So our soul needs to transform by listening and doing what the Spirit tells it to do. It does that by faith. Without faith the soul will not obey because transforming is difficult. Why exactly is it difficult and why would the soul not obey unless it has faith? Because transforming means becoming new and becoming new means dying first. That’s right dying! But how exactly does a soul die? What are the specifics and how do we apply it in our daily lives? To answer all those questions we have to go back to what the soul is and how it works and we must most definitely not confuse the spirit and the soul. But first things first. Discerning between soul and spirit is not that easy especially if we have not done it all that often. And doing it on our own is just a recipe for failure. See the word tells us how to discern between soul and spirit.
Hebrews 4
12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Only the word gives us that discernment, so we have to eat sleep breath the word. The more we immerse ourselves in the word the more we become aware of the soul and the spirit. This is also where we abide in the word. The soul is the will, character and intellect of a person. So that means we have to die continuously to our own will, our own character, and our own intellect. There are so many examples of that and we will mention some of them later but for now we have to confirm the doctrine. The doctrine is we “have to die to self”. The overwhelming majority of churches do not agree with this doctrine and say something like it was all done when we believed. That is yet another danger in the false doctrine of you only have to believe. Jesus said:
Matthew 16
24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.
25 For whoever desires to save his life(soul) will lose it, but whoever loses his life(soul) for My sake will find it.
26 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
27 For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.
Luke 9
23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.
24 For whoever desires to save his life(soul) will lose it, but whoever loses his life(soul) for My sake will save it.
Jesus makes it clear in no uncertain terms that we need to die. We need to lay down our own soul, our will, character and intellect daily! He says we have to take up our cross and follow Him. Let’s just look at that one sentence and the implications of that alone. You see He took up the cross and walked to die. So should we, we follow Him to die. What else is a cross than an instrument of death? We certainly don’t take up the cross to go worship in the church for a half hour. We certainly don’t take up the cross to drink coffee afterward and talk nothing but jibber jabber. Let’s get something straight here. Going to meetings is not taking up the cross, praying a set prayer at night before you go to bed is not Taking up the cross. Perhaps staying up all night in prayer, like Jesus often did, and losing all that sleep is following Him and taking up the cross. No taking up the cross and following Him is your lifestyle, your everyday walk, your motive for doing every- and anything!
Jesus says that if you want to keep your soul here on earth you will lose it. That means if you do not die to self in your will, character and intellect you will die. Your name will be blotted out of the Lamb’s book of life and you will perish. If you want to keep your soul, or life, here on earth as it is, you are blaspheming the Holy Spirit and you are committing the unpardonable sin. He says that if you willingly obey the Spirit and die to the soul you will gain it forever. Jesus says that we need to die to this soul or life and more than that we are even to hate this life or soul.
Luke 14
26 “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own soul also, he cannot be My disciple.
27 And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.
That is a commandment from Jesus and a condition. He says bear your cross and die to your soul or you cannot be His. There is no half measure, you don’t die halfway or some of the way. You die, you become dead, completely. That means no more of your own ambitions or no more of your own flawed character or your own understanding. There’s no looking back.
Luke 9
62 But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”
Luke 14
27 And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.
28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it —
29 lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him,
30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish’?
31 Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand?
32 Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace.
33 So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.
Luke 17
32 Remember Lot’s wife.
33 Whoever seeks to save his soul will lose it, and whoever loses his soul will preserve it.
Jesus makes it clear we are not to look back. We need to die completely and forsake everything we have and are. We cannot look back like Lot’s wife, who serves as an example of this very thing. She wanted her nice soul and wanted to go back to it and she perished. Let me ask you a question? Does your pastor or church teach you to die? Does he tell you to lay down your soul or else you will perish? Can you show me in your life or soul this laying down or dying? What is the evidence of that in your comfortable soul and church? Next time we will continue on this and what Paul and others had to say about it, till then.
God bless
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