6th Fruit: God’s Will is Disciplined
God’s Will is always Self-Disciplined (reflected in column #6 in the example-charts on pages 70-72). To be truly disciplined, the True Self always manifests bravery in the face of fear (“Do not fear, only Believe …” ~ Jesus in Mark 5:36) … It can be said that the option most feared is the option most in need of actualization; both to allow for the most personal growth back towards a reunion with what many call “God” (via the freeing of one’s Soul from its ego-mind’s fears), as well as to serve others more Power-fully (“Rekindle the Gift of God that is within you … For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a Spirit of Power and of Love” ~ 2 Timothy 1:6-7) … Remember that most of the major revelations of the Bible begin with the words “Be not afraid” (e.g. “Take heart … Do not be afraid.” ~ Jesus in Mark 6:50, and also John 14:27, Mark 6:50, Matthew 6:34, Luke 12:22-26 et al) … Self-Discipline has us behaving courageously with others (“We have such a Hope, we act with great boldness.” ~ 2 Corinthians 3:12) and worshiping God with courage as well (“Present yourself to God as one approved by Him, a worker who has no need to be ashamed” ~ 2 Timothy 2:15 & “Let us therefore approach the Throne with boldness, so that we may receive Mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” ~ Hebrews 4:16) …Indeed, Jesus himself displayed immense discipline during his own ministry; a courage exhibited in the hopes that we too would adopt The Way of Love by releasing the primal fears that tempt us to behave selfishly (“He himself shared the same things, so that through death he might free those who all their lives have been held in slavery by the fear of death.” ~ Hebrews 2:14-15 & “There is no fear in Love, but perfect Love casts out all fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in Love.” ~ 1 John 4:18) …
One off-shoot of this characteristic is that Self-Disciplined actions, due to the courage required to effectuate them in the face of so many temptations not to do so, tend to actively “test” your Life Path. These “tests” often take the form of actions that are unconventional; choices that fly in the face of social expectations &/or societal norms (“When there is a change in the priesthood, there is necessarily a change in the law.” ~ Hebrews 7:12) … Society wants us to be “safe”, to find comfort, to engage in activities that are pleasurable, and to run from pain. In short, it encourages us to live selfishly (“We must obey God rather than any human authority.” ~ Acts 5:29). Therefore, because God’s Will encourages us to openly & self-sacrificially Give to others — often with little or no personal benefit in return, truly Loving actions are often seen by many as the “least respected”, “least honored” &/or “least powerful” ones available (“Do not sit at the place of honor … Go [instead] and sit at the lowest place … For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” ~ Jesus in Luke 14:8-11) … As a consequence, these choices often require us to persevere into regions that conventional wisdom deems to be “detrimental”, “hopeless”, or “dangerous” (“By your endurance you will gain your Souls.” ~ Jesus in Luke 21:19) …
Self-Disciplined actions therefore dismiss all fears of “failure”, all yearnings for external acceptance, and all cravings for “power”; replacing these with alternatives that bravely engage options that are less popular or less applauded (“For rules are not a terror to Good conduct, but only to bad. Do you wish to have no fear of human authority? Then Do what is Good …” ~ Romans 13:3-4) … It means nothing to be Self-Disciplined if we use that resolve to merely conform to societal norms (“Do not become slaves of human masters. In whatever condition you were Called, there remain with God.” ~ 1 Corinthians 7:23-24) …
;