“This I say then, live by the Spirit, and you will not be enslaved to the compulsions of the lower nature. For the compulsions of the lower nature are against the Spirit, but the freedom of the Spirit is against the lower nature. These principles are mutually exclusive, creating self-conflict and instability, and keeping you from living a life of real freedom and joy. If you live by the Spirit, however, you will be set free from the chaos of the lower nature and its inner conflict” (Gal. 5:16-19). We escape temptation by choosing to elevate our thinking, by directing our focus toward God in prayer and supplication, and regarding ourselves as spiritual beings that bear eternal significance. This is the way of spirituality (רוּחָנִיוּת), for where the Spirit of the LORD is present, there is liberty (2 Cor. 3:17). When we feel the pull of the yetzer hara (lower nature), we should pray that God would unify our hearts with divine truth, as it is written: רִגְזוּ וְאַל־תֶּחֱטָאוּ – “tremble and you will not sin” (Psalm 4:4), which means that as our eyes open to the awe of God, we will be humbled before the Sacred Presence, and the enticement of the self will flee from us (James 4:7). Resist the temptation to envy or self-pity; rejoice in the godly struggle against the devices of the lower nature: a pure heart sees the truth of God (Psalm 24:4; Matt. 5:8).
The opposite of the fear of the LORD is apathetic double-mindedness – a “two-souled” condition (δίψυχος) where inner vision is doubled and focus is lost. Remedy is found in a purity of heart that wills one thing: “If your eye be single (i.e., haplous: ἁπλοῦς), your whole being will be filled with light” (Matt. 6:22). We must beseech God as King David did: “Teach me your way, O LORD, that I may walk in your truth; unify my heart to fear your name” (Psalm 86:11). David understood that walking in the truth required “uniting his heart,” or “repairing the breach” within his inner affections so that he could confidently trust in God’s Presence… He needed healing from the inner conflict that split him off from reality. In effect, David prayed: “After You have healed my ambivalent heart, I will thank You with all my heart and I will glorify Your Name forever. My healing comes from Your great love (chesed) toward me, and through your love I am delivered free from the depths of hell” (Psalm 86:12-13).
Every moment of life is an opportunity to ask the question: “How may I see the sacred here?” How may I revere and esteem the gift of life? How may I perceive the awe of God? Seize the moment and walk in God’s way, today, now, and in this hour. Open your heart; renew your mind; turn to the light; find the sacred in your midst!