Ever Feel Conflicted?

Life has a way of feeling like a “Tug-Of-War” and, so often, we never seem to reconcile why. Without getting too complicated, let’s unravel the elements that make up the individual and why we tend to be pulled in more than one direction. Put your seatbelt on and hang in there with me and be prepared to have your brain stretched just a little bit…it will be worthwhile in the end!

I have desired to investigate the concept of the “Soul” and how the health or sickness of the soul affects our everyday life, so in this article I wanted to address the seeming tug-of-war between our soul and spirit. From my studies over the years, the soul and spirit are inseparably linked, although one may be the proximate leader.

As we have discussed previously, our spirit is given to us by God when we come into existence and our soul is a combination of our mind, will and emotions. To make matters more complicated, we have a personality that is part of our soul, which is also given at birth, that is both a composition of what God gives us and what our genetic heritage gives us. Still with me?

If we develop certain aspects of our soul, but neglect others, our souls become unbalanced and often manifest behavior that is both harmful to ourselves and to others. For instance, if I work on disciplining my will, say in sports, but neglect balancing out my mind and emotions, I have conflict. In turn, if I work diligently on my mind by studying but neglect my will and emotions, again, I end up struggling to have a normal productive life. Often these types of people refuse to listen to others advise because it doesn’t make sense to them.

Pr 12:15      The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man is he who listens to counsel.

Assuming a person is fairly balanced in their soul, which few are, but neglects the development of their spirit they again become off balanced in their approach to life and purpose. Without the connection to our Creator for wisdom and morals, a person has a faulty perspective on life and the worth of other living beings whether other people or this planet that we live on.

The teaching on evolution over the last 75-100 years has done damage to people’s ability to have both healthy spirits and souls because God gets taken out of the equation. Without God’s help to understand ourselves, we are left to foolish conclusions of both the problem and the solution.

Ps 14:1        The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.

Pr 14:12     There is a way which seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.

Pr 13:16      Every prudent man acts with knowledge, But a fool displays folly.

We can try to shape our life with human discipline and knowledge, but without God’s intervention we will always mess things up. Humanity is just so complex we need outside intervention in order to come close to what we were designed for. God, in his wisdom, created each one of us with so much potential that will only be realized through a daily walk with him. After 48 years as a Christian, I still get amazed that I mess up like I do, so often. I thought that after being a Christian for a number of years, I would understand the Bible and God’s will for my life and be nearly perfect (well close anyway). Today I know that no matter how much I learn both intellectually or in experience, I will still need assistance from my Heavenly father, daily!

Here is what I’m trying to get at. Be aware that you are a special creation of God. He made you special for a reason …. to make a difference in this world! But you and I will only realize that potential if, and only if , we surrender to his will in our lives …. daily! No amount of discipline, or learning, or training outside of his personal tutoring will straighten out the crookedness in our soul and spirit except Him. He is the creator and design and He knows what’s best for each and every one of us.

Lastly, let me explain the obvious truth that many of us try to get around. If you don’t read God’s word, you won’t know what God desires or expects and thus you probably will find yourself actually working against God’s will and plan for your life. He won’t “Make” you read it. It has to be a choice on our part.

Questions:

1. If your frustrated with being pulled in two directions, yours and God’s ….. what needs to change?
2. If you have tried “Fixing” yourself and failed, isn’t it time to ask Him for help?

Heb 4:16)      Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

May our Heavenly Father heal our brokenness and restore our design.

Pastor Dale