A transition of power

 But don’t let sin control your life here on earth. You must not be ruled by the things your sinful self makes you want to do. Don’t offer the parts of your body to serve sin. Don’t use your bodies to do evil, but offer yourselves to God, as people who have died and now live. Offer the parts of your body to God to be used for doing good. Sin will not be your master, because you are not under law. You now live under God’s grace. (Romans 6:12-14)

To be controlled is to be dominated by someone or something. We can be controlled by 'things' as easily as we can be controlled by another person. We can also be controlled by thoughts, emotions, and even desires. Perhaps this is why it is so important to be constantly aware of who or what is exerting control over our lives - giving direction to our lives. When we are allowing control to anyone or anything other than Christ, we are in danger of being controlled by what could bring us harm. That which has 'direction over' our lives will either move us in the right direction, bringing positive change, or it will drive us further into depravity.

How unwise is it to be controlled by our own desires? Those desires are more than a bit selfish, aren't they? They might not seem that way at first, but given time and enough space in our lives, those desires can lead us into all manner of compromising choices. They are more than 'mistakes' we make, or lapses in judgment - they become a pattern. Patterns of behavior that elevate self, focus on what pleasures self, or what belittles others are never good patterns. Self has a way of directing our lives down paths we might not have explored until we gave self a place of dominant focus. As our scripture aptly points out, we offer ourselves to sin. We actually allow the domination of our minds, hearts, and souls even when we are passive. Not paying attention to choices we make is as dangerous as consciously making them!

The good news is that self doesn't have to be the master of our lives. The 'transition of power' within our lives will not come as easily as we might want it to, but whenever we make a conscious decision to serve Christ, put him first in our lives, and then seek his wisdom with our choices, the 'transition of power' begins to occur. We lean into him, seeking his wisdom and his power, and we find our 'power', 'wisdom', and 'strength' pale in comparison. We soon become dissatisfied with those things that once held our attention and seemed to be so important for us to pursue. Why? The transition of power is bringing less and less reliance and trust in our self (fleshly desires). We might long for the 'transition' to be complete, but as long as we are experiencing even gradual progress in that direction, we are on the right path! Just saying!

Spirit to Spirit

The unspiritual self, just as it is by nature, can’t receive the gifts of God’s Spirit. There’s no capacity for them. They seem like so much silliness. Spirit can be known only by spirit—God’s Spirit and our spirits in open communion. Spiritually alive, we have access to everything God’s Spirit is doing, and can’t be judged by unspiritual critics. Isaiah’s question, “Is there anyone around who knows God’s Spirit, anyone who knows what he is doing?” has been answered: Christ knows, and we have Christ’s Spirit.  (I Corinthians 2:14)

I have had those moments when everything I want to understand just didn't make sense no matter how hard I try to make my brain focus on the matter. There are probably a whole lot of spiritual forces at work behind the matter - good ones, not just bad ones - making it a bit harder for me to fully get to the place of really understanding the matter at hand. Spirit can only be known by spirit - my spirit connecting with the Spirit of God brings clarity - maybe not to the fullest degree I might desire, but it is clarity nonetheless. I would like to know the end from the beginning, but it is the journey that makes the ending that much more meaningful. If I understood all it would take to get to the end of the journey, chances are I would throw up my hands and announce a loud, "Not going there!" 

As new creatures in Christ, we have access to the mind of Christ - to really tap into a deeper understanding of both the good and the bad spiritual forces working behind the scenes. That may frighten some of us a bit because knowing which good ones are at work isn't all that scary, but realizing there are actually opposing forces at work can cause us more than a little trepidation. There is something quite common amongst believers everywhere - we try to 'understand' God with our minds, not through the mind of Christ - spirit to Spirit. God is known in the spirit of man - that knowledge making its way to our minds eventually, but it doesn't begin in our minds!

Our mind actually doesn't have the capacity for the spiritual understanding God wants to give us - we need to receive it in our spirit first, allowing it to grow in us until it begins to affect our soul (mind, will and emotions). The place where God communes with us is not in our minds - it is in our spirit. His Spirit entering our spirit and therein beginning to share the treasures of heaven, opening scripture to us, and giving us grace to embrace it openly and willingly. It took me a while to understand I could read every translation of the Bible and still not get what it said. It took the Spirit of God making it a living thing within me - breathing his breath into it. That takes place in our spirit - God's breath of life takes hold there first, making its way into our emotions, leaving us more than a little moved at times.

We can spend a whole lot of time spinning our wheels reading good devotions and even reading a whole lot of scripture on our own, but it is just time spent. We aren't connecting with God in our spirit and that leaves our time with him devoid of purpose - we aren't really gaining spiritual understanding, just head knowledge 'about' God. I did a whole lot of this when I went through Bible College - gaining lots and lots of head knowledge, but never really connecting it at the spirit level. It was some time after Bible College that God began to work on me in that area - asking me to stop being so 'educated' and allowing him to actually begin to impart his understanding. As I began to lay down the 'knowledge', he replaced it with 'understanding'. It is understanding that helps grace grow - not knowledge. Just sayin!

I see that!

The eyes really tell a lot about what is going on with a person. Whenever someone gets sick, we often see reddened "rings" around their eye, making the eyes themselves look a little "hallow" and "sad". They may not open their eyes as wide, and the "crystal-clear" appearance of the eye may look a little "foggy" or "dry". A "yellow" appearance turning to brighter shades of orange over time can signal huge issues with the liver. The size of the pupil, especially with one larger than the other, can signal a huge issue going on with the brain. The eye really can "alert" us to much that is going on inside a man in the physical sense, but it also betrays what is going on inside of the man in terms of his emotions and spirit!

"Your eyes are windows into your body. If you open your eyes wide in wonder and belief, your body fills up with light. If you live squinty-eyed in greed and distrust, your body is a dank cellar. If you pull the blinds on your windows, what a dark life you will have!"  (Matthew 6:22-23)

I may not know all the specifics of what is making the man "ill" at that moment, but the eyes "betray" that something is happening in their body, soul, or spirit! The emotional and spiritual matters affect the "clarity" of our eyes, often in conjunction with how a man holds his frame, or walks along. For example, ever see a man so stressed by what he has managed to get himself into by not being able to say "no" to the things he should be saying "no" to in his life? His eyes betray much about his situation as they appear to give off a sense that there is no hope of being out from under his burdens, his lack of rest, and his fear of inevitable failure.

