One of the hardest changes we face is when the Lord puts His finger on dearly-held beliefs. Much of what we believe is comfortable because it suits our temperament, or the way the Lord has put our soul (mind, will and emotions) together. We also hold onto beliefs that we’ve inherited, perhaps the church we attended as a child, or the way our family has always approached the things of God. Take a moment now and let the Lord bring to your attention any beliefs He wants to challenge you on, perhaps the concept of unconditional acceptance, that you don’t need to please, honor or even acknowledge Him, or perhaps that you are only valuable to Him because of what you can do for Him. Don’t try to change your mind or soul, but be aware as God speaks Truth, which will free your soul to be joined to your spirit. Then you can just say, Thanks!

Christianity is not a Bible-centered belief system, it is a Christ-bought relationship. You have a Personal Relationship with God, because He loves you, in which both you and God can be yourself, and be real. Take some time this week to let the Lord show you any areas where you are wearing a mask or faking it with Him. Let Him tell you the truth about how He feels about you. Remember to test what you hear, “Lord, is that You?”

God is perpetually creative, and is not restricted in the ways He may choose to lead, guide and direct you. God likes to have fun, so don’t put limits on your expectations of His activities or the ways He may choose to reveal Himself to you. Confidence in your ability to hear Him comes ONLY through experiencing His guidance! Trial and error is part of learning to know God’s voice.

One of the changes that is taking place as our soul and spirit are reunited is in how we think about our relationship with God, and why He sent His Son to be the Messiah. Jesus wasn’t sent to earth just to die for our sins. He was sent to do a new thing — to give us Life, to make us sons. You can’t put new wine into an old wineskin. He had to start over. In order to do that, the old way of knowing God, the law, had to be completed, fulfilled, and date-stamped. We now live according to Grace, a new way of relating altogether. We are no longer sinners saved by grace, but saints, sons of the most High God, and joint heirs with the Son of God Himself.

We’ve often talked about learning to live as a spirit. Its a process. We’ve gotten so used to living out of our soul that we’ve lost the ability and instinct to live as anything other than a soul with a body. It will take an effort to create new habits and release old ones. To start, spend the next week thinking about what you ask God to do on your behalf. I suspect you will find that you ask for Him to guide you, take care of others, reveal Himself to you, grow in a gift, perhaps you’re in need of healing, etc. Go ahead and write these things down. Then, take some time and consider whether those requests are actually something you, as a spirit being, are to be involved in. For instance, you, as a spirit being, already know what decision to make. Your spirit has authority over your soul, and can stir up those gifts that reside within your soul. You, as a spirit, can heal your body. Of course, there are many things we rightfully ask God to do, but let’s learn to take on our God-given responsibility in those areas where we have the authority. In coming posts we’ll experiment with practical application.

Don’t judge how you are doing by how happy or sad you are. Emotions are fleeting, and they don’t always reveal or reflect the truth. God loves your emotions, they are His gift to you, but because they are part of your soul, they are still undergoing the process of reunion with your spirit. Until that reunion is complete, they are unreliable and manipulative. Be objective and realistic about your situation and your relationships, and make changes if necessary.