The Importance Of Understanding Our Spirit

At our last Home Church gathering, we had a conversation about the importance of our human spirit. It is to be expected that among a group of people who come from different denominational backgrounds and church experience, there will be differences of opinions, and even those who don't fully understand the relationship with our spirit.

To set the foundation of this post, let me just explain that the Bible clearly states that we are a three-part being ... we are flesh [or our physical body]; we have a soul; and we are a spirit being. We read in 1 Thessalonians 5:23, Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. As my husband pointed out in our study this morning, Scripture presents those three parts in the order of their importance -- first and foremost, we are a spirit being, made in the image of God, who is Spirit. Jesus created us at the foundation of the world and has known the purpose for which He created us since that time. It is our spirit that He sends to earth to be knit in our mother's womb, and in His perfect timing. He decides exactly what moment. on what day, and what year in which century you will be conceived. Think about that! Your spirit was divinely created, and you are here for a time such as this, with a specific purpose to glorify God! 

Secondly, we have been given a soul which consists of our mind [our thoughts and opinions], our emotions [which are our feelings], and our will [which is our free will, given by God, to make decisions on our own]. Thirdly, our soul and spirit reside in this body of flesh, which is corruptible and decaying with each passing moment. At some point, this fleshly temple, where the Holy Spirit resides in our hearts, will die and our spirit will return to its place of origin, Heaven. I will admit that I am still determining my opinion of the destination of our soul when we die, but for now I am content that it is our consciousness and will remain in a state of "sleep". Whether it is joined with our resurrected, glorious bodies or not, has not been fully determined in my mind at this time.

But I want to emphasize that we are the creation of God, and before the Fall in the Garden, mankind shared in a perfect relationship with his Creator. Our spirit easily communed with God's Spirit, as when God placed man in the Garden and told him not to eat of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. There was no impediment between our spirit and His Spirit. But when sin befell man, it was as if a window closed, or a curtain fell, blocking easy access between our spirit and His. It is only when the Holy Spirit is deposited in us that we once again can gain access to the Presence of God.

Just as in the Old Testament picture of God's Presence [as Spirit] residing in the Temple in the Holy of Holies, it is the Holy Spirit that is now God's Presence in us, residing in the temple of our body, specifically in our heart, which is representative of the Holy of Holies. If we are truly a new creation in Christ, then the spirit part of our human nature should be intimately engaged with the spirit realm of the Kingdom of God in Heaven. So why are so many Christians not operating in their purpose and are still under oppression; not walking in the freedom that Jesus came to deliver to us?

Here is what we need to realize ... We are a spirit being, having a soul, and residing in a physical body. Once we have made the decision to believe in the Saving grace of Jesus Christ, we are a new creation, and our spirit should prevail over our soul and our body. But oftentimes, before our conversion, the soul has run the show. We have been governed by our natural minds and emotions, and our free will has become used to doing what makes us feel good. Oftentimes, that soul part of our nature has served as a protector from the world and its hurts. For instance, we develop a controlling personality because we've been damaged by people who have taken advantage of us in the past, and that helps us to feel like we're invincible. So our soul (mind, will, and emotions) develops a protective pattern that has become the way we operate in this world.  

 But Jesus came so that we could be free of those emotional wounds, and when we accept Him as our Savior, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within us. And if the soul has a hard time giving up its supremacy, that situation limits the ability of our spirit to engage with God's Presence in us. The soul still tries to control how we live, and we are unable to operate out of the spirit, as God designed us. In other words, the soul is still operating from a "natural man" state. It is important that we keep the soul and spirit separate so the testimony of the Word of God in our spirit can lead our souls to a restful state and into the full knowledge of the Presence of God in us.

