We learn to understand through study, meditation the prayer of gratitude, faith obedience and sacrifice. While seeking to understand the blessings and mysteries in the Kingdom of Heaven, the crucial habit becomes a crown in our lives which draws to us, all things that we need, to bear the burdens and reap the rewards of righteousness in gratitude, love and faith toward God our Eternal Father and Jesus Christ who died to save the world.

The spiritual death deepens as we allow physical, mental and emotional addictions to determine all our choices. Spiritual death is an extreme state of addiction. A person who is an addict, needs to realize a problem exists and that it leads to increasing difficulties, like a sink hole that gets bigger, with every rain. The more it rains, the more it grows in depth and width, likewise an addiction deepens with indulgence or the quick fix; increasing the dependence to an addiction, until it takes over everything that once was near and dear.

One begins to feel there is no escape as the freedom of choice is taken over by the addiction, where diminishing returns in spiritual, moral, mental, emotional stability result in the lose of happiness and joy. Spiritual death ensues as physical addictions blur one's better judgment to the point that we give up the power and freedom of choice. Our behavior continues to deteriorate, suppressing more and more higher spiritual needs, as we lose touch with reality, until we become so corrupt, that nothing is more important than the next fix. Neither love of country, family, friends, or self-respect.

Just like any sink hole grows with more rain, the more we indulge the greater the need, both of intensity and frequency, until the addictions take over everything of benefit and value, once cherished, as one feels the loss of control over one's life, to be overcome by a feeling of hopelessness and dependency on something or someone that gradually destroys us, taking us beyond feeling. When the physical appetites have completely taken over, and all spiritual needs are neglected, we abandon and blame God, not recognizing that it came about by giving in and compromising with an ungodly passion, until we have reached rock bottom. Now we are left with only two choices, to resign to the condition or to change our tactic or strategy.

Ignorance and indifference, vanity and pride plus our selfishness physical appetites have run their course, to reap the rewards of confusion and depression. Now is the time, to get excited because we are left with only one way to go, and that is up, or we could give in to depression and then the game is over.

Choosing to get excited with the promises it holds now, is to stop compromising the higher needs with the lower. To do this we need to realize that Christ stands at the door and knocks, and we must open the door or he cannot come into our lives, unless we choose, because the doorknob is only on our side of the door.

He is the truth the way and the life, because in him or through faith in Christ we may obtain the faith of Christ which is the power to overcome all that is undesirable, to be freed form the dross and corruption of this world.

This is the "Aha!", moment of realization, that the lesser will never be fulfilling, as much as it is numbing and corrupting one's judgment and power of discernment. To realize that liberty is only obtained through right choices, correct application, and love for all things that are virtuous, praiseworthy, lovely, and of good report.

Discernment requires that we have an accurate, or clear recognition and vision of the higher standards and values, as opposed to the deadening of our senses and blurring of one's vision, to ignore the pain or discomfort which is there to warn us that something dreadful is going wrong; something we had chosen to ignore.

This "Aha!" moment, or realization leads us to a process of clearing the vision, fine tuning our feeling and sensitivity to superior options available to us. It is that moment we realize the true potential of a childlike disposition, and attitude that is innocent and willing to learn to understand and choose better things. Something that cannot be done without knowing and having faith that there are better things or options that clear way the doubts, the fears and insecurities that have plagued and overcome our better judgment. Now the freshness, the balance and harmony gradually return to our lives.

A wholesome feeling of innocence and humility of calm and peace slowly emerges, as a spiritual Christ-like-love, fills the heart, and our soul comes alive and faith, hope and charity fills the void created by ignorance, doubt, indifference fear and physical addiction.

The power to discern grows, as we learn to distinguish truth from fable, virtue from vice, and the cause of the cause of everything in this mortal life of probation, testing and the opposition, which holds back hidden opportunities for a moment, until we really and truly wanted to know and are spiritually, emotionally, mentally and physically ready to apply them.

