Stories of incredible transformation inspire change in others. My sweet mother struggled much of her life with her weight. Her food choices affected not only her weight, blood pressure, and Type 2 diabetes but also her emotional health. She finally grew weary of being sick and tired all the time. So, she paid attention to how she treated her body. She read her Bible more often and found a friend who also needed a friend. Together, they sorted out their negative emotions. Then, I marveled at how she prayed through temptation and lost 130 pounds. She became a poster child for transformation.
We are ALL fearfully and wonderfully made on purpose for a purpose. Each of us has a body, soul, and spirit that must cooperate to enjoy the abundant life we all want. In his blessing for the Thessalonians, Paul had this concept in mind. “Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again.” (1 Thessalonians 5:23 NLT)
Notice the order Paul uses. The SPIRIT must lead the way for the other two to function correctly. When our spirit fails to worship, fellowship, and communicate with God, our thoughts, conversations, and how we spend our time rarely honor God. Pushing our spirit to the back seat careens our lives off course quickly, causing injury to the body and soul.
Our SOUL is made up of our mind, will, and emotions. This is where our personality comes from. Satan loves to mess with this part of us. He whispers lies that cause us to selfishly think of others less and less of ourselves. He injects us with fear that paralyzes, shame that inhibits, and, worst of all, doubt that causes us to forget that God can and will fight for us. In that state, we mimic the dad in Mark 9. Desperate for his son’s healing, he asks Jesus to heal him IF he can. Jesus asks, “What do you mean, ‘IF I can’? Anything is possible if a person believes.” The father instantly cried out (what I’ve often felt), ‘I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!’” (Mark 9:23-24 NLT)
Most days, we may believe Jesus is who He says He is and can do what He says He can do. Then, in our weak moments, Satan tempts us to wonder whether or not Jesus will do it for us. We are afraid we’ve used up all the grace in our account. This thinking confuses our minds, alters our wills, and negatively affects our emotions. The spirit and the body suffer when our souls are depleted.
The human BODY naturally gravitates toward its selfish cravings and desires to survive. As Christians, we want to thrive, not just survive. This means we develop a healthy, God-honoring lifestyle. Our health may suffer here on earth because we live in a fallen world, but healing will come. If not here, in our next home. An unhealthy body shifts our focus to ourselves and dramatically affects the soul and the spirit. I confess that I’ve had things out of order for a while. I let unhealthy emotions cloud my soul. Allowing my spirit to listen to Satan’s lies instead of the Holy Spirit made me discouraged. Discouragement weakened my will and my body enough to make me sick. Fortunately, I remembered what to do. I needed to confess my feelings, make some healthy changes, and turn back to God.
I’m glad our church family participates in 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting in January. My spirit gets a lift every morning through powerful worship, a brief message, and an incredible prayer time. My body is healthier. My soul is healing, and my spirit is back in charge. I am not where I want to be, but I’m much closer than I was.
“That is why the Lord says, ‘Turn to me now, while there is time. Give me your hearts. Come with fasting, weeping, and mourning. Don’t tear your clothing in your grief, but tear your hearts instead.’ Return to the Lord your God, for he is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.” (Joel 2:12-13 NLT)
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(Click here to join us for 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting online until January 27th, weekdays at 6:00 am and Saturdays at 9:00 am. You can also listen to the service at your convenience anytime during that same day.)
