(91) Living life by the spirit

(THIS ONE WAS THE HARDEST TO WRITE, THERE IS SO MUCH MORE ABOUT THE SPIRIT THAT CAN BE SAID, SO READ WITH LESS EXPECTATION)

To expand on the lesson Spirit, Soul, Body this will look at what the issues are with the spirit. Take a look at the chart to the right to remind yourself what consists of the spirit and how the spirit makes 1/3 of who we are and how we respond.

To begin with, why do we even have a spirit?  God created us to have a spirit so that we can have a relation with Him for God is spirit.  There is a direct connection between mankind and God.  If we are only flesh and blood we can never understand spiritual things.  We will never be able to experience the glory that He has for us.  He also placed inside us the desire to help others, love others, and connect with others as well without any conditional terms.  This is the highest form of relationships.

What kind of relationship can be built upon the spirit?  We are here for one main reason, to worship Him.  That is why our bodies can dance before Him.  That is why we speak praises and prayers.  This is why we can read about Him and feel things those who do not read can not.  Our worship gives us a foundation that is stronger than any other force in the universe.  The love that God has for us is called agape.  This means it is unconditional.  There is no condemnation under His love.  This is a Godly love that we are supposed to strive for with each other as well.  It is not a sensual love or a love built upon similarities like the other two.  This is the love that Jesus told us to show and the love that Paul writes is the greatest of all things.  When a marriage is built upon the love of God then it has the strongest bond it could.  If there is the love of God in a marriage then the other two loves either become less important because they are fulfilled or they become more enhanced.  This love makes us fight for things.  This love conquers all that comes against us.  This love looks past all the things that has been done wrong to us.  This love turns the cheek.  This love goes the extra mile. This love carries us through the sands of trouble and holds on to us when there seems to be no hope.  This love is patient.  This love is from God, A father's love  A love that never forsakes and forgives all that we have done.

How does the spirit react to the world?  There are two ways it reacts to the world.  One is we know that God will get us through anything.  That is called faith.  The other is we know God wants us not to be bystanders.  He wants us to take action.  This is called conviction.  Both call us to do the right thing.  Both are ensconced with love.  Both are filled with truth.  Both are filled with compassion.  Both are filled with mercy.  This is where what is known as the fruits of the spirit come in.  You will know if someone is filled with the spirit when they show their gentleness, patience, kindness, peace, self-control, and above all love. Those who fail to show these, even though they claim to be Christian, are not living by the spirit.  When they say they are Christian but live more by the soul or body then they do not show the fruits.  This is when the world says they are hypocrites.

How is the world enhanced for the spirit?  President Snow (Hunger Games) said there is only one thing stronger than fear and that is hope.  What a profound statement that rings true.  Fear is what drives the body to the fight or flight instinct.  Fear is what cause our souls to worry and causes stress.  But in the spirit, there is no fear because the spirit in us gives us hope.  We see the light at the end of the tunnel because we have the light inside us.  The spirit also gives us joy.  Happiness is based on your situation but joy comes from something else.  When we have the spirit we feel stronger and healthier.  We see things for what they really are.  We know more about right from wrong.  It gives us dreams.  It gives us purpose.  Yes, the world is enhanced for us but even more importantly those with the spirit enhance the world.  Jesus said we are the salt of the earth.  We are here to build each other up.  We are here to share our hearts.  We are here to use our gifts (whether natural talents or gifts of the spirit) See Spiritual gifts for an overview.

What is the result? This is the most important part about understanding the spirit.  When we live by the spirit the desire to do the right things overwhelm us.  But sometimes the world does not understand what the right thing really is and we look foolish to them.  We should be slow to speak and slow to anger.  We are suppose to walk by faith not driven by our desires of the flesh.  When we do these things we feel worthy.  We feel free from the issues of the world.  When we live by the spirit all the other aspects of our lives take shape.  This gives us a foundation that we can all fall back on.  With the spirit we are complete beings.  We are higher than any other life form and that makes us the most loved of all God's creation.  That is why He gives is chance after chance after chance.

We are human. Having a spirit is part of us and we should not ignore it.  We may have the only light some people will ever see.  We may have the only hope that some will ever hear.  We have the absolute truth that the world needs but will not accept.  We have to share love to the world.  The world only lives by their bodies or their souls.  They do not understand the spirit, so to them our absolute truth becomes relative or to them sometimes irrelevant.  Yet, the world watches us and waits for us to not live by the spirit and then jumps at the first sign of a failure.   And because of that we get blamed for all the hate.  Even though we all fall.  We get blamed for all the division.  Even though we all have issues. So,they kick God out of schools, governments, and lives.