Whenever you want to "meddle" a little into the life of another, simply examine the eyes. You don't even have to ask much to see that the person is hurting, they are playful, or they are weighed down by some circumstance. The truth is that the eyes are indeed windows into our souls. They betray the true condition of the heart, even if we have become good at displaying a 'poker face'. Whatever is within a man will be on display through the eyes - maybe without him even being the wiser that it is on display. Maybe that is how moms all over the world know when their children are lying to them!!! Try as we might, we cannot successfully hide what is hidden deep. We think we "pack it away" very successfully - but as Jesus puts it, either we display the good, or what comes across to others is the not so good! There have been many times that I told a friend that their eyes "betray" them - even when they are saying everything is "all right" in their lives. The sadness or pain displayed in their eyes says more than their words do. We would do well to look beyond the words!

So, why is this important? Simply put, what we allow into our lives affects what others perceive from WITHIN our lives. We are mirrors of what is within - through the "eye-gate" of our souls others will see deep within even when we are too scared or proud to share it. When we begin to be selective about what we will allow into our lives, we are also making choices about the "window-treatments" we are allowing for the windows of our soul! Just sayin!

A few gaps?

Mind in gear? What does that mean to you? When I consider a 'mind in gear', I think of the one who is deep in thought, creating, coming up with plans and ideas, or working to put those ideas into application. I think of the carver who looks at a plain piece of log and begins to fashion what he sees in his mind. I also think of the one who might calculate the risks and benefits of a particular set of actions and then formulate a plan they will act upon - such as a surgeon considering the best course to take with a patient to optimize their health. Having one's mind in gear is really a sign of being engaged in the process - you are more than a casual observer. God isn't after those who have all the answers as much as those who will engage with him and be more than casual observers in his kingdom.

So roll up your sleeves, put your mind in gear, be totally ready to receive the gift that’s coming when Jesus arrives. Don’t lazily slip back into those old grooves of evil, doing just what you feel like doing. You didn’t know any better then; you do now. As obedient children, let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God’s life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness. God said, “I am holy; you be holy.” (1 Peter 1:13 MSG)

As long as we are doing nothing more than 'casually observing' the promises and commands of God, we are never going to really grow into our full potential in Christ. We each have been given so much potential - but how we engage in the use of that potential determines if we will reach the fullest extent of it! God doesn't just ask us to follow him, all getting in a line and following after him like a game of "Simon says". He is looking for those who will learn of him, engaging in the things that exemplify his love and grace in our everyday lives. It doesn't take a 'message from on high' to take some actions - they are common sense! They are in alignment with his will because they exemplify his love and grace, so act upon them. 

We are shaped by God - that 'shape' takes form with each step which reveals our total engagement with the things he is teaching and doing in our lives. He looks for a mind in gear, a heart in total dedication, and a body willing to be used in the labor he sees fit for us to engage in. This is how he operates - ready hearts receive, open minds understand, and eager hands are set into service. It is easy to see that God is pleased when a life is willing to be pulled into a way of life shaped by his hands, energized by his Spirit, and filled by his grace!

Lest you or I think it is impossible to be holy (right, true, and honest), think again. God's existence in our lives actually fills us to overflowing with this 'rightness'. We are free to move about, not as 'unclean' and 'unholy', but as examples of his holiness. As such, we are also examples of his 'wholeness' - for where his presence dwells you will always find his grace filling every gap in a man's character that has been left by sin's outcome. If you feel a little 'drafty' today because of all of the 'gaps' in your character, take heart....those gaps are filled, sealing out all manner of unholiness because Christ isn't going to leave us deficient in any manner. Just sayin!

Let's avoid this catastrophe

We find reminders within scripture of the promise that those whom God calls, he also equips or enables to do the work they are called to do. One of the various ways we are "equipped" is with the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. The Spirit of Truth in our lives is resident within us as a result of our inviting Christ into our lives as our Savior - saying "yes" to Jesus. It isn't a complicated invitation - but sometimes we make the acceptance of that invitation way more complicated than it needs to really be!

If you love me, show it by doing what I've told you. I will talk to the Father, and he'll provide you another Friend so that you will always have someone with you. This Friend is the Spirit of Truth. The godless world can't take him in because it doesn't have eyes to see him, doesn't know what to look for. But you know him already because he has been staying with you, and will even be in you! (John 14:15-17)

What does it mean to have the Spirit of God resident within us? How does this equip us for the calling on our lives? We never walk alone - we always have someone with us. The Spirit of Truth walks where we walk, there with us each step of the way. No path we take is without his careful attention. We are enabled to love God - where the Spirit of God dwells, there is a love for the Father that is deeply rooted in heartfelt service to him. We have his presence with us enabling us to keep his commandments - no steps of obedience are harder than those attempted without his guidance and care.

The Holy Spirit resident within us also produces the evidence of a life change. We hear this referred to as the "fruit of the Spirit". Galatians 5:22-23 tell us, "But what happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely." Break that down and you will see there is much 'fruit' that is just not for us to enjoy, but for us to fill the lives of others us with as we share bits and pieces of it each day.

Affection for others - the ability to look outside of ourselves and see the needs of those around us.
Exuberance about life - eagerness to live, no hesitation in our walk, freedom to embrace life.
Serenity - the ability to keep our cool, peacefulness, composure even in dark or intimidating circumstances. A willingness to stick with things - we call this commitment - the attitude and drive to complete what we begin, regardless of the cost. A sense of compassion in the heart - moved by the needs of those around us to the point that there is action behind the recognition of that need. A conviction that a basic holiness permeates things/people.

Loyal commitments - this work of the Holy Spirit in our lives gives us focus, keeping us on track with Christ, and centers our every movement on him. Not needing to force our way in life - where the Spirit of God is, there is a freedom to enter, the very words to speak when we are asked to give an accounting, and an open door. Sufficient energies for life's challenges - no excuses for us - the energies we need for the journey ahead have already been provided. Wise use of our energies - along with the energies for the task at hand comes the ability to choose wisely how to devote our time, talent and energies.

As you can see, the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives is indeed an enabling presence. Those called are enabled - not halfway, but entirely. There is sufficiency in all God does, all he provides, and all he prepares us for. The next time you want to talk God out of "calling" you, you might want to consider just how much he does to provide all you will need for that calling. The cost of rejecting his calling would definitely be catastrophic! Just sayin!

I don't have that piece!

Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out; you formed me in my mother’s womb. I thank you, High God—you’re breathtaking! Body and soul, I am marvelously made! I worship in adoration—what a creation! You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you, The days of my life all prepared before I’d even lived one day. (Psalm 139:13-14 MSG)

Body and soul - marvelously made. Being a nurse, I understand much more about how the body's 'parts' interact - seeing the linked relationships between one system and the other. I studied hours upon hours to learn this stuff - because it helped me to understand the potential cause of my patient's symptoms. Yet, even with all my hours of study, I don't fully understand the human body. I went to Bible College and studied hour upon hour to learn the truths contained within the Word of God about the man's soul and spirit, yet I don't understand either of them very well. Sure, I know we have a sin nature and that nature gives us a whole lot of trouble in this lifetime. I even know that we can live with an exchanged nature, but do I really understand that nature all that well? Not really. There is so much about each of us that is 'complicated' beyond our full comprehension - yet the Creator knows all those intricate inner-workings of body, soul, and spirit completely. He knows how one plays off the other and then affects the whole. Why then would we look to any other source for our help for what troubles our minds? Why would we seek other 'spiritual guidance' when we have full access to the one who breathed that spirit into us in the first place?

