Renewed Mind - Part 1 - A Wounded Soul

We often criticize people who are self-centered or who are touchy, angry or combative. We do not realize that they are simply trying to survive.

They are wounded and attempting to protect their soul from more pain. They will hurt us before we get the chance to hurt them; even if we have no intention nor desire to harm them.

If our words, tone or behavior even hint at aggression, they will attack us with vehemence and even violence. A teenager at the children's home where we lived and worked interpreted my behavior this way.

She ended up pushing me out the van door backwards where I landed on my head on the pavement. I blacked out and revived with dizziness and a pounding headache; so they rushed me to the emergency room.

I survived the ordeal, but I often wonder if she did. They put her in the time-out room and quickly moved her out of our home; so we lost track of her. Her lifetime of abuse caused her to abuse me.

Another reason we over-react is that our soul is governed by sin (Romans 7:20-23). We miss the mark of God's holiness and fall into unregenerate behavior (Romans 8:29). Satan uses this tendency for his purposes.

Our only hope for freedom from emotional wounds and the penchant of our flesh to sin is the saving power of Jesus Christ. His Holy Spirit transforms our spirit and soul through regeneration and sanctification (Titus 3:5). Trust in Him today.

Prayer:

Father God, we look forward to Christ's return when You shall put everything under His feet. He will rule and reign over the earth for eternity from the throne in Jerusalem of His ancestor, King David (2 Samuel 7; Luke 1:32-33, 2:11). Israel will finally rejoice in the coming of their King Jesus (Matthew 24:8; Romans 11:1-2, 26; Isaiah 66:8; Ezekiel 37). 

You will even put Satan away for eternity, wrapped in chains in hell (Revelations 20:2). We look forward to this new age. Peace and prosperity will fill the earth and all nations shall dwell together in unity and righteousness (Micah 4:1-7; Isaiah 42:1-4). There will be no crying there, and all emotional and physical sickness shall be healed (Isaiah 51:11).

Thought for the Day:

Only God can truly restore and comfort our soul (Psalm 23:3; 2 Corinthians 1:3); then He allows us to use this same comfort to help others who are in any affliction (2 Corinthians 1:4-5).

The Blessings of Our Union With Christ

 

Many Authentic Believers are still under the false impression that we are separated from God. This is carried over from our unregenerate days. We think of God up in heaven, while we are down here on the earth. This is the furthest thing from the actual truth. Until we realize the extent of our union with Christ, we limit the work of God in our life. We are united with Christ in us, and we no longer maintain two separate identities. We are joined as one with the King of the universe.

God relates to us through our spirit (John 4:24). Our Born Again spirit is totally righteous and holy in Christ (Ephesians 4:24; 2 Corinthians 5:21). God’s grace provides us with both the power and the desire to walk in God’s ways (Philippians 2:12-13). We crucify the lusts and desires of our soul – our mind, will and emotions - in order to live in daily renewal, keeping our faith and trust in God. This opens up the door for us to the privilege of abiding in the divinity of Christ moment by moment throughout the day.

His divinity grows within us in ever increasing fullness until our humanity completely dies through sanctification (2 Corinthians 3:18). It is buried with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3). Then Christ, who is our life and our hope of glory, is all that remains within us (Colossians 1:27; Colossians 3:4). Once we come to understand the reality of our union with Christ in us, we realize that Jesus lives in and through us. We are the gloves, but He is the hand within us, motivating us in service for His Kingdom (Acts 17:28).

We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ to do God’s will (Ephesians 2:8-10). Our old nature is exchanged for the nature of Christ (Colossians 3:3), and we walk in His resurrection life with Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17; Romans 6:5). Jesus helps us in all of the milestones of our life (Psalm 46:1). Since the Spirit who raised Christ from the dead lives in us, He also gives life to our mortal body (Romans 8:11). Every foe is vanquished, every battle is won and every question is answered by the Spirit of God within us.

The only time we have human peace is when there is a lack of trouble. However, God’s peace in us surpasses our human limitations (Philippians 4:7). In fact, as God works the nature of Christ into our soul, we receive all of His fruit in exchange for our carnal nature (Galatians 5:22-23). God’s abiding peace reigns in our heart as we cast all of our care on Him, regardless of the circumstances (1 Peter 5:7). God equips us to do His will and we live in His presence forevermore.

