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 my last two articles I talked about the “Battle in our Soul” and how we all must struggle to keep a healthy soul.  The Soul does not take care of itself, it is something that directs us towards a healthy life or a sick and broken one. I would like to start this article on exposing what I consider one of the prime hinderances of the modern church and believers everywhere. Most of today’s preaching revolves around our personal need and brokenness and although this condition is often true, the fact that more often than not we are in a broken and needy condition is due in large part on our focus on the problem rather than the solution. So much hinders our ability to see the way out of this dilemma and if all we do is focus on the problem we never or rarely gain enough hope to expect a change in our condition. If you keep telling a child that he or she is stupid that will not motivate them to expect something different and our words become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

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 fourth and final part on dreams, so if you haven’t read the first three, please do so before reading this final article. Dreams are far more important than we have been led to believe and I believe they can be awakened and developed if we understand their importance.

Modern celebrations of Halloween may appear on the surface to be quite harmless, but the spiritual implications of dabbling with the spirit world are extremely serious.

With all the violent protest happening regarding the Supreme Court justice and various candidates running for office, it’s easy to feel like you just want to keep your head down and your mouth quiet lest someone notice you and take out their frustration or hatred on you.  But is that the right thing to do just because others are vocal and acting like fools?  What if this is the perfect time to be vocal about what you believe in and do it with respect?

All of us experience worry, anxiety and fear from time to time. This is a human experience. These issues become a problem when they become long-standing “friends” that seem to bring about a paralysis in our spiritual and emotional development. When the average professing Christian reads the New Testament the picture that is portrayed is one of victory and success. All too often believers in the forgiveness of Christ aren’t yet sold on how God wants to impart victory as well as forgiveness.

When I travel around, especially in airports or overseas, I see many people who are paralyzed from various debilitating diseases and it hits me how fortunate and blessed I am to only have a few things wrong with my body that hinder my life experiences at this age. When I see a person who is partially broken or paralyzed I pray a simple prayer for them and myself. First, I apologize to the Lord for my complaining over small pains and problems and I also ask the Lord to bless that particular person with the obvious difficulties. That he or she would be healed both physically, emotionally and spiritually. So often I recognize they do better with their disabilities than I do with my seemingly normal life.

Learning to have balance in our lives is becoming harder and harder to achieve partly because we all develop our sense of values and character by the actions of others. When heroes of character are in short supply, and I do believe they are in our day and age, we can lose heart in pursuing a high standard in our own personal lives.

In Part 1 I talked about getting trapped in the deception of idols in our lives. That it’s not just an Old Testament idea or practice. I shared that Israel being set free from the slavery of Egypt were trapped in the wilderness because they continued to have idols in their lives which messed up their relationship with God. Finally, I closed the first article with how Joshua, the leader of Israel after Moses, challenged the Israelites to rid themselves of the idols their parents had brought with them from Egypt and had taught their children to embrace at such a high cost.