And we wonder why the world is the way it is.

(90) Living life by the soul

To expand on the lesson of Spirit, Soul, Body this will look at what the issues are with the soul, both good and bad. Take a look at the chart to the right to remind yourself what consists of the soul and how the soul makes 1/3 of who we are and how we respond.

To begin with, why do we even have a soul? God created a soul for us because He wanted us to make a connection with each other based more than just on physical pleasure.  He placed inside us a mind that can think, reason, imagine, discover, search, and comprehend.  He gave us the desire to try and find answers to the universe and to discover who we are.  But not only about His creation but also to use all of the above to know about each other, another pleasure given to us.  Our relationships have another level.

What kind of relationship can be built upon the soul?  This relation is deeper than the one with the body.  This one is multi-faceted.  Our emotions though are the foundation of this relationship.  Our emotions are made up of all of our situations and backgrounds, such as our thoughts and feelings.  We can connect on an intellectual basis.  And when we do we can grow in education.  We can see things in a different light.  It can cause a deeper feeling of purpose.  We can share our thoughts.  And when we do we find out about more of who we are when we are able to understand we have the same issues in life.  We can share our feelings. And when we do we make that intimate connection where we develop a loving emotional relationship.  This emotional relationship is based on our similarities where we can develop the greatest of friendships.  But if all we do is base our relationships on our emotions then we can become disappointed in the actions of others. They will always fail us because of our expectations.  This is where the idea of forgiveness comes in.  God gave us guidelines here too.  We need to treat each other with compassion, mercy, hospitality, generosity, and above all love.  This is the essence of the Ten Commandments and the teachings of Paul.  But people mistake emotions and its actions for marital love.  This is why marriages such as those in like Hollywood don't last.  They like the person on the surface but they fail to create a deeper relationship and later on realize they are not connected anymore.  This is why intellectuals spend too much time away from each other in a marriage.  They think their intellect is higher than the other and that starts many arguments.  Ever notice most people marry someone with similar intelligence level?   But if they have no better foundation than their intellect then the marriage is not strong.    This is also why no one should get married at a young age and why "puppy love" is not real.  The relationship if built on emotion can be filled with disappointments and the "love" goes. Phileo love is a brotherly love.  It is for friendship.  Animals have friends.  Heck the dog is man's best friend (because they can't argue).  You are higher than an animal.

How does the soul react to the world?  There are only two ways, the soul uses logic and reasoning. During the Enlightenment era people like Voltaire and Rousseau stressed the idea of using logic and reasoning to discover the answers of the universe.  They claimed there were natural laws of the universe that were constant and man could not work outside those laws.  They denied many religious beliefs like miracles because these would go against these natural laws.  They relied upon their intellect to explain the world.  But some things in this existence can never be explained by logic or proven by science.  Is there a mathematical equation for love?  No.  Can science completely prove the beginnings of the universe?  No. Sure we can come up with the best of theories and do many experiments based on what we know.  And we can actually prove many things with a constant result but we can never fully understand the universe. If we try to prove everything by logic and reasoning only then some things we will never get to experience because we deny its existence or some things we will never get to understand because we deny the possibilities.  The worse thing they can do is over think things.  They try to rationalize each and every aspect of life.  Views on both sides of every argument seems rational but they aren't. See Rationalization for more explanation.  Liberal ideas distort truth because they sound correct but are full of falsehoods. Humanism, atheism, feminism, ideologies, and philosophies all start to sound like truth but are pseudoscience.  They stress individualism but look for a belonging.  They are confused but claim they have all the answers.

How is the world enhanced for the soul?  We write self-help books.  We write text books.  We go to psychologists and psychiatrists.  We study.  We observe.  We take classes.  We have support groups. There is nothing wrong with any of these.  These were made so that we could get help and make connections with others, to know that we are not alone with our struggles.  But people use these as a crutch.  These things become excuses.  They blame their mother for their criminal activity because a psyche book said that is what happened.  Nothing becomes their fault because they can explain their behavior.  How about...you were just wrong and take the consequence.  Psychologists try to pinpoint everything on our psyche. Simplypsychology.org  But not everything is based on our past.  Sometimes we are who we are because of our distorted thinking.  To quote from a great movie, "Stop breaking the law A-hole".  When all we do is try to explain our actions then we never get to what the real problem is and we keep feeling ashamed and confused.  But we are human.  If we do wrong we will have these feelings and will keep having them unless we understand there is a higher calling.

