Do You Know The Difference Between Your Spirit and Your Soul?

by Barbara Latta

Some people use the terms spirit and soul interchangeably while referring to the same element of our being, but the Bible clearly makes a distinction between the two. 

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 (I Thessalonians 5:23). This verse specifies three separate parts of a person.

The body is obvious to us. This is the physical part of we can see and where we experience our senses such as sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch.

Our soul is our personality, or our mind and emotions. This is where we think, feel, and

Our soul contains our emotions

make decisions.

The spirit of a person is the part that communicates with God, hears His voice, and will live forever.

2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us we become new creations when we are born again. Then why doesn’t everything about us become new at that point of decision? Why can our thoughts and actions revert back to our old ways?

We are three part beings

Picture a target with an inner, middle, and outer circle. The inner most part is our spirit, the middle our soul (mind, emotions), and the outer our body. For something to influence our spirit, it must go through our body (hearing or sight), through our mind (thought processes where we make decisions) to our inner most being (where we become born again.) The reverse is also true. For us to benefit from what God has deposited into our spirit, we must have revelation knowledge of our gifts. 

Soul

The corruption of the mind gets in the way of revelation. Influences of the world, people, and traditions we have been taught will dominate what we think and do unless we change our perceptions based on what God says. Romans 12:1-2, "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. 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."

We hear the term “soul-winning” a lot in Christian circles. But our soul is not what gets saved at salvation. It is our spirit. Saving our soul happens when we renew our minds.

Body

Our bodies have not been redeemed yet. Because sin entered the world, and through sin, death, our bodies age and deteriorate (Romans 5:12). We will receive a glorified body in heaven, but this part of us will not be redeemed until we meet Christ face to face. 

(1 Corinthians 15:53.)

Spirit

Live in the spirit through the Word of God

Romans 8:11 says we have the same spirit that raised Christ from the dead dwelling in us. My spirit is the real me. Ephesians 1: 18 tells us "the eyes of our understand being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints."

Our inheritance is in our spirit, but we bring it out to benefit us through our soul by understanding through His Word what He has given us so we can walk in it in this life (Colossians 1:10).

"...because as he is so are we in this world" (I John 4:17). We are like Christ in our spirit but we have to bring our mind and body into submission through His Word.

Now that you know you are a three part being, what does that mean to you? Join the conversation.

For further teaching on this subject Andrew Wommack’s book “Spirit, Soul, and Body” is available at www.awmi.net. 

National Dog Day

by Barbara Latta

Today is the first recognition of a day for dogs, National Dog Day. To celebrate our canine friends, I am posting a remembrance of our families dogs from years past. Rusty, our mini dachshund; Kato, our son's German Shepherd; and Weenie, our daughter-in-law's chiweenie.

Rusty went to doggie heaven in 2007

Kato, left us in 2014

Weene, gone in 2014

This quote from Edith Wharton says it best, "My little dog--a heartbeat at my feet."

Remember or honor your dog friend here by joining the conversation.

Anchor Your Life In the Right Foundation

By Barbara Latta

Several years ago my husband was working at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base. One of our favorite things to do was rent a pontoon boat for fishing  with an occasional stop to picnic.

We usually had no problems with the anchor. He would drop it and the craft would be set while we fished without worrying about be taken by the current. But on one particular day

Set your anchor in the storm

the anchor wasn’t holding. We seemed to drift everywhere we went with the weight dragging through the sand. He had to reset the anchor several times before the boat held firm. 

Our lives can drift with the tide of worldly opinion if we are not anchored in Jesus . Attitudes and values of social standing, political correctness, and friend’s views can change like the wind. If we are depending upon opinions of others we are a drifting without an anchor in life.

How can we prevent our beliefs from being altered by the world?

• Hope - God's hope is a sure thing. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters into the veil. (Hebrews 6:19).
• Discipline -  Having regular time with the Lord maintains stability. For even though I am absent from you in body, nevertheless I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good discipline and the stability of your faith in Christ( Colossians 2:5).
• Be on guard - Be aware of soulish traps. Be on guard, stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong (1 Corinthians 16:13).

As we are firmly anchored in our own lives, we can become a rescue vessel for others who may be drifting. As my husband and I cruised on our pontoon boat, we had the opportunity

Jesus is our anchor

to assist some kayakers who were battling waves pushing them into some rocks. Anchoring beside them, our stable craft became a haven of safety as we pulled them aboard.
In the same way,let your light so shine before others, so they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven (Matthew 5:16).

Jesus is our rock. Being firmly anchored in Him will keep us from being swept away by strong opposition. When our heart is determined by what God says and not what others think or say we won’t be tossed about in an ocean of doubt. Our position can be a way to rescue others who are weak and are being influenced by drifting tide.  Our stand can be a witness to them of how the power of God holds against crashing waves.

Join the conversaion and share your thoughts.

Overcoming Adversity Develops Character

by Barbara Latta

Overcoming the stream  develops character

Difficult circumstances do not produce patience or character, rather overcoming situations is the catalyst that brings strength.

 A large stone in a running stream is smoothed and polished by the rushing water when the rock refuses to move. A stone that tumbles with the waves gets tossed about and is deposited in various places in the river only to be moved around again with the current.

Life can rush at us with a torrent of difficulties. Remaining firm in the Word will anchor us like a rock in a stream and we will overcome the situation rather than being overcome. 

 Share your thoughts and join the conversation.

Good Decisions Are Made Through Right Beliefs

by Barbara Latta

Recently a man went swimming in a Texas canal where posted signs warned of the danger of alligators. Ignoring the signs the man took a dive into the water and was never seen again. The man made a series of decisions resulting in the loss of his life.

Why do we make the decisions we do?

What affects the decisions we make? The way we think. And the way we think is determined by our belief system. Apparently, this man believed he was invincible. Why? We do not know because he is not here to tell us.

Culture, environment, and the opinions of others can determine our ability to process information. A baby boomer and a Millennial will view the same situation in different ways because their belief systems were formed by the culture and environments they grew up in.

Emotions are easily manipulated and that’s why people are so easily swayed by advertising or political arguments. If you are not grounded in your belief system you can follow the crowd without knowing where you are going. How many times do our kids say, “But everyone is doing it?”

Beliefs determine choices

Values change with each passing year. Does that mean the current generation is more “enlightened” than the previous one because of differences in standards? No, it means the population of each passing decade has relied more on human intelligence and reasoning to determine society’s values. 

As the morals and beliefs of the generation currently being formed deteriorates, so does the society it embraces. A look at the TV shows being broadcast and the movies coming out of Hollywood are all we need to reflect the downward spiral. What we believe should be founded on truth and not opinions, environment, politics, culture or the entertainment industry.

How do we remedy bad decision making?

No matter where we have lived, worked, or received our education, our beliefs can be changed to line up with what God says. The Bible says, “As a man thinks in his heart so is he” (Proverbs 23:7).  Changing our thinking to line up with what God says will alter our actions because our belief system will bring change to the decisions we make.

A political party, organization, university, motivational speaker, book, movie, friend, or foe shouldn’t be the driving force behind our beliefs.God is the only One Who is right so He is the One we should look to for anchoring our values.

Our thinking cap needs to center on God.

The Supreme Ruler of the universe who created us all knows what we need so we can think and act in a manner that will bring wholeness to our lives. Only then will we be directed to make sound decisions.

Share your thoughts in the comments section below.