God began to expound His understanding of my life and how I had “run it into a ditch” by making all the wrong choices, and doing all the wrong things, with all the wrong kind of people for all the wrong reasons. Through my writing He showed me my life as He saw it, not as I perceived it. He then changed my direction. He didn’t just turn my life around, He put me on an entirely new path. My life is nothing like it was before that “trial season.”

 

The greatest value that I have gained that has helped me the most was getting an understanding, which is governed by God’s wisdom, and examining my soul. At that time, I had no clue how much I didn’t know. I didn’t even have basic life skills, and I sure didn’t have spiritual insight into the ways of God. Hosea 4:6, (NLT) reminds, “My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge."

 

Proverbs 4:7 (NIV) declares, “The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.”

 

Well, I didn’t have wisdom, knowledge or understanding and because of the lack of these basic spiritual life necessities, my soul was a mess, and therefore; so was my life.

 

Your soul is: your mind, your will, and your emotions. In examining the condition of your soul, you first must understand how the soul works. It is used to give you understanding (the mind), it is used to help you navigate your decisions (the will), and it is also used to help you display your feelings (the emotions).

 

Sometimes we hear terms like, “he got soul,” “soul brother,” “soul music,” and “soul mates.” However, none of these taps into the realm of the soul that concerns God. He’s interested in “saving your soul.” If you were like me, I didn’t even know my soul needed saving. But after I was finished writing my memoirs, I clearly saw why God had to do a major intervention in my life. My soul was in turmoil.

 

The question is: who is Lord over your soul? Do you know? Do you want to know? Let me tell you why you should know. Because your soul is the battle ground for the spiritual warfare going on in your life. Whoever controls/oversees your soul, controls/oversees your life. Remember, there are two kingdoms at work in the earth; the Kingdom of Light (God's Kingdom) or the kingdom of darkness (Satan's kingdom). You are either walking with God, or running with the devil; there are no other choices. Romans 12:2 (NLT) commands, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”

 

Remember, your mind is control central. It is your base of operations. How you think governs your entire way of being, which is how you live your life. Also remember Proverbs 26:2 (NIV), “Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow, an undeserved curse does not come to rest.”

 

What I came to find out when God allowed the devil to give me a "Job"  experience (See the book of Job), was that I was not living a cursed life for no reason, there was a lifestyle of bad decisions supporting it. And all of those bad decisions stemmed from my soul being so broken. It really did need saving, and so did I. I had told the Lord, "I am all in with You." And shortly afterward, the shaking began. At the time, I had no idea that my faith was being tested. I wouldn't wish that experience on anyone, not even an enemy. But I wouldn't change a thing, because that time of testing through suffering ran me to God like I had never run to Him before. And His arms were open wide to receive me; broken and desperate. It was life changing and I am a new person because of it. 

 

I urge you to begin today renewing your mind. Begin with first things first, take a good look at your life. If it is not what it is supposed to be, your soul needs saving. Take a good look at your thinking. If it is not what it is supposed to be, your soul needs saving. Take a good look at your behavior. If it is not what it is supposed to be, your soul needs saving. Take a good look at your words. If they are not what they are supposed to be, your soul needs saving. Also, take a good look at your relationships (family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, and even take a look at your relationship with your money). If they are not what they are supposed to be, your soul needs saving. 

 

After you analyze you from a place of pure honesty, then go into prayer and seek God's forgiveness and His help. The Lord promises, "If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me," Jeremiah 29:13, (NLT). 

 

Then go directly to your Bible and delve in, headfirst. Start with the New Testament, which explains the new covenant we have with God, through Jesus Christ, in the Holy Spirit; if you are indeed, a born-again, Christian. If you are not, I have posted a salvation prayer for you to declare to God aloud, from your heart, not your head. From this point your new beginning will take place. I will speak more about how to get up from being torn down more next time. Hold on, you can over come this and rise again better than before.

 

To be continued.