Week 9

Healing Spiritually

Every time you make a choice towards healing your spirit, your mind and your body you are turning your focus towards Heaven. C.S. Lewis

If only I could just be “spiritual” all the time. You know, living unto the Word of God and being wise; acting with the Spirit’s guidance instead of emotional reactions. How do I do that? How do I stop the emotions from ruling my behavior? I need to get back on “The Way!” It is a very dark and dismal place to be when I allow my mind/emotions to control my behavior. How quickly we can be sucked into the pit of despair. I do not like it there at all. I know in my heart that the results of emotionally controlled behavior are not pleasing to the Lord. I desire to please my Father. HELP ME Lord!

1 Thessalonians 5:23 (NKJ) Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.

1 Thessalonians 5:23 (NLT) Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until that day when our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. 24 God, who calls you, is faithful; he will do this.

God’s Word clearly divides us into three segments: spirit, soul and body. We are a three-part being, but very few Christians understand the distinction. Understanding originates from knowledge. We must first learn about these distinct parts and what function each has in order to understand who we truly are and why God created us.

We must continue to learn about our spiritual being. Your spirit is your innermost part. It is invisible to the naked eye. We are first a spirit, who has a soul, that in housed in a body….three distinctive parts.

We are always aware of our physical body and our soul. For instance, if I ask you how you feel, you would reply right away with either a physical response (body) (I have a headache, my joints are aching, or my neck hurts because I slept on it wrong) or with a mental response (soul) (I am really angry, or I am depressed, or I am really feeling good today).

But our spirit cannot be accessed in any natural way. In other words, we are not constantly in tune with our spiritual self. Sadly, we spend our time in the emotional and physical part of us. I want to know my spirit more than my soul and body.

John 3:6 “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit”

What did Jesus mean by this statement? He meant that there’s no direct connection between the two. You simply cannot contact your spirit through your emotions or your physical body.

Complicated? It may seem like it. But actually it is just “TRUTH” and we have never been taught it.

The Bible says that we are a brand new creation who can do the same miraculous works that Jesus did. You say, “Well, how can I be the same as Jesus?” It is your spirit that is the same as Jesus. The soul and flesh will die but it is your spirit that lives on throughout eternity. So why is it that we waste so much time and money on the beautification of our externals? Why is it that we waste so much time worried, sad, depressed, martyring, speaking negatively about ourselves? I don’t know, perhaps it is because we don’t realize that 1/3 of us is complete, perfect and destined for Heaven. I want to change my focus!

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

John 14:12 Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. 13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask anything in my name, I will do it.

You see, we really do not believe or understand what this Scripture teaches because we do not understand the Spirit that resides within us.

I want to unlock the spirit realm of me. I do not want to live my life controlled by my chaotic emotions. The only way to unlock the spirit is to ask God to reveal His Spirit to you through reading His Word.

John 6:63 says: It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. 64 But there are some of you who do not believe. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him. 65 And He said, “Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father. 66 From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. 67 Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?” 68 But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

(NKJV) 6:63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing.

(NLT) 6:63 It is the Spirit who gives eternal life. Human effort accomplishes nothing.

With our eyes we see our physical external body. It is obvious. When I am talking to you, I see your body but I am speaking to your soul (your mind, your will, your emotions).

When we read the Bible, we are seeking to find our spirit.

James 1:23-25 For if you just listen and don’t obey, it is like looking at your face in a mirror but doing nothing to improve your appearance. 24 You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. 25 BUT if you keep looking steadily into God’s perfect law—the law that sets you free—and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.

My problem is, I forget what I heard. I blame it on Alzheimer’s or Menopause or lack of ginkgo biloba!

We know that when we look into a mirror, we see a reflection. God’s Word perfectly reflects who you are in the spirit.

