come to realize that this causes more destruction to themselves in the relationship. And they will have to accept that the only way to truly be accepted is through the fruits of the spirit, which come as rewards from the spirit. Then peace and comfort flows to establish spiritual bonding.

What are the pathogens that infect the bonding of two people? These pathogens are those who have lawless and dark behavior. People who blatantly ignore the law and will do things secretly that are harmful to relationships. Where are the reservoirs of these behaviors? These people are your mates, your friends, your fiancé, your lover, your business partner, your live-in partner, or your colleagues. Where one is lawless, the other is filled with goodness. Where one is dark, the other is filled with light.

How do these unfruitful intentions exit into our society? Those of dark and lawless behavior will approach those who flow with the fruits of the spirit. These approaches are to victimize the goodness, goodwill, kindness, and love of the spirit's fruits. How are these intentions transmitted? Obviously, there is a value of the spiritual person to the lawless and dark perpetrators. This value is to be near someone where the fruits are bountiful. Like a person trespassing on orchards, waiting under a peach tree to fill the basket with fruits. The intentions of these dark and lawless people will sabotage the fruits growing within the spiritual realm.

How could these intentions enter our community? We respond in ways that please the spirit. The fruits are signs that we are doing this. We want to be welcoming, accepting, and helpful toward others. Therefore, we try to help those who ask in any way that is possible, which attracts a wide array of people. Within this goodwill, there are those who are susceptible to dark and lawless intentions. They want to feel worth by befriending others and will accept the person as they are as an effort to express their goodwill. The relationship endures for a while until abuses begin to happen from lawless behavior. And dark behavior will do things behind the person's back that are damaging to the person's feeling of worth.

How can we interrupt this dark and lawless cycle in relationships? by realizing that our relationships can only bond by honoring the special spirit within us. The rewards for that honor are the fruits of the spirit. Some of these fruits are love, faithfulness, goodness, truth, goodwill. Through these fruits, a relationship can form enduring bonds. We establish relations with those where the spiritual fruits are evident. Because then we know that the spirit is pleased.

What assessment do we make? That only through relations with those who believe in the divine spirit can we have enduring relationships. The diagnosis is that dark and lawless behaviors are fruitless and will never be able to form relationships with spiritual children. There is a plan. To form all our relationships based on the fruits of the spirit. We implement this by following the spirit's guidance within us through the blossoming of the fruits. We evaluate this according to how our relationships are bonding. The glue that bonds us together is the fruits of the spirit, which are peace, goodness, love, faithfulness. We want to see these fruits blossom in our relations with others.

#  Chapter 11  
VALUE OF  
HUMBLENESS

Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

—James 4:10

THERE IS A VALUE IN HUMBLENESS BECAUSE THIS IS when the special spirit within will increase our value. Humbleness is a way for keeping us soft inside. The type of softness that is tender to others while honoring the spirit. Humbleness is like the moisture from the dew that helps the seeds to grow, the seeds that blossom into the spiritual fruits. Humbleness makes us receptive to the spirit and to others. Then our spiritual value increases.

The human body is the home of a very special spirit. We want to honor this resident with humbleness. This humbleness brings us into the presence of the divinity in us. And in this presence, we feel jubilation through the fruits of the spirit. We believe that we should humble ourselves because the spirit is mightier than ourselves. And we believe that humbleness establishes a healthy relationship to the spirit.

When we are humble toward the spirit, we find improvements in our health. Two of the most significant areas of our health are our heart and our lungs. If your heart stops beating, you are in a life-ending situation. Likewise, when your lungs quit breathing, your life will end. We know that high blood pressure raises the pressure placed on our heart and can cause a heart attack. A solution to this is to rest, quit whatever action you are doing, and sit comfortably somewhere. This is the best way to help restore our health. This is humbling ourselves. We realize that it is necessary to confess that the activity we were doing was too overwhelming. This humble attitude is the beginning of restoring our physiological health. In the same way, whenever we are too confident in our physical activity, our body will reach human limits, collapse, and maybe die. That also applies to being too exuberant in drinking, eating, or bodily contact, our health could be jeopardized.

A humble attitude is good for the human body. And this humbleness opens the door into the presence of a special place. That is a place where the fruits of good health blossom: a place where we can live in comfort, self-control, and joy. There are better results in our health when we are humble.

When we are humble toward the spirit, we become more secure in life. Suppose that our values in life come from wanting the best of every earthly security. We need a home to keep us safe from the weather. Does the home have to be the biggest one on the block adorned with all the accessories? Alternatively, does our car have to be the one packing the most horsepower? Furthermore, does our job have to be the one where power and prestige are the status quo? Moreover, do our financial goals have to include achieving great wealth? A security based on these achievements is really very insecure. When the economy swings toward a financial depression, the emotional insecurities will increase. The fear of losing our finances would only be the beginning. We would begin to feel insecure about the mortgage, the security of the job, and stress about losing prestige within elite social circles. Humbleness contributes to a secure life. With a humble attitude, the door opens to a special spirit. This spirit gives us the fruits of love, goodwill, kindness, and self-control. The value of these fruits contributes to our human need for security. There is more security in our lives when we are humble.

When we are humble toward the spirit, we find more acceptance for others. We want to be accepted, loved, and wanted. And there are behaviors that can make us feel very unaccepted, unloved, and unwanted. Such as the captain of the cheerleading squad who ignores her childhood friend because she is just a "regular" student. Alternatively, the spouse who assumes superiority over the mate because of his dominance in society. In addition, consider the coworker that seems to have a special status at work due to a relationship with the chief administrator. These behaviors fragment how we relate to one another, making us feel apart from others and making us feel unwanted. A humble attitude brings healing to fragmented relations. And this humbleness brings us into the presence of a special spirit. In this presence, there are the fruits of love, faithfulness, acceptance, and goodwill. Through humbleness, there is a love that brings an acceptance where each person is valued. There is increased communion when we are humble.

