Soul vs. Spirit

We all know that we all made up of three parts right? You've heard it before, heck there are companies named after it, Body Soul and Spirit. And when we hear the terms we always hear it in that order. But is that the order God wants us to live by?

Unfortunately in our world, people live satisfying the body first, with what they see, feel, taste, touch, hear and do. Most of us live in a sensory satisfied realm, and unless things give us goosebumps we don't want it. Living that way produces self centered and self serving people. If our body is our first order of satisfaction, then our soul submits to those indulgences and is trained by them and then our spirit is squashed, manipulated and eventually killed.

Much like our constitution's preamble which basically says its our right to enjoy, 'Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness' - Things are often, when important said in the order of importance and value. With the least valuable only being gained after the more valuable are established and the least valuable subject to or relinquished with the destruction of the more valuable.

The scriptures actually put these in their proper order. In 1 Thessalonians 5:23 it says, 'And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole SPIRIT and SOUL and BODY may be preserved blameless to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Scripture tells us that if we live by the Spirit we will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh (our body) because if we are living by the Spirit then our soul will submit to it and our body follows suit.

What does that mean though? Live by the Spirit- how? Giving your self to the things of God, to know the ways of God, the desires, the pleasures and repulsions of God. - HOW? Read the bible, as you do you will see what pleases the heart of God, what displeases Him. What is honorable to Him, what is dishonorable. What is it he smiles or frowns at, what He blesses, what He curses.

In the same way if you were starting a new relationship with someone that was to become your spouse. On the very outside of that you desire to make that one smile at you, you are fascinated with them, and want to please them, you desire to know everything about them and do things that tickle and satisfy their desires.

WELL, its no different with GOD! - But too many christians are going around satisfying themselves and still expecting God to bless their selfishness. And justifying it as if its how God wants them to live - Sorry - not so. To love God is to live selflessly for Him, then as we do we are living by the Spirit, which will satisfy the soul, which will then satisfy the Body. That is the proper and only order God ordains.

There are countless scriptures that talk about living by the spirit, that those who do are the children of God, that they are free, that they are full, that they are satisfied, and that starts in a relationship with the Lord, that says I'm going to learn about you and love what you love and hate what you hate. .. and that starts with prayerfully reading the scriptures and asking the Holy Spirit to teach you and guide you and share with you His heart.

When we do then Hebrews 4:12 will be embraced rather than repelled against, 'For the Word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two edge sword piercing even to the dividing apart of soul and spirit and of the joints and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.'

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