CHILL OUT AND RELAX!

INTRODUCTION

It happens often that the concept of soul is confused with the meaning of spirit, so today I want to talk about the first one. One of the problems that lead Christians to failure is that their soul is troubled. Many say they believe in God, in Christ, in the Bible, but live in a state of fear, anxiety and stress, which shows that they are not believing and trusting in God. In other words, they are living in way in which their soul denies what they claim to believe. They say they believe but are troubled; they say they believe, but they have fears and anxieties, they live in a hastened manner. Let’s see why these things happen and where they come from.

Apostle Paul prayed so that our whole spirit, soul and body are preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. There is a matter that is not easy to explain or understand and it refers to our being consisting of three parts, which implies three different kinds of life. One is the biological life, which corresponds to everything related to the human body and has to do with the life “of the flesh” that feeds on vegetables and other nutrients, which when processed circulate in the blood, carrying oxygen to the producing cells and their metabolism. The biological life is the physical life.

On the other hand we have the life of the soul that is completely different, which the Greeks called “psyche”, and this is the psychic life that has to do with thoughts, will and emotions. The words courage, animosity or psychic, are related to the term soul. The psyche has its own life and is manifested through the thoughts, emotions and the will of the people.

Finally there is the spiritual life, which is related to the spirit; a higher, transcendent and supernatural life.

Soul life is down here, and it relates to the environment around us, through antennas which are the senses. The soul interacts with the external world, but the spirit of man interacts with God’s spirit. The spiritual life is the one which connects to the Spirit of God or demonic spirits, which constitute another dimension of spiritual life.

As we said earlier, our whole being is formed by spirit, soul and body. The body could not subsist without the soul. While very different, they are fully connected to each other in such a way that the body suffers diseases that doctors call psychosomatic. They have come to believe that diseases suffered by people, over ninety percent are psychosomatic, i.e. the interaction of the soul or the psyche and the body produces disease. So, there are states of mind that affect the body and there are states of the body that profoundly affect mood.

Let’s recall that the mind is the state of the soul. For example, if you hit your finger with a hammer, does your soul says it does not care that you hurt your body?. No! It hurts, you feel bad, your mood and face changes to the point that you no longer want to go back to hammering a nail. That blow to your finger affects your mood. It is the same when someone hits you, it affects your soul. It’s that the life of the soul and life of the body interact and these two also interact with the life of the spirit. The believer spirit´s is alive, but if one believes to be a believer or is not, ones spirit is dead.

I want to make reference to something very important, the states of the soul; this is the centre of our self, which identifies the person more than the body, it’s my soul, or self, as psychologists call it. My thoughts, my emotions and my will identify my persona.

So who rebels against God? Is it my body or my soul? Who sins, my body or my soul? Of course my body performs the sin but it is my soul that is full of greed, which has deceitful desires and rebels against God. And the body is emotionally involved to the soul. So if there is something to subdue and care for, it’s the soul.

Let’s recall that the soul is psyche, so, what’s in my mind, my emotions and my thoughts? My thoughts and emotions reveal whether I’m under the Holy Spirit´s authority or not. With sorrow I say there are many who believe they will go to heaven but will not; there are many who believe they are saved but they are not. Their soul conveys what really dominates them; if anxiety dominates you, God does not rule. If you cannot control your mouth, and it becomes a stinky sewer, do you think that the Holy Spirit is ruling your life? If you have fears and they control your life; therefore they become your gods. If God is your God, then the fears do not take over. It’s one or the other, God dominates you or your fears! Fears, anxieties, distress and loneliness, are states of the soul indicating that person is like a wild horse, not subjected to God.

Our soul must be subjected to the spirit and under its authority; because the one who receives God’s light is the spirit and it’s the spirit which must dominate the life of the believer. When the soul dominates, one becomes a vain believer having a soul independent to God, to the pastors and brothers in Christ.

What I want to address today is eagerness and anxiety; so highly related to the soul and also a sign of these time; the end times.