When we are humble toward the spirit, we add value to our worth. One thing we all appreciate is feeling like we matter to someone else; how awful to feel that we have no value given to our worth. Have you ever sat in class where the person next to you always made A's, and you were the one with the lower grade? Alternatively, have you known a spouse that would never appreciate you for the great way that you perform in the home? In addition, consider the employer who would degrade your excellent performance at every evaluation. The atmosphere in the schools, home, and at work would be filled with people who felt worthless. They would feel low esteem as students, a spouse, and as employees. Why would we even want to return to school, home, or work? However, an attitude of humbleness can add value to our worth. Humbleness brings us into a special presence. And in this presence are joy, love, and goodwill. Within us, we feel our own worth that flows with joy and goodness, and we find goodwill to wish others success. Humbleness exalts a value in ourselves and wishes goodwill for others.

When we are humble toward the spirit, our self-expression reflects that. Humbly expressing ourselves opens doors to inspiring conversations. However, consider conversations that are not so humble, such as s someone you may have met in school. Like the student who always felt that his belief was all that mattered. His own belief was even more important than the teacher's or other students. Alternatively, what about at home where you may have a brother? The brother seems to believe that the only idea worth listening to is his own, even if the parents and other brothers and sisters have other ideas. In addition, consider the workplace where there will always be one employee who has the solution to every issue, even if the manager, with other employees, have resolved the concern? The school, home, and workplace could turn into an oppressive environment, a place where no one can express themselves because someone else feels superior. A humble attitude brings free expression of ideas. Humbleness opens the door to a special place. In this presence, there are patience, perseverance, goodness, and meekness. With these fruits, we can listen in an understanding way and humbly express ourselves with empathy. Humbleness increases a free exchange of self-expression.

There will be those who deny any value in a humble quality, and will present themselves with anger toward their meekness and flexibility. These arrogant people are depressed by the idea that their self-proclaimed superiority has no place among the meek and gentle The arrogance of these people will cause them to bargain. They will lower themselves just enough to persuade the humble of their superiority, similar to a politician that caresses a newborn baby to solicit a vote. These people find it impossible to humble themselves. Only through acceptance of humbleness will we access the special presence in us. And this presence brings to us meekness, goodwill, and love.

How might our humbleness be infected? Some people will exalt themselves without the fruit of the spirit. This unleashes attitudes of arrogance and superiority. These attitudes are infections that are contrary to a humble attitude. Where would we be likely to encounter those arrogant attitudes? You will experience these attitudes in the schools, at home, at work, and even on the roadways. How do those attitudes exit from those places? The self-proclaimed superiority and arrogance in the schools, the family, at work, and on the roadways will feed on the humbleness of others. They target the humble with the arrogance of their superiority.

How is this arrogant superiority transmitted to others? Some people will respond to a roadway tailgater in a way that implies a superior driving ethic. Alternatively, there will always be someone in school that will have an arrogant response to the attitude of superiority of another student. In addition, there will be the other family member that accuses the other of exerting superiority. Moreover, there will be the coworker that demonstrates superiority over the arrogance of another. By responding in these ways, "puffed-up" responses seep into the social atmosphere. How does this arrogant superiority seep into other areas? Through people who will approach the humbleness of another with an air of superiority and say, "I can!" "I can," meaning, being able to put the arrogant superiority of another "in their place." In doing that, the person adopts the arrogance.

Who are those susceptible to adopting that arrogance? These are people who initially value a humble attitude. And because they value that humbleness, they have much less value for arrogance. However, these people are too far removed from that special presence within, the presence that provides meekness and goodwill. So from good intentions, these people respond to others in ways that squash the fruits of humbleness. How can we interrupt this cycle of arrogance? We interrupt the cycle through an attitude of humbleness. Humbleness will open the door to a special presence within us. And that presence will reward us with spiritual fruits—the fruits of meekness, patience, goodness, love, goodwill, and self-control. That fruit causes the cycle of arrogance to end.

What assessment can we make? that when we humble ourselves, we are brought into the presence of something special in us. And the fruits of this presence exalt the quality of living. And without this humbleness, there are cruelty and arrogance in exerting superiority. Because of that, we plan to humble ourselves to the special presence within us, which produces the spiritual fruits. We implement this by humbling our desire for earthly superiority so that we can be exalted in the presence of the divine spirit. How do we know if we are being successful? When the fruits of the spirit blossom in us, this is a sign that the spirit is pleased. Then we know we have successfully humbled ourselves.

#  Chapter 12  
VALUE OF  
FORGIVENESS

For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if you forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. .

—Matthew 6:14–15

THERE IS VALUE IN FORGIVENESS BECAUSE THIS IS WHEN we find favor with the special spirit in us. This favor brings the rewards of the spiritual fruits. These fruits need a soft, moist, and fertile atmosphere to blossom. And forgiveness provides this atmosphere. When we are soft enough to forgive others, we are also receptive to the spirit. Then the divine presence forgives us in a way that blossoms spiritual fruits in new areas of our living.

Our human body is the home of a divine presence, and forgiveness comes from that special spirit. When we express forgiveness for others, we are showing respect for the spirit. We are showing respect for ourselves because we know favor comes through this. And through this forgiveness, we are rewarded with spiritual fruit. That fruit blossoms with peace, love, faith, and perseverance. We believe that we need to forgive others because that opens the door into a special presence. And there we discover divine qualities within us.

Forgiveness is good for our health. What would happen if we were unforgiving in our daily lives? Not being able to forgive creates physiological changes in us. Our emotional health becomes filled with the turmoil of spite and vengeance. These emotions put our nerves on an edge as responses to the unforgiving person become hostile. Through these responses, our blood pressure becomes elevated, putting more stress on other body organs. Eventually, the grudge of being unforgiving will create further health dilemmas. There could be serious health consequences. Through forgiveness of others, the special spirit forgives us. Through this forgiveness, the door opens into a divine presence. In that presence blossoms the spiritual fruits of peace, calmness, love, and goodwill. These fruits make us feel better inside, and we feel calmer emotionally and physically.

Forgiveness makes us feel more secure. We want to feel safe in many areas of our life. Our home is our shelter from the elements. An unforgiving attitude in the home could lead to someone being evicted due to a quarrel. If the vengeance is returned, the evicted person may cause destruction to the home. If there is vengeance at the workplace, either from a worker's spitefulness to the employer, or the employer's unforgiving attitude toward the worker, this could lead to a loss in employment. And this termination of employment could lead to further hostilities from the vengeful employee. The above situations create a very unstable and insecure environment. Forgiveness establishes a secure environment. Forgiveness secures our home, secures our employment, and keeps us safe physically. Through forgiveness, we find security in our life. This forgiveness opens the door to a special spirit in us. In this presence, we find patience, kindness, self-control, and goodwill. These fruits are the spirit's reward for our attitude of forgiveness.

