Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. James 1:2-4

Consider it all JOY?? If you are anything like the various people I’ve been keeping up with, your life is getting hit from all sides with varying levels of agitation, piles of distraction, a suffocating sense of cabin fever, perhaps overwhelming grief or loneliness, concerns about finances and health, and the creeping helplessness of uncertainty. I could list all of the things hitting me, but your list is probably longer and more intense! HELP!

But when I gazed on that phrase, consider it all joy, it brought a smile to my face and a sense of relief to the pit of my stomach. Oh, yeah!! I remembered. God is capable of helping me through all of this!

Yup. The trials are here. We are all encountering them, big and small, piled up and weighing us down with all the typical symptoms of stress and anxiety. That means every one of us qualifies for this James 1 exhortation, and the good news is this: We will emerge on the other side of every one of these trials!

You and I may not see instant results, though. That’s OK, because the main ingredient in making it successfully through any trial that hits you (next to leaning hard on Jesus) is ENDURANCE. Perseverance. Not giving up. Knowing that this trial—and all of these trials—will be behind you at some point.

You have made it through past trials. God steadied you, covered you, assisted you…He was there with you back then; He is with you now. He is faithful. That is what you nail your endurance to—His faithfulness to you. Bind yourself to that Rock with the good sturdy rope of Truth and refuse to untie it. He will see you through every one of these tests, both great and small. He loves you.

As you hunker down in tight proximity with Him, endurance will be working on your behalf by the hand of God. Oh, so subtly, but oh, so thoroughly, endurance will have its perfect work. You will make it through Trial 1. You will make it through Trial 2. You will make it through Trial 3….and all the rest of those attacks against your peace, your health, your finances, your sanity, your loved ones, and maybe even your very life.

Most of all, though, you will have walked through this season—perhaps while feeling like a total loser—choosing to fix not only your gaze but your entire being as well on the Capable One who loves you and is willing to hold you close. As you do, my friend, you will find at the end of this onslaught of piled up trials, that you will be perfect (as opposed to destroyed) and complete, lacking nothing.

May God, the Capable One, help all of us.

Dorothy

© 2020, Dorothy Frick

James wrote in verse 25 that if you think you’re religious but don’t bridle your tongue, your religion is worthless.

On the other hand, he wrote that your relationship with God is pure and undefiled if two qualities are present in your life: 1.) You visit orphans and widows in their distress; 2.) You keep yourself unstained by the world.

• …visit orphans and widows in their distress…

The most helpless souls of James’ time were those who had lost the breadwinner of the household—orphans and widows. They are among the most helpless of our day, as well. James declares that your motives before God are demonstrated as pure and undefiled when you visit such as these in their time of distress, making yourself available to them when they are most devastated.

Jesus extends the list in Matthew 25. He said, “For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.” The righteous asked, “When did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?” His response was, “To the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me” (see Matthew 25:35-40).

Your active kindness is to extend to widows and orphans, the hungry and thirsty, strangers, the homeless and those without adequate clothing, the sick and those in prison, your pastors (see 1 Timothy 5:17), those who share your faith (see Galatians 6:10), the wicked and those who hate you (see Matthew 5:44 and Romans 12:20), and everyone else.

You are called to walk in love with all people and are to make particular effort to be available to others when they are distressed and suffering loss. As you seek God about how to follow through, know that you are engaged in the pure and undefiled demonstration of your religion.

• …keep oneself unstained by the world.

Stains happen when an object comes in contact with something that soils or discolors it. You are cleansed by the blood of Jesus and are righteous in His sight, but you come into contact with the outside world and the ups and downs of normal life every day. As a result, you run the risk of your soul being impacted and soiled by whatever you encounter.

A situation that occurred in the life of Jesus illustrates this. When Jesus washed His disciples’ feet, Peter tried to stop Him, alarmed that the Lord would stoop to such a lowly endeavor. Jesus responded, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me,” indicating the necessity of submitting to the Lord’s washing.

Then Peter, always full of passion, demanded that Jesus wash not only his feet, but his head and hands, as well.

Jesus replied, “He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet [representing that which is in regular contact with the world], but is completely clean; and you are clean” (see John 13:5-10). You, also, are clean due to your faith in Christ; but to assume that you won’t be affected by the world you touch every day is naive.

