God Restores our Soul

Our whole being finds fulfillment only in the everlasting arms of our Lord God. His love is better than anything that life on this earth provides (Psalm 63:3); and we cannot help but lift up our hands in praise to Him as we glorify Him with our every thought, word and deed.

Through His salvation, He satisfies our soul and makes us secure in this sin-filled world (Psalm 23:3-4; 63:1-5). Our spirit is no longer dead in sin, but dances through life, alive in Christ forevermore. We bathe in His love, rest in His peace and sing because of His joy in us, as He rejoices over us with singing (Zephaniah 3:17).

Our fellowship with Him is in perfect and complete harmony and unity due to His mercy, love and grace (1 John 4:19). We walk in His light and enjoy fellowship with His Body now and throughout eternity (1 John 1:7).

Clinging to our pride and rebellion, our addictions and our insecurities only brings us trouble and devastation; but surrendering all to Jesus gives us the faith and security to thrive in this war-torn world.

When we reach out to Jesus, turn away from our sinful lifestyle and submit to His authority in our life, we find satisfaction and healing in His love. God heals our pain associated with all of our relationships, even those filled with disappointment and trauma.

He helps us to humble our self and to reconcile with those in our life that caused us pain. We forgive one another and bless each other with God's encouragement and love.

God's perfect love is what our soul longs for and that which heals our broken heart and drenches us like a waterfall in this discouraging and broken society. We live as sojourners and pilgrims until He is ready to take us home with Him for eternity.

Prayer:

Father God, You created us so that our eyes are the windows of our soul. We often answer glibly when someone asks us how we are, because we know they do not really have time to hear our honest answer, nor are most of them concerned with how we really feel. Help us to look into each other's eyes and to see the true feelings emanating from them, to take time to really listen, and to show concern and ask how we may help to improve each other's lot in this life.

Remind us that we have to start by taking a searching inventory of our self in order to understand exactly how we do feel. What does our spirit need to grow in Your grace? How is our body and soul - our thoughts and feelings, which affect our choices? You are patient with us, and Your kindness is everlasting. You love us beyond words. You strengthen us and shower us with so many blessings that those who know us stand in awe of You (Psalm 86:15).

Thought for the Day:

Our success in this dark and pain-filled life comes from trusting in God alone to help us to live victoriously over the evils present all around us; as we call on Him to empower us, so that we can keep a daily, vigilant watch over our body, soul and spirit; this enables us to live serenely in His everlasting arms.

Understanding Our Mind - Part 1

Our Subconscious Mind

God gave us two compartments in our mind: the conscious and the subconscious. We are aware of our conscious thoughts, but the information filed in our subconscious mind comes from a lifetime of thoughts and experiences. Even the briefest encounter in our past is recorded in our subconscious mind.

We react to life in ways, which are prejudiced by the stored memories in our subconscious mind. They even affect our body’s health and our soul’s well-being. The visual information and emotional impressions of our past affected us all of our life and continue to influence us today. This is often helpful.

For instance, if I cannot remember whether or not I turned off the stove before I went to work, I can pause and review my behavior, which is stored in my subconscious mind. I can actually visualize or replay my actions to see if I remembered to turn off the stove. The subconscious helps us in so many practical ways. However, unresolved conflicts from our past are also stored in the subconscious.

These memories will not lay dormant, but need resolution and closure. They attempt to gain our attention by inflicting us with physical or mental illnesses, nightmares, binging, sexual deviance, addictions and negative emotions. Paying attention to the thoughts from the subconscious, which filter into our conscious mind, help us to resolve these unsettled issues and restore our health and give us peace of mind ( www.theophostic.com ). 

Pleasant dreams also aid our subconscious mind to uncover the unresolved concerns in our soul. Our soul is attempting to dialogue with our conscious mind through our dreams. Dream interpretation sites online give us the meaning of the symbols in our dream, and God uses these to inform our conscious mind about these unresolved issues.

Prayer:

Father God, You created us as such complex creatures both physically and mentally. Thank You for giving us Your Spirit to bring healing to our body and soul. We are so glad that our Born Again spirit controls the carnal aspects of our body and soul by Your Spirit’s direction. We live a life of serenity and joy because of Your presence in our life. Remind us to pay attention to our dreams, negative emotions and times in which we over-react to situations in life, so that we can come to You to shine Your light on these hidden issues in our subconscious mind and bring healing to our body and soul.

