Defeating Fear and Ignorance

The spiritual being has many stimuli to growth and education on earth. We must work hard, sincerely, and lovingly, but persistently, to overcome the "lower nature." It principally uses two tools to try to discourage us.

These are fear and ignorance. This lower nature does not care at all if you want to become "religious." In fact, that can serve the fear-nature. But it resists you when you want to become spiritual. Recall that "religion" is what you do on the outside, but spirituality is the real thing, what you do on the inside. It was this lower nature that Jesus defeated in the wilderness.

We overcome ignorance by study, observing ourselves and the world, and reading truly spiritual books. We must also practice interior prayer, the "prayer of silence," or meditation. We overcome fear through discipline and awareness: For we must learn to love all the things that formerly we feared. And, of course, as always, the best way to get the help that you might need is to give it to others.