Aligning the Soul with the Reborn Spirit
Have you ever gone through a challenge such as a health issue, and while going through it, said: “Lord, touch my body so that I may be healed”? Or, perhaps you faced a financial challenge and called on the Lord to “touch” your finances so that you could experience prosperity. While these requests sound spiritual, they actually aren’t based on the Word of God. We must make sure that the things we pray and say are in line with the Scriptures so that we can get the results we are looking for. The truth is that everything we need to get manifestation in our lives is already available to us in our recreated spirits. We possess the very power of God within us. Our job is to align our souls with our spirits in order to draw out the resources we need for our specific situations.
Becoming born again is not just a free ticket to heaven, but it is much more. It is God’s will that we not only experience a future with Him in the kingdom of heaven after we die, but that we also experience heaven on earth as well. There are many Christians who are experiencing anything but heaven on earth; their lives are marked by the same failures and powerlessness of those who are not in a relationship with Jesus Christ. This simply shouldn’t be.
At the point of salvation, the Holy Spirit, Jesus, the kingdom of God, and all of its benefits become a part of our recreated spirits. Therefore, we possess everything we need from the Father; it’s all in us! The reborn spirit believes the Word of God and is in agreement with its promises; however, the problem lies with the unrenewed soul (the mind, will, and emotions). While our spirits become born again when we accept Jesus, our souls do not. We must make a quality decision to renew our minds with the Word of God so that our thoughts, choices, and feelings are submitted to the Scriptures. Only when we get our souls in line with the Word of God can we withdraw spiritual power from our spirits. This is the power that changes and rearranges our circumstances to reflect the blessing instead of the curse.
Ephesians 1:3 says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ” and 2 Peter 1:3 says, “According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue.” These two scriptures show us that the power of God, which contains healing, deliverance, prosperity, abundance, and everything else we could ever need, is resident in our spirits. We don’t have to beg and plead with God to do something for us because we possess the power to get results.
Getting our souls to come into agreement with our born-again spirits and the Word of God means making daily meditation on God’s Word a priority. Romans 12:1-2 says we are to be transformed by the renewing our minds so that we can prove what is the perfect will of God. We know that healing, deliverance, protection, and abundance are the will of God, so when we allow our thinking to be transformed by the Word, we can actually manifest these things in our lives. When we keep our spirits and souls aligned, our physical circumstances have no choice but to change.
There is no lack in your reborn spirit, which means everything you will ever need for success is in your possession. Faith in the Word of God, mind renewal, consistently confessing God’s promises, along with obeying what God tells you to do are the keys to unlocking the power of God’s kingdom in your life. You don’t have to wait another day for God to get involved in your situation; instead, focus on aligning your soul with your spirit, and you will begin to see your circumstances change.
-Creflo Dollar-
Who’s Got Your Soul?
In order to change your life, you must first understand who or what is influencing your life. Whoever you trust with your life is the one who will possess your soul, and whoever has your soul is going to influence your decisions and your destiny. We want God to completely possess our soul so that His good, acceptable, and perfect will can be proven in our lives.
Love, Anger and Forgiveness: How To Let Go and Be Free
Anger and forgiveness seem to be opposites, and in many ways they are. You may be surprised to learn, however, that they have a lot in common. If you make anger the “bad guy,” you just won’t get to the forgiving part. Anger has to be fully understood and released before you get to move on to the freedom of forgiveness. Forgiveness has to be fully understood before you can let go of resentments and be emotionally whole and free.
It all starts with love. We are born with the need to love and be loved, and no one, even the best parents, can meet that need perfectly. Therefore we all feel hurt as a natural part of life. And of course, there are those hurts that are inflicted by abuse, abandonment and neglect, in some cases extreme.
From this pain, fear and anger naturally emerge. It makes perfect sense to be angry when you’re hurt. Anger is an important place to visit, you just don’t want to live there. Here is where forgiveness comes in. Forgiveness is the process of letting go of anger and resentment so that you can go on with your life. Forgiveness is for you, not for the forgiven. That is essential to understand.
Anger and forgiveness seem opposite, in the sense that anger involves an intense focus on the “wrongdoer,” and forgiveness involves shifting focus off of that person and moving on with your life. Yet there are some ways that anger and forgiveness are the same.
