Click on photo for information about it.
We generally think of ourselves as living entirely in a material body. Everything we see, touch and are aware of is made up of matter; however there is a vital part of our being we generally ignore: our mind. We observe, analyze, correlate, and propose solutions to problems entirely within our mind.
Material mind is the arena in which human personalities live, are self-conscious, make decisions, choose God or forsake him, eternalize or destroy themselves.[1]
There are important considerations when we attempt to understand what is going on inside our mind. While we cannot fully comprehend its inner workings, we can at least learn to direct our own mind into more beneficial pathways. The goal of our thoughts should be to find our God fragment within.
Our mind is the thinking, perceiving, and feeling mechanism of the human organism. The total conscious and unconscious experience. The intelligence associated with the emotional life reaching upward through worship and wisdom to the spirit level.[2]
In our mind we are relatively free; we can direct our thoughts in any direction, pursue them wherever they may go. It is in our mind that our free will is strongest. This can be a good thing if we use wisdom when directing our minds, otherwise there may be unhappy consequences.
Within our mind, consciousness is free of material restraints; there are no material objects, no innate guideposts. As we see below, there are subtle leadings that could lead us into greater spiritual awareness; we need to recognize them and choose to do God’s will in all things.
Difficulties
Too often, all too often, you mar your minds by insincerity and sear them with unrighteousness; you subject them to animal fear and distort them by useless anxiety.[3]
Citizens in a materialistic society such as ours become particularly susceptible to mind difficulties when they recognize no spiritual guidance, nothing to give direction to their thoughts except materialism, which is basically greed. Having a mind without recognizing an inner moral direction is like being alone in a trackless desert with evening coming on. The current rash of mass shootings in our nation is a glaring symptom of our lack of moral guidance.
Mortal mind can actually be twisted, distorted, and rendered evil and ugly by the sinful machinations of a perverse and self-seeking human will. Likewise can this mind be made noble, beautiful, true, and good—actually great—in accordance with the spirit-illuminated will of a God-knowing human being.[4]
We make decisions based on our personality, background, and desires. If our will is self-seeking there will be insurmountable difficulties; if we have a moral compass we will have a clear path through whatever difficulties we encounter. Citizens in a secular society have little or no inner guidance; their unfocused minds wander into unhealthy regions while minds focused on finding and knowing God will surely attain Paradise and stand in the presence of our Heavenly Father.
Mind is the cosmic instrument on which the human will can play the discords of destruction, or upon which this same human will can bring forth the exquisite melodies of God identification and consequent eternal survival.[5]
The human will acting in the mind is where we rise or fail.
Our Spirit Guide
Perhaps the greatest truth revealed in The Urantia Book is that every thinking human being has within them a fragment of God, our indwelling Thought Adjuster. This truth is briefly mentioned in the Bible but it is rarely emphasized in Christianity. Knowing God is intimately linked to each of us gives new meaning to the value of every mortal.
Though the work of Adjusters is spiritual in nature, they must, perforce, do all their work upon an intellectual foundation. Mind is the human soil from which the spirit Monitor must evolve the morontia soul with the co-operation of the indwelt personality[6].
The Thought Adjuster arrives when the child first makes a moral decision, usually about five or six years of age; at this point the soul is born. Our spirit of God within never coerces; it only offers suggestions. To grow spiritually we must learn to follow these suggestions, which are subtle. Someone mired in materialism will have difficulty recognizing them while someone dedicated to choosing God’s Will has a better opportunity to make a moral choice; in their mind they KNOW and decide accordingly. Those between these extremes must learn to seek and recognize the gentle spiritual guidance everyone receives.
Our mind can assist us in our growth if we are sincere. Much more important is cooperating with our personal Thought Adjuster which will stimulate and inspire your mind to control itself and activate the body if you will release it from the fetters of fear and thus enable your spiritual nature to begin your deliverance from the evils of inaction by the power-presence of living faith.[7]
We naturally fear the unknown but there is within us a source of spiritual power; removing the chains of fear by trusting in God’s love and guidance is vital to our spiritual growth. We can reach spiritual insight because our mind is not entirely material. There is a spirit nucleus in the mind of man—the Adjuster of the divine presence.[8]
Moral Choices = Soul Growth
The process of physical evolution has provided a material mechanism: our body. Heavenly Father has given us an indwelling spark of spiritual guidance, our Thought Adjuster. In addition, we have also been given a mind, the decision-making arena where we define or destroy our eternal nature. Mind is a vital aspect of our being that is frequently under appreciated. We contemplate frivolous things when we should be training our mind to make God-seeking decisions. We choose in our mind what we become in eternity.
Mortal mind is a temporary intellect system loaned to human beings for use during a material lifetime, and as they use this mind, they are either accepting or rejecting the potential of eternal existence. Mind is about all you have of universe reality that is subject to your will….[9]
Our deepest desires are what drive us into oblivion or into an eternal life of growth and service. Our present situation is not nearly as important as our goal, which should direct our actions as we seek eternal value.
Our Thought Adjuster makes gentle suggestions and we choose in our mind how to respond. We seek the presence of God within now while in eternity we find Him in person on Paradise; this is the great adventure of our existence. Our starting point is as a material being while our goal is a perfect eternal being: a Finaliter. We get there by choosing at each decision point to do God’s Will.
Jesus taught the appeal to the emotions as the technique of arresting and focusing the intellectual attention.[10] I am developing a process that encourages this called “spiritual focusing.” I do not fully understand the process but it involves a technique to identify and encourage the growth of spiritual emotions.
Eternity
The goal of our thoughts must be to find our personal God fragment within. Our Heavenly Father is loving and merciful. The scope of His mercy was illustrated when Jesus was hanging on the cross and declared, speaking about those who had put him there, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” If such an act can be forgiven, our own mundane sins will surely be forgiven if we ask. Knowing our sins have been forgiven, we can concentrate on preparing our mind for the journey Godward.
We experience stress over momentary events in our mortal existence, but in the span of eternity these may be as important as a specific grain of sand on the beach; our material mechanism is transitory. But we, using our free will choices, can affirmatively choose an existence into eternity. This choice is made in our mind and mobilized by our actions selecting God’s will as our eternal guide.
Mind is soul soil. Is yours nourished and ready for the journey into an eternal existence?
[1] 1216.4; this refers to the one column edition of The Urantia Book as page.paragraph. All references are to The Urantia Book.
[2] 8.8
[3] 103.5
[4] 1217.1
[5] 1217.1
[6] 1216.2
[7] 1437.3
[8] 2094.5
[9] 1216.6
[10] 1705.4
I hope to learn more about “spiritual focusing”, so important to reach the emotional flow when we attempt to encourage others to entertain thoughts of God.