Morning by Morning, May 7 - First the Spirit -- Dividing “Soul from Spirit”
Good morning, Lord Jesus. I lift up my heart and open up my spirit to welcome You into every dimension of my being and every area of my life -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God. ...
“Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).
Lord, let Your living word cut through any spiritual dullness or hardness of heart, dividing “soul from spirit” to set things right within me as I begin my day in You. Expose my “thoughts and the intentions of (my) heart” and align my thoughts with Your thoughts and my desires with Your desires -- now and throughout the moments of my day.
From a Biblical perspective of our human nature, we are “spirit and soul and body” (1 Thessalonians 5:23). According to Your Word these are the three dimensions of our being:
“May the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and bodybe kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The One who calls you is faithful, and He will do this (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24).
First the spirit. Then the soul. Then the body.
There's a right alignment of every dimension of our being that affects every dimension of our lives. And through the years of my spiritual journey with You, You’ve been teaching me that understanding each part of our being and how each part is to relate to the others, according to Your created order and perfect plan for the peaceful, joyful fulfillment of our lives, is such a strategic key of the Kingdom of God.
Our human spirit should abide in deep communion with Your Holy Spirit. Then our human spirit—infused and led by the Holy Spirit—should direct the mind, will, and emotions of our human soul, which should manifest in the health and well-being of our human bodies.
All is well with my soul when all is well with my spirit. All is well with my body when all is well with my soul. But for all to be well, I must learn to allow Your Holy Spirit to correctly align my spirit and soul and body: First the spirit. Then the soul. Then the body.
When I’m correctly aligned with my human spirit first, I can live out my daily journey with more spiritual health and growing maturity, being fulfilled with more peace and joy, and walking in the wisdom of God instead of the ways of the world.
In right alignment, my human spirit which is receiving my sense of guidance and discernment by abiding in communion with Your Holy Spirit, directs my soul. My soul is my mind, will, and emotions. So my spirit -- in communion with Your Spirit -- should direct my mind and how I think, my will and the choices I make, my emotions and how I sense and feel and experience the world around me. Then then my soul should direct my body.
In right alignment, my body manifests what’s going on in my soul; and my soul manifests what’s going on in my spirit; and my spirit manifests my abiding relationship with Your Holy Spirit. First the spirit. Then then the soul. Then the body. This is what I’ve come to understand as “Spiritual Alignment” or walking out my spiritual journey as a “Spiritual Christian.”
But the trouble is that much of the time I can be tempted to live out my daily life in a different order than Your created order. Instead of living in right alignment, the pull of the world, the flesh, and the devil draws me to live out of a wrong alignment. First the soul, instead of first the spirit. First the soul. Then the spirit. Then the body. That’s what I’ve come to understand as “Soulish Alignment” or walking out my spiritual journey as a “Soulish Christian.”
In that wrong order, when I’m out of proper alignment, I am more “soulish” than “spiritual.” And all will not be well with my soul.
In the Soulish Alignment, I’m driven more by my own desires in the mind, will, and emotions of my soul rather than humbling myself to be led by Your Holy Spirit directing my human spirit. When I’m in Soulish Alignment, my mind insists on my own thoughts instead of yielding to Your thoughts. My human freewill insists on my own will instead of yielding to Your will. And my emotions insist on driving my actions by reacting from my soul instead of responding by the leading of my spirit being led by Your Holy Spirit.
Whether my spirit is the place of authority and in charge, directing my soul, or whether my soul is in the place of authority and in charge, suppressing my spirit, makes all the difference. So come, Holy Spirit, and set things right in me today.
As I worship You “in spirit and truth,” You cause my human spirit to arise into the place of communion with Your Holy Spirit (John 4:23). As I wait on You in the silence of surrender, to wait for Your leading in contemplative prayer, You cause my human spirit to ascend to place of authority and in charge, as my soul yields to my spirit, and as my spirit yields to Your Spirit (Isaiah 40:31). First the spirit. Then the soul. Then the body (1 Thessalonians 5:23).
Thank You, Lord, for helping me begin my day with things set right in my soul. Right now, all is well with my soul. And now I pray for Your grace to keep living into the rest of my day in this right order of Spiritual Alignment instead of Soulish Alignment: First the spirit. Then the soul. Then the body. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
My friend, may you embrace the ministry of the Holy Spirit to divide your soul from spirit and set every dimension of your being into right alignment of spirit and soul and body to live out this day in Spiritual Alignment, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!
Tommy & Rocio Hays
Messiah Ministries
17503 La Cantera Parkway, Suite 104407
San Antonio, Texas 78257
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