18.Sep.2009 Body, Soul, and Spirit
1 Thessalonians 5:23, NIV:
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.
We as people have three different parts. We are a sprit; we live in a body; we have a soul. It is our job to build and maintain all of these three parts, not just one. This is how we were made in God’s image. He has three parts: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. You cannot separate the three parts of God. He is three in one; three parts, but one God. Everything in God is harmonious. We are three parts in one: three parts, but one person, or spirit. Thus, when we have all three parts moving how they were made to, our lives will become harmonious.
The Word of Faith movement is a good movement. However, it focuses only on the spirit part of us. Focusing only on the spirit leaves the body and soul in the dust. By not focusing on the soul, what makes you you, you become someone you’re not. Your body will become sick or lethargic, and your family will fall apart right under your nose. You become different and weird, and weird does not change the world. You do need to build up your spirit, mainly by worshipping and reading your Bible and praying. Most people are on dial-up with God, with a slow connection, calling Him only when they need Him, but He wants us to be on Clear, wimax, connected to Him 24/7.
You need to control all parts of yourself. If you do not govern your soul, it will govern you. Have you ever had a bad habit that you just could not stop? That is your soul controlling what it does and wants. Just as you build up muscles by working out, you need to build up your self-control by working it out. Start at stopping a little, then more and more until you have stopped it. Take quitting cigarettes for example. It is much harder to stop cold turkey than to stop a little at a time. You need to change what you want from things of this world to things of God. It is hard, but your life will blossom because of it.
Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. We need to take care of them. The better care we take of our bodies, the longer we live, and the more lives we are able to touch. A lot of people think statistics are just statistics, but the reality is, statistics are real people. The fact of the matter is that 30 percent of real children are obese. Obesity is the number one cause of diabetes, and it is a major set-back in life. You are able to do more when you are physically fit and healthy. Also, if you do not watch what you eat and exercise, you are a lot more likely to die of a heart attack or some other sort of heart disease. This is caused by inactivity, which causes obesity. If we cannot take care of our own bodies, how can we take care of other people’s souls?
The concept of holistic healing has become a bad thing. However, wholistic healing, making something whole, is a completely Biblical principal, as seen in the verse above and in many more throughout the Bible. We are called to bring God’s love to the world and reach the lost, and that works better when your life is whole. People will not follow someone whose life is a wreck. By having our lives as whole as possible, we place ourselves in the perfect spot to reach the world for Him.
