Temple Talks Series Two by Charles Fillmore

“It is the Spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing.” (John 6:63) This is the testimony of one who lived in spiritual consciousness, who was inspired of God; and it must be, if his inspiration was received here in this earth, that it applies to us also. Starting with that understanding and seeking to find what Spirit is, and the power to apply it to everyday life, we will surely be inspired of the same Spirit ourselves. It seems strange that men should have lived millions of years on this planet and not be more familiar with the workings of Spirit. Men have not understood the true character of Spirit. They have thought that Spirit was related only to those vague, in definite things that come with religion; that man could not know very much about Spirit unless he was religious; that he had to have unusual experiences of some kind to have an understanding of Spirit, even to have an inkling of it. It was not thought possible to bring high spiritual states of mind into everyday business affairs.

But Jesus said, “It is the Spirit that quickeneth.” Jesus was a practical man, and he claimed to do all his work in the power of the Spirit. If he could use this power to heal people, and give superior wisdom in such simple things as preparing food, why should we not use Spirit in like ways? Should we not look up this matter and find out what he meant when he said, “It is the Spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing”? Man today thinks that he can get profit out of material things. He is looking for things new; but can he get new things through material effort? No. The only new thing is Spirit. When you get into the Spirit you will begin to see things new, and new conditions will come into expression in your life; but nothing new comes from material methods. The same old round goes on year after year. All of these wonderful discoveries which come from the material are of the material. There is no profit in them. We think we are getting new knowledge from the study of books, but I assure you that if you look into history you will find that literature is threshing the same old straw. Plato anticipated all literature and philosophy.

We must follow the example of Jesus Christ. He said, “It is the Spirit that quickeneth.” Before him, Elihu, in the book of Job, said, “There is a Spirit in man, and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding.” This spiritual power is not so very far away. We do not have to search for it in foreign lands. It is very near to us, even in our mouth. It is a quality in the Word of Mind. We have found that the secret of Spirit is in thought. That is the revealment of Spirit to man, for man is thought. When you think absolute Truth you are in touch with Spirit, and your thought will surely yield some increase. You will get an increase in those things which you think about, whatever they may be. We have found that whenever we think on the positive side, we are thinking spiritually. If we think about the all-power and all-presence of life we are thinking spiritually, and this great essence of Spirit expresses itself in and through us, and we get a constant up-building along the life line. What you are seeking is the increase of health, and that is the only increase that you get that has any real benefit in it; and that comes through thinking about healthy through thinking about God as your health. If you think about God as your intelligence, there is an increase of intelligence, because Spirit intelligence has an opportunity to precipitate through your mind.

The only real satisfaction in life comes from Spirit increase. If you start today thinking about Spirit, speaking about Spirit, believing in Spirit, you will manifest spiritual attributes. If you ask of the Lord to put you in touch with Spirit, to give you inspiration, you will have it. Jesus said, “I go to prepare a place for you. . . . That where I am, there ye may be also.” He did not say after you were dead, but now. This “place” is a spiritual consciousness. But you must believe in it. You must, in other words, have this consciousness of the Spirit, the reality of the Spirit, and the truth of Spirit; and if you begin along that line and have your hours of silence, spiritual increase will be manifest in spiritual abundance. You will have more understanding in one moment of communion with the Spirit than you have gotten in all your previous reading. Let every one make it part of his daily thought and meditate upon spiritual things. It is practical. It is part of your nature. You are a divine trinity. Spirit is the highest principle in you; soul next, and then body. But the Spirit is the source of all. You could not live a moment without Spirit. The life issues of your body are Spirit. As you join your conscious mind with this wonderful subconscious, you renew your strength through Spirit. Unless we enter into that spiritual life, we have no enduring life. We will thus make our lives eternal by entering into the Spirit. “It is the Spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing.”