new church life : march / april 2017
thoughts come into our mind we can both know and reflect upon their source and origin . At such a moment , we need to pause and reflect upon their source and origin . That moment of reflection is of vital importance , for in it we can evaluate the consequences to our spiritual welfare if we allow it to have mastery over us .
And the Writings reveal another remarkable fact , namely , that during such moments of reflection when evil thoughts are identified as to their origin , angels will come to our rescue and turn the evil away . “ For the influx of the angels is into what a person knows and believes , but not into what a person does not know and believe .” ( Arcana Coelestia 6206 )
From these teachings perhaps we can come to appreciate the importance of turning to the Word as a source of inspiration and instruction . Reading the Word , or hearing its sacred message being read , invites angels to be with us . It also helps greatly to strengthen our resolve to reject evil thoughts that come upon us . When we are in a quandary as to the appropriate action we should take , turning to the Lord in His Word , with a sincere prayer for guidance , can yield the enlightenment needed to go forward .
We do not live from ourselves but from the Lord alone . Yet to provide for our freedom He has given us a wonderful gift , the gift of allowing us to feel His inflowing life as our own . Yet we need to guard against the false persuasive notion of thinking that the good we may do and the truth we may speak are our own , for they are not . We cannot claim merit for the good things we may do , nor should we bask in the pride of our own intelligence for the truth we may speak . These are gifts bestowed upon us by the Lord , a truth that should be interiorly acknowledged .
But if our life , and our ability to act in it , is given us by the Lord we may wonder if there is anything that we can truly call our own ? And the answer is that the only thing that is truly our own is the choice we make during times of temptation . That is the moment when we are called upon to exercise our own free will .
While the empowerment to make the choice between good or evil is from the Lord , the choice that we make is of our own choosing . That is the only area in which we are truly free . The multiple choices that we make over a lifetime form what is called our ruling love , which becomes the essence of our character that will suit us for eternal life either in heaven or in hell .
The Lord works in secret ways , and in every way possible He tries to steer our errant nature toward heaven . If we choose evil He causes us to feel troubled in conscience , and we have to hide our wrongful deed in shame . He provides that evil shall never rest comfortably , unless we in freedom determine our will to act in its favor . If we turn from our wickedness He sends His angels to inspire repentance and the promise of forgiveness . He makes it hard for us
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