DO YOU HAVE A HEALTHY SOUL?

BIBLE PASSAGE:
“What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit
his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?”
(Mark 8:36-37)

MEDITATION:
What is your greatest appetite? Is it food or some other pleasure
that you seek? Are you participating in the ‘rat race’ to see how
much you can attain? Is your satisfaction based on how you
compare with others and what they own, or who they know?
Do you feel that the more you have and the more people you
know, the more you will be accepted?

Are you giving more attention to satisfying the appetites of
the body and mind, than you are in feeding your soul? If so,
then you can be one-sided in your pursuit of happiness. You
might be getting overweight physically and materially, but
it can leave you spiritually lean, weak, and anemic.

Our soul demands as much attention as our bodies; it demands
fellowship with God, and it demands worship, meditation and
prayer. If our body is not fed and exercised daily, it can become
weak and shriveled; the same is true of our soul if it is not fed
and exercised daily. When our soul is not fed, it can become
restless and discontent.

Many people try to find all kinds of ways to quiet the crying
out of their soul. They can sense its discontent, but rather than
meeting its needs, they try to drown out its voice. Some turn
to alcohol or drugs, while others focus on acquiring material
things.

The problem is, nothing else is going to drown out or satisfy
the soul, because the soul was made for God. If the soul is
not fed with the things of God, then it remains in a state of
malnutrition, unrest and discontent.

The scripture today gives us a stern warning about trying to
replace nourishment of the soul with the things of the world.
Our pursuit of worldly things may provide some level of the
satisfaction for our natural desires, but our soul is dying of
malnutrition at the same time.

Have you ever made a trade with someone and later felt
that you got the worst part of the trade? The trade seemed
like a good deal at the time, but you later discovered that
it was not.

The scriptures tell us we can experience the same kind of
loss whenever we trade our soul for anything else. Implied
is – there is nothing to compare with the value of our soul.
Consequently, we are always going to lose out when we
trade our soul for anything else.

The scriptures are clear and easy to understand. We are told
that we should never starve our soul of the things that make
it healthy, vibrant and alive, and we should never try to drown
out its voice or replace it with anything else.

ACTION:
How healthy is your own soul? How are you feeding it?
There are at least three ways to feed the soul and each
one is important according to God’s Word. The three
are bible study, prayer and worship.

Here are some simple questions that
we should answer to ourselves honestly:
    How often do I read the bible?
    How often do I pray?
    How often do I worship the Lord?
All three of these have equal importance
when it comes to feeding the soul.

If you know there are three food groups required for a
healthy body, which one would you omit? None, right?
You want to maintain a healthy body, so you give it what
it needs.

The same should be true for the soul – which one of the
three would you omit, and why? Have you created a
‘self-justification’ or excuses for omitting one of these
three?

When given a choice, more than likely many would choose
to eliminate the last one (worship) first. Why? Because they
have convinced themselves that they can worship at home,
on the lake, on a golf course, etc.

In Hebrews 10:24-25, God commanded us to worship with other
believers: it wasn’t a suggestion, but a command. Whenever we
choose to worship at home, on the lake, on a golf course, etc., we
should ask ourselves,
    “How much time do I really dedicate to worshipping in
      these places, and what is the quality of my worship?”

    “Do I say a brief prayer, and proceed with my activities?”

    “How does my worship outside the church
      compare with my worship within the church?”

    “What is my substitute for someone who is ‘called by God’ to
      explain the scriptures to me as God’s designated ‘spokesman’?”

    “What is the danger and are their ‘blind spots’ whenever
      I am left up to my own interpretation of God’s Word?”

    “With the absence of God’s ordained person to explain the scriptures,
      will my own bias and preferences cause me to overlook some very
      important (and possibly opposing) messages in the scriptures?”

Some try to justify their choice of avoiding corporate worship by
finding fault with the minister of God’s Word. Do you think God
can use someone who, in our opinion, has faulty theology or poor
presentation skills to speak to us?

When we read the Bible, has God ever used people who are not part
of His family to speak to others? God can speak to us through anyone
when we are listening for His voice.