Thought for the Day:

Life has inflicted our soul with injuries since conception, and the pain of these issues continue to control our thoughts, words and deed even now; only God’s Spirit can set us free from the wounds of our past.

The Wisdom of Believing

God knew that because of the wisdom of the world, people would not believe in Him. Therefore, He used the absurdity of preaching to bring eternal life to those humble enough to listen and to believe (1 Corinthians 1:21; 1 John 5:13). The law could not justify anyone, but those who believe that Jesus Christ is God who came in the flesh, will be justified through this truth (Acts 13:39). Despisers of God sometimes wonder about the truth; yet they will perish in the end, because they were not humble enough to believe God’s Word declared to them by God’s Saints (Acts 13:41).

The idols of greed, lust, worry and addiction blind the minds of those who do not believe in Jesus. They prevent them from seeing the light of the gospel of Christ, even though the image of our God through the life of Christ should illuminate God’s Truth to them

(2 Corinthians 4:4). It is only by the grace of God that we can believe, and by this belief are saved (Acts 15:11; 16:31). When we accept that God raised Jesus up from the dead, His spotless purity is imputed into our account (Romans 3:22; 4:24). Now, we are dead in Christ, but also live in Him as He lives within us (Romans 6:8; Colossians 3:3).

Many Believers not only live in Christ, but also suffer for His sake (Philippians 1:29). They received the Word of God, not as if it came from any person, but straight from God Himself. God’s Truth worked in them so effectively that they believe God even if they have to die for this belief (1 Thessalonians 2:13). Through their example of holy, just and righteous behavior, people everywhere know without a doubt that they sincerely believe that Jesus died and rose again (1 Thessalonians 2:10; 1 Timothy 1:16). They have the assurance that they will also be with God for eternity, even if they have to pass through the veil of death first (1 Thessalonians 1:7, 4:14).

Without faith, no one can ever please God; but if anyone comes to God, it is because they believe that He is and that He rewards everyone who diligently seeks Him (Hebrews 11:6). These authentic Believers do not draw back from living and proclaiming God’s truth; and their belief is what saves their soul (Hebrews 10:39; John 3:16-18). God’s exceedingly great power is given to everyone who believes in Jesus (Ephesians 1:19). Jesus is glorified in all of His authentic Believers. People admire and believe in Christ, because they see Him living in and through us (2 Thessalonians 1:10).

We are living in the end times. God is sending strong delusion into the world, so that people who turned their hearts against Him will now believe Satan’s lie (2 Thessalonians 2:11). They disdain the marriage vows and forbid people to eat certain food, which God created for every one to enjoy. God is the Savior of all men, and especially those who believe in Christ and trust in the living God as we labor and suffer reproach in His name (1 Timothy 4:10). Those who believe and who know Jesus as the truth receive His good and perfect gifts with gratitude filling our hearts (1 Timothy 4:3). 

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, many people reject You; but to those who believe, You are our precious corner stone of the building, which God is making without hands (1 Peter 2:7;2 Corinthians 5:1). Believing and hoping in the one God, who raised You from the grave, is the first step in the salvation process, but even the demons believe in You and tremble at Your greatness (James 2:19; 1 Peter 1:21). God also calls us to surrender our will to His and to love Him with all of our heart, soul, strength and mind (Luke 10:27). Then, we will dwell as Your Body in the earth. By our love for one another, others will see and believe in You as well (1 John 3:23; John 13:35).

Thought for the Day:
Don’t believe everything you hear, but align it with God’s Word first, because many deceiving spirit’s are rampant in our world today.  - 1 John 4:1





Thank you, Vickie Liu, for the use of your photo.

Our Enabler

When we help in a time of need, this is usually a one-time event, and it rarely causes any negative emotions to rise up in our heart. When the crowds asked Him, Jesus told them, “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise” (Luke 3:10-11). Pure religion that is undefiled before God the Father is to visit the orphans and widows in their affliction (James 1:17). There is a time and a place to help one another (1 John 3:17).

However, there is a thin line between the concepts of helping and enabling a friend, neighbor, workmate or family member. Enabling drives us to help another person in inordinate ways, and to feel responsible and worried about things that this person should actually do for him/herself. Enabling allows addictive and irresponsible behavior in the person we are helping. Enabling often goes one step further into protecting the person from the consequences of his/her actions.