What is the result? This is the most important part about understanding the soul.  We want to find that special someone that we are special to as well.  We want to make that connection with others so we feel like we belong.  This is why we join teams.  This is why we join clubs.  This is even why we read, to find something we feel a part of.  But when we can't find that right relationship we start to wonder what is wrong with us. Our mindsets become focused on the negative.  We start to hate ourselves.  We don't see ourselves as worthy of anything, or any gift.  We struggle with our thoughts.  We look for answers and if we look in the wrong places then we find the wrong answers. Years of pain and stress cause depression.  We feel like our sanity is up for grabs.  Instead of just causing physical pain for relief, many take the next step and want to end it all. Knowing everything just isn't enough.  There is still a part of us that is unfilled.

We are human. Having a soul is part of us and we should not ignore it. We are geared towards curiosity and a desire to understand.  God created a universe so vast that our minds will never stop wanting to find it all.  But there are limitations and mysteries that God left open. Mankind though thinks they know better and creates theories.  Those with high intellects think they don't need anything else. The screenshot of someone to the right explains a lot.  The person who posted this is one of the greatest people on the earth and deserves so much more than life has been lately. But they can't find the answers. They wonder what is after this life.  They are an atheist but still have a question about after you die.  That's because God's spirit is still in them but they deny it.  Those who rely upon their intellect can't see past the natural world.  But there is another world out there. And we wonder why the world is the way it is.

You are important. You have dreams and hope. You are more than just emotions. Yes, you have a body. And even more importantly, you have a spirit. Use it.

(89) Living life by the body

To expand on the lesson of Spirit, Soul, Body this will look at what the issues are with the body, both good and bad.  Take a look at the chart to the right to remind yourself what consists of the body and how the body makes 1/3 of who we are and how we respond.

To begin with, why do we even have a body?  God created a physical body because He created a physical universe.  He created one with sound, sight, smell, taste, and feel.  God loved His creation but His prize creation was mankind.  He loved it so much He wanted it to experience the rest of creation in all of its glory. The earth was formless at first but then water, air, and dry ground appeared. Things would be able to not only sustain life but give it pleasure as well.  From the ground came plants and animals for food and companionship.  But even with all this one pleasure was missing---relationship, a physical relationship with the same bodily species.  He created both male and female.

What kind of relationship can be built upon the body?  The only one that can be achieved with the body is one that uses the body; a sensual, sexual, or erotic relationship.  These are not to say this is wrong.  There is perfection in a sexual relationship.  The male body fits the female body and the female body fits the male body.  God created this relationship and there is nothing wrong with having erotic feelings or to experience this pleasure.  There are many ways we can experience this.  But if all we do is have sexual relations with no other feelings then we can distort its purpose.  People start to seek only sex.  They try to get it any way they can.  But God gave guidelines.  Yes, people will disagree with this but it is the truth.  Please see Types of love for further explanation.  If this relation is the only type you have then you will be left empty and many times feel ashamed and that is because you are human.  You are created with more than a body.  You are higher than the plants and animals.

How does the body react to the world?  There are only two ways, the body either learns how to fight or it turns to flight.  Ever heard the quote, "think before you react"?  That is a very truthful statement.  If we do not think when a situation arises we may over react or freeze.  That is called the fight or flight response. (Psychcentral.com)  The article's first sentence is dead wrong but the rest is sound.  We either panic and run or we have an adrenaline rush and fight.  When an animal is cornered it does the same thing, but most will fight (picture snarling dog).  If we do not think before we react and only use this instinct then we end up hurting people.  We post on social media our break ups without feeling any consequence.  We even lose our sanity and shoot up military recruiting stations (maniac, idiot).

How is the world enhanced for the body?  We try to create textures and scents.  We play music and create paintings.  We take medication and vitamins.  We buy and sell items that make us feel better.  There is nothing wrong with any of these.  These were made for our pleasure.  But people take this and create fantasy worlds.  These things become outlets for anger which is better than the alternative but it creates dark and hurtful places in our lives.  When all we do is escape the world, we never truly escape our pain.  This is why alcohol and other drug usage is so rampant.  It is the only way we can kill the pain.  People who don't use drugs turn to other ways like tattooing and cutting.  To quote a heart wrenching song:  "Though I don't want to die. But the only anesthetic that makes me feel anything kills inside", so the person ends up cutting herself. When all we do is try to make ourselves feel better then we end up feeling useless and without purpose.  But we are human.  We have both.

