Just like a human body, a spirit can’t run for long on junk food.

Spiritual nourishment

We are typically not shy in asking for our daily bread, although our food choices may leave something to be desired. But what about spiritual nourishment? So many people are walking around spiritually starved and spiritually vitamin deficient.

The deal is, we all know that if we don’t feed ourselves well, we will become tired, weak and eventually sick. In a similar way, when our spirits are undernourished, we react from tired old habits and can’t find an ounce of inner peace.

Whether we realize it or not, we’re full to the gills with hidden untruths, which are the equivalent of spiritual Twinkies. And just like a human body, a spirit can’t run for long on such junk food. What we need then is a regular intake of spiritual truth. And we need to take it in more than once.

It’s no secret that our bodies won’t feed themselves. We must each earn our bread, buy it, prepare it and eat it. Spiritually, it’s much the same story. We must seek the right source for spiritual nourishment, take the trouble to take it in, and then digest it by thinking on it, applying it to our lives, and praying for help.

Sound like too much effort? Thinking maybe you lack the necessary willpower? Think again. For every single person has willpower. Problem is, we often don’t apply it very well.

“I’m too tired” and “What does it even matter?” are soul-sucking attitudes that lead us down a spiritless drain of depression and hopelessness. And let’s be honest, it doesn’t hurt God’s feelings if we’re not willing to make an effort, but it matters a whole lot to our own world-weary souls.

The right use of our will

Our work then is to look for the light and to let that become our guide. We must search out our faults and find the roots of our blind emotional reactions. We have to find our own inner wants and start to put our souls in order.

Yes, all this we must do, but don’t despair. For such a way of life steers us clear of depression. This is the way to turn unpleasant events into steppingstones, and to convert failures into opportunities to learn to do better.

Both the cause and the solution for everything that happens in our lives is inside us.

Listen up: Nothing that happens in life is good or bad. Life’s next disaster could turn out to be the best thing that ever happened. Likewise, a fortunate event could go south if we don’t learn the spiritual lesson it contains.

It’s only through the right use of our will that we have the power to direct our reactions and the power to change. To let ourselves slide into depression is to blame fate and others for what happens to us. But that’s never in truth. For both the cause and the solution for everything that happens in our lives is inside us.

We are not slaves to how our life unfolds, we are the architects. Finding the way out then requires that we see ourselves squarely, face what needs facing, and have the courage to endure the uncomfortable. If we don’t run away, we can take responsibility for our lives and be the ones who ask for help in making changes.

Aligning with inner truth

Willpower isn’t a blessing for a chosen few; willpower naturally flows from our Higher Self. When it’s aligned with God’s will for us, it runs clean and true. It guides us to find our own particular task, which could be quite different from the person’s sitting next to us. We have to find our own right way.

Task-wise, though, we do all share one common theme: We must come to know ourselves. So we can all start with this, working to uncover untruth inside us. Keep in mind, untruth is always connected with painful experiences.

For when we focus on clearing our inner distortions—the places that are not in truth—we will come into alignment with our own Higher Self which operates in alignment with the Higher Selves of everyone else and follows the will of God.

Best of all, when we are living in alignment with God’s will, we will be happy. Glory be! Weariness will then vanish and our own willpower will wake up.

Letting go and trusting God

So what does it take to live in alignment with God’s will? It requires us to be willing to look for what separates us from God. Note, there are not big or little things in this regard. It all matters. But every time we sacrifice our own little will for the greater good of God’s will, we discover that whatever we give up is actually a burden. For anything that comes between us and God can only be a burden.

Here’s the real rub. The problem isn’t that we don’t know what God’s will is for us, it’s that we do. And yet we doubt we will like it. We hang on to whatever we think will give us some modicum of pleasure, knowing full well it’s not in our best interest. Quite simply, we don’t believe God has our highest good at heart.

The only way to know the truth here is to test the water. We have to give it a shot. Then the peace and joy that will flood our system will become the salve that soothes our hurting souls. This is the only thing that will give us the confidence to do it again and again, stepping over and over into alignment with God’s will.

In this way, we can learn to trust God. In this way, we can let ourselves be nourished by what God is ready and willing to give us: a direct connection with truth.

—The Guide’s wisdom in Jill Loree’s words

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Read Original Pathwork® Lecture: #16 Spiritual Nourishment – Willpower