Prayer:

Father God, we no longer live for our self, but for You. Enable us to help all of those You send our way to feast from the fruit of Your Spirit in our life (Galatians 5:22-23). We grow with the Vine and draw our nourishment from You as well (John 15:5). We have faith in Your faithfulness, born from our experience of Your constant provision for us over our years of walking in Your service, as well as by the testimony of fellow Christians. We thank You for your discipline and provision for us each and every day.

Thought for the Day:

The fruit blooming on our branch is not for our benefit, but for all of those God sends to feast on it.

What's the Gimmick?

Read: Ephesians 2: 8-9

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,” - Ephesians 2:8

Why do so many people miss the opportunity to receive God’s free gift of Salvation (Romans 5:15)? There are as many rationales to answer this question, as there are individuals who decline His invitation. Pride will keep a person from the humility needed to call out to God. The idea of having to sacrifice their desires scares many away. Having someone else in control of their life causes many people to shrink in horror. Letting someone else known their deepest, darkest secrets is daunting to others.

Another explanation may be that Jesus did not present Himself in a very popular humanistic light from His birth all the way to His death. Just think about it! He was born in a stable, worked as a carpenter, never owned a home, never married and never conceived any children. How can He relate to the majority of people on earth, and how can we relate to Him?

He only had twelve good friends in the whole world. Even his siblings failed to believe in Him until after His resurrection. He was not handsome to look at (Isaiah 53:2). To the disappointment of those who looked for a King, He was born as a pauper and he died a common death between two thieves.

Jesus had a solid purpose for all of this, however. He needed no reputation, He proved that He could relate to the vilest of human sufferings, and He gave us an example of how to live by taking on the very nature of a servant (Philippians 2:7). He went around for three years doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because of the Spirit of God dwelling in Him (Acts 10:38). This same Spirit dwells within us as well, because of the price Jesus paid for our salvation and because He became righteousness for us (Romans 10:3-4).

Most people today want to make their own mark on the world. The self-made man is touted as having special abilities and influence that we all respect. The entrepreneur is lauded for his creativity and drive. Even someone who inherits his/her fortune, and manages to administrate it wisely, is credited with success.

Human nature tends to believe that we have to earn what we receive. We have heard the saying, “There is no free lunch;” therefore, we look with suspicion on anyone who comes around offering us something for nothing. The thought of Jesus trading us His right standing with God in exchange for our sins makes no human sense at all.   

To admit that we are orphans in need of adoption is humiliating. It is a bit far fetched to believe that another human being, who died on a cross in a particular point in history at the height of the Roman occupation of Israel, is truly the Savior of the world. Unbelievers insist that there has to be a gimmick hidden somewhere in the offer. They maintain that there has to be more to it than meets the eye.

I encourage them to “read the fine print” located in the Bible, and to see if they can discover any verse that proves we are trying to deceive them. Then I point out to them that even nature points the glory of God out to everyone (Romans 1: 20) and it reveals that everything has a creator (Psalm 19:1-6).

God does not condemn anyone. We actually condemn ourselves by our unbelief, but God sent Jesus to pay the penalty for our sins, so that we are able to inherit eternal life (John 3: 16-18). This starts the moment we repent of our sins and believe that we need Jesus for our salvation. God's part is to save us (Isaiah 43:11). Our only part is to believe (Acts 16:31). Once acquired, this salvation is eternal. Just as man cannot go back into his mother's womb, neither can a believer go back into an unregenerate spiritual state (John 3:1-7).

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, please open the hearts of all of those that we come in contact with throughout the day. Open their eyes to see and their ears to hear the truth of Your Gospel message. Enable us to put aside our ego and to speak with conviction in the power of the Holy Spirit the exact words that they need to hear in order to be convinced of their need for You in their life. 

Thought for the Day:

God designed salvation so that no one can take credit for earning it. - Ephesians 2: 8-9

The Importance of the Soul

Read: Luke 16: 22-31

There is an age-old question about whether or not our soul - our mind, will and emotions - survives death. The question of the reality of the soul and distinguishing it from the body and spirit is among the most important quandaries of philosophical debate over the centuries of time. The question is made more difficult because the soul is also entangled in the doctrine of eternal life.

In the past, philosophers disagreed on the existence, function and description of the soul. Various cultures did take separate notice of the soul as distinct from the body. Archeologists and anthropologists discovered that even uncivilized people groups entertain the concept of the soul.