Forgiveness helps others to belong. Belonging with others is something that is very important. When we belong, we feel accepted, wanted, and loved. If relationships are to endure, there has to be forgiveness. We have relationships in school. These relationships exist between teachers and students, students with students, and teachers with school administrators. Can you imagine a school with no forgiveness? Grudges would exist between the students, teachers, and administrators. Even in our own home, the family environment would be dysfunctional: a place where spite and hostilities would prevail between wives, husbands, children, parents, and siblings. And even in the workplace, the environment would be hostile where there is no forgiveness. Employees toward customers, coworkers spiteful of others and employee-to-management relations would fail. The social environment in the community would be frightening. Through forgiveness, we can work past a trespass and work toward acceptance, an acceptance where we belong in a loving environment. Forgiving others opens the door into a special spirit. In this presence, we find love, belonging, acceptance, peace, and goodwill.

Forgiveness increases the value of our worth. We feel really good, and sometimes very fortunate, when we receive forgiveness. When a teacher forgives a student for being a day late with a school report that adds value because there is a better chance for a higher grade, which makes the student feel an elevated sense of worth. And even the teacher feels a great sense of worth to the student. In addition, within the workplace, forgiveness adds value to each other. Like the employee who is always making two thousand copies of a flyer at the copier machine when you need to make twelve. Forgiveness will make the employee with two thousand copies feel very fortunate for the attitude of forgiveness seen in patience. And the employee with twelve copies will feel a sense of worth swell within from that forgiving attitude. And in our home, forgiveness can add value to the worth of those we love. The worth we have to each other in a relationship will make the difference between an enduring relationship or a divorced one. Forgiveness opens the door to a special spirit within us. Through that spirit blossoms the fruits of that spirit—the fruits of love, goodness, patience. These fruits add value to our worth through forgiveness.

Forgiveness flows through our self-expression. Forgiveness relates to what we believe—the ideals we hold to be relevant and cultural beliefs, to name a few. In essence, the values we hold are how we express ourselves. Suppose a vegetarian believes that the only true way to peace is through compassion toward animals and feels so passionate that an unforgiving attitude exists to those who eat meat. The unresolved feelings toward that person would begrudge the self-expression of those who do eat meat. Alternatively, suppose that someone holds very idealistic values about the green earth and holds these values so ardently that if someone burns fire logs in the fireplace, unforgiving attitudes begin to rise. The grudging feelings toward that person would begrudge the expression of the other. In addition, suppose that someone finds self-expression through a culture of people and believes those values so ardently that other forms of social expression are suppressed. The unforgiving attitudes would surface in grudges toward one another. Forgiveness enables the sharing of open ideas, beliefs, and cultures. Through this exchange of ideas flows peace, a fruit given of the spirit. Forgiveness opens the door into the presence of a special spirit. In this presence flows the fruits of the spirit—the fruits of acceptance, peace, tolerance, love, and goodwill.

There are those who will deny forgiveness to others, they hold a grudge. And they will even be angry at those who do bring forgiveness in relationships. They seem to feed on strife. These people are depressed inwardly when there is healing in relationships through forgiveness. They will even bargain in a way that seems to forgive, as long as the one who gave forgiveness never does it again. They seem to want you to feel it is OK not to forgive. They will need to come to acceptance that forgiveness is necessary, or they will destroy themselves through their behavior toward others. Acceptance of forgiveness opens the door to a divine presence within, where the spiritual fruit of peace, calm, and love blossom.

What are the "pathogens" that infect our forgiveness? The pathogens are those who hold grudges. They value spite and vengeance more. Where do the reservoirs of these people exist? These attitudes exist in the schools, at home, in the workplace, at church. How do these attitudes exit these places? There are some who return home with the turmoil from a grudge-filled fellow student. Alternatively, there exist the turmoil from a grudging family member that carries into community activities. In addition, some carry the turmoil of an unforgiving coworker into other areas of their life. Moreover, there is the turmoil of grudges in church parishioners that carries into other places.

How do these attitudes transmit into our community? The student will come home and, with displaced emotions, will be spiteful to family members. Alternatively, the vindictive wife will leave home for a while and carry the grudge to others. In addition, the employee who clocks out from work and carries the emotional turmoil of an unforgiving incident everywhere they visit. Furthermore, there is the church member who carries the grudge of an unforgiving minister into other areas of life. Where do these attitudes enter? These attitudes could enter the parent of the student who always comes home in turmoil. The parent could become vengeful towards the school. Likewise, relatives of the wife who left home in turmoil could become spiteful towards the wife's family. Alternatively, the grudge-filled employee whose turmoil is seen by others, causing them to feel unforgiveness for that employee's workplace. Moreover, there is the spiteful church member who creates unforgiving attitudes toward the church.

Who are the people who might be susceptible to unforgiving attitudes? These are people who have buds of the fruits, with inclinations of human desire. These people hold a value for people who forgive, but they are impatient and mildly not in control within themselves. These people will be appalled when hearing about the grudges at school, the spite in the workplace, the grudges at home, and church difficulties. From the love for forgiveness, they may find it very hard to find forgiveness for those who hold grudges. When this happens, the inner being of the person hardens just a little, the door to the special spirit in them shuts a little tighter, and the buds of the fruits never come to full blossom. Through being unforgiving, a person may not find forgiveness through the spirit. How do we interrupt this cycle? Through forgiveness. This is a forgiveness that contributes to the opening of the door into a special presence. This forgiveness will blossom with the fruits of the spirit. That is because the fruits are the spirit's reward when we please the divinity in us. Some of those fruits are self-control, patience, goodness, love, and goodwill.

