You know your soul is very significant…you just may not be sure what it means.
Good health has everything to do with your soul.
In fact, if you could only choose between a healthy body and a healthy soul, I’d advise…pick your soul.
Integrity
Your soul that has the capacity to integrate all the parts – the body, mind, and will – into a single, whole life.
John Ortberg’s, “Soul Keeping: Caring for the Most Important Part of You” is far and away the best book I’ve read on the subject of soul care.
When your soul is unhealthy your body, mind and will work against each other – your mind believes an action is good, but your body does another. Sustained positive change cannot happen in an unhealthy soul.
When your soul is healthy, the other parts of your life work together, creating integrity of your inner and outer lives.
9 Things Your Soul Needs
1. Your soul needs a keeper–someone who cares for it.
There is a parable of a village, situated at the base of a mountain with a stream running through it. There is an elderly man who travels up and down the stream, keeping it from debris or any substance that could pollute its waters. As long as the stream is well kept, the village prospers and enjoys the benefits. When the stream is neglected, all suffer. Your soul is a stream. You are its Keeper.
2. Your soul needs to be with God, not in the next life, but in each moment of this one.
The “with God” life is not a life of more religious activities or devotions or trying to be good. It is a life of inner peace and contentment for your soul with the maker and manager of the universe. The “without God” life is the opposite. It is death. It will kill your soul.
3. Your soul needs a center of groundedness and strength.
Your soul was not made for an easy life. Your soul was made for an easy yoke.
Spiritual practices are a voluntary yoke we take upon ourselves to gain inner strength. The test of a sustaining spiritual practice is: Does it fill you with grace for life?
4. Your soul needs rest.
“Hurry is the great enemy of spiritual life in our day. You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life.” Dallas Willard
Your soul was made to rest in God the way a tree rests in soil. Our soil is acceptance. Your acceptance rests in who you are. The capacity to do nothing to earn acceptance is evidence of a lot of spiritual growth.
5. Your soul needs satisfaction.
The wrong approach to soul satisfaction is through achievement and wealth. Satisfaction comes through not acquiring the right things but the right soul. Rightness of soul is a free gift from God. “Come, you who are thirsty…you who have no money…come drink, buy and eat.” (Isaiah 55:1)
6. Your soul needs a future.
“God has set eternity in the human heart.” The most important thing you do in life is prepare for eternity. Jesus promises that in “a little while” all injustices, and disappointments will be made right.
7. Your soul needs freedom.
To truly become free you must surrender control to God. The Psalmist writes, “I will walk about in freedom for I have sought your precepts.” (Psalm 119:45)
8. Your soul needs blessing.
Blessing is the projection of good into the life of another. “God bless you” is more than a saying after a sneeze. It is a needed prayer. Receiving a blessing is as much an art as giving one.
9. Your soul needs gratitude.
Try a two-day experiment. For one day greet every person you meet with a complaint – “Man, I had a horrible night’s sleep.” The next day greet everyone with a word of gratitude. “I am so thankful to be alive.”
After two days ask yourself, which day left you feeling more vibrant and alive?
That’s soul care.
APPLICATION: What will you do today to insure the health of your soul? Please leave a comment below
I received this book free from the publisher through the Book Look Bloggers book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
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When asking my students, “If you could define LIFE by one word, which word would you choose?” I often receive a lot of different words like,”love, hope, happiness”. But I always come back to “BECOMING”. Life is defined by what we’re striving to become.
I like who you are helping us become at North Pointe through your involvement with “Walk Run Ride for Hope 2014.” Generosity, compassion and serving as a family are great values. Have a great day lived on purpose!
I couldn’t help but think as I read the 9 points that it takes care our spiritual side.
I thought about it taking care if it as we do our body.
1: our soul needs feeding – accomplished with filling it with the word of God.
2: our soul needs washing – accomplished as we go before God and humble ourselves before him and repent.
3: our soul needs strengthening – accomplished as we meditate on His word.
4: our soul need refreshing – accomplished as we join with the family of God to worship our Lord and Saviour.
5: our soul needs healing – accomplished as we forgive others, God forgives us.
6: our soul needs love – accomplished as we thank, praise and worship our Lord He draws us closer as we study
Thank you
Pastor Bob, this is one writing and thoughts that I have tried to follow. In reading this again, this is as pure gold in my heart particularly because of what I have been going through as of late
Thank you for the reminder.
God will bless everyone who reads this.
Thank you Carole. Take good care of your soul and your whole life benefits.