MICHAEL: Sure. To radically love oneself means that one seeks complete alignment with the higher purpose for which he was created. Doing so effectively means the Earth Dweller does everything within his power to develop himself, preserve himself, and take care of himself…
Ebenezer: And to the other half? The radical rejection of oneself?
MICHAEL: A radical rejection of oneself suggests he does it for a different end. He does it not for his own pleasure but for the glory of the One whose resources he is called to steward and for the benefit of those around him so they, too, can experience and live in a world reflecting that glory, making their lives better as a result.
Ebenezer: So essentially, one develops himself as much as possible so that he can then pour himself out to others and for others?
MICHAEL: Yes.
Ebenezer: How else can you describe it?
MICHAEL: In simple terms, when one gives up his life for another, that is the ultimate rejection of self, or a radical kind of love. You asked earlier about some of the tension between you Earth Dwellers in various people groups on your Earth today, and we have touched on how this type of radical love might apply to this situation.
Ebenezer: Yes, we have. However, I am interested in hearing a bit more on it, as to how radical love, as you describe, would look in that particular scenario. I believe you stated that in the case of one individual harming another, with such an incident being captured, you would present that radical love would call for those surrounding to go above and beyond the normal duty of love to a radical kind of love—a love which places a man’s own life on the line in the place of their own. Is that correct?
MICHAEL: Yes, that is a radical love, indeed. Many of you, I know, will not agree with this statement. As a matter of fact, I would say not a few people on this Earth would even give it a second thought. What you Earthlings fail to understand is that this, too, is just as much an issue of the heart as the one perpetrating the actual crime. Again, I only say it as I see it. Perhaps there is some work to be done on your part upon completion of this interview.
Ebenezer: Indeed, I can agree that there is some work to be done. I must ask you another question, however. One in which your adversary has already addressed. Your enemy has already discussed his prototype victim—one whom he is able to begin influencing from a very young age, teaching them his principles so that they begin to live them out upon reaching adolescence. He mentioned that the structure of the family is of paramount importance to his goals. On the opposite end of the spectrum, who would you say is your ideal victim, if that can be said of your relationship to those who are consistently acting under your control?
MICHAEL: If by “victim,” you refer to those who express their ultimate allegiance to my Commander in both word and deed, then absolutely, the aim is to have every Earth Dweller be “victimized.” Let me address this by first speaking on my adversary’s dialogue regarding the human will and every man having a choice as to whom he places his ultimate allegiance.
Ebenezer: Yes, I was hoping you would. Is this incorrect?
MICHAEL: Certainly not. It is a very true statement that every Earth Dweller is given a choice as to whom he will place his allegiance. From the moment of birth, the child is placed into a world that is highly unfavorable to building a healthy and fruitful allegiance to my Commander, and therefore, the family is very important, extremely important, during the Earth Dweller’s formative years.
Ebenezer: I see how that may be the case. Of this family structure that you speak of, I would like to know more. Within the family, who is most important to its success? Of influencing the children within the family to follow your Commander?
MICHAEL: That is a very serious question; however, I will ask you to rephrase it just a bit before I address it. The better question, I would say, is to whom within the family has the ultimate responsibility been placed for the growth, protection, and preservation of its structure?
Ebenezer: I oblige… Michael, who in an Earth Dweller’s family has been given ultimate responsibility for the preservation of the household?
MICHAEL: I’m glad you ask. That is none other than the male. If you look and study the structure of your homes carefully over the last few years, you will see that there is an assault on the male Earth Dweller to either weaken him or remove him from the household entirely. Ultimately, he must be the one that has knowledge of my Commander and His words, and he must distribute it to all those within his home. But many men have failed this responsibility or have abdicated it altogether in search of other things. Both male and female are equally powerful, with equally different but vital responsibilities.
Ebenezer: Your adversary did not mention this when I questioned him.
MICHAEL: Indeed, he did not. Why would he? If he did, he would be unveiling one of his greatest strategies. One of, until now, his best-kept secrets.
Ebenezer: Certainly, this sheds light as to just how important this is to one’s effectiveness. A very strategic move on his part. Mr. Prince, what do you say of this?
(Silence)
PRINCE: I choose to exercise my right and will remain silent on such a purposeless, frivolous question.
Ebenezer: Very well. Your silence on this matter speaks volumes. Michael, please continue. These “other things” you mention that have distracted many men. What type of distractions do you most commonly see?
MICHAEL: Ah, there are three distractions that I most commonly see that seek to influence and take control of all men. If one is able to avoid them, it is likely he has placed himself on good footing to fulfill his responsibility to not only himself but to his family and his generation as well. These three distractions my Commander most frequently refers to as “avidities.” There is the avidity of the flesh, the avidity of the eyes, and the avidity of pride. Are you familiar with these avidities?
