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.

We have been discussing the important subject of the “Soul” and how many believers have not been taught much at all of its importance nor its operation.  In article one we discussed how most churches don’t teach on the soul anymore and therefore fail to deliver to the saints the “Multiple Keys” that such understanding would yield all of us if we just understood the soul. We talked about how the end game of such a study is a “Healthy Walk“, not just being blessed as many of the church teachings now revolve around. Lastly, we talked about the human experience is composed of “Spirit-Soul-Body“. These three do not work separately but in tandem with each other. Hebrews 4:12 speaks of the difficulty of dividing between soul and spirit.  In article two we talked about many Christians feel like they are “Shooting in the Dark” when it comes to walking in true healing for their lives based a lot on not understanding their own soul. Paul said that in coming to Christ we should be becoming a “New Creation” (1 Cor 5:17) yet few today can confess such a state or experience. If you haven’t read the first two articles the rest will make more sense if you go back and read them first.

My blog is focused on the human soul so I look for topics to write about that hopefully will cause readers to evaluate their lives based on scripture rather than on the latest trend or what is often taught in schools. Human logic is so twisted because we refuse to consider God’s thoughts or ways. Human logic often is less than honest again because of a lack of information from scripture. Even among Christian believers, scripture is often the last place people turn to acquire facts or wisdom. Instead, especially among the young, reasoning is now more about how we feel.  If we feel someone is a racist, well they must be. This circular logic reinforces the pathway to a total breakdown in the human soul.  The worst part is that it happens while the person or persons think they are headed in the right direction.

In the first article on this subject I explained that often we focus too much on our problems and brokenness and thus fail to encourage our walk with focusing on the goodness of God. Let me explain up front that I do not believe you can ignore our many problems or deny them, but if the problem is taking up most of your perception in life you are bound to continue in them and develop greater damage to your soul. As a counselor and pastor I would try to help people see their main problem and then help them focus on God’s ability to resolve and overcome these problems. By helping people see God’s proven faithfulness in other’s lives, we gain hope and confidence for ourselves. If you have not read part one on this same subject please read before continuing with this article.

In the first article on “Battling for a Healthy Soul” I talked about how “New Year Resolutions” are often hard to keep and thus we often fail to even try to make them.  Admitting our weaknesses is often the first step in real meaningful change, yet that very confession is often so hard to make. I discussed Psalms 103, a favorite psalms of mine when starting the New Year because it motivates me to start challenging my “Soul“.  This way I remember the goodness of God rather than the failure I might have had the previous year. If you haven’t read part one of this topic please do so before continuing.

Those of us who are over 45 years old or more ( that was a long time ago for me ) rarely take seriously the tradition of making a New Year Resolution mostly due to that fact of not keeping those resolutions after January. Truth be told, what we call resolutions aren’t truly a solid decision to change but rather an admitting of a weakness in our life style we regret. Sometimes admitting we need to change is very difficult depending on how many areas we struggled with the year before and yet to admit a weakness of failure can be the first step in becoming healthier.

As Christmas 2018 is coming soon I wanted everyone to reflect on the magnitude of Gods’ love. It seems an obvious thing to do on Christmas Day, yet I fear so many will be enjoying their kids, relatives and loved ones that Jesus can actually fade into the background. Now I don’t consider myself a religious person but I do consider myself a spiritual person. I tend to look at life through the lens of spiritual meaning and that always leads back to Jesus and the Father’s great love for us as stated in the book of John.

During the Christmas season many stores, as well as individuals, burn candles that have amazing fragrances. These fragrances warm the heart of the people experiencing them and actually provide an “Attitude Adjustment” that’s healthy for body, soul and spirit. It’s a scientific fact that smells can change people’s mode and disposition without the person actually realizing it.  The question is do we take advantage of this fact and use the affect of fragrances during our interaction with people during the holiday season?

In the first Article on “Smelling Like Jesus” I talked about how “Fragrances” warms the heart of those who experience them, like walking into a store that has candles burning. That simple thing of a fragrance or a candle can and often does create an “Attitude Adjustment” in us. If people are grumpy from shopping or just the business of life during Christmas the stores that utilize fragrance have an advantage with their customers. I spoke about how Satan is very active during the Christmas season to get people so stressed out that they won’t see Jesus and the redemption story. In fact, Satan’s objective is to “Short Circuit” the spirit of Christmas and the hope God intends for humanity. The Holy Spirit wants to use the body of Christ to shine the light of Christ and the hope that the good news brings. If you haven’t read the first article please do so to get the full background before reading this portion.

This is the fifth article in the series “Christmas Time”  and it will be the final one on this topic. I suspect some readers are asking the question, “When Is He Going To Write On Something Else?”  One reason I have done five articles is because I suspect many will still not share Christ this Christmas season. It is my hope that by approaching the subject enough times in print that it will motivate those whose hearts tend toward God and their fellow-man. If I can motivate just one person to realize they have the words of “Eternal Life” in them then maybe they will open their minds enough to open their mouths for Jesus.