We are a spirit that has a soul that is housed in a body. Often the body and the soul (your personality) are the only two parts of you that you identify with, but your spirit is important to acknowledge as well because one day you will shed your shell (your body) and you will spend eternity either with the Lord (should you have chosen to acknowledge Him as Savior and lived making Him Lord of your life) or without Him, should you have chosen to live a life void of God. It has always been your choice and your choice is what He will grant you. An eternal life WITH God, or an eternal life WITHOUT God.
Many people live a life where they only acknowledge their body and their soul. “I did it my way.” Are the lyrics of a very popular and classic song. If you are part of God’s Called Remnant, a follower of Christ, you will not fit in the “worldly minded bubble” Holy Spirit has made you aware of the fact that there are actually three parts that are the make-up of you – your body, your spirit and your soul, you cannot be a true Christian without feeling the tinkering of Holy Spirit transforming your mind and showing you the things that need changing IN you to make you more Christ like. These are what I call “spiritual growing pains.” When I was a counselor at a wonderful girls’ overnight camp in New Hampshire, at the beginning of the camp season, in preparation of the arrival of the campers, we would have to “muck walk” the pond. I will be honest and tell you this was NOT one of my favorite things to do… The leaves that had fallen from the trees into the water, during the Fall when camp was closed, would settle in on the sandy shore and become “muck.” Our job as counselors helping to prep the pond in anticipation of swim time, would to be to put on old sneakers and walk IN water to stir up the muck (bring it to the surface) and remove it so that the shore would be a beautiful sandy bottom for the campers to swim in. Can I simply say, “yuck!”? 🙂 When I think of what Holy Spirit does in the lives of believers, He brings to the surface “muck” that God would like to have removed within the lives of those submissive to Him.
I have had a lot of “muck” removed out of me… And I will tell you, this is not a “one and done” process, but continual cleansing that goes on in the life a believer for as long as they have breath in their body. Think about it this way, the world we live in is not the atmosphere that God originally created man to abide. With the sin of Adam and Eve (see the book of Genesis in the Bible if you are not familiar with it), came sin, sickness, illness and death. In other words, the world became polluted with everything that God had warned Adam and Eve would happen, should they disobey His words. 1 Corinthians 15:22 says:
“For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.”
So, if you have acknowledged Jesus as Savior and have made a decision to make Him Lord over your life, Holy Spirit makes you aware that you are NOT just a body with a soul (personality) but you have a third part of your make up – your spirit and as it says in Galatians 2:20:
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
and in Colossians 3:3 says:
“For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”
The part of you that has been neglected or denied becomes very much alive – in Christ. And oh, beautiful reader, the JOY that FLOODS your soul when that very important part of you becomes alive is incredible! In fact, I have no adequate words I can write to describe what it feels like to realize that there is MORE to you than what meets the eye! The Bible says in Psalm 34:8:
“Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.”
Your previously ignored spirit suddenly comes alive in Christ. The light of Christ begins to shine in you! The joy of Christ begins to transform ALL you think (your soul), and your body becomes a vessel for Holy Spirit.
YOU BECOME A LIGHTHOUSE FOR THE LORD
So here you are a “light house” full of the light of Holy Spirit, walking in accordance with God’s will and God’s Word, giving Holy Spirit full access to the total being of you… Yet while you have been transformed, those living in accordance with the world have not changed and you STILL reside in a polluted world. While your spirit has “woken up” those around you may have not and you feel it acutely and it pains you. All of a sudden, the puzzle piece of you does not fit in with the rest of the world. That’s a normal truly healthy feeling. Jesus experienced it, God the Father experiences it every day, imagine His pain of having His beautiful creation blindly reject Him and all He created them to be. The Bible says 2 Peter 3:9:
“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that ALL should come to repentance.”
And because your spirit has become alive in Christ, you now become aware of the fact that you are living in a world of Zombies (of what you were once one of). That’s really only an analogy, but when you think of it, it is an accurate analogy… One of the definitions of “zombie” is the following:
“A person who is or appears lifeless, apathetic, or completely unresponsive to their surroundings.”
They live in accordance with the desires of the flesh. They live in accordance with “if it feels good do it.” The third part of their make-up – their spirit is ignored, unacknowledged and most of them are not even aware that they HAVE a spirit. Their spirits are STARVING, and they are feeding it with all kinds of substitutes instead of what they originally were created for – and that is for fellowship with God. We were not created to live lives void of God. That’s like having something you need to “plug in” and not having an outlet to plug it into. We were created to “plug into” the Creator. Without Him, we are dead. Without Him we live purposeless empty lives that nowhere near fulfill the destiny that God had in mind when He created us. Only what we do IN Christ will last. And let me say this, I write all this NOT giving anyone the right to judge someone else (all judging belongs to God) because as it says in Titus 3:3:
“At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.”
Before the crucifixion Jesus prayed for His disciples (and this prayer includes us, His disciples in the present age as well) see John 17:11-15:
“Holy Father, protect them by Your name, the name You gave Me, so that they may be one as We are one. While I was with them, I protected and preserved them by Your name, the name You gave Me. Not one of them has been lost, except the son of destruction, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled. But now I am coming to You; and I am saying these things while I am in the world, so that they may have My joy fulfilled within them. I have given them Your word and the world has hated them; for they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I am not asking that You take them out of the world, but that You keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I have also sent them into the world. For them I sanctify Myself, so that they too may be sanctified by the truth.”
