Maintaining a Healthy Soul – THE MIND (Part 5)

God created us with a “Soul” that is both living and active.  The question is whether we cultivate the right skills or perspectives needed to live as we were designed for or not.  Getting married is a good example. We travel through life expecting to pick up the needed “Equipping” along the way and yet at least 50% of marriages end in a divorce and those who stay married are often living substandard marriages, not because they desire to fail, but because they aren’t educated enough to gain the proper tools needed. As our souls are made of three parts, “Mind-Will-Emotions” each of these parts needs the right equipping to function as God designed. If one part is ill-equipped or crippled then that part will affect the whole soul. This article is part five in a series on “Maintaining a Healthy Soul.” If you have not read the previous articles please stop and read them or you will miss the connection between them.

In the article 4 we discussed the importance of the mind and the need to retrain it with healthy information and perspective once coming to Christ and his forgiveness. Without reshaping our mind, we end up warped in both information and perspective and fail to acquire the tools needed to combat the multitude of deceptive elements we all experience throughout our life. Proverbs tells us to train a child in the way they should go because if you don’t train them they will more often than not head the wrong direction.

Proverbs 22:6                                                                                                                                                                                          

Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it.

When the apostle Paul wrote to the Ephesian Christians he showed how we develop a downward progression in our souls that corrupts our lives. This corruption of our souls is often taught incorrectly in the church. So many have taught that humanity is corrupt because of our genetics from Adam rather than because of our will following the wrong influences. Take the following passage were Paul identifies the pathway to the corruption of the soul..

Ephesians 2:1-3                                                                                                                                            

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—  [3] among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of “WRATH“, like the rest of mankind. 

Let me break down this passage which, in my mind, is so often misinterpreted and applied that we fail to become educated in our thinking. This wrong thinking therefore releases us of any sense of responsibility for our past or present condition and therefore keeps our soul trapped in an endless cycle of guilt and brokenness. I would like to point out just a few key concepts Paul gives the believer to break free from this brokenness cycle.

First, Paul says we were “Dead” because of the choices we were making – rebellious choices. The word for dead relates to the separation which we experience from God.

Secondly, Paul says we were following demonic and Satanic spiritual influences. We were being deceived, whether we were conscious of this deception or not.  This “Following” corrupted our body, soul and spirit.

Thirdly, our disobedience was due mainly to being led by two main factors. The first is our “Emotional Desire“, also known as passion. Instead of being led by correct thinking our soul was being lead by corrupt “Feelings” and thus disobedient living. Remember Eve and Adam let their feelings lead their choices and thus set the pattern for generations to follow.

Finally, Paul says our “Bodies & Minds” were in control and thus we were …. children of wrath. Most translations of the Bible interpreted the greek word “Fusis“, which literally means “HABIT BY GROWTH“, and not wrath.  The reason the translators have used the wrong word is simply because of a their theological bias. When you read this chapter of Ephesians it is clear that Paul is saying when your soul is out of alignment that you develop habit patterns that are destructive because you allow your “Feelings” to lead your body. Our feelings are not intended to be the leader in our souls and compromise our divine purpose in life. If we can just understand what happens to us when our soul gets unhealthy and what brought us into such brokenness we can avoid it in the future. Our choices can be led by mature thinking rather than immature feelings.

We all know what happens when our computer gets  a “Virus” and how frustrating it is to try to get rid of such a destructive program.  In its simplest forma virus is “Wrong Information” that corrupts good information. That’s why Paul insisted we submit our minds to the Holy Spirit so that we can root out all the bad programming. If we don’t change our thinking, we are bound to fall back into the old habit patterns that we once lived before knowing Christ.

Ever wonder how strong Christians can fall back into destructive lifestyles after experiencing the forgiveness and abundant life of Christ? If the mind is not reprogrammed to think biblically then the old patterns will surely return.  Remember Paul says we used to follow the “Course & Prince” of darkness.  Satan’s strategy is to plant “Land Mines” in our thinking when we are growing up so that we will find it hard to recover even if we are introduced to Jesus and his healing grace. Forgiveness from God is quick but transformation takes time……maybe a long time because of the damage we have caused in our soul.

Paul wrote 17 epistles to the early church to help correct misconceptions and misunderstandings believers wrestled with in their new life with Jesus.  While helping the Corinthian Christians he said this simple and yet profound statement.

1 Corinthians 14:20                                                                                                                            

Brethren, do not be children in your thinking; yet in evil be infants, but in your thinking be mature. 

In closing, consider the elements of the soul.  Our soul is composed of “Mind-Will-Emotions” and when these three are operating as God intended the soul leverages its strength to enable our lives to walk humbly and successfully with God. If the mind is full of false ideas it can’t direct the will or the emotions correctly. If the mind yields leadership to the emotions the soul will live an unhealthy, destructive life. The “Will” either follows the lead of the mind or the emotions.  Who is in charge of your life?

In the next article we will explore the nature of the emotions and ask, What is healthy and what is unhealthy?

Questions:

1) Are you regularly having your mind “Renewed” by listening to the Holy Spirit as you read scripture?  Regular scripture reading is essential but so is the counsel that comes from the Holy Spirit.

2) Have you fallen into “Old Habit Patterns? You probably are not having your mind renewed regularly. Confess your lack of discipline and start to read the word and seek the guidance of Holy Spirit. Hanging out with fellow believers that are hungry for God will help keep you on track and healthy.

Luke 8:18                                                                                                                                                           

So take care how you listen; for whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has shall be taken away from him.”

Pastor Dale