What assessment can we make about forgiveness? that when we forgive others, there is access into a special presence. In that presence, we experience forgiveness through the blossoms of the spiritual fruits. And we can make a diagnosis that without forgiveness, the social structure falls into grudges, friction, and vengeance. This is why we plan to forgive in a way where the spirit is pleased and forgives us. We implement this plan by forgiving those who seem to be filled with strife, vengeance, and grudges. We can evaluate how well we are doing by asking some questions: Do we feel vengeful instead of forgiving? Do we hold more value for holding grudges than the value we have in forgiveness? Do we add more strife into relationships, or do we add forgiveness?

#  Chapter 13  
VALUE OF  
JOY IN TRIALS

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into divers temptations

—James 1:2

THERE IS VALUE IN CONSIDERING TRIALS A JOYFUL experience. Joy is the spirit's favor to us. We want to blossom with spiritual fruits, so this means absorbing trials in a joyful way. What would happen to our inner softness if we considered trials to be depressing? We would probably respond in a pessimistic way. This pessimism closes our relations with the special spirit in us. The spiritual fruits would dry up and rot away. Joy is a fruit. So as we respond to trials in a way that pleases the spirit, we are rewarded with the blossom of joy. Joy is the spirit's blossom in us when trials are present.

The human body is the home of a special spirit, and there are rewards for honoring this spirit. Those rewards are the spiritual fruits. When trials come our way, this tests the spirit's home. We honor this home with self-control in our response to trials. The spirit rewards this self-control with a blossom of a fruit. And this fruit is joy. Through trials, we blossom with joy. We believe that trials will come our way, and we believe that these trials can be joyful experiences. We believe that as trials come our way, the spirit counteracts these trials by blossoming the fruit of joy within us.

Joy is the spirit's favor to us when we meet physical trials. Remember the funny bone that we all have in our body somewhere? When we tap that bone on a hard object, we laugh as much as it might hurt. The doctors have never yet found a "funny bone" in this body. However, this is true that somehow amid pain, we are able to experience a degree of joy. Alternatively, what about the experience of smelling a skunk as we drive down a roadway? We smell the spray of the skunk, and as foul as the smell is, there are laughter and jokes. In addition, what about that time when your body passed gas at exactly the wrong time? There are laughter and jokes, which is a degree of joy. And even more seriously, people can experience terminal diseases, bodily injury in life-threatening accidents, and be disabled with physical deformities. And even so, many of these people smile with a grimace on the way to the hospital and can experience joy within their sickness and in their disabilities. There is a special spirit within us that rewards our faithfulness when facing physical trials. And this reward is the fruit of joy.

Joy is the spirit's favor to us when we meet trials in our security. When it comes to our security, we want everything to be stable. That includes stability in our finances, employment, automobile, and socially. We feel happy in that security, but what if trials come our way in these things? If we become financially insecure through a huge hospital bill, we would still have our employment, car, and social structure. There is some joy there, but what if we lost our car? We would still have our job, finances, and social structure. There continues to be some joy there. What if there were trials in our social stability, and we lost our car, our employment, and our finances? How would we feel then? For some people, this trial would be too great to bear. Tragic endings often come as a result. Where there is no joy, there are sadness, depression, and endings. For those who believe in the special spirit within us, we have a different sense of security. We are secure in the rewards that the spirit gives us through trials. When we respond to trials in a way that honors the spirit, then rewards are forthcoming. One of these rewards is joy. We can feel a sense of spiritual joy when we lose our worldly security. Yes, we can be joyful when trials come our way.

Joy is the spirit's favor to us when we meet trials in relationships. Have you ever had trials in your relationship? Did you respond with sadness, depression, or maybe anger? Alternatively, did you experience a sense of joy helping you through? We all want to feel loved, accepted, and have faithfulness in our relationships. What happens when we feel unloved, alone, and are facing betrayals? Imagine these trials when there is no joy within you. The family in the homes would be dysfunctional with despise for one another. The atmosphere in the schools would be a sad place with mistrust and anger. The atmosphere in the shopping malls would be unfriendly, "cold," and socially hazardous. The roadways would be filled with inconsiderate and dangerous drivers. Facing trials joyfully is the only solution for fruitful relationships, and joy comes to a relationship when we please the special spirit within us. So we respond with self-control and faithfulness to please the spirit. The spirit will reward us with the fruit of joy. And this joy will help us when trials come through our relationships. We can be joyful when trials test our bonds.

Joy is the spirit's favor to us when we meet trials of our worth. The value we place on ourselves is just as important as the value we place on others. When trials come to our sense of self-worth, these are also trials of how we value the worth of others. We know that trials in relationships can make us feel like we have no value to others, and w know that trials at work can make us feel worthless to our employer. And we know that trials from the community can make us feel little esteem as a citizen. How do we respond to a low sense of worth? With no joy, we would feel sad, depressed, and angry that our society finds no value for us. So how would we value the worth of others? Without joy, we would be filled with negative feelings toward others, and hostility would follow. However, when joy fills our sense of esteem, then we value the lives of others as well. So when trials come to test the value we hold for ourselves, we seek the special spirit within us. The spirit rewards this seeker with the fruit of joy. This joy gives us value for ourselves and value for others. Yes, we experience joy when trials come to test our worth.

Joy is the spirit's favor to us when we meet trials trying to express ourselves. Trials will come during the time when we share our beliefs, ideas, opinions, inspirations, and even the way we dress. There may be someone who makes a mockery of who we are. If we share our beliefs joyfully, there will be someone there who looks sad and depressed. If we wear clothing to share our optimism, there will be someone to give you the thumbs-down. If you have an opinion, there will be a "dark" opinion to counter it. If you are excited about an idea, someone will have a better idea. How do we respond to this trial of how we express ourselves? Without joy, these trials would have us expressing ourselves in a sad, depressed, and angry way. A believer responds with an inner joy. This joy comes from expressing ourselves through the spirit. The reward for spiritual expression is the fruit of joy. Yes, there is truly joy when trials come to test how we express ourselves.

Some people will want to deny us this joy when facing various kinds of trials. They will address us with anger at the evidence of a blossom of joy. These people are depressed to see us joyful when trials are hurled our way. They will try to bargain away our joy by implying that the trials will stop when the spirit's fruit is gone. They refuse to accept that the reward of the spirit is the fruit of joy, but acceptance of the special spirit in us brings joy.