The way you keep yourself unstained by the world is to recognize that daily life brings you into contact with the various staining elements of the world, and therefore you need to take regular “baths”. You keep yourself clean by confessing sin to the Lord when you become aware of it, by receiving the forgiveness already purchased for you by His blood, by the washing of the water of the Word (see Ephesians 5:26), and by letting the rivers of God within you flow out in worship and praise.

A pure and undefiled walk with the Lord is relatively basic. It involves visiting orphans and widows in their distress and keeping yourself unstained by the world. As you integrate the love walk and humble consecration into your life, you’ll become an effectual doer of the Word and will be blessed in what you do.

Dorothy

I’ll bet no one ever said to this apostle, “James; tell us what you really think.” My guess is that if James were alive today, he would not be the most popular preacher in town. Party invitations might be skimpy, as well.

However, this baby brother of Jesus speaks straight into the heart of every believer and gives each of us a chance to reflect and make adjustments.

If anyone thinks himself to be religious…

I know—we’re in a relationship, not a religion; I agree. But in today’s vernacular, James could have easily said, “If anyone thinks himself to be in relationship…” The Greek word for “religious”, by the way, means “fearing or worshipping God” (see http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/Lexicon/Lexicon.cfm?strongs=G2357&t=KJV ), not the mere outward show of religion. Therefore, James is speaking to all of us who believe that we fear and worship God.

…and yet does not bridle his tongue…

Remember to whom James was writing—blood-bought, righteous, cleansed-from-sin men and women of God, not the world. James boldly set the bar high for Christian conversation, and as much as you or I may want to wiggle that bar down a bit to suit our situations and “deep concerns”, this bar was fixed in place back then and remains just as immovable today. Ouch.

The standard James upheld was that you and I bridle our tongues. This issue burned in his heart; he wrote in depth about it later in his letter. However, including it in his section on temptation and trial, he revealed a key element to successful endurance while under any attack—bridle your tongue.

Notice that James placed the responsibility of tongue-bridling on each individual. You and I are accountable before God for all of our words. Good news, though, if you have a hard time bridling your tongue: Psalm 141:3 says, “Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips.” This verse has been a true help for me when I have been tempted to speak out of turn; indeed, I have developed a well-worn path to this verse in prayer.

At key times when facing trials, I have bridled my tongue; I have also let my tongue do its own thing a time or two when under attack. I have kept track, and according to my documentation—duly noted in conformity with the scientific method—when encountering trials, the bridled tongue produces far better results.

During those key attacks when I bridled my tongue—whether concerning other people, health, finances, emotional turmoil, stress, or something else—the trial didn’t always resolve as quickly as I would have liked, but when it did resolve, there was cleanness to the outcome. I walked away with gratefulness to God and wonder at His working. The memory of those trials—when walked through with a bridled tongue—produce joy and a great sense of victory.

On the other hand, I have walked through numerous other trials with my mouth flapping away. I’ve been angry, upset, disappointed, scared, hurt, and I let others hear about it again and again; and even if the trial resolved quickly, there was a sense of loss, nonetheless. It’s uncanny how this happens. Without fail, when I let my mouth run—even though God eventually comes through for me—I feel the let down of my disobedience along the way…and it is so avoidable! My scientific experimentation with bridled and unbridled tongue during trials proves conclusively—the bridled tongue is better!

…but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless.

James cuts no slack. When you allow your mouth to spew out unbridled words, take serious heed and put a stop to it. If you continue unchecked, you will deceive your own heart. This is a sober warning.

Perhaps most grievous of all, however, is James’ assessment concerning the religion (or relationship with Christ) of the Christian who proceeds unrestrained with unbridled speech. James writes this man’s religion is worthless. It is devastating to think that I could go through life as a professing Christian, and yet come to realize that due to my undisciplined speaking, it was all for naught.

These are sobering words, but they are Truth. As I think about this verse, I am aware of areas in my life that I must shore up and allow the Lord to correct. I pray that you, as well, will find the help you need to shore up your words and your walk with Him. It’s His will that you grow to be perfect and complete—unblemished by your words—and lacking in nothing.

Let Him help you.

Dorothy

The psalmist David wrote long before James’ time, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits” (Psalm 103:1-2). He admonished his soul (about which James wrote, as well) to bless the Lord. He did so by blessing the name of the Lord and by forgetting none of the Lord’s benefits.

