Now is the day, my beloved, to look beyond men, to God! Look beyond mortality, beyond its positions, beyond the powerful phraseology of learned discourses into the souls of men, and know that only he is to be heeded whose works bear witness of his power and his contact with God.
Yea, all who have not the full power of my Father's promises made manifest in their lives are still but infants. Or at best they are only small children, for none have matured into the fullness of the Spirit, though they lay claim to the very gates of heaven, or even the throne of God, if they have not perfected the gift of love in their lives and walk in its Light.
Yea, beloved, come to my arms that I might hide the shame of your nakedness and clothe you with the Light of my power, that you might be healed, and made perfect.
And you, my noble and great ones, who hunger and thirst after righteousness, remember that I promised that you should be filled, even with the "Fullness of the Father." No promise is greater than this. The very heavens are rejoicing over you who have continued to ask, to seek and to knock, even according to my commandment and have not been satisfied to sleep in your infant state of immaturity, expecting God to do all things for you. Rather have you sought to perfect yourselves, even as Your Father in heaven is perfect. This perfection is His eternal desire and plan for you.
My servant Paul admonished that you lay hold of the best gifts. And how could you lay hold of them except to ponder them in your minds and to set your hearts upon them. Then having faith in Me, who was their author, open up your hearts to receive their fulfillment. Yea, Paul, through my commandment unto him, admonished that you leave the Gospel of repentance and baptism and the laying on of hands behind, laying not again the foundation of dead works, after they have been complied with and fulfilled, but from there on go on unto perfection.
Yea, beloved, when you have finished with the first grade leave its texts and lessons, and using the knowledge gained, go on to higher grades of development and learning and service. Yea, go on unto perfection.
Most individuals, on joining the church, think they have done all. How could they think otherwise since the churches teach such doctrine and place such seals upon the minds and souls of their members and converts, thus stopping their progress? Beyond the rituals of the churches, beyond their dogmas and forms is the beckoning reality of the greater Life. Reach on through to the reality and linger not behind, playing with the outer symbols of the great, eternal reality. Nay, be ye not eternal children, playing always with your childish blocks. But rather go on to receive all that is possible. Use the alphabetical symbols on the little wooden building blocks as stepping stones into the realm of divine knowledge and living, and eternal truth.
Never be satisfied, beloved, with anything less than I promised. Never be satisfied with less than the full maturity of your own soul. Never be satisfied until you fulfill the great possibility of your own complete destiny and divine calling. Never be satisfied until you have beheld my face, and then go on until you actually KNOW God.
He who knows not God always talks about it. He who knows God does not tell it.
Beloved, as long as you continue to hunger and thirst, to ask, to seek and to knock, the seals upon you cannot become so strong that they can actually stop and damn your progress. If you continue to search and to hunger and thirst after righteousness, not assuming that you have received all, the path of development will continually unfold, if you seek me diligently, in humility and prayer. Yea, seek me diligently and ye shall find me.
Beloved, remember that those who seek for the great fulfillment that they might awe the minds of men, or to receive praise and honors and to fill high places with their presence but search in vain and their struggle will end in disappointment and failure.
To hold high positions, to receive the adulation and honors of men, to exult in the pride of greatness is as vain to the growth of the soul as it is useless to try building an infant body into maturity by rubbing food on the outside. This is not the way of growth.
Growth is always from within, either in the physical, mental or spiritual realms. To bask in the flatteries and praises of men, to walk in that self-superior attitude of "Being the Lord's anointed", expecting to be appreciated and exalted by such methods is very childish. And those who indulge their inward cravings to this extent are considered but very "spoiled children" from the higher viewpoint. Such cravings for recognition and honor and the basking in positions and receiving credits is vainglorious and not only stops the soul's growth but actually begins to shrivel it.
My dearly beloved, know that as you step beyond the little physical, mortal self with its bigotries, and lusts and insatiable hunger for credit and rewards, into the higher understanding of growth, the body becomes the vehicle through which the progress of your soul is accomplished.
It is through, and IN the body, that all things must be overcome. Open your mind to comprehend the fullness of these words that you may know fully and completely that it is only possible to receive a fullness of joy while the body and spirit are united. Without the body the spirit has nothing with which to overcome.
The spirit is glorified through the body. The body is the crucible in which the spirit is refined. When the spirit is exalted and fully matured it exalts the body to its level and both can be redeemed and glorified together. This is the law I exemplified, the pattern I gave, the law of fulfillment. Life itself is an opportunity to overcome and pass right on into the Spiritual Kingdom of complete, glorified maturity, which is intended for every child of earth.
Within each soul is engraved a divine and glorious destiny that is so far beyond anything man has, as yet visualized, it is completely overwhelming in its magnitude of glorious perfection. And this fulfillment, this complete growth and glory has to be achieved by, and through the flesh.
The body contains the necessary equipment and conditions the soul requires to overcome.