Let’s go back to 2 Cor 5:17-18

NKJ - If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ,

NLT – What this means is that those who become Christians become new persons. They are not the same anymore, for the old life is gone. A new life has begun. 18 All this newness of life is from God, who brought us back to himself through what Christ did.

It does not say that “all things are becoming new” or that all things have the potential to become new, it says: all things have become new.

So now what we do is say, “Well that verse isn’t true!” I am still depressed, overweight, angry, I still act stupid, do stupid stuff, still act emotionally, still think bad thoughts.”

That is why it is important to understand that some day when we die we will receive a brand new glorified body.

But for now, today, we are stuck with the same physical body and soul that we had before we accepted Jesus Christ. What changed then?

It was our spirit. We received a born again spirit.

That born again spirit is what transforms our attitudes, our personality, our mind. We now must commit to studying God’s Word so that when we look in the mirror we will begin to see a reflection of Christ.

THIS IS NOT NATURAL MY FRIEND. We are so used to being conformed to the world. The transforming of your mind will only come by seeking your born again spirit. (Romans 2:2)

It is our goal for this class to rely only on our born again spirit to transform us. Our will power to lose weight, our will power to exercise, our will power to change our thinking, our will power will fail us every time.

The good news is your born again spirit is perfect and complete as it’ll be with you throughout eternity. You won’t get a new spirit when you get to Heaven because it is already new. You will get a new physical body and a new soul. Your spirit is now as perfect and complete as Jesus Himself.

We just need to understand this knowledge and apply it to our lives. I will help you if you help me. I will hold you accountable to this truth if you will hold me accountable.

Why is it so easy to be pulled back into old thinking? It is because we have been hearing it wrong for so long incorrectly.

I truly desire to experience the life God intended for me to experience, not a life filled with regrets.

Do this with me.

Draw a circle and inside the circle, label it spirit. This is your spirit. Now draw another circle around the spirit circle and label it soul. Again, draw another circle around the soul circle and label it body.

Notice that your soul touches both your body and spirit but your spirit does not touch your body.

For your homework for next week, I want you to take this diagram and look up the following verses:

James 2:26
Gen 2:27 - find out what the word breath means
Job 26:4
Proverbs 20:27

Answer this question: When did life come to Adam’s body? When was Adam able to walk and talk with God? What happened when Adam sinned? How long did it take before mankind was about to walk and talk with God again?

We will discuss these answers next week. It is fascinating!

Mental Healing (Soul, will, emotions)

Although I divide the Spiritual section from the mental and physical, I am hoping you start to see how the three flow together. The interrelationship between healing spiritually, mentally and physically will be quite evident as we continue to learn. It is all controlled by your born again spirit. Are you born again? Do you know for certain that if you died today that you would be in Heaven? It is not about being good and acting better than your neighbor. It is not about going to church or being raised in a Christian home.

It is between you and God.

1 Peter 1: 22 Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, 23 having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever 24 because….all flesh is as grass, And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, And the flower falls away, But the word of the Lord endures forever.

I believe this verse means that we will all die regardless of who we are. We humans are replaceable, disposable, and dispensable. When we die, life will continue. The Word of the Lord is the only thing that endures forever.

Unfortunately we live as though we will not die. We live sad, fearful and sick. I’m sick of not living the abundant life God intended for me to live because of fear.

Homework answers for Week 9 were discussed during class.

Week 9, Chapter 9 Homework
Due November 28, 2007

1. Many numbers have a spiritual significance in the Bible. What spiritual significance does the #7 have? Completeness, or perfection; a number representing earth crowned with heaven (Rev 1:4) Seven suggests that wisdom is essential for a perfect world.
   
2. Basically what verses 1-5 mean are this: Now is the time to start chewing on the word of God to become wise by doing what? Studying and praying. Vs 6 Leave your foolish ways behind, and begin to live; learn how to be wise!
   
