Soul vs. Spirit
By: Amecia Matlock
You craving something sweet? Grab a cookie. You have a long day? Scroll reels. You need a pick-me-up? Go shopping. Or if you’re my toddler and need comfort, put any and everything in your mouth.
Why Do We Love Poison?
We create habits or coping skills that become our security blankets. It’s human nature and a survival instinct to put trust in the tried and true. But what happens if these neuropathways that we’ve created seek reward in things that only give us a temporary release? And how can this infiltrate the church in covert ways, such as gluttony, sloth, vanity? These are not quirks; they are a result of the fall.
Fractured Divinity: When Our Bodies Became the Drivers
In the garden, our divine connection to God was severed. No longer could we be in perfect communion with a perfect God. We had taken a new path that interfered with God’s divine order. Our mind, will, emotions, and bodily needs had taken the driver’s seat as our spirits died without the life that breathed it (Genesis 2:7; Job 33:4).
So instead of our soul responding to desires of the spirit, it began responding to the cravings of the body.
Moving Our Spirits to the Driver’s Seat
God gave us a way to reverse this through communion with His Holy Spirit. When we have fellowship with the Holy Spirit and follow His leading, we can live in God’s divine order of our spirits in the drivers seat and our souls following suit.
But if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. – Romans 8:11-13 KJV
So how do we switch drivers and put the spirit, our purest God breathed essence, in the driver’s seat and our flesh in the back seat?
We must rely on the power of the Holy Spirit, not our own strength (Zechariah 4:6), to help us starve the flesh, renew the mind, and protect the heart.
Starving the FLESH
There are some demons that can only be cast out through prayer and fasting (Matthew 17:20-21, Mark 9:28-29). Sometimes the cravings of the flesh are so intense that we have to completely starve ourselves of satisfying the flesh so that the spirit can drive.
I’ve been here several times, and it’s so much easier to hear the quiet still voice of the spirit when you’re not hearing the screaming demands of the flesh.
Renewing the MIND
Our mind is something we should be protecting daily with the helmet of salvation (Ephesians 6:17), renewing daily with God’s word (Romans 12:2), and a battle ground where we are taking idol thoughts captive and submitting them to God’s word (2 Corinthians 10:5).
Everything that manifests in our reality begins with a thought, so it’s so important that we remain vigilant in seeking God and His truth, otherwise we begin to make distorted realities from the basis of our own understanding.
“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; And lean not unto thine own understanding.”
Proverbs 3:5 KJV
But when your thoughts are racing whether you want them to or not, what can you do practically to ground yourself in truth. Here are a few things that I have ran into and ways God has led me to protect, renew, and refresh my mind.
- When my thoughts become condemning: When my thoughts become condemning, I know I am not hearing truth, but from the king of lies (John 8:44) I rebuke these thoughts in Jesus mighty name, and refocus on what God says about me and my identity in him which is a gentler voice full of grace, love, and the hope that we are continually being perfected (Philippians 1:6)
- When my thoughts become unwanted: I have had thoughts I didn’t ask for that can lead to a cycle of obsessiveness over why I had the thought at all. This thinking keeps you trapped in a loop that is not your portion. When I was struggling with this, God gave me a vision of a tree. The image was similar to the leaves on a stream therapeutic practice, where thoughts are leaves that come and float away like autumn leaves falling off trees. The roots of the tree are grounded in faith. This reminds me that all sorts of thoughts will float in and out of our minds, but the roots of who we are grounded in our faith. We are not image bearers of our thoughts; we are image bearers of Jesus.
- When my thoughts are hopeless: When my thoughts are hopeless, I know I’m slipping into delusion. Gods plan is to give us hope for the future (Jeremiah 29:11) But our adversaries tactic is to make us believe that future is unattainable or doesn’t exist. The best way I’ve found to get out of this mindset is to sit and truly think about all there is to be grateful for. No matter the situation, there are always reasons for gratitude, and then I praise the Lord! Focusing on the blessings of today shifts my focus away from worries of tomorrow. Instead I’m able to fully experience the joy of the present moment.
So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”
Matthew 6:34 NLT
Protecting the HEART
Protecting our heart and emotions is a requirement. God says everything we do will flow from it (Proverbs 4:23) My biggest conviction with this one has been that it can be easy to slip into idolatry. Idols are anything that we give more of our heart to than God.
When we start compromising on obedience and reverence in exchange for validation, dreams, worldly interests, money, comfort, material things, we are out of order. Whatever we place as king of our heart becomes the master of our will and emotions. We begin to make choices that honor whatever we’ve placed precedent instead of decisions that honor God. Whenever God has uncovered an idol in my life, the conviction was clear, lay it on the altar. Sacrifice anything that has become more important to you than God and then trust Him and let him show you why putting Him first is better.
Spoiler Alert: it always is!!!
Who’s Steering the Ship?
Who’s steering the ship? Is it your demanding flesh, racing thoughts, and desperate heart? Or is it your spirit that was resurrected when you gave your life to Jesus (Romans 8:11). In order for your spirit to lead and your soul (mind, will, and emotions) to take a back seat, you must be willing to follow God’s greatest commandment to love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, and soul.
FRUIT OF THE DAY – SELF-CONTROL
SONG OF THE DAY – HONEY/ BEACH CHAPEL
Ending Prayer
God, I pray that the person reading this, or listening to this, sees how unbelievably loved they are by the King of the universe. I pray that they are filled with hope as they begin or continue to discover your plans for them. I pray that they reject seeing the world through the distorted lens of the enemy, and that with the help of your Holy Spirit, they’d see with clarity. I pray that You heal any lingering hurts, pains, and disappointments, and I thank You for finishing the work you’ve begun in them. I pray that they be established in the calling and will you have for each of their lives, for I trust that they are good. In Jesus mighty name I pray, amen.
If you have never accepted God into your heart, and would like to, pray the below salvation prayer:
Heavenly Father, I believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that He died on the cross for my sins, that He rose from the dead, and is alive right now. I repent of my sins and ask You to come into my heart and be my Lord and Savior.
If you prayed that prayer and believe it in your heart, you have begun walking in freedom with our savior Jesus Christ, and the best is yet to come! Don’t stop here, make your prayer time personal. I trust he will guide you every step of the way. God is longing to hear from you, and remember He already knows it all and He still loves us!
To God be all the Glory Honor and praise! My life is His alone to use ❤️ May he bless…
Thank you for sharing transparently. Our experiences and tripping stones are a path to not only our own stronger faith…
wow!! 29Peanut Butter Dreams
I pray for God’s goodness and grace for you and your family. Thanks for reading!
Thank you for sharing this.
FRUITS OF MY SPIRIT 
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