ANXIETY: MALICE OF OUR TIMES

In the last chapter of the prophecies of Daniel, he wanted to understand the vision and an angel told him the following: «⁴ But you, Daniel, keep this prophecy a secret; seal up the book until the time of the end, when many will rush here and there, and knowledge will increase.” (Daniel 12:4). Daniel did not understand what he saw but God told him to write and seal the book until the end times. Then it would be known why it was written. Daniel goes on to say: «Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.«This is being fulfilled! I’m surprised about the news appearing in the press every day regarding the progress of science. The fact that many run to and fro is a sign of this time. If you ask someone: Where are you running to? Where are you going? They’ll reply: «I do not know. Life is short, let’s hurry. «What? Let’s hurry? People live in a state of anxiety in which the Holy Spirit does not operate. There are many things that contribute so that in a person’s life eagerness and anxiety is generated, for example, you are afraid that something may happen to you or your loved ones, then you walk around worried. Eagerness and anxiety have to do with the fact of worrying, i.e. worry beforehand. Therefore you cannot solve what you need to because you worry about what might happen as a result of anxiety or eagerness, and you cannot be focused on what you have to do today and now. You say: «I’m afraid of getting cancer.»Save it for when you get it! And who knows it never comes! You’re tackling this now and it might never happen!

A preacher described eagerness and anxiety as an acceleration. To be accelerated, in eagerness or anxiety is the same as starting up the car, leave the gear in neutral and accelerate. He recounts that on one occasion he crashed, then got out of his car angrily, so did the other driver, and began to argue to the point of insulting one another. This man ended up with a headache and disgruntled, when all he had to do was complete an accident report at the police station, call the insurance company and let them handle it. That’s what you should do when someone crashes. What good does it to swear? What do you solve with that? There are things that are done by accelerating the circumstances provoking the soul which is not focused

«Many shall run to and fro». Many fears, desires and anxieties appear because of everyday news. What’s going on in the world? We could say that everything is changing but in fact, the truth and values ​​do not change. People are trying to change the truth and values ​​but these were already established by God. These are laws established by the Lord, and are fixed truths. The word of God is immovable!

The world makes everything change. They believe that truth can be mutated and turned around by replacing it with a lie, and then people walk around being confused. News in the media is very crazy! There was recently a piece of news of a Korean evangelical Christian doctor performing sex change operations on people, and he declared: » I am willing to fix God’s errors.» This man is a fool! He aimed to fix God’s mistakes?! He also noted that such operations gives new hope to people and helps them to achieve happiness. He stated that he has designed a special penis which works. You do not have to have half a brain to understand that no matter how functional that penis is, it will never get a woman pregnant! It is incomplete because it lacks sperm, testes and prostate. Did the doctor take this into account? It’s an illusion! Then people become more frustrated because it half works. You’ll never get to be a woman if you’re a man! Otherwise, where would they get Fallopian tubes for men? Where would they get ovaries to place in men? But they believe to be wise!

People walk around confused with all these science inventions and the book of Daniel says that knowledge will increase, but people will go into a state of extraordinary uncertainty. They could not do anything regarding peace because more and more weapons are designed and men do not understand that it is only God’s peace which surpasses all understanding which the world is in need of. They do not understand that what they need most is God!

In Syria they people is being killed indiscriminately, as in Venezuela. No offense to the supporters of Chavez, I dare say that this man has managed to sow a deep hatred amongst people from Venezuela and the Bible says that whatever a man soweth, that is what he shall also reap. In my Twitter account I have comments from Christians who are in favour of Maduro and hate the other Christians who are against him, and vice versa. Such hatred sowed only produces an attitude that harms everyone, generated by that hatred. The sows breed piglets, bitches breed puppies, and hatred breeds hatred. You cannot engender peace! Do you think that there may be peace when they go out onto the streets with the guns? People are confused!

A mother of five children, died in an operation that was performed to lift up her buttocks. Also, a woman, wanting to enlarge her breasts, injected herself with Vaseline and died. What are people looking for? They waste their lives looking for vain things which end up destroying them!

