Focusing On The Spirit, Not The Soul

BY: Duke Rohe, Stander

I have resolved myself to add life to my covenant keeping brothers and sisters in Christ. And because of that, I no longer want anyone to wallow in their sorrows. It is not a good place to be, friends. Remember that 1 John 1:5-6 says, "God is light and there is no darkness in Him at all. So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing truth." (NLT)

Not that there aren’t trying times or hurdles in this world to jump, but we must always remember that they do not effect the Spirit in us. We need not align ourselves with the soul because the soul is what tends to grab hold of the darkness and whips us into a fearful frenzy. It’s time we take back the territory the enemy has stolen and it must begin in our hearts before it happens in this world and in our marriages.

God is always thinking about our good, and He knows that if we don’t have a close love walk with Him, we don’t have a chance of having one with our mates. So try this.....start taking the offensive with your soul. Your soul is the mind, will and emotions. Try identifying more with the Spirit of God in you and less with the circumstances around you. Give life by speaking and believing His promises about your restored life.

Next time your soul looks at the how far your mate is from returning to your covenant love, believe that if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another (1 John 1:7). Start the righteous walk in thought and deed in yourself and let God work it out in your mate. Continually keep in mind, God does His surgery on the inward man, then the outward man. Remember you are still one-flesh with your mate.

Next time your soul hollers out that you have blown it with your actions and thoughts, God says if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous (1 John 2:1). Stop identifying with the accuser of the brethren and start identifying with the Lover of your Soul.
This is possible even when you feel God is far from you. The Word says, "if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” (1 John 5:14) And even more intimate, God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him (1 John 4:16).

When we feel trapped in discouragement, courting the troubles of the mind, in whatever our hearts condemns us; God is greater than our hearts, and knows all things (1 John 3:20). When we feel overwhelmed, looking up from the bottom side of life, remember for whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world --- our faith (1 John 5:4).

So if we find ourselves complaining with where we are in this very delicate process, we only have ourselves to blame. God gives us plenty of reasons in His Word to have hope. Begin speaking God’s truth and He will bring the forces of Heaven to your side to bring about the much-needed change in YOU. Then we will learn how to love, because He first loved us (1 John 4:19).