From nothing into something - this is how God works in all of us. He takes what really amounts to nothing and from what others may write off as 'nothing' he creates a thing of majesty. I have come upon a pile of Lego blocks left by my grandsons on occasion as they hurried off to engage in some other activity that caught their interest. I will not shy away from admitting I love these little building pieces. They are so 'versatile' - allowing the imagination to create item after item until one's creativity is satisfied with what has been created. Yet, even with all my 'vision' of what I want to create, there are times some of the blocks just don't seem to be in the pile that will 'fit' my vision. God isn't limited by what is in the pile of our lives, though. He isn't bound to create only what others can see in us, but is free to create from 'nothing' - he doesn't need that 'one missing piece' because he IS that one missing piece!

Inside and out - we are known. There is no hiding from the one who does the creating because he already knows what is within and what has been put on display for all to see. He knows about that blemish on my chin long before it emerges, just as much as he knows about that blemish in my soul that emerges because my choices weren't always the best. As much as I'd like to be 'blemish free' in this life, I am not. Inside me there are struggles between what my body wants, what my spirit needs, and what my emotional soul is driving me toward. On the outside, I might not give the impression there is a battle raging on the inside, but trust me on this one - there is! Others may see what is on the outside of my life - those things I have carefully allowed to be on display. God sees what is inside my life - those things I am a little bit afraid to display! He even knows those things that I'd be ashamed to put on display - those things from within my soul that really don't belong there any longer. 

We aren't made haphazardly - we are a thing of created excellence. We may not be fully perfect, but in God's eyes, we are a things of magnificent beauty and purposeful intent. We may not have all the pieces of our lives together as some would see us, but in God's capable hands, all the right pieces are there - he is at work putting them together as only he can do. Just sayin!

Avoid that pile...

I once heard a coach tell his team they needed to find out what the other team was going to do - paying close attention to their formation, footing, eye contacts, etc. Then he said to them that this how they could take that next move into their own control - making it almost impossible for that team to 'make that next move'. Maybe this isn't bad advice for our daily lives either. If we were to pay a little closer attention to the enemy of our souls, observing his moment, noticing how he is 'setting things up' so we can take a fall, maybe we'd have a better understanding of how to counter those attacks!

8 Be careful—watch out for attacks from Satan, your great enemy. He prowls around like a hungry, roaring lion, looking for some victim to tear apart. 9 Stand firm when he attacks. Trust the Lord; and remember that other Christians all around the world are going through these sufferings too. (I Peter 5:8-9 TLB)

I think many of us feel it is impossible for us to actually 'stay ahead' of our enemy's attacks. It is like we stand there and just continue to take the beating time and time again, him scoring full-on hits repeatedly in our lives. I honestly believe God has given us all we need to not only recognize his attacks, but to begin to understand his strategies. When we become more familiar with the strategies of our enemy, this is the fuel we need to form a solid defense against him!

God gives us his Word, complete with very specific illustrations and examples of how the enemy of our soul opposes us, setting up attack after attack. For example, the story of David would give us an illustration of why we don't want to attempt to stand alone in life. We need the companionship of others, especially when it comes to facing our enemy. David had a couple very specific examples of when he didn't do very well at resisting temptation when he stood alone - like when he sent his warriors off to 'do war' and he stayed back. That opportunity presented that infamous encounter with Bathsheba and his fall into adultery. 

From this example, I might come to realize I don't do well resisting temptation when I am not doing what it is God has planned for me to do. David was the leader of the army - he was their king. His place was with his soldiers, not back at home camp killing time in leisure activities. I might also recognize that where there is a weakness in my life it becomes harder and harder to 'look the other way' when the temptation is right there in front of me. Either way, I have been given these examples so that I can learn (and you, too) how to recognize where it is the enemy plans on making his attacks. The plans of the enemy are best thwarted when we are paying attention to learning how he moves!

We are also given immediate help - because the Holy Spirit of God indwells us with his presence and power. When we may not immediately recognize we are about to step into a trap, we can count on him to give us that little niggling that lets us know our steps are about to get us into a pretty big pile of poop which will leave a pretty nasty effect that lingers for a lot longer than we might like! Some of what we learn is by studying - at other times, our learning is more by the power of observing. Both are necessary if we are to ever understand and respond to our enemy's attacks. Just sayin!

Be there

2 Come before him with thankful hearts. Let us sing him psalms of praise. 3 For the Lord is a great God, the great King of all gods. 4 He controls the formation of the depths of the earth and the mightiest mountains; all are his. 5 He made the sea and formed the land; they too are his. 6 Come, kneel before the Lord our Maker, 7 for he is our God. We are his sheep, and he is our Shepherd. Oh, that you would hear him calling you today and come to him! (Psalm 95:2-7 TLB)

After over half a century on this earth, I have learned a thing or two - but I haven't learned everything I need to learn! One thing I have come to realize - not everyone will celebrate Christmas with joy, nor will all welcome it as a season to be "merry and bright". There is a heaviness of heart that engulfs some and the "season" is just not all that enjoyable. Sure enough, on the outside they give a good appearance of "getting into the spirit" of Christmas, but somewhere deep down inside, the "spirit" of Christmas just isn't moving.

While not everyone is going to celebrate Christmas with the same "gusto" or excitement, the door remains open for all to do so! God's hand will be outstretched, his heart open, and his grace overflowing - we only need to have an open heart to what he desires to do in us today. The truth of the matter is that God loves us with an intensity that goes beyond our "desire" to know him - even so far as to provide the only means by which we could come into fellowship with him. For this, we should all be thankful. For this, we should all be singing praises!

The lack of "gusto" doesn't mean someone isn't a a believer, or that they aren't solidly connected in their relationship with Christ. It may be they are under a burden they are not meant to carry alone - but they just aren't sure how to ask anyone else to help them carry it! This Christmas season, please remain open to God's leading - someone may be counting on you to recognize they aren't really "into" the spirit of the season. Someone may be waiting specifically for you to notice they need help with that burden they are bearing up under.

There is no greater service we can engage in this Christmas season than to be aware of those God puts in our path. They are there for a purpose - it is never accidental. Some will be happy - others will be downright miserable. Some will be open to sharing - others will just need you to be there as a friend. Some will realize all their wishes are coming true - still others will experience the continued disappointment of wishes not realized as of yet.

