Capture
a Prisoner
(winning The
Victory)
by Michael F. O’Keeffe
There is a war
going on within each person. It is a war
between the selfish self and the noble self, between the spirit self and the
physical self. It is a war between the
temporary part of each human being and the eternal part. It is a war between evil and goodness. Sinners and criminals are ones who allow the
lower self (the body of desires) to win most of the battles. The responsible, venerable person is one
whose higher self (the spirit-self) wins many of the battles. These battles simmer within every human being
all the time, and sometimes they rage.
Jesus, the Lord,
became Messiah because he lived a life on earth in which his higher, eternal,
spirit-self won every battle. Not a
single skirmish was ever lost – he lived a sinless life. He taught his disciples (who were sinners)
how to turn their lives around: he taught them how to win every battle. The Lord taught that trying to win every
battle individually is a noble endeavor, but there will certainly be many lost
battles until the lower self has been
taken prisoner. The lower self’s
appetites, passions and desires are extremely strong – often too strong, and
when a noble battle seems to have been won, the foe counterattacks, and
snatches away what seemed like victory.
However, our Lord
told his disciples about a strategy that will ensure success. He described a technique that works
well. It is based on prayer and fasting. This method is direct and effective, yet he
advised caution: he stated that we should prepare carefully, because the lower
self’s desires are too strong to be arrested by casual effort. Thus, he said, “take stock of yourself before
you start to follow me…and don’t look back.
Remember Lot’s wife.”
Here is a
description of the Lord’s technique:
First, dedicate yourself to frequent prayer and meditation, especially
when going to sleep; and be sure to ask God, our Father, for help. This is important – you cannot achieve your
goal without divine help. Second, start
winning some important smaller victories – overcome any obvious addictions (to
tobacco, drugs, alcohol, comfort food, and between-meal snacks). This may take weeks, months, years (or even
decades) – depending on your level of addiction and your willingness and
determination to be victorious.
After you feel
confident that you have won these smaller victories, it’s time to begin the
third phase – to win a major victory: Limit
yourself to only three small bland
meals per day, and nothing between. What
do I mean by bland? Cut out flavor
intensive foods and flavor enhancers – pepper, onions, garlic, vinegar, lemon
juice, mustard etc., anything that stimulates the tongue’s
pleasure senses – eliminate spices, sweet treats and all flavorings from your
diet. And cut out temperature-intensive
eating; that is, consume only warm food and beverages, never hot or cold. And minimize (or eliminate) meat, fish, milk
and egg consumption.
After you have
achieved this stage (without “looking back”) you will soon realize why the Lord
said “take stock of yourself,” for you are now almost prepared to begin following him; however, you will
find that it’s very difficult to maintain this diet. Your carnal self will protest and call aloud,
demanding that you return to the pleasures of flavorings and temperature
enjoyment, and between-meal snacks.
However, if you disregard the lower self’s demands, and persevere for
several months, you are finally prepared;
and you will soon discover why the Lord described The Victory as being “like
finding a treasure in a field,” as you will have begun to experience some
unexpected, priceless, heavenly benefits (even before you finally capture your
foe).
Soon, you will know
how win the war, and you will incarcerate the vanquished prisoner, and restrict
him (or her) to POW rations (and you will gladly throw away the key).
P.S.
This essay is based
on 25 years of studying the Aquarian Gospel, and on 20 years
of practice and preparation.