LORD HELP ME TO UNDERSTAND “ME” AND LEARN TO C0-OPERATE WITH YOU? (3)

I am so blest at the response and comments and mini survey replies that I have received from my readers on this new series.

We now want to highlight that the Holy Spirit wants to impact our soul and body, so the work of sanctification will continue as Paul prayed in 1 Thess.5:23-24 NKJV Now may the God of peace Himself SANCTIFY you completely; and may your whole SPIRIT,SOUL AND BODY, be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁴ He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it

When Paul wrote to the Romans in 12:1-2 he said “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your BODIES a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. ² And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God”.
Bible scholars almost without exception believe Paul was not only thinking about our physical bodies, but every part of us spirit, soul and body, and they need to be continually/constantly surrendered to the Lord.

So, now we come to our SOUL: which has 3 important parts.

MIND WILL & EMOTIONS

We believe the MIND is the battlefield of the soul, and every battle is won or lost in our mind. The Holy Spirit wants to help us, make the Lord the ruler in our minds. The Word of God has much to say about this, can I recommend you look at the numerous verses in both the Old & New Testaments that contain references to mind, I regularly pray David’s prayer in Psalm 139:23-24 NKJV Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, we sure often need help and greater understanding in these areas.

Also Paul’s words in Phil.4:8 NKJV Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—MEDITATE (think) on these thing
We often develop a lot of bad habits in our mind both pre-conversion and after we are saved, thus Paul prayed that our soul man would be sanctified. We must co-operate with the Holy Spirit.

The enemy will also try and put thoughts into our mind that are contrary to the will of God, and we need to do as James directs in James 4:7 NKJV “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil (IN THE NAME OF JESUS) and he will flee from you.

WILL, We are not puppets on a string but we must keep our minds continually submitted to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, and know what the Word of God clearly teaches so the sanctifying process can continue. Note Paul says MEDITATE AND THINK MUCH ABOUT DOING THE WILL OF GOD IN ALL THINGS.

The constant prayer of our heart must be NOT MY WILL BUT THINE BE DONE.

EMOTIONS. We are very aware of the many emotions that can arise in us in different situations, and once again we must continually submit our emotions to the Lord, again we may have developed some bad habits before we were born again, and I remind you of James 4:3 NKJV says ‘Yet you do not have because you do not ask”. Let us as we submit ourselves to the Lord ask Him to help us.

When we were born again and the Holy Spirit came to dwell in us, and as we learn to submit we are cultivating the FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT again Paul writes in Gal 5:22-23 NKJV But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, SELF CONTROL. Against such there is no law.
We sure need every aspect of the fruit of the Spirit working in our lives, and especially self control in our soul man, and also in our body, which will be the emphasis in our next blog.

I really appreciate your comments, place them in the website boskoteachingandmentoring.com