Regardless of where we are at today, there is someone just waiting for us to "be" the spirit of Christmas in their lives. It isn't about the gift we purchase - it is about the "Spirit" we bring into the relationship! Just sayin!

This soul of mine is killing me!

From all we can read in scripture, we see that man is made up of body, soul, and spirit. Our body is the easy one - we see and feel that all the time. The soul and spirit are a little harder to understand because they are things we know exist, but aren't as "tangible" as the body is. Spirit give us our drive; without it, we'd kind of be "dulled" to the world around us. Soul is made up of three separate parts: Mind, Will and Emotions. Mind is more than thought - it is where we kind of "commune with" thought - sometimes it is a Plato put it: "Thinking: the talking of the soul with itself." You combine all the "soul talk" with a will that wants to go one way and not the other, or a bundle of emotions constantly giving you fits and starts in this direction or the other, and you have a mess of issues! 

11 Therefore, let’s make every effort to enter that rest so that no one will fall by following the same example of disobedience, 12 because God’s word is living, active, and sharper than any two-edged sword. It penetrates to the point that it separates the soul from the spirit and the joints from the marrow. It’s able to judge the heart’s thoughts and intentions. 13 No creature is hidden from it, but rather everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of the one to whom we have to give an answer. (Hebrews 4:11-13 CEB)

The soul has a tendency to talk more than the spirit - making it a little hard to hear God on occasion. This is why I often take time out to just listen to what the spirit is telling me - because I don't want to merely give into the mess of thoughts that invade my mind, or follow every whim my emotions create based on some "feel good" scheme I might fall into. The thing about it is that we often give more attention to our soul and the three parts working within it than we do our spirit and the communion we have with Jesus there. When all is said and done we wonder why we are confused, or in the muddle of a mess we find ourselves in because we listened to our soul instead of the spirit.

It could just be that what we need to do is get more of God's Word into our spirit so our souls can be "contradicted" on occasion when the need arises!  There are thoughts we need to get out of our minds, equally as much as there are emotional reactions to pressures which create more panic and worry than is humanly possible to overcome. The truth of the matter is that we are ill-equipped to deal with life on a totally "soulish" level. We might do a lot of thinking, sorting things out to the best of our ability and formulating some sort of "plan", but how many times have we done this only to find we cannot maintain the enthusiasm in our emotions toward the thing we have planned despite a little "will-power" exerted toward the goal? Emotions, will, and thoughts don't carry us for the long-haul - spirit does!

God reminds us to focus on the spirit above all else - allowing his Spirit to strengthen our inner man, giving us fortitude for the tasks ahead. The spirit of man is "hollow" without his presence - it is "hallow" when we connect with him. Just sayin!

Divided we fall, united we stand strong

The word of God, you see, is alive and moving; sharper than a double-edged sword; piercing the divide between soul and spirit, joints and marrow; able to judge the thoughts and will of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12 VOICE)

Some might say the human spirit is kind of "intangible" - because they really cannot hold it in their hands or see it as plainly as they see a box of saltines on the shelf. I daresay we have "seen" and "held" it more than we might have imagined - in the tiny hand of a newborn reaching out for hold in a strange new world; in the tortured agony of having to go another 15-steps to the finish line; or in the excited gleam in the eye of the one who has just heard those tender words "I love you" uttered with profound adoration. The human spirit is perhaps not "tangible" in the same sense as the box of crackers - but it is evident in all of life. Without it, we are definitely "lifeless" and "unmoved". The human spirit is what gives us animation and helps us to "motor on" when all else seems to be discouraging us from going any further. It is also the human spirit that yearns for relationship with the Eternal One - because it is there where he was designed to dwell and without him there, the human spirit is devoid of something it desperately needs in order to be complete.

We probably understand the soul a little better than the human spirit because we can see a whole lot of the things a man does or says as emanating from soulish desire and passion. For example, when a child wants spaghetti for supper and a parent offers peas, corn, and ham instead, the child might be observed throwing what we have termed a "temper tantrum". There is this outward refusal to eat what is perfectly good which is right in front of them because the child is determined to have spaghetti instead. There is willful rebellion exhibited in the "refusal to eat". The head shaking, pushing away of the undesirable meal, and even the tears shed in mocked agony over not having one's own way is quite evident to the parent. In short order, the parent's soulish side may exhibit such behavior as the all too familiar "eat it or go to bed hungry" speech backed by the parent ignoring all the pleas of the temperamental child. Behavior can be hard to distinguish as that which manifests from the spirit and that which is more "soulish" in nature, though. I believe this is why God gives us a standard by which we can divide soul from spirit - see where the two collide in "perfect cohesiveness" and where they might just stand in determined opposition to each other.

The Word of God is used as the instrument by which we can begin to separate the willful and defiant, determined and destructive, or selfish and self-controlling from that which more closely resembles the Spirit of God within us. Yes, we have human spirit - but when that human spirit becomes ignited by God's Spirit within us, there is a purposefulness to our passion which aligns with his plan for our lives. The passion was there all the time - maybe just a little confused about how it was to be put to use, or what purpose it serves in motivating us into certain action in our lives. God's Spirit is able to show us where motivation has gone a bit off-course, but is also there to guide us into movement which is going to benefit even those around us. All that innervates a man's movement and action affects those around him. There is no escaping that one person's actions affect more than himself - it is like the subtle fall of a domino in a row of other dominoes. One topples and those around it are at least "shaken" by the fall, if not toppled themselves.

We may not see the difference between soul and spirit because they are so tightly interwoven within us, but God is able to divide right from wrong, good from bad, selfish from loving, begrudging from sacrificial, etc. His Word is only one instrument he uses to divide one from the other, exposing what needs to be more cohesive within us and removing that which affects that cohesive bond between his Spirit in us and our spirit/soul binding solidly to him. Just sayin!

Emotional ups and downs

Since the beginning of time man has tried all kinds of things to attempt to fulfill this deep-seated desire to "be happy".  Happiness is some kind of elusive "dream" for many individuals - just never really getting to the place where they are ever truly "happy".  Yes, they experience a little "delight" or "enthusiastic fulfillment" with this accomplishment, that purchase, or even those relationships, but in the end it isn't lasting.  All they are left with is a whole lot of "expense" or "baggage" and then they have to start all over again!  The pursuit of happiness in a particular thing, or even in another person, is going to cost us something we may regret having to "pay".  With happiness being elusive and carrying a bigger cost than we may want to pay, what keeps us going back time and time again to pursue it?  I think it may come in the deep-seated need for God himself - a need many fail to recognize as "spiritual" and not physical, emotional, or material!

