Three Reasons to Take Care of Your Soul

Three Reasons to Take Care of Your Soul

During the first three Freedom Fighters for February, I've tried to make a case for taking care of our souls. We neglect them at our own peril.
I'd like to give you three reasons, all from Scripture, why all of us who desire to follow Jesus need to take care of our souls. Next week we'll begin looking at how to take care of them.

Reason Number 1: The World

John tells us "Do not love the world or the things of the world." (1 John 2:15) Christians need to grasp the reality that we live in a world that is our enemy. We're aliens here; our home is Heaven. Everything about the world-this sphere of living where God is not revered as God-wears on us. There is a negative pull on our souls every day to love what we should hate and to hate what we should love. This world is neither our home nor our friend. Taking care of our souls becomes a necessity because this world will push us to neglect it and our God who created our souls.

Reason Number 2: The Flesh

A friend of mine talks about the "residue of the flesh" when he speaks of our ongoing need for God's sanctifying work in our lives. That "residue of the flesh" wants satisfaction in ways that aren't consistent with our walk with Jesus. That's why Paul warns us in Galatians 5:16 ".
. . Walk in the Spirit and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh."
Our flesh wars against our souls. We have one way to win the war, and that is to take care of our souls.

Reason Number 3: The Devil

Every Christ-follower has at least one enemy, the devil. He is and always will be the enemy of our souls. He'll do everything within his power to prevent the nurture of our souls, and we need to know that.
Hear Peter's words from 1 Peter 5:8: "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour." Peter didn't give us those words to scare us. He gave them to us to help us prepare for the fight of our lives! He goes on to tell us in verse 9 to resist him. And, James tells us that if we resist the devil he will flee from us. (5:7)

Our enemies, the world, the flesh and the devil are active enemies. We must actively nurture our souls to overcome the influence of our enemies. Here's the good news: it's doable for every last one of us!
Keep reading. - Pastor John Strain is the Senior Pastor of First Baptist of Toms River and is our weekend Freedom Fighter contributor.

Great Quote: Jesus did not finish all the urgent tasks in Palestine or all the things He would have liked to do, but He did finish the work which God gave Him to do. The only alternative to frustration is to be sure that we are doing what God wants. Nothing substitutes for knowing that this day, this hour, in this place, we are doing the will of the Father. Then and only then can we think of all the other unfinished tasks with equanimity and leave them with God. Charles E. Hummel