Ebenezer: As you have described them, no, but perhaps I am just not understanding what exactly an “avidity” is, to begin with.
MICHAEL: An avidity, as I have described it, is simply hunger, eagerness, desire, or enthusiasm to an extreme. A person who is said to have an avidity for life is said to have within him an extreme hunger, desire, and enthusiasm for living. A man who possesses this within himself will do everything within his power to see to it that his life does, in fact, reflect that burning desire.
Ebenezer: So, a man with an avidity for the flesh does everything within his power to satisfy his body?
MICHAEL: Correct. A person with such a nature will stop at nothing to fulfill his sensual urges, even if it means breaking my Commander’s first principles. This is a man who places pleasure over principle, a man who abuses the things that fulfill his sensual desires. These feelings and this pursuit become such a stronghold that he puts off all other responsibilities just to get it. He is willing to go to any length to quench the burning desires of his flesh. This is a man that will find himself, for lack of a better phrase, continuously compromising “so much” for “so little.” A man who will continuously give away his power for “crumbs,” even though he has been destined and created to have the “cake.”
Ebenezer: I understand. So, the man with an avidity for the flesh becomes so distracted that he puts off all effort to uplift and build up his family in a way that allows for his children to grow up in an environment conducive to giving their ultimate allegiance to your Commander. Noted. What is the second avidity, the avidity of the eyes, as you have stated? Please describe that as well in detail and provide an example.
MICHAEL: Yes, the second avidity is the avidity of the eyes. In other words, a man develops an extreme desire to acquire the things he sees around him. It could be anything: a house, a car, a mate, or even smaller things, like collectibles such as trading cards, or coins, or stamps. Possessions are good; however, this individual has disordered his desire for them, placing them above everything else within his life, and just like the man who has an avidity for the flesh, this desire begins to dominate his thoughts and influe
nce his actions. A man with an avidity for money will do everything and anything he can to acquire it, even oppressing the less fortunate and poor to attain it. He will live out this disordered priority by doing such things as working long hours at his job, or putting off family relationships and friendships, or spreading false information about a company through various mediums in order to influence the direction of a company’s stock to his advantage.
Ebenezer: That last example is very specific, I might say. Very, very specific.
MICHAEL: Yes! This seems like a very common practice by you Earthlings as of late! It is rooted in an avidity for possessions and things. And remember, it is this extreme desire that takes a man out of position to be effective in dealing with the affairs of his home.
Ebenezer: Your adversary mentioned the banking system as a system with a deep desire to gain and acquire riches. Do you see this as the avidity of the eyes at work?
MICHAEL: My adversary here was making a diagnosis based on his assessment of the overall system as he sees it. Within that system, it is likely that there are men who have developed an insatiable desire to acquire possessions, including money, and that has influenced their decisions.
Ebenezer: And has then had an impact on his responsibility to his family. To keep it in line and on track to building a solid foundation for the children within the home to develop an allegiance from a young age to your Commander.
MICHAEL: That is very much the case. Can you think of other scenarios where a man might be influenced by such an avidity?
Ebenezer: Well, I know of not a few men who view members of the opposite sex as mere possessions. Within my daily circle, I know of such men, and in this age I live in, I believe it’d be hard to find a man that hasn’t struggled at one time with this avidity or has thoroughly contemplated acting out its urges. Therefore, I can say with confidence based on your definition that quite a few have developed an avidity of the eyes as it relates to gaining the love of women so that they might become their possessions.
MICHAEL: That is a perfect example. Some of you earth-dwelling men have acquired some three, four, or five different women and treat them no better than the car you park in your driveway. When people are treated as mere possessions and things, this is a sure sign of this avidity.
Ebenezer: Ouch. I suppose, at times, one may forget that your Commander sees and hears all that is done on our Earth…
MICHAEL: Oh, yes. There is nothing that’s hidden. You earth-dwelling men, always compromising so much for so little, settling for crumbs when you were destined to have the cake. What else?
Ebenezer: Uhhh…
MICHAEL: I am a bit concerned if you can only mention two…
Ebenezer: Why would this give you concern? It is not an easy thing for a man to be put on the spot like this. Pressure can make a fool of us all.
MICHAEL: Because if you understand the tactics of my adversary fully, you will understand that he uses and reuses these strategies each and every day to sway men like you off course. Remember, the reality you see hinges on moral principles; the reality you see has spiritual control. It is top priority that you see his tactics as they happen and be on your guard at all times, deflecting what he attempts to feed you with my Commander’s first laws. But you are not wrong in that assessment…
Ebenezer: Which assessment?
MICHAEL: That pressure makes fools of many of you Earth Dwellers!