I said to myself, “I should have fun—I should enjoy everything as much as I can.” But I learned that this is also useless. It is foolish to laugh all the time. Having fun does not do any good. So I decided to fill my body with wine while I filled my mind with wisdom. I tried this foolishness because I wanted to find a way to be happy. I wanted to see what was good for people to do during their few days of life. (Ecclesiastes 2:1-3 ERV)

I have a drawer in my bathroom which is partially filled with "fails" when it come to face creams.  It isn't that they didn't keep the wrinkles away, or that they didn't take the bags away from under my eyes.  It is that they couldn't be used long-term because they made me break-out.  In pursuit of a cream which would work, it took a whole lot of trial and error.  I have now sought the advice of a dermatologist and you know what - the cream he suggested is actually pretty good for my complexion!  What's the difference?  He looked at my skin under the magnifying glass and he realized I have patches of dry skin caused by something none of these creams had the capability of controlling!  It is like when God looks at our lives and shows us the truth about what we have been pursuing in the "pursuit of happiness".  We come to the place of realizing he actually knows us better than we know ourselves and if we'd just trust him with our lives, we'd be much more content (and even happy).

I have said this before, but it bears repeating:  Happiness is elusive!  It goes almost as fast as it comes and can be gone without us even noticing it has begun to wane.  Pursuing happiness is like pursuing the wind - you can feel it, but you cannot always see it, nor can you predict which way it will turn.  As with the wind, there are ups, downs, and even pretty stagnant periods of time.  In those uncertain moments, we almost come to the conclusion happiness has left us.  Not really.  Our emotional "high" just wasn't sustainable.  We cannot be on an emotional "high" all the time - our bodies would burn out from the extreme stress this continual release of hormones would do to it.  We can get to a place of contentment, though - something quite different from the emotional "high" of happiness.  Contentment is a deeper-seated ability to live above the ups and downs, rushes and calms of life.  It is the anchor which brings stability and this anchor isn't found in the pursuit of anything, but in the stopping to be embraced by the one who is in pursuit of us!

For most people, the pursuit of happiness is almost a lifestyle.  When anything or anyone gets in the way of their pursuit, their world crashes in around them. The amount of effort it takes to remain "happy" when someone gets in your way of "happiness" is kind of daunting, isn't it?  You are going along at a steady clip, making your way to whatever you believe will bring you happiness, when out of nowhere comes someone who is there to present a roadblock, or stir things up in your life.  Now what?  You could almost make a case that life is filled with these kinds of moments, right?  Those times when the decision has to be made to divert around the obstacle to our happiness, or realize the obstacle is stopping us from making progress because the direction is totally wrong for us in the first place!  It takes a great deal of maturity to realize the obstacle to our "happiness" may actually be the thing which keeps us from total ruin!

Rather than pursuing what gives an emotional high, maybe we'd be better to take those unfulfilled emotions to the creator of those emotions - the one who actually understands how each of them was created to work and how they work together.  In so doing, we might find balance to those things which seem to make us feel so unfulfilled and realize how fulfilled we are when the spiritual balance in our lives is attained instead!  Just sayin!

Treat me with some dignity, please.

Most of the time we treat our bodies pretty well, but there are those times when we just don't consider the impact certain behaviors or actions will have on our bodies.  This may be especially true in the realm of what we respond to emotionally which does much more than just impact our heads or hearts - it impacts the very fibers of our being.  Nothing we think or "feel" is ever without influence in our bodies.  Therefore, learning to treat our bodies with dignity requires us learning to rein in our thoughts and to rule over our emotions.

Learn to appreciate and give dignity to your body, not abusing it, as is so common among those who know nothing of God.  (I Thessalonians 4:4-5 MSG)

Although our writer may have been referring to the dignity with which we are treat our bodies in a "sexual" sense, there is much to be said about maintaining this same vigilance over our bodies in EVERY sense.  When the term "dignity" is used, it generally refers to the sense of "self-respect" with which we treat something.  This definitely applies to how it is we treat our bodies - for many an action on our part betrays how little we actually "respect" our bodies.

Abuse of one's body begins in many ways, but if we begin from the top down, it may look a little like this:

- The mind.  Whenever we take in thoughts which are irrational and then begin to mull them over and over again, we are disrespecting our minds.  God created the mind with many faculties, but one of the most important of these is the ability to reason through issues.  By the power of deduction (coming to the conclusion because we add this to that and come up with the solution), we make many a decision.  Not all decisions are tempered with wisdom, though.  If we are to learn to respect our bodies, we must first learn to respect our minds.  This is territory we need to declare off-limits to irrational thoughts which seek to invade our minds, but also those thoughts which seem rational at first, but which don't hold up to the test of scripture.  An example of this type of thought is the belief we hold of being "unworthy" and therefore undeserving of the love of God.  Truth is - he loved us despite our unworthiness, enough to send his Son when we were still totally unworthy, and through his sacrificial death, we are declared worthy.  What God declares to be one way we cannot declare to be another - this is just irrational.

- The mouth.  Although closely connected to the mind, the mouth often betrays what is much deeper in the heart.  If we are to treat our bodies with dignity, we need to guard what both goes in our mouths, and then rule over what comes out.  Scripture points to the truth of "garbage in, garbage out".  If we think we can have good come forth when all we put in is pretty much junk, we have been deceived.  The mouth works closely with the mind and the emotions (heart).  What is manifest through our mouth often betrays how it is we actually "respect" or "disrespect" what God has and is doing in our lives. We betray our lack of thankfulness, or perhaps our lack of trust, by the words we speak.  The mouth is a portal of entry - so guarding what "goes in" by this portal is also important to the health and welfare of our bodies.  Easier said than done - I totally admit that!  

- The heart.  As I indicated, the emotions are often what plays havoc on the rest of the parts of our bodies.  Emotions stir things up, getting the "juices" flowing, so to speak.  The volume of hormones released when the emotions get involved would probably blow our minds if we fully understood the response of our bodies to what we allow to affect us through our emotions.  If you have ever watched a scary movie and experienced that "edge of your seat" kind of reaction, complete with heart racing a little, then jumped when something scary happened on the screen, you have experienced the influence of emotions.  As irrational as it is for us to react to what is on the TV screen, we do - because our emotions have "interacted" with the plot played out in the show we are taking in.  Guarding our heart is how we show respect for it. The emotions are not to be feared, but they are to be guarded and not to be allowed to rule over us.  They are to be ruled over by the Spirit.  

- The hands, the feet, and all in between.  After some time ruminating on the same thoughts (rational or irrational), the body will begin to respond to those thoughts.  It is natural to begin to "do" what we think.  Engage the senses and you will soon find the other "body parts" responding.  What gets thought gets acted out.  Learning to respect our bodies involves learning what the right response of ALL our body parts should be - internally and externally. We are given the Holy Spirit to help us with this task.  As a matter of fact, scripture reminds us that our bodies are the "temple of the Holy Spirit".  In other words, our bodies are a dwelling place for God's Spirit - as such, their actions ought to reflect both the respect for his presences and the gratitude for his grace.  We won't get this "right" every time, but as we grow in Christ, we will see our bodies responding more and more in alignment with what the Spirit desires.  We have to keep moving TOWARD respect of our bodies and in time, we will begin treating them with the dignity they deserve.  Just sayin!

