We are triune beings with a body, a soul, (mind, will and emotions), and a spirit. Our spirit becomes born again when we receive Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord and becomes the dwelling place of God's Spirit within us. Our soul, (our mind, will and emotions), becomes restored as we cooperate with God, His Word and His Spirit in the renewing of our mind and the restoring of our soul.
I often think of our spirit, filled with God's Spirit, as the strong place in the life of the believer, an inner fortress and refuge . (Another analogy would be to liken the body, soul and spirit to the outer court, holy place and the holy of holies in the Old Testament tabernacle.) When trials come, our body can be affected. It can suffer from sickness, from accidents, and from stress. Our mind, will and emotions can also be affected. In times of trial, our mind can be attacked with thoughts of worry, fear and anxiety. Our emotions can be in turmoil. Our will can be frozen, not knowing what to do, what decisions or choices need to be made. Or, our will can be overactive, trying anything and everything to make the trial and trouble stop. The body and soul can both be affected and unreliable in times of trouble. But, if you sift through the body's pain or discomfort, when you dig past the unruliness of the mind, will and emotions and learn to sense what is going on in your spirit, you will find that there is a strong place within you that can withstand the storms that come your way. The human spirit that is filled with the Spirit of God is a powerfully strong thing. Suffering cannot conquer it. Persecution cannot silence it. Injustice cannot prevail against it.
The next time you face something that has your soul in turmoil, stop for a moment. Silence your worrisome and fearful thoughts and quiet your tumultuous emotions. Ask God to tune you in to what's going on in the holy of holies within you, in the dwelling place of God's Spirit in you. There is peace there. There's assurance that absolutely nothing can separate you from God's love. There's bedrock belief that God will never, never, never, never leave you or forsake you. There's confidence that no matter what happens to your body in this life, this is not the end. There's faith that you are in God's hands and He will never let go of you. Learning to lean on what's going on in your spirit rather than on your emotions is a huge factor in making it through hard times victoriously.
still following,
When I was hospitalized with pneumonia at the end of February, I had to let go and let God - and I rested in the recovery instead of fretting about all the things I couldn't. I'm in a season of tying up loose ends - and I'm just walking through it His way - not stressing or pressuring myself to be somewhere I'm not to be yet. Good words, Elizabeth, about letting go of what we think needs to be done and just moving along with God!
ReplyDeleteWhat peace we find when we really let go of the control and let God have the reins!
DeleteI love this, Elizabeth. Our spirits are untouchable because they are surrounded by God's Spirit!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lisa. It's a concept I continually have to practice!
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