What is the result?  This is the most important part about understanding the body.  We are more than just desirable flesh.  This is why women feel disrespected when men only think of their body as attractive.  They want to be seen as more, someone with a mind and a purpose.  Women who cheat do so because they are treated by other men with more purpose and who listen to their thoughts (they are more sensitive to their feelings).  Men also believe it or not want to feel more than just a body. They want to protect and feel appreciated.  Most men who cheat do so because they feel under appreciated.  Both sexes feel an emptiness longing to be filled.  However the easiest way to fill a loss is with the body so we do it trying to fill the emptiness.  It's at this point we hurt the most because the sexual, fantasy, reactive part of us is not enough.

We are human.  Having a body is part of us and we should not ignore it.  We are built for pleasure and to please.  But there are guidelines and standards that God gave us to get the best out of the pleasures. Mankind though thinks they know better and creates their own standards and distorts the idea of Paradise. And we wonder why the world is the way it is.

You are important.  You have a purpose.  You are more than just beauty on the outside.  You have a soul.  And even more importantly, you have a spirit.  Use it.

(88) The difference between Spirit, Soul, and Body

Why is the world the way it is?  Why is there war?  Why is there so much drug usage?  Why are crime rates on the rise?  Why is sexual immorality of all types becoming a societal norm?  Why do we lie?  Why do we hate?  Why do we hurt?  Why do we feel alone?  Why are we depressed?

The answer to all of this and questions similar to these is because we do not live in the right realm.  We operate with the wrong part of our beings.  In simple terms, we act like animals.  Most of us think, respond, and reason as though an animal would.  This is why "religious" thought or faith is difficult for some to understand. And even sounds wrong to them.  

Isaiah 5:20 says, 

• "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter."

The prophet Isaiah 2700 years ago gave warnings of this train of thought.  Just as an example though from the world we live in today, someone said on Twitter because of the Supreme Court decision on same-sex marriage, "over 1500 species on earth have homosexual activity, but only 1 has a problem with it".   They were thinking that this argument actually helped their views and were trying to show how irrational Christians can be.  When in reality it actually shows that we are separated from the animals by something.  And that something is a spirit within us. This is why some think Christianity is their enemy.  Non-believers do not accept the spirit.  And many who may accept a spirit sometimes distort it into spirituality or spiritualness. And then there are those Christians who may wear the banner of the spirit but do not live by the spirit.  These are what the world call the hypocrites.  In other words they call themselves Christians but they act like everyone else.  Jesus warned us not to be like them.  He calls them lukewarm in Revelation.  By the way these people may really think they are correct and may be sincere in what they try and do but they fail like everyone else. No one is perfect.  So calling someone a hypocrite makes one a hypocrite.

When God created the universe, He did so in threes.  He created time, matter, and space.  When He created the earth He created land, sea, and air.  When He created light He made the sun, moon, and stars. When God created life He created three types.  Plants, animals, and humans.  They all have similar characteristics such as reproduction, the need for minerals, and adaptation to environments.  But humans are different.  They are created as a three fold being. If you read Genesis you read in the first part of creation He made people in His image, which means spirit, for God is spirit. Then He formed out of the dust a physical body and He proceeded to breath life into the human and man became a living soul, one who could think for himself and make decisions; something we call a free-will, something the world calls individuality.  Man is tripartite being.  A shadow of the Trinity.

1 Thessalonians 5:23 says, 

• "May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."

and Hebrews 4:12 says,

• "For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart."

But how are these parts different from each other and how does this make us different from the rest of the world? The world thinks the soul and spirit are the same thing. And that is why they can not understand that having a spirit is not from nature. The only way we can comprehend the world and how we are is to understand that the Word of God can enable us to discern the difference. That means we can understand the purpose of the spirit within us and how we are made in His image. This is where scripture comes in. We read and learn from it. It draws us closer to whom God is. But, again, the world does not understand this because they only use their intellect to find answers, leaving them far short of what right and wrong is. Below is a break down of how are beings are divided and how they work.