What are the infections that plague our joy? These infections are various kinds of trials. Trials to our health, trials to our security, trials in our relationships, trials about our worth, and trials with the way we express ourselves. The pools where these trials could happen include nursing facilities, workplace, in the home, in the schools, or from within an audience of people. How do these trials exit from these places? through health care providers, coworkers, family members, authority figures, and those who respond negatively to our self-expression.

How are these trials transmitted from those people to us? While in a nursing facility, we may face trials about our bills or whether we are receiving adequate care. At work, we may face trials with coworkers or managers concerning our proficiency. With family members, we will face trials of trying to keep everyone in harmony. We will have concerns about our worth due to those trials. And expressing ourselves in those situations will be met with trials. How would the effects of those trials enter other areas of our life? With no joy found in the trials of those situations, we become depressed, sad, and angry. We begin expressing ourselves negatively toward nurses and doctors. We become sour to our coworkers and managers. We become depressed within our relationships. We begin to feel no value for the lives of others. And our self-expression begins to present trials to others.

Who is someone who may be susceptible to those negative attitudes? There is an example. A person who has had a valued loved one in a nursing facility hears about the trials faced there. This person is susceptible to respond with depression and sadness and will be filled with anger toward the nurses and doctors and be sadly angered at how insecure the loved one felt while there. A relationship begins to form based on a negative attitude toward others. They share the attitude that others have no value to their welfare. How do we interrupt this cycle where each person becomes a trial to another? A joy within us will interrupt that cycle. That joy comes by honoring the special spirit that lives in us. The spirit rewards us for kind responses, and those rewards are the fruits of the spirit. Joy is that reward.

What assessment can we make about joy? that when trials come, the spirit comforts us with the blossom of joy. We can make a diagnosis that we will face trials of many kinds that will test our human limits. And we will plan to respond with self-control, patience, and perseverance. This will please the spirit, and blossoms of joy will bloom. We will implement this plan by responding to hatred, cruelty, and unkindness with patience, self-control, and perseverance. And we will know that we have successfully pleased the spirit when the fruit of joy blossoms.

#  Chapter 14  
VALUE OF  
PRAYER

Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

—1 Thessalonians 5:16–18

THERE IS VALUE IN REJOICING, PRAYING, AND GIVING thanks in all circumstances. That stems from the qualities of optimism and tenderness. The softness that accompanies a thankful spirit adds moisture to our inner being. And this moisture is like the rains absorbing into the soil. This absorption opens our inner being into the supernatural realm within us. And this is the will of God. Our body is the dwelling place of the spirit. As the Bible says, our body is the temple of the Holy Ghost. And opening the door into this presence is through tender qualities such as prayer, thankfulness, and rejoicing. We believe that we should rejoice always, pray continuously, and give thanks in whatever circumstances we are in. And we believe that this is what the special spirit in us desires. We believe that when we do this, the door will open into a divine presence. And in this presence flows the fruits of the spirit. Some of these fruits are love, goodwill, meekness, patience, goodness, and perseverance.

There is a value for prayer, thankfulness, and rejoicing in our physiology. And there are various circumstances we find ourselves in concerning our health. For example, food poisoning, boil alerts for water, poor air quality, noisiness, or unsanitary cisterns or bathroom facilities. In addition, there is blindness, deafness, or neuropathy. Furthermore, the list includes congestive heart failure, COPD, diabetes, Parkinson's disease, muscular dystrophy, osteoporosis, and skin cancer. The list goes on to include ulcers, UTIs, STDs, and AIDS. And even then, in all these circumstances, there is a value in prayer, rejoicing, and thankfulness. And many people will attest that a smile heals many ailments. Within these health ailments, we continue to be thankful, prayerful, and rejoiceful.

There is no value in the physical ailments to be thankful for. The value comes as these qualities bring us into the presence where the spirit resides. And as we value prayer, thankfulness, and rejoicing, we absorb our inner being into the presence of the spirit. And here, all things are possible—healing, a new attitude, a reborn spirit, or even more glory being brought to our inward realm. And the value of our inner being remains fruitful. Yes, there is a value in prayer in every circumstance, because this opens the doors into the supernatural realm of God's spirit. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

There are various circumstances that will affect our securities in life. For example, that list includes unemployment, divorces, rebellious children in the family, foreclosures of our home, and the loss of resources. These insecurities could affect how we value our self-worth, how we value our place in the community, and how we respond to others we meet from day to day. And more importantly, how open do we remain to the special spirit in us. Of course, we do not rejoice and be thankful for or pray for insecure circumstances. However, even within frightening circumstances, we continue with thankfulness, being prayerful, and rejoicing within our inner being. In us is the presence of a special spirit. And the keys that open the door to the spirit's presence are the values of prayer, thankfulness, and rejoicing. And this is God's will that we absorb into this spirit. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God.

We want to be loved and to belong socially. And there are various circumstances that make us feel unloved and unwanted. Within our families, parents may make the children feel less loved. And also, the children may make the parents feel unappreciated and of no worth. Spouses, boyfriends, and girlfriends may feel used and abused sexually and feel unloved in the midst of intercourse. And even our communities can make us feel unwanted. These circumstances can make the value of our self-worth plummet. This could make us lash out in anger and violence toward others. And even during these tragic social circumstances, there is a value in prayer, thankfulness, and rejoicing. These values bring us into the presence of the divine spirit within ourselves. And we absorb ourselves into that presence. There the fruits of the spirit blossom. These fruits help us to respond with love, goodwill, and kindness. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

There are many circumstances that can affect the way we value our own worth, for example, being fired from work, flunking in school, being rejected in interviews, having past failures continually mentioned, being without a spouse, or being without anyone to care for. It may seem that many people have no value for a person who seeks self-worth. And this would affect how a person will value others in the community. If others constantly imply that a person has no value in society, then the person will have no value for that community where rejection comes. And this is where socially harmful behaviors result—violence, suicide, murder, abuses, crime, substance abuse, etc. And therefore, the value of prayer, thankfulness, and rejoicing in every circumstance is lifesaving. We are not giving thanks for rejection. We are thankful within the presence of a special spirit. The value of prayer, thankfulness, and rejoicing amid rejection brings us into the spirit's presence. And as we absorb into this presence, the value of our self-worth maintains. We feel love, comfort, and joy in us. And then we can respond socially to those who reject us. And the door into the spirit's presence will remain open to us. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

