LIBERATING THE SOUL
(week 03/13)
OLUBI JOHNSON
Please click on the hyperlinks (underlined in red) to get more details of topics underlined.
2013 has been declared to be a year of recompence and rest: rest for the soul; a year during which the church in the ark will ‘rest’ on the ‘Mountains of Ararat’ (Gen. 8:4): symbolic of the church dominating the mountains and hills (Dt. 12:2) of demonic power behind the prosperity (Ps. 73:3,12) of the idolatry of covetousness (Col. 3:5).
This resting of the ark will be the liberating of the soul: the will, mind and emotions.
Matthew 11:28-30 KJV: Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (29) Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. (30) For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
Recall that even though our spirits are born-again (Jn.3:6), our souls still need to be saved or liberated from the dominion of the sin-nature.
James 1:21 KJV: Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.
2 Corinthians 3:17 AMP: Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty (emancipation from bondage, freedom). [Isa. 61:1, 2.]
What is a saved or liberated soul?
A soul in which the will is free to do the will of God: not under the power or compulsion or addiction of any habit:
1 Corinthians 6:12 AMP: Everything is permissible (allowable and lawful) for me; but not all things are helpful (good for me to do, expedient and profitable when considered with other things). Everything is lawful for me, but I will not become the slave of anything or be brought under its power.
1 Corinthians 7:37 NIV: But the man who has settled the matter in his own mind, who is under no compulsion but has control over his own will, and who has made up his mind not to marry the virgin—this man also does the right thing.
The mind is fully enlightened with the life of God, so has the humility and the ability of the mind of Christ:
Philippians 2:5-8 KJV: Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: (6) Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: (7) But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: (8) And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
1 Corinthians 2:16 KJV: For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
Ephesians 4:18 KJV: Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:
John 8:12 KJV: Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
The emotions are fully controlled by the fruit of the Spirit:
Romans 14:17 KJV: For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
Ephesians 5:9 KJV: (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth😉
We are to save or liberate our souls because this is the goal of our faith:
1 Peter 1:9 NIV: for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
Also the saving of our souls is the key to having all our physical and material needs met:
Matthew 6:33 NIV: But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
3 John 1:2 MKJV: Beloved, in regard to all things I pray that you prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers.
We save or liberate our souls by the patient or consistent application of the blood (Heb. 13:20-21), the Word (1 Jn. 2:5) and power of the Holy Spirit (1 Jn. 4:12-13) into them through daily confession (1 Jn. 1:7-10) of and forsaking of sin (Pr. 28:13) prayer in the Spirit with all types of prayer and travail (Eph. 6:18, Rom. 8:26, Gal. 4:19; reading, meditating and confessing of the written Word (Pr.8:34; 4:20-22).
Luke 21:19 KJV: In your patience possess ye your souls.
Hebrews 10:35-39 KJV: Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. (36) For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. (37) For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. (38) Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. (39) But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.
The saving or liberating of the soul, which is also synonymous with entering the kingdom: the total dominion of righteousness, peace and joy (Rom. 14:17) in the soul is a gradual, internal process.
Matthew 13:33 ESV: He told them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.”
1 Thessalonians 5:23 MKJV: And may the God of peace Himself sanctify you, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blamelessly at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Luke 17:20-21 AMP: Asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He replied to them by saying, The kingdom of God does not come with signs to be observed or with visible display, (21) Nor will people say, Look! Here [it is]! or, See, [it is] there! For behold, the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you].
In our article next week, we will look in more detail at the liberty of the mind.