This is another " Aha!" moment with a "Wow!" that woos us on to greater sensitivity and sharper vision as the truth unfolds, to distil upon the heart, mind and soul, in wholesome, beauty and grandeur, while in gratitude and humility we communion through the Spirit with God and His eternal wisdom as faith in His Son opens the way to freedom and joy in the truth.

There could be no safety while we ignore the dangers. There is no hope until we become humble, willing and grateful for all the blessings we have. How could we ever have greater faith and assurance without feeling that the effort is worth it. Here we find that the crucial habit serves as a basic blueprint from which we may work in harmony with God to choose and build our destiny to avoid the pitfalls and dangers caused by ignorance, impatience, selfish ambition, and pride.

The crucial habit is like a map, compass and sextant with which to navigate the uncharted waters, and unfamiliar lands safely. The crucial habit is like a spiritual map that serves to discern the truth, through faithful, study, deep thought, fasting and prayer; that it may slowly bring us face to face with who we are and our true potentials. While it may help us be more sensitive and to discern more clearly, to learn to prosper, and recognize, that increased spirituality returns the power to our spirit and to that intelligence we are, better judgment to direct our lives, while in this physical frame, a temple for us, as an immortal spirit to dwell in mortality. As we turn our heart to God and purify ourselves, even as he is pure, our goals become clearer and the means to achieve opens up. No worthy ideal can be withheld.

Our progress becomes a spiraling success, to learn and grow without the hindrance of fear, doubt or despair.

Truth is our beacon light, justice our guide in fair play; virtue life's truest expression of beauty and harmony, of growth and development in emulation of God's noblest creations.

Now as we continue to focus and observe, we become more and more aware of the principles, and laws; the events and the conditions that are the, "cause of the cause of the cause," truth evolving, growing, expanding in spirit, mind and body, to experience and contemplate the tangible echoes resulting, from our feelings, thoughts and behaviour.

To experience the fruit of our labour is to truly feel, the nature of our deeds, -- no longer blinded by the nobility of our intentions, or the senses deadened by physical dependency to addictions.

So it is that, "all things work for our good," as truth evolves before us. The crucial habit carries us toward positive change, in the direction of our goals and devoted mission in life through faith, hope and charity, the pure love of Christ, with the willingness to give all we have to be added upon for ever and ever, to have eternal increase.

May we capture the essence and feeling of the spirit while pondering and searching for meaning and fulfillment in our lives, may we realize that there is no power without spiritually or communion with the infinite light of Christ. Then we shall live the principles of the gospel and learn to develop the habits that are in harmony with all things virtuous, lovely praiseworthy, and of good report?

The crucial habit is the habit of raising our standards, improving our values, cultivating a good disposition of healthy emotional habits; a sound attitude of clear and, accurate, organized mental habits of thought.

The crucial habit sharpens and increases one's discernment. (The power is to understand and listen to our heart, to weight the facts and await the "Aha!" experience.) It is unmistaken, leading to increased powers of sensitivity to discernment as the spirit witnesses to our soul.

The crucial habit motivates decisions of clear vision, as the spirit of inspiration confirms and assures, that this moment is the correct moment and the things for us to act upon; of which we learn to master, overcoming adversity and corruption in our own daily life to serve and to bless.

The crucial habit is to recognize the hand of God in all things in gratitude and humility. He is our Creator and His Son our Savior and Redeemer, through whom all knowledge and understanding flow, a pure, refreshing spiritual fountain of truth and virtue that distills as dew from heaven upon the soul.

The crucial habit encourages a good attitude and disposition in humility and gratitude for all things that we experience, as truth from heaven flows. Consider adversity a friendly critic, an opportunity as in humbly we explore a foreboding and sometimes uncertain experience, that hold the seeds of an equivalent or greater benefit. Truth is our beacon light, justice our guide in fair play; and virtue life's truest expression in emulation of God's noblest creation.