There are various circumstances that could affect the way we express ourselves. How we express ourselves is who we are. And we express who we are by our beliefs. These beliefs could be those of a health nutritionist, or one who values the security of our social structure. Alternatively, there might be a person who believes in societal justice, or a person who believes in honoring the worth of others. In addition, there might be a person who believes in the freedom of self-expression. Then there are those who are not so noble and are ungrateful, pessimistic, and without a prayer in their heart. If you express a belief, then they are the pessimist. If you talk about your health, they will grumble. If you are concerned for someone's security, they scoff. If you express a desire for social peace, they will challenge you. If you give worth to others, they will mock you. If you encourage self-expression, they are disruptive. We could easily begin to feel oppressed in expressing our beliefs, ideas, and values. Through rejoicing, praying, and being thankful, we can experience relief. We are not joyful for the suppression of our values; we experience joy within the presence of the divine spirit in us. Through prayer, the door opens into the spirit's presence. And here we blossom with the fruits of the spirit. These fruits are joy, comfort, patience, and goodness. These fruits make a way when our beliefs are suppressed.

Some people will deny the value of a thankful, joyful, and prayerful attitude. They will even express their anger toward those who blossom with those qualities. These people seem depressed when seeing how well the believers respond to those trials. They will even try to bargain in a way that is designed to make them appear as the focus of your rejoicing, although they cannot bring themselves to accept the idea that we can be optimistic in every circumstance. Being in the presence of the spirit in us is the source of that optimism. When we are accepting of that presence, we experience the rewards of the fruits—joy, comfort, and peace.

What infects our values of prayer, thankfulness, and rejoicing? The infection comes through those who are ungrateful, saddening, and without a prayer within them. These people could be anywhere—in the schools, in the home, at work, and in the church. How does their pessimism exit into the community? These are the people that grumble about the schools, or are ungrateful to members of the family, or bring sadness to their friends after a day of undesirable work, or express negative attitudes toward other church members. How is this pessimism transmitted to others? These attitudes are transmitted through the people who have heard the complaints of others. These people listen patiently to those complaints and will remember these complaints when talking to someone else. Then they will make remarks like, "All she ever does is complain about work!" or "All he does is grumble about the pastor!" Even though these complaints are well-meaning, this person is transmitting a sad and grumbling attitude.

How do these grumbling attitudes enter us? They enter through the value that we have for our own worth. We want to be more than just a sounding board for complaints. We feel that we have more value than that. We feel we have more worth than to be a "drop box" for the rumblings, sad stories, and hopelessness of others. We do not want to be among those who accept us only as a sounding board. This is why we begin to complain about how negative everyone seems to be. Who are susceptible to becoming a grumbler? These are people who are thankful and happy for their joys in life. There are buds of the spiritual fruits in them. However, the full blooms are yet to arrive. When other people are unthankful for an act of kindness, this person will respond with a comment like, "How ungrateful!" Alternatively, when one person repeatedly brings sad stories, this person will someday reply, "You are so depressing!" These responses grieve the special spirit in us. Instead of blossoming the buds of the fruits, the buds will pass. How do we interrupt this cycle of pessimism? Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you (1 Thessalonians 5:16–18, ESV).

What assessment can we make? That it is pleasing to the special spirit within us to rejoice, give thanks, and to pray. The diagnosis is that without those values, we are sad, ungrateful, and without a prayer. We plan to please the spirit through a grateful and happy appreciation for the spirit's presence in us. We implement this plan by honoring the spirit in every circumstance of life. We evaluate this plan through the blossoms of the fruits. The blossom of the spiritual fruits is a sign that the divinity in us is pleased.

#  Chapter 15  
VALUE OF  
INTEGRITY

Better is the poor that walks in his uprightness, than he that is perverse in his ways, though he be rich.

—Proverbs 28:6

THERE IS MORE VALUE FOR LIVING AS A MATERIALLY poor person if you possess integrity for the special spirit in us. And there is much less value to life with material wealth if there is no value on the spirit. An earthly desire for material goods will close the door to the goodness in us. A desire to please the spirit with integrity opens the door to every good fruit in us. There are tragic outcomes for those who give value to dishonest material wealth. And there are peace, comfort, and joy for those who value the spirit. What does believing in the value of integrity bless us with? Valuing integrity opens the door into a divine presence. And in that presence blossoms the spiritual fruits of love, faithfulness, self-control, goodwill, and many others.

Integrity contributes to a healthy environment. We all desire fresh air, nourishment, hydration, rest, and elimination; these come by valuing the integrity of the inner spirit before valuing material wealth. In the pursuit of wealth, a person would choose pollution-filled factories before valuing fresh air. By valuing wealth, without the spirit, a person would disregard concern for water pollution and the effects on fish. Wealth would be more important than the quality of the water. By valuing wealth more than valuing the nutritional needs of the people, many unhealthy food products would be sold. When a person values wealth more than valuing the need of others to rest, employees would have to work beyond human limits of exhaustion. When a person values the gain of wealth more than valuing sanitary conditions, our sewer lines would be neglected. These are deplorable conditions that a crooked wealthy man creates. Integrity brings us into the presence of a special spirit. And in this presence flows the fruits of the spirit. These fruits are goodness, goodwill, and self-control. These fruits are the avenue to integrity, and good health.

The value of integrity provides for a safe and secure environment. We want our home, car, job, family, and finance to bring us peace and comfort. Envision what our homes would be built like if constructed by a person who values wealth more than our security. The gain of wealth would be more important than the quality of materials, and the quality of the laborers. Our automobiles would be built in a way that increased wealth while the quality of the cars would lag behind. The pursuit of wealth would be of more value than the security of the family. The wealth of dishonest gain would be of more value than the financial burdens placed on others. These conditions create an unstable and insecure environment. Through integrity, we come into the presence of a divine creature that rewards with spiritual fruits—the fruits of goodwill, comfort, and joy. These fruits are the qualities needed to establish our security.

