"And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ."
Philippians 1:6 (ESV)
Each of us comprises a body, soul, and spirit. We all have a body that we see and can touch, the physical part of us. The soul is made up of our mind, will, and emotions. Our spirit connects us to God; we are spiritual and can connect to our Father. When we are born again, our spirit is alive again; the Holy Spirit comes into our spirits and connects us to our Father. We become alive in Christ. What needs work is the soul level.
Because of the fall when Adam sinned, our minds, will, and emotions were damaged and broken. Our mind, which understood the nature and character of God before sin, now does not understand or know God. There is no intimacy or love towards God because of sin. Thoughts against God can develop and take over how we view God. The will is the area of choice. Because of sin, we now have more choices, which can create more opportunities for sin to increase and establish more bondage. Our emotions are the areas of feelings and attitudes. We struggle significantly with fear, anxiety, depression, and anger because of sin and its crippling emotional effects. The things that attract and lure us begin in the mind, then move to the emotions of how we feel about what we are doing, and then we will choose to do what is before us. This is why the soul level is often the control center of our life.
A man was not created to have his soul be the command center; the spirit was to lead. Yet, Adam decided to disobey God, follow his way of life, and live independently. This is called sin, and from sin, man has been trying to find some way of life and peace and restoration in this world. This is why we need the Holy Spirit, just as Nehemiah came to the Israelites to help them rebuild. We must restore the damaged areas where sin has devastated our minds, will, and emotions. I often talk about sin concerning the devastation of a flood when a river overflows out of its banks. When a river overflows, the water saturates the land and destroys everything in its path. Homes are washed away, trees are uprooted, and the residue of the flood is like the rubble from the city's destruction when King Nebuchadnezzar came and destroyed the city. The Holy Spirit wants to go in and clean up and remove the residue. He wants to pick up the rubble lying around for years. He wants to rebuild the mind, the wrong choices, and the damaged emotions that have left us in fear and embarrassment.
In our EPIC Encounter workbook that we use for our identity and freedom messages, there is an equation that we discuss:
You + Christ = Wholeness and Meaning.
The Holy Spirit wants to bring wholeness and meaning to our lives. If you are reading this, you desire to learn more, better understand how to rebuild your own life and connect to Jesus in a way that will bring more freedom. The born-again spirit in you desires more of God that is not ashamed of the gospel. You know you are saved and belong to the kingdom of God. You don't have to wonder if your life will ever show the signs of freedom, of wholeness. You have all you need to restore what has been devastated by sin, the flood that left rubble through your mind, will, and emotions. As you read, you are learning how God can regenerate and rebuild you again. The Holy Spirit is ready to take back what has been stolen and broken in you. Maybe you did not have the resources available to you; perhaps you did not have the teaching or encouragement from others. Now you do; you have what you need to rebuild. Just as Nehemiah came, so did the Holy Spirit, who came to us with active help, tools, and support. Just as the people needed to partner with Nehemiah, we must partner with the Holy Spirit, our friend standing by us. He is for you and me. He will make sure the work is completed and rebuilt.
[As adapted from The Bondage Breaker and Stomping Out The Darkness by Dr. Neil Anderson and Dr. Dave Park.]