3. What do vs 7-9 mean? The wise accept rebuke, (to criticize sharply, reprimand) learn from it, and become even wiser. A scoffer (one who mocks, ridicules, laughs at, makes light of, belittles, makes game of, puts down) will never accept correction and therefore cannot grow or change.
   
4. Who does God correct? Proverbs 3:12 Those He loves…Praise God!
   
5. vs 10 is often quoted. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. Why is the fear of the Lord the beginning of knowledge? Fear: reverence, deep respect, honor, awe, regard, wonder, Do you remember what understanding meant in our knowledge, understanding, discretion, wisdom discussion? _____Any information that comes to us through our senses. Seeing, touching, hearing, feeling, tasting__
   
   vs 7-9 Anyone who rebukes a mocker will get a smart retort (reply sharply, counter, return, rebut; give answer, say, respond, reply, answer, come back with, fire back). Anyone who rebukes the wicked will get hurt. 8So don’t bother rebuking mockers; they will only hate you. But the wise, when rebuked, will love you all the more. 9 Teach the wise, and they will be wiser. Teach the righteous, and they will learn more.
   
6. vs 11 and 12 Why should we want wisdom? __I want godly wisdom because I am sick of reacting emotionally, defensively, and wrongly. Plus wisdom will multiply my days and add years to my life. If I become wise, I will be the one who benefits. If I scorn (mock, make fun of, ridicule) wisdom, I will be the one who suffers.___
   
7. There’s that loud woman again! The woman named Folly! Folly: foolish, brainlessness. Won’t she ever go away?
   
   NLT vs 13 The woman named Folly is loud and brash. She is ignorant and doesn’t even know it. 14 She sits in her doorway on heights overlooking the city. 15 She calls out to men going by who are minding their own business. 16 Come home with me, she urges the simple. 17 Stolen water is refreshing; food eaten in secret tastes the best! 18But the men don’t realize that her former guests are now in the grave.
   
8. Ask yourself this question. “How hard have I committed to change?” We are in going into our 2nd trimester. There are only three trimesters! (Well that makes sense!) Remember we are dividing into three segments: Spirit, soul and body! 1/3 of us became perfect when we accepted Jesus Christ as our personal Savior. 2/3 of us needs work! But praise God we are at least 1/3 perfect and that 1/3 is all it takes to be a child/heir of the King!!! So dance and praise God that He called you by name and you will spend eternity in Heaven.
   
   Just as committed as I am to eating whole foods and exercise, I must be as committed to the renewing of my mind. I am the one who gets defensive when someone says something that to fun at me. I am the fool. What I find repulsive in others in what I can’t stand about myself.
   
9. I do want to encourage you to reread chapters 1-9 over again during this long break. Perhaps you may rediscover a new truth that you overlooked on one of your busier days of studying. Write it down and let the class know what you learned.
   
   Wisdom comes from God alone. Wisdom comes from constant exposure to TRUTH, not religiosity.
   
10. Curtail your desire to overeat. You will kick yourself later if you do not. Eat with discipline and commitment to “The Way to Go Lightly”.
    
    
    Happy Thanksgiving to all and to all a good night! See you on the 28th!
    
    

YOU ARE A CHILD OF THE KING! J LIVE ACCORDINGLY!
HOMEWORK due December 5th, 2007 (Chapter 10)

December 5 and 12th (Chapter 11) we will have class as usual. December 19th we will share dinner together and discuss (Chapter 12). In lieu of a $10 gift exchange, everyone will be asked to donate the $10 to go to a designated family.

We will not meet December 26 or January 2nd but will resume class on January 9th. (Chapter 13)

December 7th there will be jewelry displayed at my house for purchase. This is a local artisan I met at a craft show. Time is 6 – 8:00. It is an open house so come anytime during those hours. Call me for directions.