The Old Testament asserts or implies the distinct reality of the soul. Three terms are used for the soul: nephesh, nuah, and neshaman. Now, however, we know that these are three separate functions. The first was taken to refer to the animal and vegetative nature (body), the second to the ethical principle (soul), the third to the purely spiritual intelligence (spirit).

The soul’s function is to interpret the stimulus, which is experienced by the body. It also defines the ideas and beliefs by which we think. Another function is to register the emotions, which we feel. Then, it makes the decisions, which we carry out by our will. The soul is intangible, and requires a body in order to exist. We receive our body and soul at conception; however, the spirit is given to the regenerate Christian alone.

The soul is different from the spirit of man. The human spirit, dead in trespasses and sin, is instantly regenerated at Justification. Then, the soul takes the center stage for our Sanctification process, which takes a lifetime. The body will eventually be saved through Glorification the instant we see Jesus, for we shall be like Him (1 John 3:2).

According to this viewpoint of the Trichotomy of man, a perfect man (teleios) consists of three parts: body (soma), soul (psyche) and spirit (pneuma). Paul employed psyche and pneuma with great consistency. He used psyche to refer to the purely natural life; while he used pneuma to refer to the life of the supernatural nature of the Holy Spirit, dwelling and operating in the spirit of the born again Believer.

Paul takes this view when he showed his belief in a Trichotomy of man in 1 Thessalonians 5:23, “May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Paul also shows the Trichotomy in Hebrews 4:12, “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow (body), and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

Even Jesus’ teaching in Luke 16: 22 –31 sheds some light on this topic of the soul. He relates to us the story of the death of a rich man and a beggar. The beggar, who receives the crumbs from the rich man’s table during his lifetime, was a Believer. He has a born again spirit, as well as a soul and body. When he dies, his soul and spirit go to heaven. The rich man who lived in unbelief and selfish debauchery all of his life has a spirit that is dead in trespasses and sin. Therefore, only his soul goes to hell.

Although their bodies are in the grave, they can both perceive thoughts and emotions through their soul, as well as experience in the soul what is normally registered only by the five senses of the physical body. Read with me from Luke 6:24…“So he called to him, 'Father Abraham (sight), have pity (emotion) on me and send Lazarus (thoughts) to dip the tip of his finger (taste) in water and cool my tongue (physical sensation), because I am in agony (physical sensation and emotion) in this fire (smell).” The rich man also experiences the sense of hearing when Abraham advises him about his request in the verses following this one.

This scripture gives us a clear picture that our soul “feels” all of the physical sensations, which our body feels. When our body goes to the grave, the soul goes to heaven or hell for eternity. The soul is the essence of mankind.

Even scientists observe that the soul is independent of and existent apart from the body. During our sleep, our soul carries on its work through our dreams. The physical proof of the soul’s existence comes from facts such as: the mysteries behind birth and death, the cessation of conscious thought during sleep, and the imagination and memory. All three of these are unassailable proof that there is an existence of some solid entity within us in addition to our vital organs and our spirit.

Yet, even with the obvious importance of the soul, mankind treats it with passing notice, sometimes even bordering on disdain. Some Christians insist that when we take up our cross daily, we crucify the God-given aspects of the soul, right along with the carnal, “fleshly” appetites. In my opinion, we need to pay equal amounts of attention to developing and nurturing our soul as we do with our body and spirit. Otherwise, we are like a stool with only two legs: unbalanced and virtually useless.

Genesis 2:7 illustrates the distinction between the body, spirit and soul, “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground (body), and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life (spirit), and man became a living soul.” God told Adam that if he ate of the tree in the garden, that day he would surely die. When Adam disobeyed, and the angel of the Lord drove him from the garden, he did not die physically, but he did die spiritually.

Paul explains that the natural (unregenerate) man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. His spirit is dead. I like to visualize our triune state as a basketball. The outer pigskin is the body, the thin inner tube is the soul and the air inside (if one is born again) is the spirit. A person without the Spirit of God resembles a ball without air, lifeless and unable to bounce.

Our desires and affections are turned toward God when we realize our sinful condition, believe God and accept His grace in salvation. When the Spirit of God illuminates our spirit with divine light and life, we yield our affections and faculties - our whole body, soul and spirit - to God. The Christian who is enjoying unbroken communion with our Lord is able to say, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name” (Psalm 103:1).