James, in verse 25, reveals how to keep this circle of blessing unbroken. The circle begins with blessing the Lord Himself as David wrote and moves into forgetting none of His wonderful benefits. James arrives on the scene centuries later and discloses how you can put the benefits of God into active remembrance—you look intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty.

[The] one who looks intently at the perfect law…

This is a description of you. By prioritizing the Word of God, you are looking intently at the perfect law. Whenever you read the Bible or a Scripture-directed devotional or book, you are prioritizing the Word of God. Whenever you praise God with songs from the Scripture, you are prioritizing the Word of God. Whenever you think about a verse from the Bible and repeat it to yourself or in prayer, you are prioritizing the Word of God. As you continue in these behaviors, making them a part of your life—in addition to listening to solid Bible messages at church, other meetings, or through the means of media—not only will the Word build within you and give you more strength and clarity, but you will find that your time in the Bible is a joy and a fulfilling adventure as well. This is how you look intently at the perfect law, and this is how you forget none of His benefits.

…the law of liberty…

When Bible truth comes on the scene, it brings liberty. Oh, the Word will correct behavior and attitude, make no mistake, but Jesus said, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free” (see John 8:31-32). The law of liberty frees you from bondage to sin. The so-called freedom that pervades our society encourages bondage to sin. The law of liberty will free you from the fear of man. The supposed liberty of our generation makes you a slave to the opinions of others. (Ever hear of political correctness?) There is a huge difference.

…and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer…

The psalmist wrote, “Forget none of His benefits.” You accomplish this by abiding by the Word of God. The Greek word for “abide” is paramenō and means “to remain beside, continue always near” (see http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/Lexicon/Lexicon.cfm?strongs=G3887&t=KJV ). You keep His Word nearby; you continue with it close at hand. “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart” (see Romans 10:8). Another definition of paramenō is “to survive, remain alive”. If you abide by the Word, you survive by it; you remain alive due to it working within you. Jesus told the devil trying to tempt Him, “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God” (see Matthew 4:4), signaling the true path to finding sustenance in life—God’s Word.

The only way to avoid forgetfulness is to abide in this close relationship with the Word of God. This produces the power within you to become an effectual doer.

…this man will be blessed in what he does.

David revealed the beginning of the circle of blessing: “Bless the Lord, O my soul,” and pointed further down the curve of its arc: forget none of His benefits (see Psalm 103:1-2). James picked up the thread, demonstrating how to continue on the circuit of blessing—abide by the Word. Don’t be forgetful with it. Let it develop you into an effective doer.

And as the circle winds back up to its start—Bless the Lord—James wrote that this man [you] will be blessed in what he does.

It is a good thing to bless the Lord. You do so by not forgetting any of His benefits. You can avoid forgetfulness by abiding in the magnificent Word of God—the law of liberty. And as you allow Bible truth to abide within you, you will not forget it, and you will grow in the grace and strength and effectiveness of the Word of God.

And you will be blessed in what you do.

Dorothy

Sometimes I catch a quick glimpse of my reflection in a mirror and think Hello! Who is that woman?! My mom? The shock startles me back into reality; the days of that fresh, young face are gone (at least without some “work”). And then I walk away from the mirror, and it happens all over again. I forget what I look like!

James writes that you can forget what kind of person you are. What kind of person are you? If you are in Christ, you are a new creation (see 2 Corinthians 5:17). You are more than a conqueror through Him who loves you (see Romans 8:37). You are the righteousness of God in Him (see 2 Corinthians 5:21). You are redeemed through His blood and have forgiveness of sins (see Ephesians 1:7). You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you (see Philippians 4:13).

Because of Jesus’ death on the cross, you are an heir of amazing promises and privileges. And yet as James writes, you might walk away from your Bible study and forget everything you learned.

How does this happen? You hear the Word, but you don’t put it into practice. You may have Scripture plaques or paintings all over the walls of your home, but if you neglect to act on what they say, you may as well have a picture of poker-playing dogs up on that wall, instead. Verses of the Bible, although used to adorn walls, clothing, and jewelry, were never originally spoken out of the mouth of God for the mere purpose of adorning a handbag, belt buckle, or framed painting. There’s nothing wrong with those things; however, God’s intent with His Word is to transform your life, not to simply bring a decorative touch to it.