Chapter 10

Contrast between the Godly and the Wicked

1. What is the definition of grief? _________________________ Also define foolish? _______________________________
2. What is an example of “treasures of wickedness?” _________________________
3. vs 2 What can save your life? Or in other words: deliver you from death? ____________________________________________________________
4. Is that eternal death or natural death? ______________________
5. vs 7 NLT We all have happy memories of the godly, but the name of a wicked person rots away. What legacy do you want to leave behind? Scary thought. __________________________________________
6. vs 9 People with integrity have firm footing, but those who follow crooked paths will slip and fall. How again is it that we follow The Way? ________________
7. vs 12 Hatred stirs up quarrels, but love covers all offenses. _________________________________________ Would this verse come in handy the next time you feel a quarrel coming on? Who amongst us needs to win the quarrels? Could I possibly stand to lose just one battle?
8. vs 17 Are you seeing a repeated command here? We are to accept correction. Define correction and does this differ from criticism? Or intentional ragging on for humor? _______________Am I able to evaluate the correction for validity?
9. vs 19 Where was this verse hiding on Monday when I talked too much about my “unrealistic” expectations of a Cinderella Thanksgiving? It fostered sin alright. Forgive me Father. Your Word teaches me righteous living. I ignored it.
10. The fears of the wicked will all come true, so will the hopes of the godly. Whoa. As a man thinks, that He will become. What are your fears? Be careful. According to this verse they will come true.
11. 26 Are you a pain to your employer because of your laziness? _______________
12. vs 27 We have seen this before. Why do you suppose Solomon keeps repeating himself to his son?
13. 29 The WAY of the Lord is strength for the upright! I am on the Way to go Lightly!
    Who will not inhabit the earth?
14. What do you want written on your epitaph? (gravestone)…How about this: Here lies a woman that brought forth wisdom. Wow!
15. Do you want to reflect the image of Christ in that mirror you look into every morning? Just as a tree naturally produces the fruit of what type of tree it is, so you will naturally produce the fruit of wisdom if your roots flow deep into the TRUTH of righteousness.
    Verses 30, 31, 32 describe a godly woman.
    
    -A godly woman will never be disturbed
    -A godly woman gives wise advice
    -A godly woman speaks words that are helpful.
    
    Write these three characteristics on a piece of paper and put it in your pocket. Read it throughout the day. Put it into action. All advice must be wise (from scripture). All words must be helpful. You are not to get disturbed by anyone or anything!
    
16. Weigh yourself. Exercise harder than your flesh desires. Eat only foods that God created. Resist the devil and he will flee.
17. Make someone happy by doing a random act of kindness everyday this week. Compliment the checkout person. Take muffins/cookies to the neighbor with your phone number on it.
18. Park as far away from the store as the parking lot allows. Walk around the store once before putting one thing in your basket. Are you an impulse shopper? Look at the items you have in your basket before checking out? Is there a food item that is not beneficial to your body? Put it back. Is there a food item that is processed, full of additives and chemicals? Put it back. Is there a drink in your basket that will give you headaches, stomachaches, and high blood pressure! (coffee J)! Put it back!
19. Pray without ceasing. I need your prayers. You need mine. Commit more time to prayer than to worry. Christmas will still be on Tuesday, December 25th regardless if we get the cards mailed, the packages wrapped, the tree decorated. What’s truly important? Prayer. Pray for wisdom in knowing who to bless, not out of obligation, but because we want our mirror to reflect the image of a godly wise woman!

Recipe
Honey Nut Banapples

1 large crisp apple per person (your choice)
1 banana per person
¼ cup chopped walnuts
¼ cup of raw sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds
1 tbsp raw, unfiltered honey or maple syrup
1/4 tsp cinnamon
Sprinkle of nutmeg

Plain or vanilla yogurt. (Stoneyfield brand)

Cut apple into slices putting into cereal size bowl. Combine remaining ingredients and drizzle over apples. Dollop each serving with yogurt.

Note: This recipe is nutritionally balanced and will sustain you until lunch. Your blood sugar should remain constant without the usually energy surge from fruit alone.