Try to picture it like this .... we are designed to be spirit beings, having access to the spirit realm in Heaven and the Presence of God and Jesus. We have been made a spirit being, yet having a soul and living in a physical body. If the soul is allowed to dominate our "spirit man", it is like a hard shell of concrete placed over our heart, where our spirit operates out of.  Our spirit is being smothered by our soul and it cannot get free to seek the Light of God. This brings into focus the importance of Hebrews 4:12, For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

When we are born again, our soul and spirit are to be divided and separated, allowing our spirit to function in the capacity God ordained it. The soul must come into submission to our spirit, instead of the other way around. We must be attuned to the state of our soul, and when necessary, determine [in the flesh] to break it apart from our spirit, in order to free the spirit to commune with God. Use your imagination to see something splitting that concrete shell off your spirit, freeing it to function as a spirit being. Take the word of God [which is power!] and drive it between your soul and spirit. The dividing of soul and spirit is mandated by the word of God and is vital to our ability to commune with Him. We were made to function spirit to Spirit, and to engage with God in that spirit realm. Our spirit man is designed to host our body and soul; to be bigger than them in order that we might walk in the full measure of our Sonship. 

Let me give you an example of how our spirits can work with God to reach another person's spirit in their time of need. It has been a process for me to learn to walk and work in my spirit. I have to oftentimes tell me soul to sit quietly in the corner and let my spirit hear from God. And I have a very good friend who has been suffering from leukemia and was in ICU due to the effects of a particular treatment she had received. Her husband called me one afternoon, while I was driving, and I heard the despair in his voice as he told me, "Please pray for her. It's not looking good!" I hung up and immediately pictured myself in the throne room of God in Heaven, on my knees, asking for compassion and mercy for my friend. Then I deliberately sent my spirit to my friend's bedside, and I cried out in my anguish, "It's time to fight! You've got to fight to live! I want your spirit to hear my spirit declaring that the battle is on! And, Satan, I am calling on the armies of Heaven to come join me in the spiritual realm to fight this battle against you and your evil hordes! We have the healing power of God on our side and we will prevail!" My last words were a final shout to my friend's spirit, "I want you to hear me loud and clear ... FIGHT NOW!"

Well, the husband had no idea what I had prayed or that I had sent my spirit to both Heaven and his wife's bedside. But he called me later that night and said the hospital had brought her out of the induced coma they had initiated and right before they did, my friend was whispering, "Fight! Fight! Fight!". Now, was that a coincidence? You will never convince me of that. I find such hope in knowing we have the same power and authority that we see exhibited in Revelation 4 ... There, the Apostle John tells us that his spirit was free to engage with God in that spirit realm: I saw a heavenly portal open before me, and the same trumpet-voice I heard speaking with me at the beginning broke the silence and said, “Ascend into this realm! I want to reveal to you what must happen after this.” Instantly I was taken into the spirit realm... or as the Amplified version says, At once I was in [special communication with] the Spirit...

Here is the truth --- that was not some special dispensation for John alone! Our Father desires that we engage with Him in the spirit realm! I know that is not a commonly held opinion in our modern denominations. But throughout the Bible God and His Spirit have engaged with men, and it is the intimate desire of His heart that this be an integral component of our relationship with Him. When our spirit can function as it should, and we are able to engage with Heaven on that intimate level, then our souls find rest and our natural man operates from a place of peace.

In summary, contemplate what the closing verses in Matthew 11 tell us about how our souls are to operate in a spiritual relationship with our Savior. Jesus asks,  “Are you weary, carrying a heavy burden [upon your soul]? Then come to me. I will refresh your life, for I am your oasis. Take My yoke upon you [joining your life with Mine] and learn My ways. You’ll discover that I’m gentle, humble, easy to please, and you will find rest (renewal, blessed quiet) for your souls. For My yoke is easy [to bear] and My burden is light.” If you can see it, this is a picture of communing with Jesus in a spiritual realm, free of the burdens of our mind and emotions, where our spirit is refreshed and our souls can be at rest.... and we can enjoy the reality of who we are designed to be: a body of flesh where soul and spirit reside; divided, yet operating in cooperation with God. When we have that intimate relationship, spirit to Spirit, we can understand our divine purpose and glorify our Creator. That's the reason He sent us here!

Romans 8:6    For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.  

      

Release the Artificial Dam and Let the Blessings Flow!

This post is going to fall into the category of personal, but I believe it is meant to bring freedom to so many other people. This is my story alone, but I have no doubt that many of you will identify with it. For some time now, I have been crying out and seeking for more intimacy with my Father in Heaven. And to be honest, I couldn't quite describe what I was lacking, I just discerned my relationship with Him wasn't all I wanted or needed it to be. Something was missing and it was coming from me, not Him.

