Dividing our soul from our spirit is important so that we can discern truth from lies, and begin to grow, displaying the power of God’s Word within us.
“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” Heb 4:12 NIV
Soul and spirit. Joints and marrow. Thoughts and attitudes of the heart. These are three ways of saying the same thing: it is very difficult to separate these interwinding matters without an extremely sharp knife. God’s Word, the Truth it presents, is the only power known to man that can achieve this impossible feat. As we engage with the Bible, it becomes this mirror that helps us recognize what has been buried deep in our heart (that’s the spirit, the core of our identity), which then influences why we think, feel and will what we think, feel and will (that’s the soul). We take actions depending on our soul, which is influenced by the condition of our spirit. So if I believe a lie, I will think, feel and will according to that lie and my actions will correspond to that lie. God’s Word judges the thoughts and attitudes of our heart so it can help us get rid of any lies still buried within us. And as we work with God to change those heart attitudes, our actions and lives change for the good too.
So let’s revisit the example of, “I am not good enough.” If this lie is still in my heart, if this is still part of how I identify myself, then I should not be surprised when I engage in self-destructive activities. Whether this is overeating, as it has been in my life, or maybe alcoholism, or being in toxic relationships even, all these actions happen because that is who I believe I am. The lies of I am not worthy of love, not worthy of being healthy, not worthy of having a fulfilling life and so on, control my actions which leads to problems in my life. God’s Word cuts through all those lies by helping us discern what is in this deepest part of our being (spirit).
The Word of God exposes the innermost thoughts and attitudes of our heart and one of the deep seeded roots of our fallen nature is this gnawing belief that we are guilty because of our sinful nature. Again apart from God, this is true…but in Christ? “Therefore, there is NOW NO condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus!” (Ro 8:1 my emphasis) Do we see how God’s Word exposes such life-draining lies and leads us towards the life-giving Truth? TheTruth in God’s Word is the solid foundation that stabilizes us so we can live the life God always desired, and designed, us to live. Fulfilling. Abundant. Loving God and loving others as ourselves. This is what we were created for, my Friends! But if we do not make God’s Word the center of our lives, is it alive and active for our good? We will wrap it up tomorrow…
Join me in memorizing 52 verses this year:
January: 1- Jn 3:16; 2- 2Co 5:17; 3- Jas 2:26; 4- Eph 2:10
February: 5- Jn 10:10; 6- Ro 6:23; 7- Rev 21:4; 8- Php 4:13
March: 9- 1Pe 5:7; 10- Jn 8:32; 11- Dt 30:19; 12- Jn 3:30; 13- 2Chron 20:3
April: 14- 2Chron 20:12; 15- 2Chron 20:15b; 16- 2Chron 20:17
May: 17- Ro 8:28; 18- 1Co 13:13; 19- Php 2:12; 20- Mt 5:4
June: 21- Lk 23:42; 22- Jas 4:7; 23- Pr 22:6; 24- Mt 5:3; 25- Jn 14:6
July: 26- Jas 2:19; 27- Dt 31:8; 28- Jn 14:15; 29- Jn 8:11
August: 30- Ro 8:1; 31- Pr 4:23; 32- Pr 18:21; 33- Ps 118:24; 34- 1Jn 4:4
September: 35- Mt 16:24; 36- Isa 53:6; 37- Ps 23:1-6
38- Heb 4:12
<>< Peace, Diane
