Let's consider a few things here. What is generally defined as a man's soul? The Mind, Will, Emotions and Intellect (or as I heard one preacher say once, concerning the Intellect, Will and Emotions: "Your Thinker, your Chooser and your Feeler"). The Word of God instructs us to walk by faith, not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7). The faith that you operate by is not really yours - it did not originate with you - it is from the realm of the spirit. The language that you have been given is the language of the spirit. That's why praying in the Spirit is so important if we are to walk by the spirit, or sightless, as it pertains to the natural. This faith that is edified through praying in tongues is your inheritance from your Father in Heaven.
Paul talks about this life of faith in Gal. 2:20:
I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
So we see here that the faith that we have been given as our inheritance is "God" faith. Jesus instructed His disciples to have "faith in God" (Mark 11:22). A more accurate translation would be to have the faith OF God, or God's own faith. This faith can only be activated by "God" love (Gal. 5:6), or Agape - the same self-less Love that produces action, or Charity, as in the 13th chapter of 1st Corinthians. Here's some truth for you. You can never really believe your Heavenly Father for ANY promise that He has made for you through His Word until you receive a revelation of His Love for you. Understand that if He loves you, and He cannot lie, then why wouldn't He give you everything that He has promised to you through the finished work of Jesus on the Cross? (Rom. 8:32) Simple, isn't it? So how come we have struggled so much to believe this Truth? Guess where the opposition is coming from that always brings unbelief? That's right...it's your soul!
There's a reason why Jude 21 follows Jude 20. It shows the relationship between Faith and Love - you should never separate them! Jude 20 says:
But ye, beloved, BUILDING UP YOURSELVES ON YOUR MOST HOLY FAITH, praying in the Holy Ghost,
Followed by Jude 21:
KEEP YOURSELVES IN THE LOVE OF GOD, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
In Romans chapter 8, Paul asks, "What can separate us from the Love of Christ?" The answer for us all should be, "NOTHING"! The Life of Faith that we are called to walk in can only be done in, by and through the spirit. The Spirit of God IN us co-laboring with our born-again spirit. That is the Walk of Power!
Every revelation concerning the the things of the Kingdom of God is delivered directly to your spirit via the Holy Spirit. Your soul gets it later. Many times, whenever I receive a download, it takes my mind a little while to "process" what I receive from the Holy Spirit (that's just me - perhaps some of you are much quicker on the uptake. I have to let it "marinate"). I'll "know" it, but I can't explain it - my intellect cannot grasp it all. Sometimes I have to "pray the mysteries" (that's praying in tongues) some more in order to "make sense" of it all. This would be an example of the Mind of Christ gradually bringing the understanding to my natural mind...I love that process!
Once there was a change of Covenants, the way man related to God was now different. The Old Covenant saints could only serve God with their soul. It was the best they could do while having a spiritually dead nature. That's what Paul was referring to in Romans 7 when he wrote this:
So then WITH THE MIND I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin. (Rom. 7:25b)
The man under the Old Covenant served God with his soul; he had no nature with which to keep the Law. The purpose of the Law, however was never for him to keep it - only to show him the death nature that he was operating out of.
In the Romans 7 scenario above, Paul has put himself in the place of a spiritually dead man who is under the dispensation of Law - this is not, as some would believe, a born-again believer struggling with his flesh. We see this in the 8th chapter of Romans (I won't get into this at length at the present time, but I will recommend listening to the FREE teaching series "The Born Again Trail" (CD 1091-1096 - 6 volumes of 10 messages each) from Dave Roberson Ministries. (He breaks it down in detail, better than I ever could - see the link below for download).
There was now a Nature that has come directly from God through Jesus - the "glory" that Jesus referred to in His intercessory prayer for us in John 17:22. With this Nature everything is based on Spirit-to-spirit Love fellowship - Godhead with offspring. It exemplifies everything that the Christian family is all about; Father with His children, children amongst each other. Is there any wonder why the enemy attacks the family unit and the Christian family so much? This relationship/fellowship encompasses all that God is, beginning with His Love. The Love commandment is the summation of the Ten Commandments - Love the Lord with all your heart, with all your soul, all your mind and all your strength, and the second - Love your neighbor as yourself. This supernatural Love is the greatest thing there is. It is the very Love that rescued you from the death nature and the hell that you were destined for. Love is birthed in the Spirit and is the avenue into the Kingdom of God.
I would also like to recommend teachings by Alan Taylor, based in Tulsa, OK. He has recently been teaching messages along the lines of what I like to call "soul" service in the Kingdom. He approaches the subject from a slightly different perspective, but I believe they are a must listen nonetheless. You can access his website and teachings here:
http://www.iktusnetmedia.com/c/Audio_-_Alan_Taylor.html
"Soulish" leadership cannot accomplish spiritual goals. If we were to put our confidence in our emotions and our feelings, we would become like a man stumbling around in darkness (come to think of it, that's how some of us were BEFORE we were born-again)! That's why it is so very vital that we pray in the spirit.
Can you imagine someone called to preach who doesn't pray in tongues continually? That person would be preaching entirely from his/her intellect! Feeding the sheep "soul" food instead of "Spirit" food to grow them up...can you just imagine the doctrine? Talk about poison...scary stuff! It's bad enough that we have Spirit-filled preachers spouting junk...but I won't go there...not now, at least. Praying in tongues is a REVELATION Gift. There's a great teaching by Pastor Dave Roberson called "Tongues for the Believer"(CD411). A link to this FREE teaching series can be found here:
http://www.daveroberson.org/series.aspx
I'll leave you with this:
For God is my witness, WHOM I SERVE WITH MY SPIRIT in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers; (Rom. 1:9)
Your spirit is the part of you that fellowships with God. Your soul and your flesh have no place in the Holy of Holies. Paul said that He served God with his spirit. Jesus, our High Priest, operated the same way: in concert with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Is there any better example?
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