Question yourself as to your weakness. What caused your failure? To continue to bemoan your folly is in itself a weakness. My followers must be strong, not in themselves, but in Me.
The look at Self, however penitent, cannot give strength.
Look unto Me, and, whatever the seeming sacrifice, be ruthless with what hindered or caused you to fall.
Deal with each difficulty as you must.
Then live above it. Say “In Him I conquered.” The fight is ever between you and evil, never between you and another. Never make it a personal matter.
If you are fighting with the weapons of the world — envy, resentment, anger — you cannot use those of My Kingdom — Prayer, Love, Peace — which would give you a God-given conquering strength.
It is the endeavor to call both God and mammon to your aid that makes for lack of success. The world looks on in scornful pity, and My followers themselves doubt and wonder.
So often they do not see their own error, but attribute to suffering for My Sake that which may not be according to My Will.
I desire the love of man’s heart in abundant measure.
Not because God would be adored for Himself and for His own gratification, but because I know that only as the love of man flows out to Me does man attain to his purest and best.
That rush of love, which follows the understanding and realization of My Love for man, sweetens and purifies his whole being.
Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
The love you give to your neighbor is the overflow of your love to me.
Be content to do the simple things.
Never think that if you have not the cleverness of the world I cannot use your services.
Pure sparkling wine may be in a silver goblet or in a simple glass, but, to the one who receives, it is the wine that matters, not the vessel, provided that be pure and clean.
It is My truth that matters, not the person that utters it, provided the desire is there to deliver My Message for ME.
True simplicity is found only as you live in Me and act in My Strength; for only in our close companionship can real value be achieved.
Never accept the values of earth. Be content with simplicity.
I do not promise My followers the world’s ease and pleasures. I promise those Joys that the world can neither give nor take away.
I promise the heart-rest found in Me alone.
It does not mean that all the beauties and pleasures of the world can be renounced, but that they must be enjoyed only after the treasures and Joys of My Kingdom have been learned, appreciated, and given first place.
By the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
Obedience is the keystone of your arch of worship. On it depends your Love and Power.
Through that archway shall many pass into My Holy Place. Once therein their questing souls will pass into My Holy of Holies. Is it too much to ask of you obedience that this may be accomplished?
Do not fret that your life is lived in lowly places. It is not to be lived to impress this earth-plane, but to be so faithful and obedient that those for whom you desire much, shall have THAT much impressed upon them on the spirit-plane.
That much, and more, than you can desire for them.
I bind up the broken hearts with the cords wherewith men scourged Me in the Judgment Hall, with the whips of scorn wherewith men have mocked My Love and Divinity down the ages.
Symbol, this, of the way in which, out of seeming obstacles stepping-stones can be fashioned, and, out of trials undreamt-of, blessings can be wrought.
Share My Life with its longings and tears, with its Joys unspeakable and its heartaches beyond human description.
Share My Joy.
“Blessed are they that hear My Voice.”
Deaf to My Voice man can so often be. Live, My children, more in the Unseen World. There, in the contemplation of Me, your whole nature becomes sensitive to My faintest whisper.
I have told you, I tell you again, the Unseen World is the real world. Realize more and more as you go through this earth-life that this is only a material-plane parenthesis. The real paragraph, chapter, book of Life is the Spirit-Life.
This point of view will alter your idea of suffering, failure, and the work of life here. It will give you a new view of death. Birth begins the parenthesis, death closes it. Then back to real Life-History. Absorb this.
When you have done so, you will get that same idea about the various periods of your earth-life. Times of struggle, defeat, joy, failure, work, rest, success — treat them all as parts of a parenthesis in the one Eternal Life of spiritual progress.
“Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father in Heaven.”
That was the aim I set before My disciples when I spoke to them on the Mount.
That is the aim I set before you and every follower of Mine today.
To achieve this you would be as God.
To aim at less would mean an unworthy standard.
To keep your gaze on this as your standard means that your eyes are fixed on the Heights of God, always directed above the difficulties and the lower aims and desires and standards of others round you.
Be Perfect – But How? by Derek Prince – download free book here
Be still before Me. How often in a crisis man rushes hither and thither. Rush is a sign of weakness. Quiet abiding is a sign of strength.
A few quiet actions, as you are led to do them, and all is accomplished wisely and rightly, more quickly and more effectually than could be done by those who rush about and act feverishly.
Guidance IS Guidance, the being led, the being shown the way. Believe this.
Softly across life’s tumult, comes a gentle Voice, “Peace, be still.” The waves of difficulty will hear. They will fall back. There will be a great calm.
And then the Still Small Voice of Guidance.