We make excuses for the person we enable. We do things for them that is their responsibility. We feel obligated to solve their problems. We try to make life easier for them at our own expense. Then we feel negative emotions rising up within our soul, because we feel taken advantage of and unappreciated. Enabling is as addictive as any drug and quite destructive both to our self and to the person we are enabling. The balance comes in when we help people as Christ directs us to assist them, instead of by doing things for them that they should do for themselves (Ephesians 2:10).

The Bible tells us that every person should bear their own burden (Galatians 6:5). It clearly states that those who do not work, should not eat (2 Thessalonians 3:10-15). When we enable others, we prevent them from growing up as independent individuals who follow God’s will for their life. God makes His grace abound to those who trust in Him, giving us the sufficiency to accomplish what He calls us to do by His Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 9:8). There is so much that we cannot do for our self, however, and these are the things that God does for us. He is our enabler in the best of ways.

God reveals Christ to us and in us (John 16:14-15), guides us into all truth (John 16:13), regenerates us (John 3:5-8; Titus 3:5), sanctifies us (2 Thessalonians. 2:13; 1 Peter 1:2; Romans 5:16), washes and renews us (Titus 3:5) and strengthens our spirit (Ephesians 3:16). He also leads us (Romans 8:14; Galatians 5:18; Matthew 4:1; Luke 4:1), empowers us (Luke 4:14; 24:49; Romans 15:19; Acts 1:8), fills us (Ephesians 5:18; Acts 2:4; 4:8, 31; 9:17) and dwells in us (Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 2 Timothy 1:14; John 14:17).

He sets us free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2), quickens our mortal bodies (Romans 8:11) and grants us everlasting life (Galatians 6:8).  He teaches us to pray (Romans 8:26-27; Jude 1:20), distributes His spiritual gifts and manifestations in us (1 Corinthians 12:4, 8-10; Hebrews 2:4), anoints us for ministry (Luke 4:18; Acts 10:38) and brings unity and oneness to the body (Ephesians 4:3; 2:14-18). He proves we are His children and produces in us the evidence of His presence (Romans 8:16; Galatians 5:22-23), sealing us until the day of redemption (Ephesians 1:13; 4:30).

The Holy Spirit transforms us into the image of Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18), gives us access to God the Father (Ephesians 2:18), reveals the deep things of God to us (1 Corinthians 2:10), reveals to us what God gave us (1 Corinthians 2:12), reveals the mystery of God to us (Ephesians 3:5) and brings us into liberty (2 Corinthians 3:17). He is also our guarantee and deposit of our future resurrection (2 Corinthians 1:22, 5:5). He speaks to, in, and through us (1 Corinthians 12:3; 1 Timothy 4:1; Revelation 2:11; Hebrews 3:7; Matthew 10:20; Acts 2:4; 8:29; 10:19; 11:12, 28; 13:2; 16:6,7; 21:4,11).

The Holy Spirit sheds God’s love into our hearts (Romans 5:5), bears witness to the truth in our conscience (Romans 9:1), teaches us (1 Corinthians 2:13; John 14:26), gives us joy (1 Thessalonians 1:6), comforts us (Acts 9:31) and brings things to our remembrance (John 14:26). The Holy Spirit enables us to wait on God (Galatians 5:5), to obey His truth (1 Peter 1:22) and to preach the gospel (1 Peter 1:12). Jesus is our all in all (Colossians 1:17) and He lives within us by the Holy Spirit, enabling, leading and guiding all of our steps (Galatians 5:25).

Prayer:

Father God, You have done everything for us. Without You, we can do nothing (John 15:5). We can do all things, only when You enable us (Philippians 4:13). We trust and to obey You (Psalm 78:7). As we put on Christ each and every day (Romans 13:14; Galatians 3:27), we walk in Your Spirit by Your direction to accomplish greater works than Jesus did (John 14:12), because we are His Body (1 Corinthians 12:27). Remind us to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17) and to give You all the glory for everything we accomplish in Your name (1 Corinthians 10:31).

Thought for the Day:

God is working in us, enabling us both to desire and to have the power to work out His will in our lives. - Philippians 2:13