Spiritual Delineation – Reading Between the Lines
The Physicist: “A tsunami is a train of waves, or a series of waves, generated in a body of water by an impulsive disturbance that vertically displaces the water column…”
The Economist: “More than 350,000 job cuts have been announced in recent months as companies around the world grapple with slowing growth and falling demand…”
The Musician: “Playing music, lyrics, etc…”
These three very different scenarios have a fervent influence in the spirit world. Communication in the spirit world spreads out like waves, scalloped to reach the spirit of man and ignite what is a part of God in us. When it is received in us, it is the hand of the Lord that makes it possible for us to see and understand the message. In other words, what we learn in the spirit world is already a part of us. The message is simply deciphered in us to give us a greater understanding of the word of God. This is the same with the messages in our world today, whether on television, on the radio, or in whatever media we have at our disposal. However, there is a caveat in all things spiritual, it must be for the purpose of spiritual rewards and not otherwise.
If we take the example of the musician, we see that it is much easier for him to reach an audience that covers a wider range of people; he can reach children, adults, accountants, nurses, philosophers and many more because they don’t just look for the meaning in the words of his song. Words are important to those who can tell them apart, but for most it is the rhythm, the voice, the sound that comes to them that gives them a sensation that is stimulated from within. The sound of this music is not learned, it awakens in man. In this way we can all relate to music in one way or another. This is the nature of the word of God. It enters the spirits of men because our spirits already know God. It is the force of God that deciphers his words within us so that we receive spiritual food. Music is something that we receive in this way because it is relaxing, it reminds us of things and it touches our spirits because it is already a part of them. The physicist who advises us about the dangers caused by tsunamis would not have an impact on our lives if his intentions were not spiritual in nature. If things are not done spiritually, the result is carnal. In other words, many of us would listen to what he had to say, but by carrying this message, his train of thought would be out of the way. However, with music there is a difference, it is distinctive and carries its own identity. The point is that the spiritual message carries an identity and cannot be misunderstood. Our Lord carries this message through man making sure that we receive it in its entirety.
If we look at the situation of the economist, he falls into the same category as the physicist because, despite the relevance of his message, it is not aimed at the spirit of men but at their well-being in society. He may affect them, but over time they will forget this message because it is more carnal than spiritual. The complexity and mystery behind the spiritual world makes it possible to transmit these messages to man so that they last in eternity if the intention behind the message is spiritual. God searches the hearts of men and knows what our intentions are in each work. If we sow seeds of fear of death, through earthly disasters, scientific revelations that bring fear to society, and demonstrate our knowledge for our own benefit, then we will reap rewards that are carnal. In other words, if the physicist’s intention was to demonstrate his admiration for tsunami disasters and his scientific progress, then his message would reach very few. However, if his intention was to teach people about the world and its environment, believing that it was the Lord’s will whatever the outcome, then his message would be understood throughout society.
This does not mean that the other two professions are not equally important. The physicist and the economist make the same difference to our hearts in one way or another, but their intentions are not so obvious due to the nature of their message. Therefore, before trying to do things, we must ask ourselves what our intentions are. If we have learned the word of the Lord and prosper in passing it on, then we will be successful. Putting fear in the hearts of men is not God’s intention. If our Lord has defeated death, why should we be afraid to die? In which case, the physicist’s message is paralyzed after a few viewers. On the other hand, if his intentions are to make us aware of our surroundings knowing that regardless of how things turn out, we will survive by God’s will and not man-provided methods of safety and security, his messages would spread across many people.
The mystery behind the spirit world is captured in our faith. Our intentions are defined by our faith in the Lord and for some of us who may not know the word of the Lord, we will find that if what we do, we do with good intentions, then we will always succeed in one way or another. Reading between the lines is a stream of thought that must be taken into account in any spiritual journey.