Is Your Soul Denying Your Body?

Is Your Soul Denying Your Body?

Marsha Deveaux Johnson, http://www.livingjoyministries.com/, http://hepzibah40.blogspot.com

Soul (Mind/Intellect, Will, Emotions)

Body (Flesh, Blood, Bones)

My exercise of choice is swimming.  I love the water, the freedom of it, the feel of it, and mostly the benefits of unrestricted body movements.  In spite of all this admiration for the water and knowledge of the benefits of it, I often find myself dreading the exercise routine.  This daily routine consists of warm-up exercises and a certain number of laps at a certain time in the pool.

Recently it was time to exercise and the dread of it was overwhelming.  I thought of all the “godly” things I could be doing at that time.  I thought “enough already, skipping a day really isn’t so bad”.  I even recalled the time that Jesus slipped away from fellowship with His disciples just to be alone with Father.  Maybe Father wanted me to just sit quietly with Him during my exercise time?

Well, after a long and heated conversation with myself (without a word being spoken), I reluctantly suited up and went out to battle (oops, I mean to swim).  I got in the water and started the warm-up exercises.  I didn’t “want to” but had made a decision.  I teach others that all of life is a decision and that when we choose the righteous path, the benefits follow. Do you think Father was testing my words to others on me?  Yes! He usually wants us to live the message before we tell and teach others.  Father knows best!

After a while, my routine was in full swing (or swim) and I wondered why I’d had such a fight with myself about doing the right thing.  Even greater, as I was coming to one end of the pool ready to do a graceful and “fish like” turnabout, God spoke to me.  He said, “Your body was ready for this exercise, but your soul could have deprived it of its need.”  I was stunned as I realized that a simple decision could have deprived me of the joy I was experiencing.  Had I not pushed past my feelings, my body would have been denied one of its greatest needs which is exercise.  God always speaks to us so simply and profoundly.  It is called revelation.

I began to think, how many times does the Believer’s soul deny his body of its physical and spiritual needs.  When we reason away God’s plan, purpose, and will, our bodies are denied the fruitful promises that God gives in His word.  Make a decision to make the right decisions.  Make choices beyond feelings, reasoning, laziness, and any   hindrance to doing the right thing.

Our soul (mind, will, emotions) makes the decisions for the body we inhabit.  If we make decisions based on flawed feelings, false information, and unrestricted desires, we create havoc for our physical bodies.  If we choose God’s word, plan, and purpose, we always enjoy the physical and spiritual benefits.  So the next time you make a choice or decision, make sure that your choice pleases the Father.  If it does, the benefits are out of this world!  Righteous choices and decisions “Fit us for both sides of Eternity (Eternity here & now and Eternity forever)”.