The Bible is the only kind of mirror in existence which, when you look into it, shows you who you are, not necessarily how you appear. When you are born again by the Word, you are immediately forgiven, cleansed, and made righteous. But the kind of change that takes place in your life and behavior as you continue to gaze in the Word does not happen automatically, or as one preacher said, “Fall on you like ripe cherries from a tree”. This transformation occurs in you over time as you trust God and act consistently upon the truth you see in the mirror of the Word.

As you feed on the Word, allow it to sink into your soul and ask the Lord questions about how it applies to you. Let Him challenge you with His Word and permit Him to use it to form new thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors to replace those in your life that are not from Him.

How do you avoid spiritual forgetfulness? You hear the Word and then act on it, allowing its transforming power to work in your life. But be patient as you persist—it’s a lifelong adventure.

Look long into the mirror of the Word and purpose in your heart not to forget who you are!

Dorothy

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.  NIV

Don’t fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear!  Message Bible

Nothing shouts HYPOCRITE so loudly to the outside world as Christians who take great efforts to hear and speak the Word yet do nothing to let it play itself out in their attitudes and behaviors.

In the early days of the Church James observed this tendency in his fellow believers; over time, not much has changed. The penchant for hearing the Word while neglecting to let it influence and direct day to day choices is still a huge challenge for most of us.

James is not condemning his fellow Christians; he is merely refusing to condone or endorse hypocrisy. He is bringing correction to the Church of his time, and this clarion call rings down through the centuries, bringing correction to generations of believers all the way to our time.

In your attempt to solve the hypocrisy issue, don’t be like the woman with a Jesus sticker on her car who decided that she could relieve the inconsistency between her faith and her speeding—by removing the sticker!

Go ahead—hear the Word. But as you hear it, interact with it and let it influence how you think, behave, and respond. Don’t ditch it to protect yourself from being a hypocrite! It’s the Word itself that will make you the real, genuine article—you’ve just got to let it work within you.

Nor be like some teens I knew in a Christian school who resented the lesson in Bible class on how to listen to and obey their consciences. The accountability factor made them angry; they didn’t want to be answerable for their choices.

Let the Word correct you. Just like you correct your children when they do things that could harm them, so it is with God’s Word. Of course it isn’t fun or exhilarating to yield to its correction; but it will save your soul and may save your job, your relationships, your sanity, or even your life.

The most uncomfortable phrase in this verse is “who delude themselves”. Not only do “hearers only” appear phony to the outside world, but they end up deceiving themselves. Jesus is the Truth; the Word of God is truth; and the state of delusion equates to a big old lie—something the devil is the father of (see John 8:44). When you hear the Word but neglect to let it correct or change you, you end up being deluded—living a lie and opening yourself up to the father of lies.

If you catch yourself falling into this pattern—all hearing, no doing—recognize it as a snare of the devil. Repent and cry out to God. He will gladly forgive and deliver you, and He will set your feet back on solid ground. Just resolve from here on out to be a doer of the Word and not a hearer only.

He will help you!

Dorothy

Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Thessalonians 5:23

The more I write about James 1:21, the more I am reminded about how the Lord has used it to revolutionize my life. Today I will address how your soul and spirit relate to one another.

Your spirit and soul dwell together in your body. They are so tightly knitted that it takes the Word to discern between them (see Hebrews 4:12). When you hear the gospel as an unsaved person, your spirit is typically drawn to it, but often your soul (affected by peer pressure, reason, or demonic suggestion) fights or ignores it. That was my experience as a young unsaved woman. But through the prayers of my grandma and others, my soul got hungry, freeing my spirit to submit to the Lord, and I was born again. My spirit was made new, my soul was glad, and even my body was affected by the work of God in me—my desire for alcohol vanished.

My lifestyle changed dramatically. I grew in Christ and most of the time I made decisions based on the Word of God and a clean, Spirit-led conscience. Although my soul was onboard about almost everything going on in my new life with God, it also had a mind of its own (still does!). You see, I’ve observed in my Christian life that when my soul speaks out apart from my spirit, it is through negative feelings—hurts, suspicion, anger, fear, or the like, or through reasoning and “what ifs”. Because of the close kinship of  soul and spirit, a huge key to successful Christian living is found in discerning between them (which can only to be done by the Sword of the Spirit—Hebrews 4:12) and understanding the relationship that exists between the two—and your body.