Integrity is good for our relationships. We all want to be accepted, loved, and to feel wanted. Relationships form through love and goodwill. The dishonest wealthy person values wealth more than the value of being accepted by others. That person will not care about the opinions of others. The main concern is for increasing wealth. Although we may feel a need to belong in a loving social atmosphere, the dishonest wealthy person only cares about having more wealth. That person is capable of the same deeds as the owner of "sweatshops" that we hear about. This is where young children work in factories for long hours, low pay, and no benefits, instead of socializing with children on the school playground. There is no love, no value, and no goodwill for the people. Integrity opens the door to a special place. A place where there are rewards of the spiritual fruits—the fruits of goodwill, love, and kindness. These fruits provide a loving, caring, and kind environment for employees.

Integrity brings value to the worth of others. We want to feel our worth. We want to feel that we are valuable to others. And we feel this worth when we make accomplishments that are satisfying. What we feel from a dishonest wealthy person is not something of value to us. That person values the gain of wealth more than he values the worth of others. Because of the desire for wealth, others are valued on the ability to create wealth. This is the type of person that will call you worthless and good-for-nothing if you caused the gain of wealth to diminish in any way. If an error was made in the financial books, the worth of the accountant would be discredited. In times when the profits fall, the wealthy person would degrade the worth of the employees. This is an environment where the value of the employees' worth would be as changeable as the economic ups and downs. Integrity brings us into the presence of a special spirit where the fruits of the spirit blossom—the fruits of kindness, goodness, humbleness, and perseverance. The fruits of the spirit add value to a person through every economic change.

There is integrity in our self-expression. Expressing ourselves openly through the spiritual fruits comes through the divinity in us. And through this expression, there is evidence that wealth is of less value than our integrity in divine concerns. On the other hand, there is the expression of a wealthy person where evidence is heard that money is of supreme importance. That person will talk about the numbers of homes owned, the number of cars in the garage, or the wealth accumulated in banks in many places. And this expression is amid those who have no home, have no dependable car, and have little financial hope. This comes from a person who gained wealth at the expense of others. This person will wear expensive clothing to express his love for wealth. The atmosphere in this environment is one where the wealthy gloat, and the others look on in stillness. Integrity brings us into the presence of a special spirit. In this presence are perseverance and goodness.

Some people will deny the value that the materially poor has to the environment. These people are angry at the willingness of those living in poverty to value integrity over wealth. To them, it is obvious that wealth comes through dishonesty. The dishonest wealthy person is depressed at the thought that the indigent chooses integrity over financial security. That person will attempt to bargain in a way that will provide opportunities for wealth if the poor person sets aside their integrity to receive gain. That would never be accepted by the person who lives in the presence of the divine spirit. The wealthy person will have to accept that some people will live with integrity and refuse to dishonor the special presence that is in us.

What are the pathogens affecting the value of integrity of the inner spirit? The answer in this passage is material values. Pools of these feelings of material worth exist everywhere: Wall Street, Forbes 500, business competitiveness clubs, marketing education, etc. How does this material value exit into our society? We learn that our security depends on being able to keep our workplace profitable. And we are told that only when the company makes money will we be kept on the payroll. And how do these material values transmit from day to day? One example is that children in the home hear their parents, brothers, and sisters talking. Material things are needed for tuition, for food, for a roof over our heads, etc. And when these conversations are heard, the children are infected by the idea that material wealth is the solution to our day-to-day living.

And who are the people most susceptible to adopting material values? The answer begins with the children, who are yet to hear of honoring the spirit. And any person is susceptible when the value of wealth is more important than the value of the spirit. How can we change the cycle? We do this by instilling the values of integrity through the presence of the special spirit in us. Integrity opens the door to a divine presence in us, where we blossom with the fruits of the spirit. These fruits bring kindness, self-control, and goodness. Through these fruits, the value of others exceeds the value of wealth.

We can value this assessment, that it is better to be poor and to have integrity that opens the door into the presence of the spirit. We can make a diagnosis; that wealth gained through dishonesty creates a deplorable atmosphere. We can make a plan from this, to value integrity of the spirit as being of more value than wealth. Then we implement this plan. We do this by choosing the integrity that opens the door into the presence of the spirit where the fruits blossom and choosing to refuse gains that grieve the spirit and stifle the fruits. We can evaluate how well we are doing by looking within us. Are there fruits blossoming from the decisions we make? When we accept a gain, do the fruits of goodness, kindness, love, and goodwill remain?

#  Chapter 16  
VALUE OF  
TRUTH WITH NEIGHBORS

You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

—Exodus 20:16

THERE IS VALUE IN TRUTH AND VALUE IN OUR neighbors. And there is no value in lying about our neighbors. Truth is a way for keeping us soft inside. This is the kind of softness that is open to goodwill, love, and kindness. This softness is the sponge that absorbs the moisture of the spirit. And telling the truth about our neighbors is the response from absorbing the spirit in us. Lying about our neighbors causes the moisture to dry. And our inner being will close and harden. This shuts out our neighbors and shuts our inward being to the spiritual realm. The seeds of spirituality are sown through kind truth. The blossoms of those seeds are the fruits of the spirit, such as kindness, goodwill, love, goodness, meekness, and patience. These qualities in truth make for a good neighbor.

Our body is where the special spirit lives. Truth about our neighbors pleases the spirit in us, and this truth opens the door into the presence of a divine being. When we are truthful about our neighbors, we are honoring that presence in us. This is when the spirit rewards us with the fruits. We believe there is a value in telling the truth about our neighbors, and lying about our neighbors grieves the spirit. What we believe affects how we respond. Because we believe telling the truth about our neighbors opens spiritual doors, we respond by being honest about our neighbors. Through these doors, we find the rewards of the fruits.

Tell the truth about your neighbor's basic habits. We tell the truth about the foods our neighbor eats, the type of fluids that are being consumed, where the neighbor sleeps, and the bathroom habits of our neighbors. Let's say that our neighbor eats health foods, drinks nutritional fluids, sleeps at home every night, and uses the bathroom indoors. A fruitful person will communicate this honestly—that the person has healthy habits and enjoys the comforts of home. This person feels the spiritual fruit on the inside because the special spirit is pleased. The person is blessed, and there is fruitfulness in the neighbor-to-neighbor relations. Now let's say that a person is fruitless and has no value for telling the truth about neighbors. The person will say that the neighbor eats rare meat, drink's alcohol excessively, sleeps in a different home every night, and urinates in the front yard frequently. These statements are harsh, not fruitful, and are the beginning of hurtful rumors. These lies hurt the relationship of neighbors. Those lies shut out neighbors and will shut the doors to spiritual fruitfulness. Only a truth flowing with the divine fruit will establish good neighbor relations.

