Dividing the Soul and Spirit

 

Scholars across the ages attempt to mingle the concept of spirit and soul as one entity. However, Bible truth differentiates between these two realms within our human essence.

Our spiritual union with Christ takes place in our spirit, which is Born Again at Salvation (John 3:5-6; Romans 8:9, 16; Acts 26:18). Then the Holy Spirit spends our lifetime sanctifying our soul - our thoughts, choices and emotions.

Paul makes this clear when he refers to the entire sanctification of body, soul and spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:23). God’s Word will actually divide the soul and spirit (Hebrews 4:12). The more we submit to His holiness, the more fully we partake in His divine nature (2 Peter 1:4).

Prior to salvation we lived for our self. After salvation, we are crucified with Christ and receive a whole new life with a new pliable heart (Romans 6:4, 6; Ezekiel 36:26; 2 Corinthians 5:17).

As we live in Christ, our humanity decreases and His life in us increases (Romans 6:6; Ephesians 4:22; Colossians 3:9; John 3:30). God writes His laws on our heart (Hebrews 8:10). He sees us as perfect in Christ (Philippians 3:15; Hebrews 12:23).

God's Spirit renews us day by day (Romans 12:2; Ephesians 4:23). We live in the righteousness of Christ within us, resisting by Jesus' strength, the devil's temptation to sin (Romans 6:11; 1 John 3:9; 1 John 2:1).

Christ in us changes us from sinner to Saint (Romans 5:19, 8:9; Ephesians 4:12). We are dead to sin, slaves to righteousness and Christ reigns as Lord and Savior in our life (Romans 6:2, 11, 17; 1 John 3:8).

Prayer:

Father God, we thank You for the fact that our authentic Christian identity is no longer rooted in our personality, but in Christ. Our fleshly desires have less and less control over our soul as we walk in our union with Christ in us (Galatians 5:17; Romans 7:25-8:5).

Our desire is for Your divine character, power and authority to completely take over our body, soul and spirit. We thank You for redeeming us through Christ’s sacrifice and for filling us with Your Spirit, so we can walk in Your will each moment of the day.

Thought for the Day:

As God reveals a sin or negative leaning in our character or an idol in our life, we willingly submit it to His Lordship; then His Spirit cleanses us from these sins and replaces our defective human character with His fruit.

- 1 John 1:9; Romans 13:14; Galatians 5:22-23

 

Created for a Purpose

The trend in today's society is to get away with as much sin as we can. We prefer not to limit our expenditure of time, attention and resources to any one focus; so we fill our life with useless activities instead.

We slide toward the mediocre and have little devotion to God, family, country or healthy living. We wear masks to fit each social occasion and even attempt to fool God with our good works.

God offers us His free gift of salvation, but we prefer the road to destruction over a life of service, holiness and dedication to His Kingdom (Romans 3:23, 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9).

We have our own plans and way of doing things and do not want to be told what to do, have restrictions placed on us or to be dictated to by any one - not even God.

We fail to realize that God created us for a purpose, and our happiest life is found only by living in the center of His will (Ephesians 2:10, 4:1). His Spirit is ever ready to conform us to the image of Christ (Romans 8:29).

When we entirely surrender to the love of God in our life, we draw near to Him and give our life more fully to Him. We walk in His ways and consult Him during each moment of our day (Proverbs 3:5-6; Romans 12:1).

There is no place for compromised living in the Kingdom of God. He despises any lukewarm efforts on our part and prefers for us to choose whether to be hot or cold instead (Revelation 3:14-22).

Holiness is not a burden, but a privilege that guarantees us a successful life both now and throughout eternity (John 10:10). We live with a commitment to Christ and a trust in God's faithfulness.

As we seek God's face, sit at His feet and walk in His will, we feel His love pouring over us like a waterfall, we experience His peace which is deeper than anything this world has to offer and we walk in joy even through the most horrendous circumstances (Romans 15:13).

Prayer:

Father God, free us from Satan's lies, which hold us in bondage to his will for our life. Teach us to love You with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength (Mark 12:30). Strengthen us from within to live a life worthy of Your calling and sanctify us into a new creation (Ephesians 4:24).

Remind us that we are dead to sin, because of our baptism into Christ's death. We contain His resurrection power within us now to live a new life, united with You (Romans 6:2-11). You give us a choice to live life on earth as slaves to our flesh, the devil and the world or to You and Your righteousness (Romans 6:22). Help us to choose You every time.

Thought for the Day:

As a shining light with Christ within, our life penetrates the darkness all around us; we may not see the impact we have on others now, but eternity will reveal how God used our helping hand, encouraging words, smile at random strangers, loving gestures and prayers to work miracles in the lives of people in our sphere of influence.

The Divine Life of Christ in Us

 

Christ lives in us, and we are united with Him, just as He is one with our Father (John 14:20). We are joined to and united with God's Spirit, as a branch to a vine (1 Corinthians 6:17; John 15:4-5).

We are free from the law of sin and death, by the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:2). Daily, we live as a witness to others of the love and nurture of the eternal, triune Godhead living within us (Romans 8:4).

Sin no longer has power over us, because of God's grace ruling in our heart (Romans 6:14). Since the Son of God set us free, we are absolutely free to live a life of holiness (John 8:36; Romans 6:18).

His divine power enables us to excel in our vocation, spiritual calling and family relationships through His divine life within us (Colossians 1:27). The fruit of His Spirit replaces our carnality (Galatians 5:15-25).