Here’s an analogy that helps me to deal with discord which crops up from time to time between my soul and spirit. I picture the two relating to each other similarly to the way a healthy couple might work together to make decisions in a godly marriage. It may sound odd, but this comparison has brought me great clarity.

Your spirit hears from God through His Spirit and His Word. That makes it a much better leader and guide than the soul—your emotions, reasoning, and will. Your spirit, in its relation to your soul is analogous to a husband in relation to his wife. Your body is the house they share.

In a healthy relationship, both members have free expression and support one another. When your spirit and soul are healthy, they feed on the Word of truth and are in constant fellowship with God. Your spirit picks up understanding from the Holy Spirit and enlightens your soul. Your spirit grows strong, and your soul is happy, free, clean, and creative, glad to live and express itself along with your spirit in the house they share together, your body.

But when trial, test, or temptation arises and threatens your peace, virtue, safety, health, integrity, or security, your soul often becomes tempted, alarmed, fearful, angry, ugly, or out of sorts. This is when your soul demonstrates its willfulness and independence from your spirit, who always longs to obey God.

Here’s where the analogy gets interesting. Relationships can be healthy or unhealthy, full of conflict or supportive. I recognize that just like it is wrong for a wife to lord it over her husband, similarly it is wrong for me to let my soul lord it over my spirit. On the other hand, I know that abusive husbands are likewise out of line; therefore, I am to exercise leadership over my soul in a calm, loving way.

Example #1: When your soul dominates your spirit. Imagine that you are hurt by someone. You may feel shunned or invisible. You may want to blast your feelings and spiral into anger or self-pity.

Who is doing the talking—your spirit or your soul? If you picked soul, you are right! In the past, I often let my soul lead, but that resulted in more and more disgust and dysfunction. My spirit would say, “Forgive! Repent!” but instead, I made the choice to get bent out of shape by the whole thing. Only when my bitterness or resentment became unbearable did I finally grab myself by the collar and say, “Get up! Repent and seek God’s help!” I know by experience: When soul leads, things spin out of control.

Sometimes without thinking I still let soul lead. You guessed it—the same upset and disjointedness results. But the good news is this: I catch it more quickly now and reverse course more readily.

Example #2: When your soul mimics your spirit dominating your soul. This is tricky, but it does happen. First of all, you need to know that your spirit is not abusive. It was made clean, righteous, and pure when you received Jesus, and He is not abusive. But sometimes individuals, thinking they are operating by their spirit, get abusive in the way they deal with themselves when tempted, tested, or tried. You may be surprised to hear this, but I’ve observed this in believers as they try to get control over various negative thoughts. I hear them command things like, “Shut up! Close your mouth! You listen to me right now!” when speaking to their souls. It can get even worse when they talk to their body while seeking healing. It’s as if they think the sick or weakened body part is their enemy, and they yell at it as if it could heal itself if it wanted to. I believe such overbearing attempts to control either soul or body come from the soul, not the spirit, and such treatment is foolish and can be harmful. Your soul may not be wise in its current pursuits, but it is eternal and it is in partnership with your spirit. Treat it with respect as you correct it. Your body may be suffering from sickness or injury, but it wants to be well as much as you want it well. Recognize this if you start to get abusive when seeking to control your soul or your body—you are not operating by the Spirit.

Example #3: When your recreated spirit dominates your soul. Let’s say you are hurt by someone, and again, you are feeling shunned or invisible. You still feel like blasting your feelings and spiraling into anger or self-pity. Here’s how I am learning to gain control in scenarios such as this. I speak to my soul, the partner of my spirit, and say, “Soul, I hear you. It’s a bummer that you feel hurt and snubbed. You are precious in Christ and shouldn’t be treated that way, but let’s see what the Word has to say about this.” And I pray, submitting the hurtful situation and feelings to the Lord, and I receive from His Word. Then I’m free to direct my soul to recognize that others (especially believers) don’t hurt me on purpose; they would be devastated if they knew how their actions affected me. My soul is then able to have compassion on them and see them as fellow humans in pursuit of God, making mistakes and receiving forgiveness by the blood of Jesus, just like me.

