UNSHAKABLE FAITH for my soul
“Why are you cast down, O my soul? and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him. For the help of His countenance. O my God, my soul is cast down within me; Therefore I will remember You from the land of the Jordan.”
The soul is not generally a part of our daily conversations. Yet it is impacted by our daily activities. One can scarcely look upon great art, a beautiful landscape or the sound of the sea crashing into the shore without engaging ones soul. We are deeply impacted and imprinted in our souls by our interactions with one another and the world in which we live.
The Bible has much to say about our soul and curiously it warns that we must use the Word of God to rightly divide our soul from our awakened Christ like Sprit that took place as we surrendered to the Gospel.
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)
There is disagreement in the theological community as to how to define the soul, after studying the scriptures over a lifetime here is where I land on the subject and I will state what I see in scripture, hopefully in a way that is easy to understand. The soul is the spiritual essence of the human being, and it, like the physical body, has its origin in the creative work of God. The Hebrew word often rendered as “soul” is the word for “breath” and therefore also for a “living thing.” Genesis 2:5–7 describes the origin of the first human soul: it says that God “breathed into [Adam’s] nostrils the breath of life.”
The one true God has revealed Himself as the eternally self-existent "I AM," the Creator of heaven and earth and the Redeemer of mankind. He has further revealed Himself as embodying the principles of relationship and association as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. When God created mankind, He chose to create man in His image. Man has a spirit, a body and a soul. The spirit and soul are forever.
God has revealed Himself to us as God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Three distinct personalties ONE God. Could it be that as we are created in God’s image that there are three parts to one man/woman. The body, The Spirit, The Soul. This could explain Hebrew 4:12 as to why God wants to divide the soul and the spirit. When we are born again the Sprit comes to life in us renewed in Christ and brought to life as sin is conquered in us. Before we are born again our soul (mind, will, emotions) is the seat of our decision making, philosophy about life and where we house our world view. It is at the moment of salvation that our Spirit is born again and takes the lead in directing our actions, thoughts, decisions, by directing us to love God with all our heart, all our mind, all our strength.
While our soul is being transformed day by day as we follow Jesus, (sanctification), we are still connected to old thought patterns, addictive behaviors, thoughts and ideas that we believed to be true before we came to Christ. Additionally we have friendships with people with whom we no longer share values. It appears what God wants to happen is that the Word of God (sword) becomes the directive and guide for the continuing work of sanctification in our soul. And the Word of God allows the born again Spirit to lead us into Worshipping God and following Him obediently.
The soul has been redeemed in Christ and is being transformed on a day by day basis through sanctification. The work of sanctification will be ongoing in each of us, until the coming of Christ.
1 Thessalonians 5:23 ESV
Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
John 17:17 ESV
Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.
We can care for our soul best by bathing it daily in the Word of God. In our mind our thoughts should be His thoughts, in our will we should be surrendered to God’s will, in our emotions we should be under control not allowing our emotions to dictate our decisions or produce a narrative about what is going on in our life just because we feel a certain way. God gave us our emotions and He wants us to experience Him through them and experience life through them, but they should not be in control of our lives.
Faith that is unshakeable is anchored in the LIVING WORD of God. The Bible is not just a book of printed words it is brought to life for us by the Holy Spirit. “For the word of God is living…”(Heb. 4:12). It is God breathed to refresh our Spirit and direct our soul. Be sure you set aside time daily to read God’s Word.
Pastor Alan Kirkpatrick/Grace Place Church
What is the Pastor Reading?
Return of the God Hypothesis by Stephen C. Meyer is an excellent book that combines science and faith to explore the possibility of a higher power. Meyer's argument is that science is actually providing evidence that supports the existence of a higher power and that this evidence should be taken seriously. He provides compelling evidence from both scientific and philosophical perspectives and challenges readers to consider the possibility that there is indeed a higher power at work. The book is well-written and engaging, and it is sure to provoke thought and debate. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in exploring the scientific and philosophical implications of faith. Overall, Return of the God Hypothesis is an excellent book written by an experienced and knowledgeable author. The book is well-organized, thought-provoking, and engaging. It provides compelling evidence from both scientific and philosophical perspectives and challenges readers to consider the possibility that there is indeed a higher power at work.