As a person, having at my disposal the power to make decisions, I will be
taught by the Spirit to govern my mental intake, to direct my mind to take
in only that matter which will help me to enhance my life and bring it into
a conformity with that life which God planned for me even before He made
me. I will not allow my mind to wallow in bits of knowledge, the knowledge
of facts which are of no eternal consequence. I will get to want to know
only that which God, He Who owns me, wants me to know.
The second part of our simple formula, that is, the revving up of heart
activity, addresses itself to that part of the soul which is known as the
WILL. As human beings, we are composed of the body and the soul. The body
works through its five senses, the soul works through the mind and the
will. Underlying all of this is the PERSON of me, the I of me, wherein I
am in charge of making use of the body with its senses as also of the soul
with its two faculties, the mind and the will. It is this will which we
speak of as the heart. Ordinarily it would be more correct too speak of
the brain and the heart which physical parts are the channels through which
the mind and will of the soul operate. When we speak of increasing heart
activity, we make reference to performing acts of the will.
There are certain acts of the will which are merely human; there are other
acts which are under the influence of the Holy Spirit. On the ordinary
human level, we make use of the will in putting forth power into life, are
determined to do something, to make decisions on a purely human level, and
loving on the human level. Although it is of some value to live in the
heart on a merely human level, this is not where the will is at its best.
It is at its best when it is under the influence of the Holy Spirit living
and operating with it. Some of these acts are: believing in, trusting in,
and loving God, obeying Him, thanking Him, accepting His forgiveness and
forgiving our fellowmen, praising Him, giving Him reverence, and the like.
To remember that when we were baptized the Holy Spirit took up His bode
within us is a very good thing. We cannot experience the full impact of
the Spirit unless and until we are living in the heart, or, to put it more
accurately, living in a way that the will plays an essential part in our
daily life. The Holy Spirit can be considered as the Soul of our soul and
the Heart of our heart. As the Spirit of Love, He shares with us His Life
and elevates us to the sharing of His Life.
The more we are able to put ourselves under the influence of the Holy
Spirit, the more frequent and of a higher quality are our will or "heart"
acts. It is this realization, namely, that the Holy Spirit takes the
initiative within us that makes it possible for us very easily and quickly
to live in the heart.
Once I SLOW DOWN, I can take charge of my mind, I can limit its intake and
be concerned with the quality of my thoughts. With the help of the Holy
Spirit, I can find Him living within my heart, I can welcome Him, and allow
Him to do for me whatever He knows best to do for my best well being. He
will carry on a continuous activity, prompting me in acts of faith, trust,
love, obedience, gratitude, forgiveness, reverence and the like. Engaging
in this type of life, I will find a peace that the world cannot give. I
will find joy. I will find and enjoy a living relationship with Life
itself. This all becomes possible when I take the time to just SLOW DOWN!