I read an article about anxiety, a very serious problem, which is categorized as «a constant tension without an important reason.» I’ll share an excerpt from it: «There are certain components of anxiety or fear, which are positive, designed for a time when we must act. Our ancestors, when they went hunting and faced a lion or a bear, entered into a state of anxiety, which generated certain substances to be produced naturally by our organism, which prepares a person to face the circumstances. It turns out that in today’s time, we are facing lions every hour, every day. We are accelerated! And that causes a major physical problem for those who suffer from it, affecting the entire society. «The problem is not to feel something like that in certain circumstances but to feel it at all times. Our ancestors faced ferocious animals and experienced this state of anxiety, but now, people face a cat and suffer the same stress. I’ve seen people suffer for things that do not merit any suffering!

The article goes on to say that the sale of sedatives has increased markedly in Uruguay. In the United States the term, «worriers» meaning «chronic sufferers,’ has emerged. They are people that if they don’t have something to suffer for they’ll seek it. Life is short, so rush to live it or destroy it!

There are many terms that are used and which have to do with eagerness and anxiety, for example, when we say to someone, «chill out» we are suggesting that they should not hasten or hurry. Some say, «This beats me!» But a Christian has been designed by God to overcome everything, nothing and nobody can hold them back! God makes you strong against all adversity and difficulties! The Lord has made you more than a conqueror! We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us!

If eagerness and anxieties dominate you, if fears and anxieties dominate you, it’s not the external’s fault, but what’s inside you; anxiety is an inner state of mind, but a true Christian knows the peace of God that surpasses all understanding when a relative dies, when he crashes his car and when he suffers terrible family problems.

It’s a state of mind! Nobody forces you to have a sad face, you choose to, if it’s not this, you’ll find another reason to be bitter. «It’s just that they provoke me!» Even if you are provoked to behave as such, you are who reacts to it.

Some people do not pay any attention to the word of God but do so to what others say about them. Why do you get upset, anxious and bitter about something someone said? You have to see first if what they say about you is true or not. If it’s not, why upset yourself? You have to be easy going in life! One woman lamented: «My husband told me that I am a b…!» She’s distraught and gets upset when talking to me and I looked at her and asked: «Are you a b …?» «No Pastor» «If you’re not that, why are you freaking out? Why are you worried over a lie? «» It’s just that my husband said it to me!» «But it’s not true what he said, «I insist.”No pastor, I love God!» «If you love God, why did you let it get to you then? Why let a lie immerse you into anguish? «It’s not what your husband says but your lack of peace within the heart! If you had your confidence and hope in the Lord, you’d feel sorry for your husband and you would pray for him. Do not let the peace fade away!

There is something important I want you to know. When the soul is calm, it’s able to hear the voice of God. The Lord cannot talk and make someone understand something when he/she is racing about. If fear dominates you, it is in vain that God speaks to you; because you will not do what the Lord tells you instead you do what fear demands of you. That fear becomes your god, the same as with desire, anxiety, anguish and bitterness, become your gods, which guide and dominate you.

Let’s read Psalm 23: ^“1 The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need.² He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams.³ He renews my strength. “ God will make your soul stay at peace! It is not necessary that everything around is quiet in order to gain peace, God can bring you peace even if everything around you is falling apart! ^“3 He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honour to his name. ⁴ even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.” (Psalm 23: 3 y 4). And goes on to say: “⁵You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies.” God promises you today:» I’ll serve a table, no matter what problems have arisen in your home. No matter what your mother or spouse say. No matter what your kids are doing. No matter what the President does. No matter! I’ll get you a table in the presence of your enemies «David also said,»⁵ _… You honour me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings.” I am happy in spite of my enemies because you are my hope, O God! «Blessed is the word of God!

We read in 1 Peter 2:11 ¹¹ Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls. There are situations in which if the soul is not subject to the authority of the Spirit, it gets people into trouble, even Christians. It’s your vain desires which war against your soul! It’s not those who are around but you who have to mend your situation with God! Abstain from fleshly lusts which war against your soul! It’s your soul that sins and takes away God’s peace that surpasses all understanding! It is not the sin of others but your own sin which takes away the peace! When you amend your situation with God and when you come before Him with your troubles and then hand them over to Him, only then peace comes to you. It’s you and God! Do not let others influence you when you lack peace!