Ebenezer: Well, I’m glad I am correct about something! To test my luck, I will take a stab at the last avidity you have mentioned: the avidity of pride. I would assume this simply deals with a man’s desire to feel special and important and to be recognized by his peers for his work.
MICHAEL: I can simplify that just a bit to anything that causes a man to boast in himself. That is the extreme desire of the avidity of pride. This is a tricky one because as an Earth Dweller created in the image of my Commander, excellence is a part of his nature, and it is also a part of his nature to recognize the work he has created as being good. However, without proper deflection of that praise away from himself, he is at risk of developing a sense of pride that it was his own strength and his own power and might that brought about that excellence.
Ebenezer: Michael, what you have just stated has got my mind spinning once again in many different directions. There are many men who lift themselves up and boast in their own ability to achieve great things. What percentage of us earth-dwelling men do you see as struggling with this avidity?
MICHAEL: Many.
Ebenezer: How many?
MICHAEL: Billions.
Ebenezer: How many billions?
MICHAEL: Essentially, every man at one point or another has struggled with this avidity, most of them unknowingly. Just because one cannot see the struggle does not mean that it isn’t there. It is the man’s job to constantly analyze and reflect on his internal world and desires to keep in check this avidity to boast in himself.
Ebenezer: Is there any specific group of Earth Dwellers that you would say struggle with this the most?
MICHAEL: All those who carry an audience struggle to a great extent with this avidity, and it usually destroys them. For the sake of specifics, however, I would point to the entertainment system and the glory that other Earthlings bestow on the individual who excels and succeeds in effectively operating in his gifts within those realms. It is difficult for a man to avoid the avidity of pride when hundreds of thousands, sometimes millions of people, are screaming his name, regardless of whether he or she pledges his allegiance to my Commander.
Ebenezer: I find it interesting that you mentioned that your adversary was after this same type of praise but never received it. He wanted such glory to go to him as opposed to your Commander, and that was why he was removed from his position. Is that correct?
MICHAEL: That is right. The same type of glory that men must caution themselves and guard themselves against is the same glory that my adversary sought that did not and does not belong to him…
Ebenezer: I see. So this, too, is one of your tricks, Mr. Prince.
PRINCE: “Trick” is such a strong word. I call this true freedom. When a man is truly free, he is free to receive any type of praise that he desires, and he can either take the praise for himself or give it to someone else if he so chooses. What can be so wrong with that?
Ebenezer: According to your Adversary, everything. Nevertheless, to summarize Michael, a man must be on guard at all times for these avidities you have mentioned. In doing so, he positions himself in such a way that he can remain undistracted by the avidities of the world designed to take him out of alignment with his true responsibility with and for his family? To lead them in a way that places your Commander’s principles as the guiding light for their lives?
MICHAEL: Your summary is accurate; however, remember that the man may, at times, fail to do this effectively, and as a matter of fact, in the current state of your Earth as I know it, it is a difficult thing to do, which is why constant self-analysis is critical for effective living.
Ebenezer: I must confess; I’ve been guilty at times of doing such, of “compromising so much for so little, and settling for the mere crumbs of life when I was destined to have the cake,” as you say. At times, it has been hard. But I strive each day to be better… (Pause) Anyway… I have heard much about the Earth in which I live from both you and your adversary. All this talk concerning it has created within me a desire to learn more about the country in which you’re from, where your Commander resides. What is life like in that country?
MICHAEL: The celestial?
Ebenezer: The celestial?
MICHAEL: Yes, the celestial. That is another name for the Heavenlies, the country where my Commander resides.
Ebenezer: Ah, I see. So, I am correct in my reference to it as a country?
MICHAEL: Absolutely. As a matter of fact, I am quite taken back that you did. Most Earth Dwellers see it as some esoteric, mystical place when in reality, it’s as real as the Earth where the
y live.
Ebenezer: I can’t say that I’ve never fallen prey to such thoughts. But now is as good a time as ever to talk about it then, so I can relay to other yearning men the absolute truth. So, what is day-to-day life like up there?
MICHAEL: Everything in the Heavenlies reflects the Commander’s nature. In other words, His lifestyle completely engulfs our lifestyle. First and foremost, when you enter into the Heavenlies through the gaining of citizenship, my Commander immediately takes away whatever history you had before and gives you a new one. That means that every man’s sin, his degradation and abuse, his depression, sickness, and anxiety, is stripped and ripped away, and it is replaced with a new history reflecting his country—one of salvation, and peace, and joy, and love, and longsuffering, and goodness, and kindness—and He completely adopts you as one of His sons or daughters.
Ebenezer: Anxiety for peace? That sounds like a good deal to me! How does one gain membership, then, into the Heavenlies?
Light of Darkness Page 11