You might think that the biggest threat the enemy poses to believers today is temptation, sins, wrongdoings, or other outwardly worldly things. But he is even more cunning than that — even if we don’t give in to any of these, he is using the worldly systems to slowly take away the functions that make us human beings: our proper expressions, sentiments, feelings, impressions, and experiences. Who today is not emotionally drained by the constant onslaught of media, information, and gossip? Or who does not have social challenges in an era where we look more at our phones than one another? Whose thoughts aren’t consumed by the dark whirlpool not just outside of us, but within us?
Human beings were made with a mind, with emotions, and with a will. And these functions are very powerful! Our minds can think, our emotions can feel, and our will can choose. But if our thoughts wander too far, we can find ourselves losing grip on reality. If our emotions get out of control, we can cause harm to ourselves. If our will cannot function, we will become a person who is broken and lost. How can we have the capability and strength to live well — to think well, to feel well, to choose well? Consider the human body. When we exercise, we inflict tiny tears into the fibers of our muscles. But our body organically has a way to repair and rebuild them, not just to their former state — but even stronger! That is how we gain physical strength and capability.
Just as our body requires some injury to grow stronger, so, too, does our fallen soul. On the cross, the Lord Jesus was injured, but He didn’t just release the blood; He also released water as life (John 19:34). He didn’t just repair our fallen situation; He supplied the means to live a pure, gushing, overflowing life full of humanity. For us to build our spiritual “muscles,” our own ways of thinking, feeling, and choosing need to go on the cross with Him. In return, we find ourselves not only healed, but also gaining strength, gaining capacity, fully supplied to live a healthy human life with all the proper expressions, sentiments, feelings, impressions, and experiences we were made to have. Our humanity is no longer incapacitated, but enriched more and more every time we come back to our spirit, where we find the fountain of living water within (John 4:14)! By this water, we are made able — able to handle our life, able to build relationships with people, able to marry, able to work, able to parent, able to live! Lord, thank You that by the Spirit, we have the way to restore our soul-life (Matt. 16:24-26). Thank You that when this very Life comes as breath into our dusty beings, we become living souls (Gen. 2:7)!
(Above are notes of fellowship taken from a gathering on 9/29/2024, not reviewed by the speaker.)