We need to remember that when we are in the midst of other
believers, we are there to hear from God through whomever the
speaker might be. When our worship is focused on hearing from
God and not the speaker, doesn’t it just make sense that He will
speak to our soul?

This doesn’t mean that we ‘accept’ everything as it was presented;
we should always compare what we hear to the truths of God’s Word.
And when we do, we are not doing it to ‘find fault’ in the pastor and
his ways, but it is for us to look for confirmation of what we have heard.

I had an experience where it felt like the pastor’s messages
were so shallow that I wasn’t being properly ‘fed’. However,
there were many children who made professions of faith as
a result of the message they heard through him. Doesn’t that
imply that he was doing what God called him to do, regardless
my own thoughts and opinions?

I found that once I started focusing on the simpler truths of
God’s Word, I was actually being ‘fed’ more than I realized.
It may not have been what I considered a ‘spiritual feast’ of
information for me, but it was certainly enough for feeding my
soul, and I realized that I had not been listening as I should for
God to speak to me in simple, but effective ways. The more I
listened for God to speak through this pastor’s the messages,
the more I ‘connected’ with Him.

We should never allow a kind of “a la carte” mentality to be in
control of our obedience to God’s commands. If we do, then we
are deciding for ourselves which of His commands we will obey
and which ones we will ignore. Omitting any of His commands
causes malnutrition of one’s soul. Lack of obedience is just as
sinful as willfully committing sins we know we should avoid.

Think about this for a second. If we develop a mentality that we
know as much (or more) than the one God has called to fulltime
ministry, then we are in danger of developing an arrogant, prideful
mentality.

If we do that, we are not only damaging our relationship with the Lord,
but we are jeopardizing our relationships with others. Why? Because
Satan can use our arrogance to convince us that we know more about
everything than anyone else. Look at this small sampling of scriptures
related to arrogant pride.
(Note: ‘haughty’ means ‘arrogantly superior and disdainful’)
    Pride goes before destruction,
    a haughty spirit before a fall.
    (Proverbs 16:18)

    But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his
    downfall. He was unfaithful to the Lord his God, and
    entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the
    altar of incense.
    (2 Chronicles 26:16)

    In his pride the wicked man does not seek Him;
    in all his thoughts there is no room for God.
    (Psalm 10:4)

    Let their lying lips be silenced, for with pride and
    contempt they speak arrogantly against the righteous.
    (Psalm 31:8)

    To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and
    arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.
    (Proverbs 8:13)

    When pride comes, then comes disgrace,
    but with humility comes wisdom.
    (Proverbs 11:2)

    Pride brings a person low,
    but the lowly in spirit gain honor.
    (Proverbs 29:23)

    I will punish the world for its evil, the wicked for
    their sins. I will put an end to the arrogance of the
    haughty and will humble the pride of the ruthless.
    (Isaiah 13:11)

    But when his heart became arrogant and hardened
    with pride, he was deposed from his royal throne and
    stripped of his glory.
    (Daniel 5:20)

    For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the
    lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from
    the Father but from the world.
    (1 John 2:16)

    There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable
    to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent
    blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick
    to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a person
    who stirs up conflict in the community.
    (Proverbs 6:16-19)

We need to always be mindful that in his cleverness, Satan
will try to convince us to have pride in the fact that we are
not a prideful person. See how subtly he can effectively lead
us into overlooking our own pride, by using the pride that
exists in us?

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, when my soul cried out for love
and forgiveness, You were there. As my soul cries
out for nourishment, help me to obey Your commands
and feed my soul on a daily basis. Help me to be honest
with myself regarding obedience to Your Word. Forgive
me for ignoring Your commands and choosing only the
ones that I would like to obey. Guide me as I replace my
will (and justifications) with Your Will, so that I can have
a healthy soul and an intimate relationship with You.
Lead me out of my comfort zone as I change my attitudes
and habits to follow You in total submission. Thank You
Jesus for showing me what total obedience looks like as
You not only left Your comfort zone, but also suffered on
the cross for my sins.”

BLOG: utvolwoody.com