Wounded Soul

Happy Sunday!

Have you ever heard this scripture?  "If a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand."(Mark 3:25 NASB).  Sure, you have!  Businesses even use this biblical principle in team building.  But have you ever associated this scripture with the following scripture?  "Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself."(1 Corinthians 6:19 NLT).  Our physical body is a house for our spirit and the Holy Spirit.  We are tripartite beings.  We are spirit, we have a soul, and we live in a physical body.  1 Thessalonians 5:23 says, "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole SPIRIT and SOUL and BODY be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."(KJV).  OK, I know what you are thinking.  Where are you going with this?  So glad you asked.

For years now, I have been examining my life in the light of the Word of God.  The Word says in 3 John 2, "Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth."(KJV).  Then I look at my life and see areas that are not prospering.  I want to know what's wrong.  I want to know what's missing.  Proverbs 4:23 says, "Above all, be careful what you think because your thoughts control your life."(ERV).   The word "thoughts" in this translation is "heart" in other translations.  In this context it is speaking of the soul.  So my soul which is made up of my mind, my will, and my emotions can control my life.  If my soul doesn't prosper, then my life will not prosper.  I don't know about you, but I don't believe I was born to just struggle, and die.  I want everything that God prepared, and Jesus paid for me to have.

What can keep my soul from prospering? Great question!  One of the biggest things that can keep our soul from prospering is unforgiveness!  Mark 11:26 says, "But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses."(KJV).   I know what you are thinking.  Cynthia, you don't know what they did to me!  You don't know how they treated me!  You don't know how bad they hurt me!  You are right!  I don't know everything that happened. But I know based on the Word, a wounded soul can hinder your prosperity.  Proverbs 18:14 says, "The human spirit can endure a long illness, but who can survive a crushed spirit?"(Voice).  Unforgiveness is SIN, and sin can cause your soul to be wounded.  Forgiving is so important, Jesus said, "“So if you are standing before the altar in the Temple, offering a sacrifice to God, and suddenly remember that a friend has something against you, leave your sacrifice there beside the altar and go and apologize and be reconciled to him, and then come and offer your sacrifice to God."(Living Bible).  We all love Mark 11:24, but have you ever read the next scripture? Mark 11:24 and 25 say, "Listen to me! You can pray for anything, and if you believe, you have it; it’s yours! BUT when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive you your sins too."(Living Bible).  Did you see that? Blessings and forgiveness go hand in hand!

Alright, so you say you have forgiven everyone that hurt you!  So why do you feel "some type of way" when you see them or hear their name? Could it be a wounded soul? God can heal you and fix that! Psalm 23:3 says, "He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake."(KJV).  You know I enjoy renovation shows.  The word restore means to bring back, or return to it's original condition.  Why would the psalmist need his soul restored?  He later speaks of enemies, undoubtedly his soul had been wounded and it needed to be restored.

Don't let the devil trick you out of the Blessing! Examine yourself. Repent for any unforgiveness. Apologize, and reconcile. 2 Corinthians 5:19-20 says, "The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it! All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other. God put the world square with himself through the Messiah, giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins. God has given us the task of telling everyone what he is doing. We’re Christ’s representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God’s work of making things right between them. We’re speaking for Christ himself now: Become friends with God; he’s already a friend with you."(Message).

Love, prayers, and forgiveness...Cynthia