The last five years or so I have been on a quest to understand and learn more about the intricacies of the soul. God made each of us so intricately but how we must govern our souls can be done in similar fashion, along with the help and guidance of Holy Spirit.
This week I have also prepared a video to go along with this blog. I will send it out separately in another email, and I pray it encourages you on your journey of total surrender to God.
Psalm 139:13-14 AMPC For You did form my inward parts; You did knit me together in my mother’s womb. I will confess and praise You for You are fearful and wonderful and for the awful wonder of my birth! Wonderful are Your works, and that my inner self knows right well.
David had a revelation of his soul more than anyone else I believe in scripture, other than Jesus. Often in the Psalms he speaks about his inner self. He understood that this was the part of himself that needed the most bridling and governance. He understood the nature of an un-surrendered soul to God. Like most of us he learned it the hard way. We've all heard it said that David was a man after God's own heart, and yet he struggled so much with governing his own heart and soul. Like David, we too must learn how to command and take charge of our mind, will and emotions. We must learn to bridle our passions, appetites and desires as we surrender our heart to God. At the epicenter of our inner self is the heart, and this is the place of of true surrender. We must surrender there first as it is the place that controls all other aspects of our decision making. Like sheep, we have all gone astray, but a heart that loves God will always return. It is in our hearts that we trust and believe God, and where he commands us to love him fully and this is why.
IN THE PROCESS OF SURRENDER
It is in the in between times of working out our salvation that we must learn to govern and command our souls. All of us have are in process and have the divine blueprint of God woven throughout our inner parts, yet we are all on a journey to discover the fullness of that blueprint and what it entails. As we journey in discovery, it is necessary to learn the value of submitting our souls daily to Holy Spirit. God is enjoying your process, so you must learn to enjoy it too, as you daily learn to surrender.
GOVERNING & SURRENDERING YOUR TIME
We all have a number of seconds, minutes, hours, days, months and years added to our the timeline of our lives. We are eternal beings that will live on long after our bodies give out, but we often don't view this life as only the beginning. How we spend out time here on this planet will determine where we spend eternity and that must be a fact and truth that we visit often as we make our plans.
REVIEW OF THE SOUL
Scriptures for Governing:
Our mind (memory, thinking, perceptions, reasoning, processes) scriptures for reference
Proverbs 2:10, 13:2, 19:21, 24:14, 139:14; Lamentations 3:20
Romans 12:2-get your mind renewed-the importance of reading God's Word daily...
Philippians 4:8-think on whats good, true, noble, right, pure and what is lovely..
2 Timothy 1:7- God empowers our thinking as we yield to him..and rest in his love
Ephesians 4:22-30-reminds us to put off our former selves and be renewed in our minds
2 Corinthians 10:5-take thoughts captive
Our will -where we choose and make decisions
Job 6:7 (the soul refuses- his will was to refuse), 7:15 AMPC (my soul choose)
1 Chronicles 22:19-Now set your heart and your soul to see after Jehovah your God; Joshua 24:15-But if serving the Lord seems undesirable for you, then CHOOSE for yourselves this day whom you will serve....
Numbers 30:2-"when a man vows a vow to Jehovah or swears an oath to bind himself by pledge... it literally means to "bind one's soul"
Our emotions and heart-love, joy, hatred, sorrow, delight, grief etc..desires are here too..
Song of Songs 1 read the whole chapter-it hits many of the emotions of our soul
Psalm 42:3 My tears have been my food day and night...
Isaiah 53-reveals how we as humans hate and despise...
Psalm 107:18-they loathed all food and drew near the gates of death..
Psalm 86:4, Isaiah 61:10-speak of joy
Jeremiah 22:27, Deuteronomy 14:26, Jeremiah 44:14-tells us of the souls desires and longings
Psalm 42:1-2 As the deer pants for the water, so my soul pants for you my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God... the longings of the soul when surrendered to God
Ephesians 4:31-32 -get rid of bitterness, rage, anger, brawling and slander along with all malice. Be kind and compassionate one to another and forgive
We underplay and underestimate the value and part our spirit plays in conjunction with our soul as we were not made to be independent beings, but a part of the divine nature of God.
1 Thessalonians 5:23 And may the God of peace Himself sanctify you through and through [separate you from profane things, make you pure and wholly consecrated to God]; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved sound and complete [and found] blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah).
MY EXPERIENCE
Nearly 20 years ago I began a journey with Holy Spirit that arrested my soul to surrender on a whole new level. I had known God all my life, but had not fully surrendered all parts of my soul and body as a living sacrifice. Like King David, I had to learn to re-surrender over and over, I'm sure like many of you reading this. I gave over my rights and leaned solely on him back in 2001. It was a grand time of exploration and sacrifice. I really didn't see sacrifice as giving up things, rather as worship, devotion and duty to my King. God is now the Sovereign King over my life, as well as the universe. I don't believe we view God properly or understand loyalty or honor in this way because we are Americans. If we had come from a monarchy like Great Britain we would have a better understanding and value for the Lordship of Jesus Christ and of God our Father, as Supreme Ruler. Jesus understood submission and often reminded the people that he came to do the will of his Father, not his own.
HOLY SPIRIT IS MY GOVERNOR
Holy Spirit became my guiding source, best friend, counselor and teacher, back in those days. I learned the power of fasting and prayer, consecration and total surrender. He taught me to love God more than the world or myself and it was in those days that I learned about the holiness and purity of God. I learned there is a highway of holiness that few walk because that have no value of surrender.
Isaiah 35:8 And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness; it will be for those who walk on that Way. The unclean will not journey on it; wicked fools will not go about on it.
I share all of this to remind us all that there is a WAY the SEEMS right...but at the end of that road, is the destruction of our souls.
I have learned the benefit of brailing my life. Looking back with Holy Spirit can give you an amazing vantage point. Let me caution you though, because if you look back without him deception will occur. We must never view our past outside of the blood of Jesus, so ask Holy Spirit to take you back to see yourself or the conditions of your past properly-through his blood.
NOT MAKING GOOD DECISIONS?
Spend time focusing on the cleansing blood of Jesus.
Repent of known and unknown sins
send the cleansing blood of Jesus into your soul-mind, will, emotions, heart etc..
ask Holy Spirit to sever all wrong soul ties and any ungodly soul ties with people
Hebrews 9:14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!
Hebrews 10:22 ..let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.
Surrendered one,