Published in The Gospel of God’s Love, page 340, Jesus, tells James Padgett that he, James, is in better condition to help the low spirits than are the Celestial Spirits; “We try to make a rapport with them, but their souls do not respond. It is only after you have talked to them and directed their attention to us (which helps open their souls perceptions to some degree) that we can come into that rapport with them that enables us to gain their attention and creates in them an interest in what we may have to say.
“This may seem surprising to you, as you believe we who are more elevated must have great power with and over these dark spirits. And this is so for certain purposes, and we do often restrain them from doing things they should not do. But this, you must understand, only means that we by our powers, arbitrarily force them to do or not do certain things, just as you on earth, in the enforcement of your laws, restrain those who desire to violate the law.
“But when we come to the task of attempting to turn their thoughts to those things that effect their soul condition, this use of constraint or force will not work. Then we must deal with the exercise of their free will, and in such cases only persuasion or loving influence can be effective in helping them out of their dark and tainted condition. We must invite and persuade the soul to awaken – we cannot force it – and to do so we must form that relationship with these dark spirits that will cause them to voluntarily open up their souls to our influence.
“The great obstacle to our work among spirits of this kind is that they will not listen to us or come into conversation with us, and we cannot compell them and accomplish our purposes. No human or spirit can ever, by force, be made to open up their soul to the higher thoughts of the soul’s progress. But, when we are able to come into rapport with them, then we can enlist their attention and inform them of the suffering and unhappiness that will be theirs if they continue in their same condition. And by this realization, they have an awakening and it causes them to think of these things that are holding them in their condition of darkness.”
To be continued…