Principle 20: A house is not a home until...

We've all probably heard a saying about it taking a special person to make a house a home, or lots of love to make a house into a  home, right?  This is quite true, as houses are nothing without those who live within them.  Those who dwell within actually create the "culture" of the home - they give a unique atmosphere to the home environment.  The one who dwells within the walls of the house has a special way of making that house their own - by decorating it as they like, opening it to visitors, and often creating a family within those walls.  Now, think about that a little differently - your body as a house of sorts. Your body houses the Spirit of God and as such, the atmosphere of your life changes, does it not?  The one who "dwells within" the house makes a difference in the "culture" or atmosphere of the "house".  

A house is built by wisdom and becomes strong through good sense. Through knowledge its rooms are filled with all sorts of precious riches and valuables. (Proverbs 24:3-4 NIV)

The very atmosphere of our lives changes the moment the Spirit of God "indwells" us.  The one who takes up "residence" within begins to affect the condition of the "house".  He sets about to begin the subtle "redesign" of our interior by first bringing order to the inner workings of our lives.  This happens when he begins to settle our emotions, sort out our mind's constant musings, and then reorder our choices.  As such, he becomes integral to the "culture" of our inner being.  We begin to see the affects of his "touch" by the evidence of these things.  What once was pretty beat up and worn out begins to take on new life and fresh purpose.

God's Spirit brings into our lives much wisdom - through helping us to take knowledge we receive and turning it into knowledge we put into repeated and reliable practice in our lives.  In time, he helps us to think differently about the "space" of our lives and begins to fill in the gaps which exist, unclutter the places which have become too "busy" with stuff which doesn't matter, and to rearrange things so we develop a sense of ease with who we are as individuals loved and cherished by God himself.  As a result of the work within, there becomes evidence of "remodel" which spills over the outside. Just as a home owner may begin on the inside to make their "space" their own, they will also begin to focus on making the outside have a little "curb" appeal.  Why?  They want the work done on the inside to begin to be reflected to those who can only see someone "new" has taken up residence on the inside.

Now, this passage deals a lot with the culture we allow to be established in our homes and with our families.  Yet, the culture of a family begins with the individual.  The one who is wise will invite the work of the Spirit of God in their lives because they recognize the importance of creating the right "culture" within before they try to work the "culture" into the whole.  As the one life is affected, the spill-over affect begins to occur in the lives of those who also dwell within the home.  God doesn't just clean us up to make us "clean", but to begin to affect the "atmosphere" of those around us.  As life change occurs, life choices change and this very change in focus or intent has a way of affecting the atmosphere of others.  So, if we want our lives to be set in order and to reflect a different culture, or atmosphere, than we might have been reflecting in the past, we just need to begin by inviting Jesus to become the most important "resident" in our "home".  Just sayin!

Are you compulsive?

A compulsion is a strong, oftentimes irresistible impulse to perform some particular action often contrary to what you know to be right or justified.  If you don't struggle with any compulsive behaviors EVER in your life, you probably are not normal.  Compulsive behaviors are part of all of humanity - some to higher degrees than others.  There are those who go to the excess - known as obsessive compulsive.  Then there are just those of us who know things are not right for us to be doing, but we just go ahead and do them anyway, despite the inward struggle occurring which is attempting to warn us not to pursue that particular course of action.  Compulsions are "fed" or "denied" - by our response to their "pulling" effect.  When we deny them, we are starving them and hoping they will fade away, giving us no more problems later on.  When we feed them, we often don't know how hard it will be to resist the urge the next time.  Learning how to control our compulsions is important if we are to live freely, animated, and motivated by God's Spirit.

My counsel is this: Live freely, animated and motivated by God’s Spirit. Then you won’t feed the compulsions of selfishness. For there is a root of sinful self-interest in us that is at odds with a free spirit, just as the free spirit is incompatible with selfishness. These two ways of life are antithetical, so that you cannot live at times one way and at times another way according to how you feel on any given day. Why don’t you choose to be led by the Spirit and so escape the erratic compulsions of a law-dominated existence?  (Galations 5:16-18 MSG)

Over the past week, I have been spending some time helping us get to know the way our body, soul, and spirit interact together.  It is my hope that we begin to see not everything the body senses is worthy of us acting upon, and that not every emotion can be trusted to steer us straight.  We need the balancing influence of the spirit connected to God's Spirit.  The compulsions of selfishness we all deal with are part of our human nature - our body and soul being the driving forces behind these compulsions.  When we correctly identify the driving force behind our compulsions, we might just find the key to overcoming their "pull".

To live freely requires us being animated by God's Spirit - motivated by something other than our own compulsions.  Truthfully, a compulsion is a motivator - it drives us forward and leads us into action.  We want our actions to be God-directed, not self-directed.  We accomplish this by tuning into the Spirit of God in the realm of our spirit - allowing the decision to act to be filtered through our spirit prior to acting.  Since God's Spirit communes with ours, we have an excellent means of "filtering out" the compulsive actions if we remember to use this filter!

Since we all struggle with compulsions - irrational and irresistible desires - we can also learn from how others have faced those same tendencies and overcome the need to pursue them.  This is the importance of "community" or "family" which scripture speaks so much about.  It is not a formula which works, it is learning how others have found strength in the Word, learned how to apply that Word to their circumstances, etc.  As we share with each other, we learn from the experiences of others.  My daughter loves to shop - finding bargains here and there.  She also loves to give and bless others through her giving.  She had to learn that not every "bargain" is a necessary purchase. When she partnered with her husband, a more "balanced" shopper and a "saver", she learned there were priorities to how their monies were spent. They struck a balance because one was learning from the other - one learned to save, the other learned the beauty of giving.  A perfect balance.

God desires us to live within the freedom we have been given - we just need to learn to use the "tools" we are given which help us to remain free and living totally animated by his Spirit.  We need communion with him, good relationships with others who will hold us accountable, and the time to really get to know the Word.  When we have these tools in hand, we are ready to filter things our body and soul has to deal with through our spirit - allowing the Spirit of God to give us the thumbs up or down as to the action we should take.  Just sayin!

You riding a bicycle or tricycle?