Overcome what, you ask? Overcome the self, the little mortal, ego-filled self that, in its pride and bigotry and sensual lusts blocks the way to heaven. Yea, overcome the little self that gloats over praise and high positions and the honors of men, the little self that actually believes, in some instances, that it has a monopoly upon God and upon His holy favors and graces, though He proclaimed aloud that He is no respecter of persons, nor positions. He has always selected the weak and foolish ones as his chosen vessels, to confound the learned and the wise. Yea, overcome the little self that seeks its own and only loves its own, and itself. Overcome the little self that seeks to cover or ignore its own weaknesses and sins and failings, while magnifying them in others. Yea, overcome that little mortal self that so violently stands up to give battle in that overcoming.
Beloved ones, despair not. It is the weaknesses in that little physical "self" that serves as the testing ground, or is the battlefield. Yea, beloved, fear not as you step forth and realize that you are the crucible in which the dross is burned away. Yea, the body is the crucible in which your own refinement takes place and through it is the process given that purifies, perfects and glorifies if you will only bear the tests. Yea, truly was it proclaimed anciently in questioning solicitude, "Who can stand the test of knowing God?"
Yea, who can stand the refining, the overcoming, the intense purifying that is needed to be clothed in His Fullness?
Nay, beloved, despair not at the road ahead. Only know that it is a great and glorious privilege to be endowed with a body of flesh through which your soul might overcome, if you will but permit it. Know that every glorious breath is a divine privilege and an opportunity, for as long as you have the breath of life manifest within you, just so long do you have a chance for ultimate victory. Yea, as long as intelligence can function within you and breath lasts there is the power to turn the tide of battle and achieve the great victory. It is the great battle of decision in which you yourselves must make the great decision and achieve eternal victory as the "First-born" begins its reign.
When one leaves this sphere, without his body, in what you call "death" he relinquishes his greatest opportunity of existence. For in the resurrection those who are filthy will be filthy still and those who are unhappy will be unhappy still; and those who are failures will be failures still; and those who are groveling weaklings will be groveling weaklings still, though all were meant to be divine masters and walk in majesty and power.
And it is true that those who were happy shall be happy still, and those who were righteous will be righteous still. But know this, my beloved, that all who die will have to stand before the judgment seat of God and be judged according to the deeds done in the flesh. Yea, they will be brought into judgment. But for those who receive of these higher laws and overcome all things there is no death, nor judgment, for these things will be done away in you. Yea, the last enemy to be overcome is death. Overcome your darkness, your fears and weaknesses and death will have to back down before you. This is my eternal law. It is automatic in its fulfillment. It is the seal that will be placed upon your forehead, the seal of the Father, the seal of maturity and power and overcoming, for you are MINE.
Those who do not wake up their souls enough to give battle for their divine heritage that the rightful heir, even the "first-born", which was the spirit, can take the reigns of government the battle can never be won. It is for the individual to overcome the darkness right within himself, the fears, the negatives of the flesh, otherwise he will carry them across with him into the realm beyond. It is the flesh that provides the equipment for overcoming, the opportunity and power for complete "Exaltation".
Oh Life! Life stupendous, immeasurable, abundant Life!
Yea, beloved, let every breath be a song of fulfillment, a rhythm of praise, an opportunity of exulting in the glorious gifts and opportunities of God. It is this blessed mortal life of yours that unfolds and holds every opportunity of fulfillment, of triumph, of maturing and of stepping across a million years of travel in one short life-span.
Yea, beloved, every heartbeat is an opportunity! Every breath contains the power of your own exaltation. Every thought and feeling is endowed with the powers of creation and complete fulfillment.
Recall, my beloved, my parable of the laborers in my vineyard and those who sat idle in the market place until the last hour? Yea, suppose your life has passed and you have failed to find your place and the powers of your own maturity and fulfillment. This last hour need not be lost if you will but turn to me and offer up your broken hearts of failure and lost years and with your final energy serve in the joy of this last hour.
Know this, beloved, the great growth of the soul is not made in anguished tears of agony, but rather in the joy of praise and the adoration of singing gratitude. For he who is thankful in all things shall be made glorious. Yea, in that inner song of praise and ecstasy and thanksgiving is stored the love divine, the love that casts out all fear, the power to fulfill all things.
And now, another mystery I will reveal unto you. This one is most sacred, see that you cast it not before swine lest they trample it under their feet and turn again and rend you. This most sacred truth which I now reveal unto you is the great Name AMEN. This is the Name through which you seal your prayers and petitions, and is most holy. It is the Title of the Beginning and the End. It is My Title. And it is yours, when you have fulfilled it. It is the Name which includes all things, your progress from the time you left the throne of God as rays of Light, to go on your way of progress to be clothed in consciousness, then in Spirit form and at last in flesh as you continue in your round of progress back again into the very presence of God, clothed in eternal Light and glory.
When you have completed this round of progress you will have fulfilled the Great Amen, the promise and fulfillment of your own divine perfection, the perfect pattern contained within your own soul. Then you shall truly comprehend all things, and all things will be subjected unto you.
Yea, glory to God our Father! Glory and honor and praise be unto Him forever and forever -- AMEN!