God's Spirit also enables us to have the courage to boldly share the gospel with everyone we meet. Not in a preachy or condemning manner, but in the spirit of love and peace with the words He gives us (Ephesians 6:19).

Jesus delivers us from our sinful nature, which used to serve sin; and He gives us a mind, which is now a slave to God's nature, principles and Kingdom (Romans 7:25).

As slaves of God, we are set free from the slavery to sin in order to reap the blessings of holiness and eternal life (Romans 6:22). We belong to Christ, who was raised from the dead, so that we will bear fruit for God's Kingdom (Romans 7:4).

We pray through any rocky stretches of road by the direction of God's Spirit and we petition Him to meet our needs and for the needs of all of His Saints (Ephesians 6:18).

Prayer:

Father God, help us to actually see the reality of the fact that we do not need to sin; because the spirit of life in Christ sets us free from the law of the spirit of sin and death (Romans 8:2). When Christ sets us free, we are truly free (John 8:36). We bask in Your presence and praise You for including us in Your eternal plans.

Thank You that we are no longer strangers and pilgrims in this world, but part of Your universal family. We are fellow citizens of the Kingdom of God and Saints in Your holy presence. Our love for Your Body is very important, because You prepared us for a holy dwelling place for Your Spirit. Jesus is our chief cornerstone and You are building us into Your eternal dwelling place (Ephesians 2:19-22).

Thought for the Day:

God gave us Christ as our redemption, not so we can sit back and continue living a life of sin with the false hope of escaping eternal judgment, but so that we can enjoy an intimate union with Him filled with all of His glory and the greatest measure of His spiritual presence. - Ephesians 3:16-19

Complete in Christ Within

 

We search our whole life for a person or accomplishment to complete us, to make us whole. We drive our self to distraction, like slaves who never measure up.

We want so desperately to find love, acceptance and abundant provision. Yet, our soul is fragmented all along the highway of life. Our identity is falsified with Satan's lies.

Lost loves, rejection, physical abuse, belittling, deprivation, abandonment, high expectations and a myriad of other traumas and negative experiences will chip off pieces of our soul and leave it behind in our past. 

The false labels, which we use to identify our self, are destructive and demeaning. They restrict us with feelings of futility and worthlessness. We feel hopeless and helpless.

We cripple our future with the pain of our past. We may do immoral actions, but that does not make us a bad person. It only identifies us as a sinner in need of Jesus as our Savior.

Good people do not go to heaven, and bad people do not go to hell. Believers in Christ go to heaven and unbelievers condemn themselves to eternity in hell (John 3:16-18).

As we find our true identity in Christ alone, He takes us back to these losses from our past and recovers our true self from the rubble we left behind. His love completes us and His provision satisfies us.

Prayer:

Father God, thank You for renewing our mind and transforming it into the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16). Jesus freed us from the bondage, which Satan attempts to bind us with, and He gives us the right to become Your children (John 1:12, 8:36).

Help us to forgive our self for the sins of our past, just as You forgive us (Matthew 6:14). Remind us to follow the direction of Your Spirit through each moment of our day and to bring You the glory for our every thought, word and deed (Psalm 143:8).

Thought for the Day:

God is the only one who can restore our soul and make us co-heirs with Christ to His Kingdom.

- Psalm 23:3; 1 John 3:2; Romans 8:17

Set Apart for God

Without God's Spirit within us, we do not belong to Christ or His family (Romans 8:9). God's Spirit in us makes us His children. We no longer live under the dominion of the flesh, the world or the devil, and we are not our own.

God owns our time, energy and resources (1 Corinthians 6:19). We are set apart for God. Though we live on this earth, we no longer have anything in common with sinners or the world (Psalm 4:3; 2 Corinthians 6:16). 

If we continue to offer our self as slaves to sin, it leads to death; if we obey the dictates of holiness, we are part of God's holy temple and He dwells in us by His Spirit (Romans 6:16; 1 Corinthians 3:16-18).
 

We are more concerned with spiritual aspects in our life than carnal ones. We have a new heavenly name (Revelation 2:17). Do you know the meaning of your earthly name? ( http://www.ohbabynames.com )
 

I like my name, Kathleen Anne. It means: pure one, innocent, God's favor and grace. Someone with this name is usually dependable, solid, practical, hard-working, industrious, studious, conservative, spiritual, wise, peculiar, intuitive, imaginative, philosophical and solitary. This fits me to a "T".

As a child, I yearned to be a good girl, so my parents would love me. I even wished on the first star every night that I would be a good girl, so I could be cherished and accepted.

At 18, I realized that no one is ever good (Romans 7:18-25), and that I could not do enough good to be valued and approved. That is when I turned to Jesus Christ as my Savior. He loves me unconditionally (1 John 4:16).

God takes up residence in our spirit. He abides in His children and walks with us. He is our God and we are His people (2 Corinthians 6:16). We live as the church of the living God, and are the pillar and foundation of His truth (1 Timothy 3:15).

Prayer:

Father God, You accept us as part of Your beloved family (Ephesians 1:5-7). Our spirit, once dead in Adam's sin, was Born Again by Your Spirit, and You came to live in us for the rest of our life and throughout eternity (Romans 8:10; Galatians 5:15-25).

Thank You for building us into Your house, as we firmly hold to our confidence and hope in Your glory. Christ is the faithful caretaker of Your House (Hebrews 3:6) and we realize the privilege, which You afford us, to allow us to take a part in all of Your plans.

Thought for the Day:

Anyone who leaves their sinful lifestyle, and believes that Jesus in God who came in human flesh as Emmanuel, will have a new name written down in Heaven. - 1 John 4:4