Ruined lives surround us no matter where we live.  People start out well, but somehow through a series of misadventures and wrong turns, their lives end up in a state of shambles, almost like falling down shacks.  Along the way, they may have heard advice to not take a certain path, or to turn away from what they were pursuing with such earnest.  In ignoring the warnings, they compounded their misfortune and increased their speed of decline.  Now, at the bottom of the pit, they live with nothing more than regrets and the constant wondering of the "what if".  The worrisome part of their decline into the pit is the possibility of them having blamed God for the decline - for putting them in the pit.  In reality, it was their failure to heed warnings, to turn away from their self-directed pursuits.  Why is it we blame God when things end in ruins?  He isn't a God of "ruin", but of "hope", "possibilities", and even "impossibilities".  

People ruin their lives by their own stupidity, so why does God always get blamed?  (Proverbs 19:3 MSG)

Scripture is quite plain, no matter which interpretation or version you consult - people ruin their lives by their own decisions, actions, and self-directed paths. On the other hand, people do not really "improve" their lives - at best, we can do a little self-help regimen which might create a different set of circumstances for ourselves for a while, but true life change only is accomplished by the indwelling of God's Spirit in our lives.  Try as we might, we cannot change ourselves.  Scripture calls following our own path "foolishness" or "folly".  It ends in disaster, defeat, and decline - in other words, the bottom of the pit!  What seems good at the moment results in a "pay-out" much worse than we counted on.

Self-directed lives have a natural "flaw" - they are directed by emotion and reason (two quite unreliable sources of direction for our lives).  Yesterday, we spoke about the importance of man's three parts - body, soul, and spirit.  As we explored those three aspects of our being, we discovered man needs the spirit to bring balance to the things "sensed" in the body and "experienced" in the emotions, rational intelligence, etc.  Relying upon one or the other exclusively (body or soul) is definitely leaving us at risk.  If man relies upon how he interprets life simply by what he "senses" with his body - sight, smell, touch, hearing, etc. - he will lack the help of the intellect and emotion to "interpret" what he is sensing.  On the other hand, if he relies solely upon emotions to give him insight into right choices, he may miss the importance of how emotions are affected by our senses.  Body and soul walk side-by-side - but they still need a "third wheel" to give them balance much in the same way we need a third wheel on a tricycle!

A bicycle is like relying upon the body and soul - we can go places, but we may lack the stability of balance.  Adding the third wheel to the bicycle makes it a tricycle. If you learned to ride one of these, you know you didn't have to work hard to keep yourself upright - the third wheel assisted us in balancing without much effort on our part.  In the same manner, the spirit is the place of balance in our lives - the place of connection with God.  I realize this is an over-simplified illustration, but when we begin to recognize how the Spirit of God influences our spirit and brings us to a place of "reliable balance" in our decisions, we become less reliant upon our own abilities to remain upright and moving forward (like we have to when riding a two-wheel bicycle).  The "third wheel" is not added to the back, but to the front.  Think of the body and soul as being those two back wheels on the tricycle - the spirit is the front wheel. As the wheel out front, when it is connected with God's Spirit, it is free to help direct our path, steering us around obstacles, and keeping us from ending up in the pit!

We may not always make the best decisions in life, but it is good to know that we have been given every resource to change those decisions and to see new outcomes.  As we connect with God's Spirit, our spirit is energized, made alive, and we can begin to see the influence of his "balance" in our daily decisions.  We may curse the place where our body and soul allowed us to end up, but we cannot accept that God put us there.  No pit is so deep he cannot rescue us from it - no despair so dark he cannot bring light into those dark spaces.  How?  Connection with his Spirit in our spirit.  Just sayin!

Got spirit?

After watching various individuals go through turmoil and trial in their lives, I have observed the tendency for some to rise high, soaring above that turmoil, while others sink lower into the pit of despair.  It made me wonder why some flourish so well, while others just barely eek by and often have a hard time even holding up under the pressures of life.  Most of us would think it is because some are anchored well in their faith, while others have little to no faith at all, so if faith plays a part in "holding up" and "conquering", then what part does it play?  I have observed Christians and non-Christians alike in both circumstances.  Why do some flourish and others not - maybe it is because of the condition of their spirits.  Scripture points us in that direction, does it not? A man or woman with a "healthy spirit" conquers adversity - a crushed spirit will get us down quicker than anything else!

A healthy spirit conquers adversity, but what can you do when the spirit is crushed?  (Proverbs 18:14 MSG)

The spirit of man is what animates him - it gives us the connection we need for life itself - the connection with the source of all life - God himself.  When the spirit is well, the entire man is well - regardless of the circumstances coming their way.  I'd like us to consider the three parts of man - body, soul, and spirit.  The body is made up of all we consider as being in contact with the environment around us - it is what we use to experience the sensations of sight, touch, sound, etc.  We interact with our environment in and through our body.  For example, your body crawls in between freshly laundered sheets and feels the coolness of those sheets against it, taking in the fresh smell of the laundry soap and softener.  You are interacting with your body - not your soul or spirit.  

The soul is made up of our mind, will, emotions - the things which help us to interact with reason, rational thought, choice, and responsiveness. It is also the place of our remembrances - the place where we lay up memories and recall them from time to time.  The spirit actually "plays off of" these other two parts of our being.  In other words, what we take in by our interactions through our senses, we form some kind of thought around, and this may trigger some sense of thankfulness, praise, worship, or connection with our Creator - God.  If you have ever sat in the midst of the forest, listening to the sounds of the wind in the trees, observing the scurrying critters, and taking in the majesty of it all, you might have been elevated to a place of worship in your spirit.  

Spirit elevates us - it brings us to new heights, taking us to new depths, and helps us to hold on when the climb seems too hard or the plunge seems too deep.  The spirit is what helps us to "stabilize" in times of trial and keeps us on course in times of temptation.  In the simplest sense, the spirit is a "rudder" directing us toward the good things God has for us to experience in life - even if they are buried deep within times of trial!  A ship's rudder is small, but it directs the big ship with the greatest of ease - simply because it operates to do only one thing - to point or position the ship in the direction the ship is to be headed.  Our spirit helps to point us in the direction we are to be headed, as well.  As we commune with God in spirit, we get direction which our emotions, reason, rational thought, etc., cannot provide.  Sure, they can suggest certain responses, but our spirit is where we find the assurance of faith and hope - something which keeps us going even when it gets tough.

So, a crushed spirit is something we cannot endure very long - for it robs us of hope, diminishes all steps we might normally take in faith, and in short, steers us in directions we'd normally not travel.  This is why it is so important to continually allow our spirit to be renewed - in times of prayer, praise, worship, thanksgiving, etc.  As we commune with God, we renew our spirit.  It is raised again into places of hope and faith - re-energized for the journey ahead.  Maybe it is time we move from periodic renewal to a constant "recharge" of our spirit!  Then we might avoid the crash and burn of a crushed spirit!  Just sayin!

You animated?

