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October 10th, 1915.
Received by:James Padgett
Washington D.C.
I am here, Jesus.
I came tonight to tell you that you are nearer the Kingdom than
you have been for a long time, and that if you pray to the Father
in more earnestness you will soon realize the inflowing of the Divine
Love, that will make you free indeed and fit you to enjoy that close
communion with the Father that will enable you to forget all your
worries and disappointments, and see with your soul perceptions
the great truths which I and my followers may endeavor to teach
you.
I know, that at times, it seems difficult to grasp the full meaning
of faith in the Father and His Love, but if you will earnestly seek
for His Love, you will find that there will come to you such a belief
in His Wonderful Love and in the nearness of His presence, that
you will be free from all doubt.
You have asked me "what is faith" and I will answer:
Faith is that which when possessed in its real and
true meaning makes the aspirations and longings of the soul a real,
living existence; and one so certain and palpable that no doubt
will arise as to its reality.
This faith is not the belief that arises from the mere operation
of the mind, but that which comes from the opening of the perceptions
of the soul, and which enables its possessor to see God in all His
Beauty and Love. I do not mean that the possessor of this faith
will actually see God in form or feature, for he has none such,
but his soul perceptions will be in such condition that all the
Attributes of the Father will appear so plainly to him, that they
will be as real as anything that he can see with the eyes of the
spirit form. Such faith comes only with constant earnest prayer,
and the reception into the soul of the Divine Love.
No man can be said to have faith who has not this Divine Love.
Of course, faith is a progressive quality or essence of the soul,
and increases as possession of this Divine Love increases, and is
not dependent on anything else. Your prayers call from the Father
a response that brings with it faith, and with this faith comes
a knowledge of the existence of this Love in your own soul.
Many persons, I know, understand this faith to be a mere belief,
but it is greater than belief, and is existing in its true sense
only in the soul. Belief may arise from a conviction of the mind,
but faith never can. Its place of being is in the soul, and no one
can possess it unless his soul is awakened by the inflowing of this
Love.
So that, when we pray to the Father to increase our faith it is
a prayer for the increase of Love. Faith is based on the possession
of this Love, and without it there can be no faith, because it is
impossible for the soul to exercise its function when Love is absent
from it.
Sometime, as you progress in these writings, you will be in soul
condition to understand just what faith is, but until that time
your faith will be limited by your possession of this Love.
Well, in my healing of the sick, and the blind and the others of
earth, who needed a cure, when I said: "as your faith so be
it unto you," I meant that they must believe that the Father
had power to bring about the cure; but I did not mean that if their
minds merely had the belief that I might cure them, that then they
would be cured. Belief was not sufficient of itself, but faith was
required.
Faith is not a thing that can be obtained by a mere exercise of
the mind, but has to be sought for with the soul perceptions, and
when obtained will be enjoyed only by the soul perceptions.
I am with you in all my love and power, for I love you as I told
you and desire that you shall become free and happy, so that you
can do my work.
With all my love and blessings I will say good
night.
Your brother and friend,
Jesus
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