It is important that we recognize the workings of our soul, and the need to lay our lives – body, soul and spirit – before the cross daily. One of the ways to keep our soul in the right alignment, submitted to God’s Spirit, is to preach the Word of God to it every time we err in the wrong direction. We need ears to hear the promptings of the Holy Spirit as He shines His Light on that which needs surrendering.
It is essential that we understand the difference between our spirits and our souls, for our soul is our natural ‘self’ – our will, emotions, intellect, personality… the very essence of who we are – our created self (psuche). Our spirits (zoe) are born of God, and brought to eternal life through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (the uncreated, eternal) when we receive Christ as our Saviour.
We need to will according to God’s Will, we need to feel as He feels, we need to think as He thinks. Our entire personality, in all its uniqueness needs to be surrendered and offered to God as a living sacrifice… so that the whole of us can be pliable and free to run in the race set before us.
How can we co-labour with Christ when we are operating from the soul? When our natural selves come in the way of His working, we become stumbling blocks rather than conduits of His Glory.
Let us each humble ourselves daily, examining our hearts and its intentions… repenting from soulish motivations and ambitions. Let’s take up our cross and follow Christ in all who we are and all that we do.
He is the Essence of our lives, the very reason for our existence.
Matthew 16:24-27
24Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 25For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. 26For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? 27For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.
John 1: 1-5
1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2The same was in the beginning with God. 3All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 5And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
2 Corinthians 5: 1-10, 17-21
1For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: 3If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. 4For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life. 5Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.
6Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: 7(For we walk by faith, not by sight:) 8We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. 9Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. 10For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.
17Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 18And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; 19To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
20Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. 21For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
