Getting to Know Your Spirit Nature Cont.
When a person confesses Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior the Bible says that they become a new creation. (2 Cor 5:17) But what part of them becomes instantly new? Does their mind completely change and become perfect? No, we know that even believers can have wrong thinking about things. What about our body? Does the flesh become new upon confessing Christ? Nope. You will look exactly the same as you did before you got saved. So what part of our nature becomes changed according to the Bible? Your spirit becomes completely new. Understanding this will help you discern the struggles you face in life.
The Bible says that we are a three part being. It tells us that we are a spirit being, we have a soul or mind, and we live in a body. (1 Thess 5:23) So now we know that our spirit gets recreated at the moment we receive salvation. That means that only one out of three of your parts have the presence of God in it. Your mind and body need to be disciplined and put under the authority of your recreated spirit. And, of course, your mind and body do not always WANT to be subject to the things of God. This is why people struggle so hard to have faith. This is why Christians are so often living like heathens. This is why so many believers are dominated with worry and fear. This is why even Christians talk negatively about others and say things they shouldn’t. This explains why even believers can become clinically depressed. This is why even God’s people can end up living in a constant state of chaos: They never learned to discipline their mind and body God’s way.
Every person must learn to guard their minds in order to live the life God has for them. First of all, you must learn to distinguish between your soul and your spirit. Despite popular Christian belief, the soul and the spirit are not the same thing. Hebrews 4:12 says, “The Word of God is alive and powerful, sharper than any two edged sword piercing even to the DIVISION OF SOUL AND SPIRIT…and is a discerner of the THOUGHTS AND INTENTS of the heart.” Read that verse again. It tells us that there is a dividing line between soul and spirit. It says that the Word of God is the only thing that can find that division. What does that mean?
Have you ever had a thought and wondered if God gave you that thought or not? Many people get confused and can’t tell whether they thought of it themselves or if God gave them the idea. That is where you need to be able to discern your own thoughts through knowledge of the Word of God. If you had the right standard to compare your thoughts to, you would know whether it was acceptable to think that way or not. This is where the battle in life is won or lost.
Pastor Tim
Family Church Jamestown is a non-denominational church located in Chautauqua County in Jamestown between Lakewood and Busti, NY. The senior pastor of Family Church is Pastor Tim Stahlman a native to the Jamestown, NY area.
