May 31, 2020 AS YOUR SOUL PROSPERS
1 John 1:2 “Beloved, I wish above all things that you may prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers.”
Psalm 42:11 “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God.”
Matthew 22:37 “Jesus replies: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”
We may use the words soul and sprit interchangeably, but they are not the same. Someone defined the soul as “the animate life, or the seat of the senses, desires, affections and appetites.” “The spirit is that part of us that connects, or refuses to connect to God.” We are made up of three parts: spirit, soul and body. Most would agree, and it seems obvious that we place more emphasis on our physical bodies than we do on our spirit and soul. Certainly it is not wrong or displeasing to God to enjoy and embrace our physical lives and to take care of our bodies as we are temples of the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 6:19. Today, let us be reminded that we have a soul, and that it needs to be nourished. In Genesis 2:7 we read “Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” I must admit that I am not familiar with any writings and have not heard any teaching on how to nourish our souls. However, I think that we can glean some truths out of God’s word that will instruct us on how to be healthy in our soul. I Thessalonians 5:23 can serve as a good starting point for us: “Now, may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Only by knowing God according to His word and knowing our true identity as His children are we made whole in spirit, soul and body. His presence in us touches every part of our being. Experiencing wholeness of soul is not automatic; we must know what God has said regarding who we are in Him, and we must then practice what He has said. How we choose to think is key in having and maintaining a healthy soul. Proverbs 23:7 is a powerful verse in that it tells us that as we think in our heart, so are we. How we think and what we choose to think about has a direct impact on our soul. One of the most critical truths for us to cling to is that we must make the choice to put into action the teachings of God’s word and think as He would have us think whether our feelings or emotions ‘feel’ like it or not. Ephesians 4:23 instructs us to be renewed in the spirit of our mind-that is action on our part. In addition to how we think, hope is another element of being healthy in soul. Hope comes from what God has said and what He has promised for those who love Him. Again, we must make the choice to align our thoughts and actions with what God has said, regardless of our emotions and feelings and circumstances at the moment. We need to follow David’s example; his family had been captured by his enemies and he had suffered great loss, but he “encouraged himself in the Lord his God.” 1 Samuel 30:6. Much could be said about having a healthy soul, but in summary, let us take possession and dominion of our soul and align our thinking with what God says about us and about life as His sons and daughters. Lasting hope and hope that endures the storms of life comes only from the promises of God and His love for us. If our thinking, our self-talk, our beliefs, and our actions or rooted in who we are in Christ, our soul will be healthy.
Romans 15:13 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
Blessings, Buddy
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