Spiritual Showers
Now I was going to continue in john chapter 1:14 but something happened three weeks ago and God spoke into my life in my early morning devotions. He did so because I chose to obey him I had a good productive day. Started off with devotions. Basically God has put it in my heart to go out and street minister to people in American village.
Pastor Tommy told me to go, I was willing to but my heart and mind didn't want to. My spirit was willing but the flesh was weak. So I went off alone and prayed and tried to be filled in the spirit and study to share the word and God blessed me. We went out, Joe and I and began to share. Then I met a guy in the military and I shared the gospel with him he opened up and told me his back ground and it was just like mine.
He wanted to receive Christ so Joe and I laid hands on him to repent from a life of sin and receive Christ and then we met others and another person came to church. When I went home I was shocked at what happened and I felt really bad because my heart and mind felt dirty. I am in John now and I read one verse John 1:14
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,
and we have seen his glory,
glory as of the only Son from the Father,
full of grace and truth.
On my bed and throughout my studies Instead of studying this portion God wanted to minister to my heart mind and soul. The word did indeed become flesh and dwell among us and he did so to save and minister to us. In looking at this scripture God took me to Matthew 22:37 and before I read it 1st, I felt blessed, because I obeyed God and went and did what he told me to do even though I did not want to go. In this we are going to look at how God ministers to are hearts our minds and our souls so that we could use our whole being to love him and minister effectively.
Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'
As a human being we are Identified as being made in the image and likeness of God. God became human flesh. He shows us how to live in this flesh.
There are three parts of the human being. God tells us we are responsible to love him with With all three parts. At the end of the day your body needs a shower most people take two showers a day. One in the morning and one at night. I did the work with Joe and God told me I needed a spiritual shower.I needed to clean my heart mind and soul.
But it came with a cool experience. I am on my bed reading “the word became flesh” Then I felt like God told “yes indeed and I am here to instruct you.” And off I went into the scriptures with Jesus.
Pastor Tommy asked that I share what I learn in my devotions. what God has spoken to me before I start my day. So here is what God wants me to work on and how he ministers to me. I don’t have a problem sharing it, because God is Good. And he fulfills his purposes.
Jesus is concerned about the three parts of me. My heart, my mind and my soul.
1.Heart
Jesus said
“Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God”
In order to love God with all our heart it needs to be pure. We are disciples of God and he teaches us to love by first loving us. This is what God showed me and spoke to me in my devotions. And so he wants me to try to copy that love.
This is a discipline we need to have as Christians is a pure heart. When we come to God with an unclean heart Its hard to to give God service.
God desires our obedience over our sacrifice or our service. Our obedience is displayed when we offer our hearts over as a sacrifice.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
God is more concerned about the heart of a man, in order to have a pure heart to love God we must bring a contrite heart to him. The word contrite means to be filled with guilt with the desire of atonement. God is faithful he accepts this because you are his.
In Romans 5:5 it says And hope does not put us to shame, God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
There is no better way to deal with the the heart than to have Gods love pour into it to make it pure. We all know when are heart is unclean and when we put it on Gods alter with all of its desires denying our own will God says this is good. God cleans the heart and only by giving it to him will he clean it.
The fruit of a heart offered to God, is a heart full of the spirit. God pours his love into it. Thoes moments when it happens you respond to it with love. God is good. You belong to him in unconditional love God shows us his love and we respond with that unconditional love with unconditional love.
No other love, peter was asked by Jesus do you love me? he said yes; like a brother, (philios), Jesus kept asking him till peter said he loved God unconditionally; (agape) peter had to be broken and contrite. God expects this from all of us. So we must love the Lord God with all our hearts unconditionally.
2.The next is the mind. God made our minds. They are designed to communicate to others and to govern ourselves and communicate to God. The mind is where are memories are stored and when we look back on our past we can see our sins and failures. The mind left unchecked goes strait to those things and also painful memories from grieving. It can recall memories that make the heart sting.
Romans 8:6 “For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.”
During times of solitude the mind can wander; if the mind has no guidance or direction it goes strait to the flesh. If your mind is on the flesh your communication to God is hindered, but also with others as well. The Spirit gives the mind direction and guidance once you place your mind on the Spirit it cuts off its connection to the things of the flesh.
The mind is like a laptop I have dedicated my laptop to ministry and for bible college. When I down load things from the internet if I down load from safe bible sites I never get viruses. But if I would to download a pirated movie I will must likely get a virus and ruin my laptop for entertainment.
If I ever do get a virus I have to reset my factory settings
Same with the mind if it is set on the flesh; then death. it must be restored.
How does this take place:
Romans 12:2 “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
With a mind renewed and set on the things of the spirit I can effectively govern myself and communicate effectively to others and and God .I love God with my mind when I am focus on him by setting my mind on the things of the spirit.
3.The Human Soul. what do we know about the soul? we know a lot. It is the breath of God.In the womb God knits us together and gives us the breath of life.
When we are close to someone we can smell their breath. God designed us to be close, and thats as close as you can get to God you are his breath. 8968
Bible verses on this Genesis 2:7, psalms 139-13 -14
The soul according to the strongs concordance is defined as our inner most being, the seat of our emotions and passions. So we must worship him with all our emotions and passions. We can already do this because Jesus has anchoered our souls.
In Hebrews Chapter 6 Jesus our Lord gives us both a promise and an oath. We have refuge and great confidence in him. Jesus promises I will never leave you nor forsake you.
Hebrews 6:19
This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary.
We love God with all our soul when we recognize the faith, hope, and trust in him that we already have. But it get get weak so we got to draw close to him to tighten the bond.
My youth pastor back when I first got saved took me over to a cliff to talk. over the cliff was the Humboldt bay. He found a kite that was still usable and he took a stone. He flew the kite up into the air and was holding onto the string.
He asked me “Michael, what happens if I let go of this kite.”? I told him “It would fall to the ground” “yes that’s right. Do you know whats keeping it up?” I said “Yes, your hand” He said “That is right, I am anchoring the kite”Then he tied a rock to to the bottom of the kite and let it go over the cliff. Right before it fell into the bay the wind caught it and it began to fly across the bay. My Pastor told me this kite is like you and you need a rock to hold you down so you can fly.
The rock acted like an anchor and the kite was able to function because of it. Likewise, Christ is the anchor of our souls. The holds us down firm and secure because he is good. When my soul is anchored down I am able to fulfill my purpose to love God with all my heart mind and soul.
The soul can get downcast, or shaken by the enemy. Having Christ as an anchor resecures the soul. So we don’t drift off into doubting God’s faithfulness in our lives.
Ps 23:3
He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
As we experience this, how can we not love God with our inner most being. So as we go out and do what we need to do today lets do it with hearts contrite filled with the love of God and for God unconditionally. Lets do it with our minds set on the spirit communicating in love and thanksgiving to God through a renewed mind. Lets love God with our souls that are the very breath of God, drawing closer to him passionaitely and emotionatly.
Lets pray
Tenshi Taijyo Community Member 
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