CONQUER DESIRE
By Rev. E.L. Crump
 We have often been told that in order to advance or evolve in Spiritual Consciousness that we must "conquer desire." How is one to conquer desire? Does it not require a desire on his part to conquer desire? Yes, but the desire to conquer is of a higher order than the desire to indulge. It requires more KNOWLEDGE and DISCIPLINE which are both steps of HIGHER EVOLUTION.
Conquering desire is not simply a matter of will-power. Will power alone requires strong disciplinary action of the conscious mind. This overcoming of desire is done most easily with the help of the POWER WITHIN, which may be ordered by the will of the conscious mind, but acts in accordance with the IMAGE held in the subconscious.
How does an IMAGE get fixed in the subconscious? By holding it in the center of attention for a sufficient time until it can be IMAGED, IMAGINED, and ACCEPTED as a new kind of activity.
How did you give up your desire for a red balloon or a lollypop? How did you conquer your childish appetite for an ice cream cone? What steps did you go through to give up the craving for a little red wagon? You didn't plan a set of action to conquer these desires nor determine by strong use of will to overcome them. You just GREW OUT OF THEM NATURALLY. As REASON DEVELOPED you used it to discover that you wanted something else and this gradually led to new desires and new action.
It seems that one desire is conquered by another of greater power, and man's growing and developing reason furnished the incentive for the change. It gave him a stronger inclination.
We are led by our inclinations (through the LAW OF VIBRATION) into an environment conducive to our inclinations. We always follow our highest inclinations at any time. Since this is true we follow an inclination until our EVOLVING REASON leads us to have a HIGHER INCLINATION. This depends, of course, on the plane of understanding and reason that we have attained at any time, or our STATUS in the EVOLUTIONARY PLANE.
As we advance in REASON and gradually experience the ultimate reality of the ONENESS of all LIFE, our desires and inclinations are naturally lifted to the plane of being a more perfect vehicle for perfect spiritual expression. We make up our minds toward new decisions in the light of past experiences and knowledge.
We grow naturally to a higher plane for we have the constant assistance of an INFINITE POWER WITHIN. As we keep the IMAGE of growing in ONENESS, the POWER WITHIN furnishes the needed experiences and motivations, and the lower desires of our animal nature are replaced normally by higher desires and stronger inclinations toward more PERFECT LIVING.
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