OUR LORD WHO IS SPIRIT

In the book of John chapter 4 verse 24, our God is described in this way:

God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

What does this mean? What does it mean to be Spirit?

We humans are structured to be physical beings,  souls and spirits.

Our physical selves are our bodies and it is these bodies that provide the framework on which life in this coporeal realm can be readily inhabited.

Our souls are not physical but are instead like software that is uploaded into the facilities provided for in our physical bodies.

Our souls are vast and complex structures of labyrinths, chambers and processing engines that interface with the physical world via our bodies and also share sensory information and physical experience  with our spirits.

Our souls are beings unto themselves but our spirits are the highest expression of ourselves. If we were to live our lives with fully expressed spirits, we would be incredibly varied and fascinating entities brimming with the attributes of God.

If we lived our lives with our souls doing most or all of the expression, we would be closer to animals in our demeanor and manners. 

Whereas our spirits yearn for a moral and ascendant existence, our souls, though very able to  run the affairs of our lives, are base and inclined to an existence of  grasping selfishness.

To some degree, our souls can be taught to improve our behaviour but if left to their own devices, our souls will create gradually degenerating societies that would eventually be indistinguishable from the lives of wild hyenas on the Savanah.

Our spirit lives began in this way. When we accepted  the Lordship of Jesus Christ and believed on His death on a cross to save us, God revived our dead spirits so that we could be born again and begin expressing the life of the spirit.

This means that as we grow in our spiritual capacities, we must increasingly suppress the life of our souls. Our souls, in cooperation with our bodies, will fight our spirits' attempts to control our lives but over time, we must engage in activities that increase the strength of our spirits so that they are not pushed around by our souls. 

To gain strength in the spirit, we must:

a) Pray in the spirit often

b) Practice being led by the Spirit of God.

c) Dwell often in a place of worship of God

d) Study the bible.

The part of us that we are strengthening is the part of us that is born of God. That part of us is  spirit in the same way that God is Spirit.

Doing these exercises will nourish our spirits and with healthy spirits, we can compel our bodies and souls to worship God in Spirit and in truth and we can squelch the works and influences of the flesh that are contrary to the will of God.

Praise God.

Amen.