Viewing my soul and spirit as eternal partners in following Christ has helped me immensely. I don’t view my soul as a bad thing to shut up or shut down; it is eternal. I am learning that my soul is at its best when it yields to my spirit man, filled with God’s Spirit and His Word. I am also learning that there are decisions that, in good conscience, my soul should make—what color should I paint this room? What do I want to wear? What am I in the mood to eat? What kind of car do I want? And in all of it, as I feed on God’s Word and keep communication open to the Spirit of God, I give Him veto-power if my soul chooses something detrimental to His plan or purpose for me.

God’s will for you is to be respectful to your spirit, your soul, and your body.

Be blessed—spirit, soul, and body!

Dorothy

Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Thessalonians 5:23, emphasis added

For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. 1 Corinthians 3:11-15

James said to Christians, “In humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.” In this entry, I hope to shed light on the question: Why do believers need to do anything besides receiving Jesus to save their souls?

In the three-part anatomy of man—spirit, soul, and body—it is your spirit that is born again. Neither your soul nor your body is made new when you receive Jesus as Lord, but in your spirit man, you become a new creation. It is by your spirit that you also receive direction from the Holy Spirit. Concerning this, the Bible says, “The spirit of man is the lamp of the LORD, searching all the innermost parts of his being” (Proverbs 20:27). The Word also declares, “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God” (Romans 8:16). In other words, the Holy Spirit communicates with you through your spirit.

Paul said this concerning your body and soul: “…present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:1-2).

You are urged to present your body daily to God for His service. Likewise, you are called to renew your mind (a component of your soul, which is comprised of your emotions and will, also) so you that you can be transformed rather than conformed to the world. Again, you renew your mind (or soul), not your spirit. Your spirit is already made new by virtue of your faith in Christ.

How do you renew your mind? James says “in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.” Renewing your mind is the same thing as receiving the Word implanted.

Your recreated spirit listens to God. It is your soul—your mind, emotions, and will—that has difficulty wanting to stick with the Word and following the Lord. Therefore, for the sake of your well-being, it is imperative that you prioritize two disciplines—listening to the Holy Spirit and giving the Word first place in your life. This builds strength within you—and as James says, saves your soul. Following the whims of your emotions or the reasoning of your mind can lead you down a disastrous course—and does nothing to renew your mind or save your soul.

When Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 3 that some believers will receive a reward while others won’t, is he referring only to the work of building the kingdom of God? I believe not. It is my opinion that he is referring to the works done in the body—all of them, spiritual and otherwise—“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10).

Paul said some will suffer loss on that Day when the quality of each man’s work is judged. How can a righteous spirit suffer loss on Judgment Day? In my opinion it will be the loss suffered by believers who didn’t take charge of their souls—mind, will, and emotions—by the renewing of their minds. It will be the loss incurred by those who habitually allowed their souls to call the shots without seeking the Lord or His Word; yet they, themselves, will be saved, as through fire.

My original question was: Why does a Christian need to save his soul? Because, even as you have wisely shunned hell by receiving Jesus, so, too, you can wisely avoid suffering loss on that Day when you see Him face to face—by obeying Him now concerning your soul.

Remember, becoming a new creature occurs instantaneously when you take Jesus as your Lord. Renewing your mind and saving your soul by receiving the Word implanted, however, is a lifelong adventure—and it holds great reward for your future.

Thank God for the mind-renewing power of His Word!

Dorothy

Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified. 1 Corinthians 9:26-27

For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.  Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. 1 Corinthians 3:11-15

After my “deep-sea fishing expedition” (see the two previous entries), I became very familiar with James 1:21. In fact, it radicalized how I approached my flubs, flaws, and fleshly finagling. But even more amazing was what I learned about my original question: Why does a Christian need to save his soul? In pursuit of the answer, I was reminded of a section of 1 Corinthians 3 which addressed the quality of each man’s work built upon the one true foundation of life—Jesus Christ.

In Christianity today, hot debates exist about the doctrine “once saved, always saved”. Both sides of the issue are adamant about their stance, each citing Scripture in support of their strongly-held positions. And in the meantime, many believers live their lives in turmoil, questioning the validity of their own salvation as they fall into repetitive sin and spiral into despair while they hear that no assurance of salvation is to be expected for the likes of them—“you are obviously an unsaved sinner—profession of faith or not—just look at your life”. At the same time, many other believers blithely go their way, with an “anything goes” attitude, believing that grace covers it all, and any concern over questionable behavior is sin-consciousness: “Hey! Jesus died for me and I never have to be concerned about my lifestyle again—I live by grace!”