As you develop and grow your relationship with Holy Spirit, He makes you aware of your surroundings, He grows you and matures you in Christ. You will not only encounter those that are spiritually blind, but you will encounter those that are (and have chosen to remain) baby Christians. Those who are spiritually stunted (Holy Spirit can only grow you spiritually IF you allow Him to do so. If you halt Him at any point in your walk with Jesus, because you always have free will, you remain a babe in Christ, one who has chosen to only drink milk and unprepared to eat spiritually solid food. Your spirit has been awakened, and you are indeed saved by God’s grace, but you will not reach the potential in Christ that Holy Spirit intends for you to reach. The “lighthouse of you” has a dimmed light that shines and not the full strong light of the Lord if you don’t allow the Holy Spirit to continue transforming you into all God wants you to be). Take a look at John 15:1-8:
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the keeper of the vineyard. He cuts off every branch in Me that bears no fruit, and every branch that does bear fruit, He prunes to make it even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in Me, and I will remain in you. Just as no branch can bear fruit by itself unless it remains in the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me. I am the vine, and you are the branches. The one who remains in Me, and I in him, will bear much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in Me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers. Such branches are gathered up, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to My Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, proving yourselves to be My disciples.”
You will encounter others who have the spirit of religion in them. Such as the pharisees and those “religious in statue.” The spirit of religion is a shift from joyful obedience in God and a transformed life, to simply doing the right things and abstaining from the wrong ones. The spirit of religion only allows for outward righteousness. It does not transform the person or the heart. These are the ones who say they are Christians but still live according to their flesh. Signs you are around someone who has a religious spirit can be such as the following:
- They attempt to earn God’s love and salvation
- They crave a position of honor in the church
- They develop a harsh judgmental attitude towards others
- They become ridged and refuse to change
Sounds like someone you know? What does the Word of God say about those with a religious spirit? Ephesians 2:8-9 says:
“For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not by works, lest anyone should boast.”
Philippians 2:3-4 says:
“Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.”
Matthew 7:5 says:
“…First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”
A religious spirit rejects any revelation that calls for a change. Because of the pride that has crept in, a Believer thinks they know what is best. They are often closed off to any other ideas or thoughts of moving forward when the Holy Spirit begins to speak. Romans 8:3-4 says:
“…He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”
As Holy Spirit grows you, you will become discerning and aware of those around you. Ours is not to judge, but to recognize and to pray. Being a true follower of Christ can be lonely at times (there are many examples of the loneliness that Jesus experienced, even surrounded by His disciples, who were at various levels of their growth in Him.) Such will be the case with you. This is where “consider the source” comes in. What you see, what you hear and what you allow to enter into your spirit. Walking in wisdom will show you who is “polluted” and who is not. Consider the sources around you and ask God for wisdom in how to deal with those He has you encounter. Sometimes He will give you divine appointments, moments where He wants you to radiate the love and light of Christ. Other moments you may have been called around them to quietly intercede in the background in prayer. Believing that the God who opened up your spiritual eyes, will open up theirs… This can be difficult, because the awareness Holy Spirit has given you, He has not yet given them. If God has given you a discerning spirit, you will be privy in seeing how they have been deceived and what they have allowed to fill themselves up with instead of the truth and Word of God, what has become their substitute. You will see spirits of alcoholism, drugs, addictions, you will see spirits of pride, you will see spirits of envy, you will see those who have spirits of bitterness in them, spirits of rejection. There are many Holy Spirit will reveal to you. In fact, don’t be surprised if you are hated because of your walk with Christ. His light that shines like a beacon out of you reveals the darkness in the life of some, and they will (perhaps unknowingly) hate you for by your life, make them see what needs changing in their own. Remember that Jesus was hated and ostracized too. Your faith and trust in God’s reveal the “muck” in their own lives, even if they choose to make YOU the scapegoat. Such was the case with Jesus and also with the disciples… Again, consider the source and do not let it dissuade you from growing and continuing on in your walk with Him. The Bible tells us to count it ALL joy. This can be hard to do. James 1:2-3 tells us:
“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.”
How sweet it is when Holy Spirit places those who are spiritually yoked with you through Him. Your brothers and sisters in Christ who recognize that “there go I BUT for the grace of God.” There is nothing sweeter than fellowship and prayer with those God brings into your life to walk in fellowship in Him. Those that recognize that their very beings are made up of their body, their spirit and their soul. Consider the source of those who surround you and don’t let those who are spiritually blind, those who are baby Christians, those who are “religious” dissuade you from the voice of Holy Spirit and all He is calling you to do. We are told in Psalm 1:1-3
“Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law, day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers.”
Walk in wisdom, walk in discernment and walk in God’s truth, humbly allowing Holy Spirit to transform your mind to be the mind of Christ. Always consider your source, for although people WILL disappoint and fail you, you are a child of the UTMOST high God, the One Who has called YOU by name. YOU belong to Him. Always be aware of the fact that there are three parts of you, your body, your spirit and your soul. Nourish them well in Him.
“Lord, I thank you so much for opening up my spiritual eyes, to helping me to recognize that I am three in one – body, soul and spirit and that ALL three are important to You. Lord, please forgive me for my sins and wash me with the precious blood of Jesus. If there be ANY evil within me, or ANY thing that grieves Holy Spirit, I pray that You remove it. I desire a closer walk with You. Please continue to grow and change me according to Your purpose and Your will for my life. I pray protection over my heart, over my mind, over my body, over my soul and over my spirit when I encounter people “polluted” in this world. Help me to have eyes to see as Jesus sees, a heart to walk in love and forgiveness and a mind to choose to pray for those you bring me into divine appointments with, as You brought Your disciples into contact with many others who are in the world. I pray Holy Spirit that Your light shines bright within me, like a beacon and that people will see CHRIST IN ME and not me. Be glorified in this life that I have given to You. Have your way Holy Spirit. Help me to see the greater source around me, which is YOU and to be led by it. In Jesus name I thank You and I pray. AMEN”
Is Holy Spirit speaking to your heart through this word? If so, leave a comment below! I love hearing from you!
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