Soul Searching

How's your soul?

I often wondered the reason why people say they have to do some soul-searching. I never understood what it meant.

The soul or (Nephesh in Hebrew) means; self, life, creature, person, appetite, mind, living being, desire, emotion, and passion. The word nephesh has many references. We're going to talk about the part that focuses on the mind.

Let's take a look at James chapter one which led me to verses 12-18.

12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. 14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. 18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.

The soul is the whole of the human as a living organism. It's your essence. Your inner being. Who you are. Since we're talking about the health condition of the soul, I want us to focus on James chapter 1.

We've all been tempted at some point. We've all had the sudden urge or unction to make poor choices. It's not that we want to make poor choices, but it's that our sinful nature easily desires to do what it wants to do in the first place.

James reassures us that we aren't being tempted by God but rather we are tempted when we are drawn away by our own desires. Where do these desires come from? I would argue that they come from the seeds that have been planted in our minds over the course of time. Sinful seeds. Seeds of distaste. Vulgar.

James 1:15: Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin and sin, when it is fully grown, brings forth death.

Conception takes place when a woman becomes pregnant with a child. It also means to form or devise a plan in your mind. When desire is formed in the mind it then gives birth to sin. The question is, where do these desires come from? They come from what we allow into our hearts and minds. When negative, unholy, godless things are implanted into your mind, you begin to desire those things whether consciously or subconsciously.

Desire becomes pregnant when you see, hear, and receive the wrong things. What seeds are you planting in your MIND? The Bible gives us an answer to this opposition. It tells us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. I would argue that renewing your mind daily with godly things will allow you to be tempted less. Then your soul will be healthier as it will be filled with the godly things that will produce fruit.

Conceived also means to create a mental image. When we plant evil desires in our hearts, they tempt us by dragging us away with enticements. Sin is birthed and when it’s fully grown it gives birth to death.

James 1:16 The good news is that there’s birth to sin and then there’s birth through truth. God chose to give us birth through the word of truth. To become the first fruits of all he created. Sons of God. This truth is revealed in the gospel of the work that Jesus has done through his finished work on the cross. He died for you and me. His death and resurrection allowed Him to become the firstborn of all creation. This means that He is first to die and resurrect Himself. Those who believe in His resurrection can now share in this same death-to-life transformation, as He gives us a new birth through the truth of what Jesus did on the cross.

This death-to-life transformation goes both ways. The spiritual and the literal. We have to die to those evil desires daily as we submit and subject our flesh to the authority of Jesus. The literal representation of death to life means that we will one day be raised from the dead when Jesus returns.

I asked you how your soul was doing because I want you to take some time to assess where you are in real-time. Is your soul healthy? Are you putting the right things into your body both physically, and mentally? Search your soul to see the things that may need to be removed. Search your soul to see if there are things that are hindering you from being a healthy person. What's stopping you from being the new creature God called you to be? There's freedom in transformation. Search your soul..