Although most of us don’t live at either extreme, such extremes do thrive within the body of Christ, and are made worse—not helped—by both ends of this debate spectrum.

It is my opinion that the disparity between the Christian doctrine of new creation life and the actual experience of the average believer is at the root of this debate. Because of this inconsistency, I believe that the body of Christ needs to be aware of the three-part nature of man and how it operates—both as a unit and individually—within the born-again person.

You are saved by grace through faith (see Ephesians 2:8); you are a new creature in Christ (see 2 Corinthians 5:17); you are saved by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit (see Titus 3:5). Whoever comes to Jesus will not be rejected (see John 6:37), and that includes you, despite your struggles, questions, or inconsistencies.

At issue here is not “were you really born again when you asked Jesus to be your Lord?” The relevant questions—which you alone can answer—are these: “Are you being transformed by the renewing of your mind (see Romans 12:2)? Are you—by the Spirit—seeking to put to death the deeds of the flesh (see Romans 8:13)? Are you working out your salvation with fear and trembling (see Philippians 2:12)? And, are you putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, and in humility, are you receiving the word implanted, which is able to save your soul (James 1:21)?”

None of these questions—or the related Scriptures—are meant to be legalistic clubs by which you bludgeon bad behavior; no. They are the fresh air of the Holy Spirit and the active, life-saving, surgical capacity of His Sword, revealing to you His willingness to be actively involved in the details of your life if you dare to ask for and seek it.

James said, “Receive the Word implanted which is able to save your souls.” Paul said, “If any man’s work which he has built…remains, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire” (emphasis added).

I believe that those who receive Jesus as Lord will be saved. Of course, unfortunately, exceptions may occur; Hebrews 6:4-6 and Hebrews 10:26-27 are a couple of verses that indicate that this is so. However, Jesus said, “…I give eternal life to them [not referring to those discussed in the two Hebrews verses], and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand (John 10:28). If you are concerned about your eternal destination as a believer, then that—your concern—is an excellent sign that you have not discarded your salvation; be assured, and keep living for Jesus—you’re in.

I am able to believe in a secure salvation because I am convinced by 1 Corinthians 3:15. It says that some of us will receive reward; some of us will suffer loss—but those of us who do bear loss will be saved, yet as through fire. This tells me that some professors of Christ—whom we may discount due to their works or lack thereof—will indeed receive entrance into His presence on that Day.

Tomorrow I will focus on my original question: Why does a Christian need to save his soul?

Until then, rejoice in the consistency of our Savior and His faithfulness toward you.

Dorothy

I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. John 10:28, NIV

NOTE: If you have not yet read yesterday’s blog, this entry will make more sense if you read that one first. As you read, realize that this is an analogy—it’s simply a way to represent abstract concepts with concrete images. I by no means think that this analogy using deep-ocean creatures means that there are actual fish-like creatures living within the soul.

A few years ago, the Holy Spirit led me on a “fishing expedition” into the depths of my soul to confront specific, long-standing, destructive thought patterns and to take them captive, via the Word of God, to the obedience of Christ. As I did so, He showed me an analogy using the biome of the deep-ocean floor.

The deep-ocean floor is a place where very little light penetrates and the pressure is crushing. In that realm swim creatures—carnivores—with disproportionately large mouths, jaws, and very sharp teeth. No plant-eaters live there—vegetation can’t grow there. Nutrition there comes from two sources—other deep-sea critters or whatever filters down from above. The deep-ocean floor represents the subconscious soul and the deep-ocean carnivores depict the baggage that, for whatever reason, stays attached to the soul of the believer. The surface of the ocean represents the everyday behavior and attitudes of a person—that which is visible to everyone. And the nutrition they feed upon? Bad behaviors, words, and attitude.

I asked the Lord after this experience: Is there any way to deal with the “deep-ocean carnivores” of the soul without having to plunge down to the depths? I figured there was, and sure enough, the Lord showed me something that has both revolutionized and simplified my life.