I thought I was in a real relationship with Him -- I was able to talk to Abba Father about all He was doing in mine and Mark's ministry and praise Him for allowing us to work with Him to help others. And I had no problem praying for others, or asking for blessings in their lives, or for resources they needed to move into the greater purpose of who they were created to be. I was able to partner with Jesus to see them receive a level of intimacy with their Savior that they had never experienced before, and I often found myself in tears of joy and awe as I watched it transform their lives. 

I did know a level of intimacy that was way more than before I asked Jesus to be my Savior. Yet, why couldn't I experience the full measure of intimacy that I knew was just out of reach? God began to unravel my confusion in a series of "reveals" that began as I took part in a study on the portions of our spirit (see email link at the end of this post to embark on your own "Spirit Bootcamp"). My spirit recognized and was in harmony with the portions Prophet, Servant, Exhorter, and Teacher. But when we got to Giver, I struggled with understanding how it related to the others and to God. When I learned it is the portion of my spirit that grants access to God, I knew I was going to need to deal with this question of intimacy. After all, if there was something hindering access to Father, how could I expect to experience intimacy? Then I also discovered that it also is involved in releasing the Father's blessings on others while receiving the blessings and resources He has for us. Ouch! That hit a tender spot in my spirit. But why?

I then embarked on some deep conversations with my spirit, requiring it to be vulnerable and honest with how I relate to my Heavenly Father. Of course, that took me to a place where I had to open the spiritual vaults to my relationship with my earthly father, which was more complicated than I wanted to admit. As a little girl, I remember a warm and loving daddy, who was nurturing, supportive, affectionate, had no problem saying he loved me, and championed all my activities in school. He was strict but never abusive. As the oldest and a girl, I realized as I grew older, that my brothers garnered more of his time and enjoyed more freedom. He was protective of his daughters as was usual for that time growing up in the 60's and 70's. But our relationship changed as I went off to college and became my own person, with my own ideas and dreams, which didn't always meet with the support I had known as a little girl. He still easily told me he loved me, but my spirit began to acknowledge the times I expressed my dreams and goals and was met with a dismissal or disapproval ... girls couldn't possibly travel the world like Hemingway and be a writer; how would you pay your bills? You need to get "a real job". All I wanted was acknowledgment that he approved of my passion to write, and believed in me as a writer. Subsequently, it would be 36 years before I gave myself permission to write just for the joy of it. I don't want to list a litany of the wounds that my spirit shared with me because I don't want to dishonor the memory of my father. But this was my spirit sharing memories from its perspective, so that gave them some credibility. 

So, as I wept before the Lord that I had been unaware that my spirit had been hurting from the words and actions of my earthly father, I forgave my dad again because I knew he didn't deliberately cause me pain. And I asked my Heavenly Father to forgive me for transferring my image of my earthly father onto Him. After all, I was well aware that this is a common deception that the devil whispers to us humans (both men and women alike), and I intellectually rejected that possibility for myself -- I knew the love of the Father and didn't compare it to my dad's ... or did I? And then I remembered what I had learned about the Giver portion of my spirit ... it is responsible for granting access to Father God and receiving the blessings and resources that He has destined for me! Here I was fervently praying for intimacy and all the resources I knew were mine and asking God to reveal what was blocking them so I could partner with Him in the Spirit to see them released --- and it was looking like I was the one blocking access! 

When my dad could not [or would not; for whatever reason] give me his blessings that I longed for, I was subconsciously applying that denial to Father God. My hopes and desires for blessings and resources had been dammed up by my dad's refusal and I couldn't separate that from my Father's heart. I didn't need to do anything to win His approval or change what I was asking for (feeling as if maybe I wasn't somehow worthy); I just needed to open myself to receive what He has had predestined for me from the foundations of the world and that are written in my Book of Life! That dam holding back access and blessings had been erected over years in my childhood and young adulthood, and I had failed to recognize that it didn't exist in my Father's heavenly realm. It was an unnatural, artificial spiritual dam that I had allowed to exist, keeping me from accepting and receiving all that Father God wanted to give me! The problem was, I had been asking with the wrong heart and eventually hesitated to even ask, feeling somehow guilty for asking. After all, didn't the Bible tell me I was supposed to be content in whatever situation I found myself? It was now time to deal with this once and for all. So, I submitted everything to my Abba Father, and allowed Him to heal me.