It amazes me sometimes how much human beings strive to be "gods" in their own right when they are already created in the image of God.  Fame, fortune, privilege, honor - all seem to attract human beings like moths to the open flame.  Why?  There is a void in us which clamors to be filled - a void created to house the very presence of God himself, but which we clamor to fill with all manner of things other than him.  Scripture doesn't tell us we were created to "be gods", but created "godlike" - in other words, we are created in the image of God - with a spirit.  The spirit is what gives us the ability to stand apart from all other manner of creation - and what gives us the ability to commune with God himself.  It is the spirit which allows the connection between humankind and God - a void created to afford his infilling and constant presence.  So, why is it we try to fill our "emptiness" with anything other than that which it was actually created for?  Maybe it is because we are "creative" beings ourselves - after all, we are created in the image of God, and his very nature is to create!  We might just set about "creating" to fill the void because we think the void is "ours" to fill!

When God created the human race, he made it godlike, with a nature akin to God. He created both male and female and blessed them, the whole human race.  (Genesis 5:1-2 MSG)

Truth is, no human being can fill the void as it was intended to be filled - no matter how hard we try.  At best, we will create mere imitations of grace, peace, and the like.  We truthfully cannot give and maintain peace apart from God's intervention in our lives.  We definitely cannot move into grace, forgiving ourselves of our sin and then forgiving others of theirs apart from the grace God gives.  All we can produce is cheap imitations of the real - we might let "some off the hook" for their offense, but the next time they do it, how likely are we to take the same course of action?  Not very likely, right?  The saying, "Fool me once, shame on you.  Fool me twice, shame on me!" would probably be an outcome of us trying to actually "create" some form of "grace" to extend to either ourselves or another.  There are just some things we cannot "create" - they come directly as a result of God inhabiting the spirit of man.

The spirit is different from the soul - but both can be thought of as "immaterial" in nature.  The body is "material" - in that it can be felt, explored, analyzed, etc.  The soul is made up of mind, will, and emotions. Many have tried to explore these three, but I daresay none has come close to tapping into the depths of any of these three!  The spirit is entirely separate from either the soul and the body - it is the direct "place" of connection between God and man.  Think of it as the 220V outlet you plug into to get a current flowing!  Without this connection, man is "devoid" of that which was truly meant to animate and give purpose to his life.

Notice the scripture says we were made godlike - not made as gods, or to attain "god-ship" at some point.  Any religion which teaches we rise to new heights as we do good works/deeds, deny self, etc., and thereby get a little closer to being "gods" in our own right is really not Christianity.  God created us already in his image - godlike - complete with body, soul, and spirit.  Man has struggled with this desire to rise to the "level" of "god" for quite sometime.  Ever since Lucifer made the determination in his heart that he wanted to be like God and tried to elevate himself to the place which is only meant for God himself, mankind has struggled with this same idea.  What Lucifer failed to recognize is the place of communion (the spirit) was never intended to be the place of enthroning oneself as god.  It was designed to be the place of allowing God to indwell and fill to overflowing until all of life was animated by his presence.

Think of the spirit as the place of animation - without God indwelling the spirit, we are indeed still created in his image, but our life is like a puppet without anyone to animate it.  I am not saying we are puppets in God's hands, but think of a glove - apart from being worn on one's hand, it serves no purpose.  It was designed to protect, provide warmth, act as a barrier for our hands.  When the hand is absent from the glove, the glove just lies there! Without God's presence our lives are rather "flat", as well.  We might look like we are "alive", but true life is experienced only when the "glove" of our lives is filled with that which gives the "glove" its purpose!  Just sayin!

Crushed Under or Trying Again?

Honor is sought by many, but only some of those who seek will ever find it. Why?  "Pride first, then the crash, but humility is precursor to honor." (Proverbs 18:12 MSG)  Simply put, honor is an outcome of humility - most who seek honor are not doing so with a humble heart.  They seek it for the "importance" or "stature" it produces.  Honor is indeed the reward of the humble - for those who bring others blessing first will find honor in their endeavors. You cannot truly find honor in climbing over others on your way to the top!  Humility is also a precursor to a healthy spirit - for a right view of yourself and others comes from a right view of God.  The right view of God will produce the right vantage point for us to view everything and everyone else in our lives.

A healthy spirit conquers adversity, but what can you do when the spirit is crushed?  Wise men and women are always learning, always listening for fresh insights.  Words satisfy the mind as much as fruit does the stomach; good talk is as gratifying as a good harvest.  Words kill, words give life; they’re either poison or fruit—you choose.  Friends come and friends go, but a true friend sticks by you like family.  (Proverbs 18:14-15, 20-21, 24 MSG)

More men and women are walking around today with crushed spirits than we might imagine - simply because we don't fully appreciate all the influences which contribute to the "blows" by which the spirit of man is crushed. Sickness in your body is one thing - a crushed inner man is something quite different. You can endure the sickness in your body, but there is an overwhelming sense of defeat and disconnect when the spirit is heavy laden.  The spirit is what animates us - put it under a crushing load and the animation is gone.  It gives us our will to live, driving us forward when others might think we'd quit or throw in the towel.  It also gives us the determination to "try again" when the previous attempts have not worked out so well for us.  

Why do we "try again"?  I think it is probably because people of wisdom know learning is a life-long process.  The initial blows might have knocked us down a few pegs, but when we "recover" from those initial blows, we begin to see where we could have done things differently and we are encouraged to try again.  Our spirit is the place where we connect the dots and begin to build up again to take another "first step".  God honors - and always will - those who are willing to learn at his feet.  Those who are willing to "try again" are always honored to have his assistance in getting out from the load which caused us to fall in the first place and then helping us to our feet so we can take that first step.

Words create a heavy load at times, don't they?  The wrong words spoken at the wrong moment in time create a huge burden for some - heaping upon their shoulders, and ultimately into their spirit, the load of guilt, shame, or grief they bring in their wake.  Words bring release and satisfaction to the soul, and ultimately the spirit, when they are the right words spoken in the right timing.  Talk without purpose and you will often load someone up with something carelessly said.  Some of the most crushing blows to our spirit are a result of words spoken in careless manner.  Learning to weigh the message we bring is harder than we might imagine, but considering the impact those few words might just have, isn't it worth the effort?

Fresh insights come from renewing our spirits.  When we determine to have our spirits lifted into his presence, we begin to sense the renewal only he can bring.  Words from a friend may lift us for a while, but we all need to hear the instruction and encouragement of our heavenly Father more than we might realize.  It is in those moments of him "connecting the dots" for us where we come to recognize the load we were crushed under was not his intention for our lives.  Most of us assume "loads" not ever intended for our carrying.  We assume loads of "guilt", "shame", or "grief".  All of which God reminds us are the loads his son, Jesus, carried to the cross on our behalf.  Whenever we try to carry these, they have a crushing effect because they are not the load God wants us to bear. Just sayin!