He led me to James 1:21. Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. Using the same analogy, He likened my baggage—longstanding, deep-seated issues—to ravenous deep-sea carnivores in my soul. This was the filthiness and that which remained of wickedness mentioned by James.

The Lord showed me that whenever I yielded to my flesh, to unforgiveness, to self-pity—the list could go on and on—I was actually sending death and flesh down into my soul, unintentionally feeding the carnivores. The more I yielded to unwise behaviors, words, or thoughts, the more the carnivores fed. The more they fed, the stronger they grew, and the fainter the voice of my recreated spirit became.

The carnivores do not represent demons. That’s a totally different ball of wax; Christians often label sin patterns and baggage “demons”, but more often than not, carnal behaviors are merely undisciplined flesh and unresolved sin patterns. Yes, those things can open the door for demonic activity, but nonetheless, they are two different things. And the good news is this: You have authority over every bit of it.

When I read the Amplified translation of this verse, it extended the analogy. “So get rid of all uncleanness and the rampant outgrowth of wickedness…” I visualized a rampant outgrowth of some deep-seated issue winding its way like a poisonous vine to the surface, seeking to grow in the open. And I realized then that there was no need to “deep-sea dive” as a rule; tendencies from the soul surface all the time. The trick is to confront those things as quickly as they arise and refuse to just shove them back down, patting a quick “good confession” over them in hope of covering them up.

The surfacing of such tendencies is not a cause for shame, but joy, like James wrote in verse 2. Here’s why. When the baggage and bugaboos of your soul send up shoots to the surface, that means you have the opportunity to get rid of them by laying them aside and receiving the word implanted. This is the God-ordained, one-two knockout punch you are to deliver to all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness.

The Lord very kindly showed me that the “deep-sea fishing expedition” we took together could have been absolutely avoided had I practiced throughout my Christian life this powerful one-two sequence—simply and on purpose laying aside temptations to sin whenever they arose and then receiving with meekness the Word into my soul. Instead, I cried and said “I repent” over and over and felt bad. And when that got old, I stuffed the tendencies down and covered my tracks with an appropriate “good confession”. Can you see there’s a huge difference between practicing James 1:21 and covering up negative tendencies with a quick “Praise the Lord; I’m free”?

I tested James 1:21. I started practicing laying aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, and then in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls whenever something that remained of wickedness started to surface. I even acted it out—I mimed grabbing the thought or behavior with my hand and called it by name as I swung my arm very dramatically away from me.

I would then talk to God and say, “Lord, with humility and meekness of heart, I receive that part of Your Word which is custom-made to abolish this ugly thing, and I send it down into my soul, bringing life and freedom to that region within me.” And I would wait on Him to give me a Scripture—one just right—that blew that negative emotion—whether lust, anger, self-pity, hopelessness, defensiveness, critical spirit, hurt feelings—whatever—out of the water and into oblivion.

God showed me that two things occurred as I acted on James 1:21 in faith. First, any baggage that lingered in the dark within in me was deprived of fuel as I put aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness. When I deliberately resisted and laid aside the lure of temptation, I no longer fed the “carnivores”, and as a result they grew weaker and less demanding. Secondly, as I received the Word implanted, I sent down the “pesticide” of the Word to the deep-ocean floor of my soul, and in effect, poisoned those things with God’s Word. I pictured them dying a lonely death and realized that God never intended “deep-sea expeditions” to be the primary way to deal with “carnivores”. The Lord’s chosen method for you and me to conquer filthiness and all that remains of wickedness is to simply lay it aside and receive the Word of God implanted which is able to save our souls.

One last ingredient in this one-two knockout punch of James 1:21 is found in the center of the verse. It is “with humility”, “with meekness”, and with what the Amplified Bible calls “a humble (gentle, modest) spirit” that you approach it all. It takes humility to admit that you’ve been hit with filthiness and any residual wickedness. It takes meekness to submit to the Word to address the desperate needs of your soul. And it takes a humble, gentle, and modest spirit to face those flaws honestly instead of glossing them over in an attempt to look spiritual. By maintaining a humble spirit, you address the heart of the issue and establish important “Thou shalt not’s” for yourself: No more cover ups; no more masks; and no more putting off the health and salvation of your soul.

Starve those carnivores!

Dorothy