«You can no longer live with this woman,» some say. But we read in Philippians 4:13” ¹³ For I can do everything through Christ,who gives me strength.” I know that women are difficult, but in Christ all can be! Men are not easy, but in Christ all can be!

Your soul plays a trick and makes you believe it is the devil, demons or those noises at night what cause you fear. A distraught woman came and said to me, «Apostle, I had a horrible dream last night! What does that mean? » I asked,» What did you have for dinner?”, «Do not think you’re so spiritual and that the Lord shows you horrible things in dreams! People dream such nonsense! I’m not mocking those who are tormented at night by spirits of witchcraft and sorcery, that’s another thing. I refer to those dreams that arise from having three pasta dishes. You overeat and have nightmares. Everything is generated within you, stop blaming those around you! Mend your deeds with God! The Lord wants to give you his peace.

Jesus, three or four days after being crucified, stood in front of his disciples and said to them, ²⁷ “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.  «(John 14:27).And he gave them peace! Do you think I have no reason to be distressed and afraid? Every day I have reasons, but I’ve decided to believe and trust in God! I place in his hands those who think and speak evil of me and pray for them to be blessed. They are troubled, but I am at peace!

David declared in Psalm 62: «I wait quietly before God, for my victory comes from him…» By salvation we mean the soul being rescued. The Bible says in Ezekiel 18:4 «… ⁴ … The soul that sins it shall die.” The soul that sins is in the shadow of death. Distress and fear is for the soul which sins. Then the Bible talks about the soul’s redemption, not the body’s redemption. What is redemption? It is the price that someone paid for you being rescued. That is to redeem or redeem the soul.

Do you think God will rescue your body? No! The Lord will give you a new glorified body. He’ll give you another because the one you have is already contaminated by sin. God will not rescue your body but your soul.

CONCLUSION

Jesus died on the cross of Calvary to pay the price of redemption, he redeemed your soul. The Lord wants to save your soul and you must save it in God! That’s why the psalmist says: ^“1 I wait quietly before God, for my victory comes from him.² He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will never be shaken.³ So many enemies against one man— all of them trying to kill me. To them I’m just a broken-down wall or a tottering fence.⁴ They plan to topple me from my high position.  They delight in telling lies about me. They praise me to my face but curse me in their hearts. Interlude ⁵ Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him.⁶ He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken.⁷ My victory and honour come from God alone. He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me.” (Psalm 62:1-7)

Have you realized that it is not the other’s fault that you are as you are? It’s your anxiety! The only one that removes anxieties, worries and fears is Jesus. You have sinned for letting fear and anxiety rule you! Some say, «She arrived on her own, I did not call her.» If you have your home door open and in comes a pig, are you going to say it came in by itself? First, the door was open, and now it got in, what you going to do? Are you going to cry, «Oh God takes the pig away!” No! You take a broom, and kick it out and declare: «This house is not for pigs! My house is for God! »

Those who live in pain and fear, who live with worries and anxieties are sinning, you must repent and ask God for forgiveness. You know of people who are not afraid of what scares you, do you know of people who do not worry about things that worry you but you do get anxious and distraught. So what you feel is yours and God wants to eliminate it from your life. Let God carry that burden for you in this hour!

I pray for you, «Father, I ask you in Jesus’ name, you free the captives of eagerness and anxiety. Extend your blessed hand! Exalt your name! Let the Holy Spirit dwell instead of pigs in that house that has been created to be the temple of your Holy Spirit. Powerfully touch every life, in Jesus’ blessed and holy name. Break the bonds of desire, anxiety and fear, God Almighty. Free the captives! Blow your Holy Spirit! »

Tell the Lord: I cry out for you. Only in you my soul is silenced God. The Lord brings freedom to your life! I bless you in Jesus’ name. Receive God’s anointment and blessing. The Lord washes away all anxieties, worries, fears, anxieties, bitterness, loneliness. They are eliminated from your life, in Jesus’ name! Because you have placed your trust in the Lord, He makes you free. »

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