Telling the truth makes our neighbors feel secure. By telling the truth about our neighbor, a sense of security for the neighbor is provided. The neighbor will feel safe in the comfort of knowing that a neighbor is respectful of her feelings. Telling the truth also makes us feel more secure inside ourselves because the spirit is pleased. Security within neighbor-to-neighbor relations is being established. A person who lies about a neighbor grieves the spirit, and the fruits of goodwill and kindness are not there. These are lies filled with cruelty, and make the neighbor feel insecure within the neighborhood. The person who started the lie feels insecurities around the neighbors who are truthful. That neighbor who formed the lie is a menace to those carrying the truth of the spirit. Only a truth flowing with the spiritual fruits can establish secure relations to our neighbors.

Telling the truth about our neighbor's social practice makes us a fruitful neighbor. We feel very good about ourselves when we feel that we are wanted by others. This is why we want to form relationships with neighbors who show love for us. This love makes us feel accepted. When there is a person flowing with the fruits of goodwill, kindness, and faithfulness relationships form with those who are receptive to those qualities. Telling the truth about this neighbor will form a bond of love, goodwill, and kindness toward each other. A person who lies about how that neighbor is relating to others is causing distance in the neighborhood. Those lies are establishing a distance from goodwill, kindness, love, and faithfulness. The lies told will say that the godly neighbor associates with people who are cruel, evil, and backstabbing. Through these untruths the fruitful neighbor could become the outcast while the liar becomes accepted. This neighborhood would be destined for social dysfunction. Only through the fruits of kindness, goodwill, and faithfulness do neighborhoods become established.

Telling the truth about our neighbor adds value to the neighbor's feeling of worth. The very special feeling in neighbor-to-neighbor relations comes from being valuable to each other. One example of this is asking for a cup of flour when you find yourself short. This is when the neighbor is baking a pie and at the last moment, discovers there is no flour in the kitchen. So the neighbor will go to a neighbor and ask for a cup of flour. From goodwill and kindness, the neighbor gives the flour. And when the pies are done baking, each neighbor share in the eating. This type of neighborly response makes us feel like we are valued neighbors. We can help each other when we need to and share in the rewards. A person who lies about a neighbor does not have the fruits of goodwill and kindness. These lies are evil and cruel. Fruitless lies can devastate neighborly relations, lies such as saying, "She is constantly borrowing my food; she is worthless as a neighbor" or "Her food tastes like she is cooking with antifreeze!" These cruel lies devastate the worth the neighbor would feel toward other neighbors. The value of our worth we once felt from each other would be gone. The neighborhood relations would become dysfunctional. Even so, the spiritual fruits add value to us as neighbors. This value increases the value of the neighborhood.

Telling the truth about our neighbors means that we represent ourselves honestly. Part of who we are is seen through how we express ourselves. Each neighbor will express themselves with various beliefs, ideas, social groups, and hobbies. Through the fruits of goodwill and kindness, we find acceptance of others' individual lifestyles. For example, one neighbor enjoys a day of boating on the lake because this brings fun and enjoyment. The other neighbor feels wholesome and pure by following a vegetarian menu. And at the end of the day, both neighbors can greet each other with a smile of kindness and goodwill for the other. What happens when we lie through our self-expression? Let's say that the vegetarian neighbor is grilling sweet corn in the yard with a new barbecue grill. The fruitless neighbor next door decides to join the barbecue and brings a bottle of whiskey and meat for grilling. As other neighbors walk by, they see him with his arm around her, and there is meat on the grill and a whiskey bottle on the table. The other neighbors are led to believe that both neighbors are eating meat, drinking, and enjoying the company of the other. A lie about a neighbor has been told, and not one word was spoken. This lie was told through a self-expression. The neighborhood is thrown for a loop, and dysfunction begins to loom from neighbor to neighbor. However, When the fruits of the spirit are in our self-expression, there is joy in the neighborhood.

Some people will deny their neighbors the dignity of honesty. These same neighbors will be angry at their neighbors who live an honest life. They are even depressed to see neighbors speaking in truth with each other. They will see this as an opportunity to bargain. For example, they will socialize with the group and make innuendos toward others. This person has a hard time accepting the truth. That acceptance of honesty opens a door into the presence of a special spirit; that divine presence is where the fruit of the spirit blossoms. These fruits are goodwill, kindness, and love, which enhance neighborly relations.

What are the pathogens that infect neighborly values? Lying about our neighbors infect neighborhood relations. Where are these people who lie about neighbors? These people are living next door to you and may be living in your home. How do these lies exit from these places? They exit through casual conversation in the living room or by overhearing talk coming from other neighbors. How are these lies transmitted to other neighbors? These lies are transmitted through people who carry a rumor from the living room or from a neighbor and then transmit these lies to other neighbors. How do these lies enter various other homes? This is the "I heard" communication line. When conversation is being made with someone up the street, the sentence comes up: "I heard the neighbor say..."

Who are susceptible to these lies? These are people who want to believe others. From the kindness of their inner being, they really want to believe the person who brought the rumor. This neighbor also wants to respond in a neighborly way rather than be confrontational. This person graciously accepts the lie to avoid confrontation with cruel and mean neighbors. How can we interrupt this cycle of lies? By realizing that truth opens the door to a special presence in us. And in this presence flow the fruits of the spirit, such as goodwill, goodness, kindness, love, and meekness. These fruits build bonds with neighbors and begin with truth.

What assessment can we make? That honesty about our neighbors leads to neighborly relations. What is the diagnosis? That lies about our neighbors grieves the spirit and leads to neighborhood destruction. What is our plan? To honor the special spirit with honesty toward our neighbor. How do we implement this plan? That plan is implemented by speaking words about our neighbors to increase the fruits of the spirit—words of love, tolerance, goodwill, and goodness. How do we evaluate our success? We ask ourselves if the fruits of the spirit are blossoming in us. This is a sign that the spirit is pleased.
