Day 4 – Soul

Genesis 2:7 (NKJV) “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.”

We became living souls with the breath of God. In Hebrew, “nephesh’ means “breathing creature”, referring to our minds, free will, and emotions. The main distinction between the soul and spirit is the area of focus. The soul is self-centered, and the spirit is God-centred. We will see many references to the heart in scripture, referring to the center of our souls.

Our souls are vulnerable and will directly influence the working of the Spirit inside of us. We need to transform and renew everything about our minds and emotions in order to yield to the working of the Spirit. This can only be done through the Word of God, as Hebrews 4:12 teaches: “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

If we are to focus on our own ability to change our willpower, we will never succeed. We always need to remind ourselves that the blood of Jesus reconciled, and it will only be by His Spirit and His might that we will have souls set apart for His working as well. Our part is to meditate on the Word and allow discernment and transformation.

Colossians 1:21-22 (NKJV) “And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight—”

Search your heart and soul today, acknowledge that out of your own power, you will not be able to preserve your soul, give space for the Spirit of God to move, and start spending time in the Word and prayer.

1 Timothy 4:7-8 (AMP) “But have nothing to do with irreverent folklore and silly myths. On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness [keeping yourself spiritually fit]. For physical training is of some value, but godliness (spiritual training) is of value in everything and in every way, since it holds promise for the present life and for the life to come.”

Prayer: Holy Spirit, as we spend time searching our hearts today, create a new longing and urge in every reader to feed their minds and emotions with the truth of the Word. Allow them to invite every scripture into their hearts, to engrave this truth into their souls as they become aware of the blood of Jesus and the price He paid on the cross. Complete reconciliation. Amen.

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