12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Man is a spirit; he possesses a soul and lives in a body. The spirit and soul of man are both in the unseen realm, however, the body is in the seen realm, which makes it very easy to differentiate the body from the spirit due to the sharp contrast that exists between the two, as one is spiritual while the other is physical. The spirit of a man and the soul of a man are different both in form and function, however, a lot of believers have a challenge establishing the dichotomy between the spirit and the soul, seeing that both are in the unseen realm. Difficulty in discerning the dichotomy that exists between the spirit and the soul is the reason why sometimes, some Christian pick signals from their soul but mistake them for signals from their spirit. With this understanding that God leads us through our spirit and not our soul, we must therefore know the difference between the two. Hebrews 4:12 tells us that the Word of God divides between the spirit and the soul of man, which shows that they are two different entities. Apostle Paul, writing to the Corinthian Church says, “For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful” (1 Corinthians 14:14), which means that while his spirit prayed, his understanding did not capture in words what his spirit was praying, showing they are two different entities. In essence, the spirit is not the soul, and the soul is not the spirit.
Our opening Scripture shows us that through the ministry of God’s Word, we can understand the difference between the spirit and the soul of man. As you meditate in the Word, the Word helps to distinguish between the perception of your spirit and the thoughts of your soul, which is the seat of your personality. The soul comprises your mind (intellect), your will (your decision house) and your emotions (that part of you that emotes or expresses your feelings). So, there are times you might have stored up information in your soul and those pieces of information are in form of residues (residual information) in your subconscious, they are just there and somehow you might pick things from that place and suppose that for the Spirit of God guiding you. For instance, you can feel good about something or someone, a psychological, intellectual or emotional soothing comfort about that thing or person, and some people call that feeling “inner peace,” but that’s not. They say there is just this peace they feel within them, and some even buttress it with Scriptures: “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding…” (Philippians 4:7). However, since the soul is equally within, feeling peace within doesn’t necessarily mean God is giving you a go-ahead, but when you give attention to God’s Word in consistent meditation, your mind will be renewed to know the difference between your own thoughts or ideas domiciled in your soul and what the Spirit of God is saying to your spirit deep inside of you. When the Word prevails in your soul, you will be able to tell the difference between your soul and your spirit.
MY SOLID FRONT (YOUR CONFESSION):
In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I give myself to meditation in the Word consistently, and I am enabled by the grace of God to discern between my spirit and soul. Amen!
Further Meditation:
Romans 12:1-2; Ephesians 4:23.