I experienced such a profound emotional connection between my spirit and my Heavenly Father, casting off the rejection my spirit had been feeling [and I was unaware of]. I knew the blessings and resources were real and they could now be released in the spiritual realms and manifest in the natural! They are real and they are mine and they are on their way! I hadn't realized that my spirit was keeping me distanced from the love, affection and intimacy with Father God because it was afraid of being disappointed. But now I know that it is His heart to give His children all that is good... Do you know of any parent who would give his hungry child, who asked for food, a plate of rocks instead? Or when asked for a piece of fish, what parent would offer his child a snake instead?  If you, imperfect as you are, know how to lovingly take care of your children and give them what’s best, how much more ready is your heavenly Father to give wonderful gifts to those who ask Him?” (Matthew 7:9-11).

I now am able to give myself what I have partnered with Jesus to give to others. I no longer dwell on past experiences or allow the Enemy to start building another spiritual dam to stop the flow of blessings and resources. I am no longer tentative about approaching Father with my joys, my sorrows, my desires or disappointments. I know He desires me to be all He made me to be; never holding back His blessings, or denying me the resources that He has stored up for me in Heaven. As I've told so many who have come to our table for ministry... this journey to wholeness is a process. And I'm not too proud to admit that I'm still in the midst of my own sanctifying process. I am thankful for the letting go, and I rejoice in the receiving.  I rush into my Abba's arms, sharing my dreams and goals and needs and He listens! If what I ask for does not align with His will, He makes my spirit aware that He has something better in mind; there's no judgment or condemnation... and nothing hurts. 

So, here's the good news ... because I am confident in my intimacy with Him, I have been able to share my healing with other women, who are reporting that they are dealing with this same issue and He is healing us all! As one good friend related, the Lord told her, "You know me as God, but I've been hindered as [your] Father". How many of us --  whether men or women -- have subconsciously colored our vision of Abba with our memories of our fathers [even though we know better]? How many of us have allowed Satan to hand us the bricks that we've then used to build our own dam to hold back intimacy and blessings? Join with me and let's tear those obstructions down! And then let's run into the arms of Father God who delights in us and our dreams and desires! He is removing all obstacles as He prepares to take us into a demanding, arduous [yet fruitful] season of defending the Kingdom. We thank you, Father, for your faithfulness to perfect us in Your image. And we bless You, the One from whom all blessings flow! Amen!

Contact Sharonvanhorn@gmail.com to receive information about the next opportunity to partake in a "Spirit Bootcamp". 

1 John 5:14-15   This is the [remarkable degree of] confidence which we [as believers are entitled to] have before Him: that if we ask anything according to His will, [that is, consistent with His plan and purpose] He hears us. And if we know [for a fact, as indeed we do] that He hears and listens to us in whatever we ask, we [also] know [with settled and absolute knowledge] that we have [granted to us] the requests which we have asked from Him.

Learning To Trust My Human Spirit's Connection to God's Spirit

I was recently asked to participate in an 8-week exploration of the relationship between my human spirit and God's Spirit. I know, to many of you, that might be an unfamiliar [or even uncomfortable] turn of phrase. If, in your history of being born as a new creation in Christ, you were not taught that we are a three-part being (body, soul, and spirit), then you might be unaware that you even possess a human spirit. I know I did not have that knowledge for many years in my relationship with Christ. In fact, without that knowledge, I would submit to you that it is difficult to have a real relationship with the One who saved us. 

You might have been raised in a church that didn't differentiate between soul or spirit; and you might even believe that they are the same. But Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:23, "May your spirit and soul and body be kept complete and [be found] blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." Here, Scripture makes it clear that they are separate parts of us. And we know that God says we are made in His image, and the actual form of His Being is Spirit. So there is a component of our design that is spirit, and was made to resemble Him. But what does that look like for us? How does that figure into our relationship with our Father in Heaven? And what is the purpose and reason for our human spirit? 