Plants only have bodies. They reproduce. They adapt to their environment.  But they can not reason. They use the sun and rain to grow and interact with the world.  But they do not desire relationships. They have no dreams or know right from wrong. This is what separates them from the animal world. Animals, from fish to mammals, all varying with their responses and reactions to this world. But they are higher than the plant world for they can reason. They show personality. They can show emotion. But they do not show conviction. They can not comprehend wrong from right unless they have been trained to know. They can revert back to fight or flight easily because they are only bipartite and their bodies are only half of their existence and they have no spirit to lead them. Then we have humans. First and foremost we are spiritual beings.  We are made in His image.  Now we have sensuality and we have emotion. But our most important relationship that we can develop is through our spirit and that is our worship. We look for purpose beyond just the feeling of belonging. Animals run in packs. Humans want that as well. But they long for purpose within their "pack".

Now comes the main scripture.  Romans 8

• 9 However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.
• 10 If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness.
• 11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

Now we can start to understand the first paragraph.  Why is there war?  Because man in acting no better than an animal.  We fight over our beliefs and ideas.  We try to reason and rationalize how we are more right than others.  Why are drugs being used and abused?  Because man is acting no better than plants can.  We think the way our body feels is most important.  We act like animals because when one of our peers does something we want to fit in and do it as well.  We want to feel better either physically or mentally.   Why is sexual immorality of all types being accepted so easily?  Because man is acting no better than a plant or animal by combining sensuality and emotions and calling it love.   Now acting this was is normal.  We all have instincts.  We all have emotions.  We have all been in situations where we fought or flew.  We all have been in situations where we want to fulfill our sensual desires.  We all have been in situations where we relied upon our own thoughts and our own strength.  It is 100% completely normal.  But normal does not always mean correct.  Is it wrong to have sensuality?  NO!  Is it wrong to have emotions?  NO!  Is it wrong to use your own individuality and thoughts?  No!  But it becomes wrong when we rely upon those things over the things that our spirit entails.  When our reasoning becomes more important than our faith, it becomes wrong.  This is why the intellectual has a hard time dealing with "religion".  People in the field of science think they are correct, about everything, because they rely upon their intellect as the only authority.  They attack the Word of God and its followers by claiming Christians don't think and are blindly led and are zombies.  When we respond based only on what we see or feel instead of our dreams or discernment then it becomes wrong. This is a reason why drugs, used in the wrong way, are wrong.  They impair our discernment and allow us to make wrong decisions.  We respond on impulse and that creates a place for hatred, prejudice, and over reacting.  If it makes you feel good then do it. Uh...NO!  2 Peter chapter 2 hints about these topics:

• 10 This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the flesh and despise authority.  Bold and arrogant, they are not afraid to heap abuse on celestial beings
• 11 yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not heap abuse on such beings when bringing judgment on them from the Lord.
• 12 But these people blaspheme in matters they do not understand. They are like unreasoning animals, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like animals they too will perish.

When we only act on the level of a plant or an animal we leave out very important aspects of who we are. When we only go for physical or emotional desires, we do not feel complete and we still hurt.  We can't find our purpose in life.  We may go to doctors and try medicine or therapy.  We may get mental help we need but the wounds that we have perhaps go deeper than what the best medicine can offer to heal.  We still feel lost and hurt.  People are only living through their body and mind. They deny the spirit.  They only care about how they feel and what makes them feel good.  When you only live by 2/3 of your being you are going to feel empty.

The person who lives by their soul only can not feel the presence of God.  The spirit inside them is metaphorically dead.  Jesus though said we must be born again.  Nicodemus, a religious leader of Jewish people, could not understand this because he was only using his mind.  "How can a man be born when he is old?  He can't enter the womb a second time."  But Jesus was not referring to the body.  He was referring to the wakening of our spirit.  Intellectuals and the like of Nicodemus can not comprehend this simple teaching because they can't get past their own thoughts.  To them it is foolish. (1 Cor 1:18)  This is why Paul tells us we need to renew our minds as well but by the spirit (Eph 4:23).

None of this is to say that there are any sins or actions worse or better than any other.  None of this is to say they we should not have emotions or express our sensuality.  None of this is to say that we should forget our ideas or our senses.  None of this is to say that we should not use doctors or medicines that the world supplies.  But all of this is saying that we should rely upon a higher being.  We are more important than plants and animals.  We have deeper relationships than animals have.   The reason why many people feel lost and insecure is because they do not live by the spirit.  And if you deny the power of the spirit you will never feel complete in life.  You may be happy but not filled with joy.  You may find sex but you many never feel loved. You may be able to think about right and wrong but you may never be able to make a full discernment.  You may find alleviation but you will never find the cure.  Unless, you start to live through the spirit and not so much on our selfish and soulish lives.