How Anger and Forgiveness Are The Same
Unhealthy anger and premature forgiveness both include:
-Judgment
-The “one-up” position
-Dishonoring to yourself
When you are angry at someone and blaming them, you are definitely judging them and putting yourself in a “one-up” position. The way you are dishonoring yourself here is that you are failing to look at your own creative responsibility in the situation. This is the hazard of the “blame game.” When you are into blaming others for your feelings, situation or plight, you are making yourself a victim and denying your own power and responsibility.
Premature forgiveness is forgiving someone when you’re not through being angry. You are still judging them, and therefore you’re seeing yourself as “one-up.” You are dishonoring yourself by pretending to forgive in your mind, when your heart and gut are still carrying anger and resentment.
Here are some important truths to remember when you’re angry:
-The other person is responsible for his/her actions that triggered your anger. You are not responsible for their behavior.
-You are responsible for your emotional reaction and for your actions that result from your emotional reaction. They are not responsible for your emotional reactions or your behavior that results.
Here are some other ways that anger and forgiveness are the same. When anger is healthy, and forgiveness is authentic, both involve:
-Power
-Release
-Letting go
-No more victim position
-Operating in a container of love
Both healthy anger and true forgiveness involve the power of healthy release and letting go, which takes you out of the victim position. This can only occur in a container of love. Anger can only be healthy when accompanied by some degree of love and wisdom, and forgiveness can only be true when it is based on love for yourself and/or another person.
Understanding Anger
Anger is the most misunderstood emotion. Most people just think it is bad. Here are some common misconceptions:
-Anger is a bad emotion and should always be controlled
-It is possible to be without anger completely
-It is wrong to be angry
-To be angry means to be out of control
-Anger is the same thing as aggression
-When a person is angry that means they are not safe to be around
These misconceptions result from the lack of understanding of healthy anger. Healthy anger is:
-A feeling you have when you’re threatened or opposed
-A protective emotion
-Powerful energy that can be used for positive outcomes
-Fuel for effective action
Have you ever taken action about something that made you angry? Think about MADD, Mothers Against Drunk Drivers. They got mad, and took action in healthy, appropriate ways to resolve the problem leading to their pain and anger. Here’s the bottom line on healthy anger:
Healthy anger fuels effective action!
Understanding True Forgiveness
True forgiveness is something that only your body can do. Surprised by that? Here’s the deal. Anger and resentments are held in the body as well as the mind, and your mind can decide to forgive long before your body is ready. Literally, your body has a mind of its own. Here are some things to understand about forgiveness:
-Forgiveness is not just a decision that you can make in your mind
-Forgiveness requires an emotional and physical release to be complete
-Your body is capable of holding onto anger long after your mind thinks it has forgiven
-Forgiveness does not absolve the wrongdoer—you don’t have that kind of power
-Withholding forgiveness does not hold the wrongdoer accountable—everyone is accountable whether you forgive or not
-Forgiving doesn’t mean you have decided that what the wrongdoer did is okay
-You don’t have to wait for the wrongdoer to change for you to forgive
-You won’t be able to forgive until you have fully examined the depth and extent of your wounds
-You won’t be able to forgive until you have acknowledged the full depths of your anger
-Forgiveness is for you
-Forgiveness is good for your health
-Forgiveness allows you to be more loving and joyful
You will know that you have forgiven when your body is relaxed and your breathing is deep and easy—while you visualize the wrongdoer and say, “I accept you for who you are, with all of your best and worst. I no longer need you to change. I forgive you for myself, so that I can be free. I forgive you so that I can let go of resentments and feel love and joy in my heart, mind and body.”
Your body will tell you if the forgiveness is complete.
Keys to Emotional Health and Freedom
-Take responsibility for your actions and emotions
-Do not accept blame for anything
-Place responsibility for others’ actions and emotions on them
-Do not blame anybody for anything
Here are some thoughts to consider about love:
-Love can be intoxicating, and therefore can lead to unhealthy decisions
-The need to love and be loved is the most powerful force in human nature
-Love is who you are in your spiritual essence
-Conditional love is not really love—it is more about control
-The only real love is unconditional love
-You will always remember those people in your life who have loved you unconditionally
-You are at your very best when you are experiencing unconditional love
Life starts with love. Anger is an inevitable emotion, which can temporarily or permanently take us away from love. When we work through our anger, we can forgive. Forgiveness is a return to love.
The greatest of these is love.