Well, I will tell you that it should be the desire of all humankind to mature and develop in their human spirit so that we can think and act righteously on behalf of our Creator and our Savior. But we can't do it on our own! I'm not a theologian, so excuse my simple explanation, but I believe that when we are conceived in the flesh, there is a spark at conception in which God's Divine Spirit (with a capital "S") is transferred to our mother's fertilized egg and our human spirit becomes part of our DNA and is present as we are born into the world. But because we are born into sin, we don't have any experience or relationship with our human spirit because it is separated from God's Divine Spirit. 

But when we come to faith in Jesus Christ, our human spirit is regenerated/revived/renewed as it mingles with God's Spirit. That is when we are literally "reborn" as a true spirit being, with the potential to grow into an intimate relationship with God as we mature in our faith. Now we are able to hear from Him and experience Him in ways that those who don't have that connection will never know! I want you to take Romans 8:16 to heart and experience how your spirit responds when you read, For the Holy Spirit makes God’s fatherhood real to us as He whispers into our innermost being [spirit], “You are God’s beloved child!” That should encourage and embolden us as we come to the knowledge that we are no longer separated from our Heavenly Father but are now joined to the Lord as one spirit (1 Corinthians 6:17)! 

For me, the revelation that my spirit is now connected to and resides with Jesus's Spirit [as one], comes with the realization that I am not to become lazy, if you will, in my spirit; but I am to exercise it and use it to stay joined to Him in all things. This is a very simplistic way to describe this truth, but it's like exercising our physical muscles. If we don't use them, then we lose our flexibility and our ability to move in our environment with ease and strength; our physical health suffers. If we don't exercise our spirit's union with God's Spirit, then we lose that connection with Him in the spiritual realm, and our power and authority [in being one with Him] becomes weaker and less able to battle against the devil's spiritual attacks. But just like physical exercise, it must become a habit -- such a natural part of our everyday existence that we don't feel alive if we aren't experiencing it.  

I will also tell you that for a long time I tried to compare the experiences of my spirit with the Lord's Spirit to the experiences of other Christians. Please do not fall pray to that temptation from the devil! Somehow, I had believed the lie that the connection between my spirit and the Lord's had to be dramatic and physically impactful and powerfully exhibited. Now, it most certainly can be, but it doesn't have to meet any particular standard or follow a specific pattern. Remember, Jesus is our model, and the Bible never tells us that when Jesus's human spirit was connected to the Father's Spirit, that it was always earth-shattering. In fact, I believe that Jesus simply came to know the Father's heart and was able to communicate, spirit to Spirit, in simple and uncomplicated ways. In fact, it was such a natural part of their relationship, that I believe it became indistinguishable from the simple act of breathing or drinking or eating -- we need it to survive! His Spirit is life-giving to our spirit!

So, once I came to the truth that I simply need to give my spirit permission to experience a connection that can be as easy as calling out His Name, I was able to experience Him responding to my cry and learn to trust that He was always available. And it changed the way I related to Him! He was no longer that somewhat remote, towering, superhuman, unapproachable hero that I felt unworthy to be bothering with my human troubles. He was my brother, my confidante, my protector, my friend, my rescuer, my Savior and my King! He is all I need in this life and eternally.  Whether my spirit prays in my personal time with Him, or I praise Him in a corporate gathering; whether I'm reading His Word out loud as I exalt Him, or singing and dancing in response to the joy my spirit is experiencing in His presence; and whether I'm thanking Him for all He's done in my life, or crying out for more of Him ... I have learned to trust that His Spirit is connected to mine -- even when I don't get an immediate [or any] response. It's simply the knowing that there is a secure and certain connection between my spirit and His Spirit that defines who I am and whose I am. 

So, if you don't think you have that trusted connection, do what I did. Ask for it! Ask to experience what it's like to connect your human spirit with our Lord's Spirit. And the beautiful thing is you get three-for-one! You have access to the Father's Spirit and His Holy Spirit, and you are one with all of them, as they are one with each other. You don't have to go through what the world is experiencing, feeling disconnected and adrift; at the whim of the devil's strategies to keep you separated from the most incredibly Divine relationship that any human being could ever desire. Learn to trust your spirit. The connection was made when you accepted Christ as your Savior. Now experience all that this connection has to offer you! 

Galatians 6:18   Finally my beloved ones—may the wonderful grace of our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One, be flowing in your spirit. So shall it be!