THE SOUL OF MAN

Ps 23:3 He restores my soul.

Rom 12:2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.  (NLT)
I said in my last Blog that it is our thought life that is the key to deliverance from the soul destroying effects of depression.

In the diagram above we see that God created our soul of mind, will & emotions. This is our personality, our character, the real us. And He programmed our soul to operate from the default position of mind, will & emotions. Not will, emotions, mind, or emotions, mind, will, but, ‘mind will & emotions’.

From this default position ( follow the direction of the arrows in the Dia) we see that the mind activates the operation of the will, and the will activates the operation of the emotions.

Eg – We receive a date for a job interview. Negative thoughts enter our mind, “What if I can’t answer the questions, what if they don’t like me” etc. Our will now has to make a decision to allow or disallow those thoughts to remain in our mind. If our will chooses to allow them, this activates our emotions to release the appropriate emotions to go with our thoughts.

Hence, our emotions release fear and worry which leads to anxiety, and anxiety yielded too leads to depression.

So how can we change this scenario. We change it by replacing our negative thoughts with positive thoughts; and for the Christian, we are to use the thoughts that come from God’s Word. Such thoughts as, “Father, I trust this job interview to You, and I leave the results to You. I put my hope in Your guidance for my life. You have my best interests at heart” etc, etc.

By replacing the negative with the positive it will activate positive emotions such as peace and joy and lead us to a place of rest.

Paul the Apostle lays out this principle in Phil 4:6-9 in 4 steps:

1) Do not be worried about anything.

2) Commit the worry to God and trust Him to work it out for us.

3) By leaving it with God, we will now experience His peace.

4) Exchange the negative by practicing meditating on the good, true, lovely and noble things of God’s Word.

This is a process of learning. We have to practice leaving our worries with God and not take them back in our minds. We do this by keep replacing them with the thoughts of God’s Word. We should also speak out God’s Word which releases the power that is inherent in it and establishes it in our life.

We are showing by our actions that we believe that God is in control of our life and are putting our trust and faith in Him. This is why worry is an issue of unbelief. Worry says that I can sort out my own life, I am in control, I will work things out, and I can do all this without God’s help! This is self idol worship!

Finally, in seeking to change the way we think, if we fail and find ourselves taking back those negative thoughts and worrying, we must not feel guilty, condemn or beat ourselves up. NO! A THOUSAND TIMES NO! Rom 8:1 There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (NIV)

His grace covers all our faults, mistakes, failures and sin. He is pleased with us even when we fail and His love is unconditional. He’s made us worthy and accepts us at all times. Rom 5:20 Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.

Ps 103:13,14.  He is like a father to us, tender and sympathetic to those who reverence him. For he knows we are but dust.  (TLB)

Let us pick ourselves up and apply ourselves again to substituting the negative for the positive thoughts of God’s Word. Let us ask the Holy spirit for His help and strength and the day will come when we win through and gain a victory over worry and prove to ourselves we can conquer depression.

Meditation Point: The Gospel message was given to meet every need of man. God’s Word correctly applied will bring deliverance, victory and healing to spirit, soul and body. Jesus did not die to leave us at the mercy of the negative aspects of the fall of man into sin.

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