SPIRIT SOUL BODY
The Chowchilla News
Sonja has chronic stomach pain and
indigestion. She also has lots of fear---fear about her future; fear of bei=
ng dumped
by her boyfriend, Bill; fear of not doing enough to keep him; and so on and=
so
forth, forever. Ironically
sometimes she also fears success with Billy-boy realizing that if he stays with her then he may get f=
urther
into her heart, gain even more control, and then leave her. Insecurity, anxiety, and fear run h=
er life.
Deteriorating health is announcing itself to her daily. The pills for her
stomach aches aren’t working anymore.
Travis, has lots of pain in his n=
eck
and back. Sometimes he hurts so much he has to call in sick to work. Travis also feels painfully
unappreciated at work, home, and even at church, where he plays the guitar.=
Others at work get promoted but not=
him, others
are listened to at home but not him, others get thanks from the congregatio=
n at
church but not him. Jealousy =
and
envy seem to have their own rent-free rooms in his mind and Travis has neve=
r presented
them a bill. In fact, he’s so focused on people, he doesn’t even
know those free-loaders are there.
Obviously, there is a mind-body, =
or
psycho-somatic, connection with regards to both Sonja and Travis’s ph=
ysical
symptoms. But now let’s=
take
it a step further and look for the pneuma-psycho-somatic connection. Pneuma (pronounced: new-ma, as in
pneumatic tires!) means spirit. It’s
the third dimension of our being that holds the key to protecting our minds=
and,
in turn, facilitating healing in our bodies.
Sonja has a constant conversation=
in
her head that centers around these words, “Bill’s going to leav=
e,
just like Jerry did. I’=
m just
not enough for him. It’=
s not,
IF he’s going to cheat on me, but WHEN.”
Travis’ inner conversation =
rattles
away, “The boss doesn’t like me, that other guy is trying to
undermine me and get the promotion I want, and there’s nothing I can =
do
about it. I always lose! I’m a loser! I’m so bad it’s funny!=
Even
Christians don’t like me! Well, at least I can laugh about it. All those people have problems too=
. At least I’m real.”
Now to the pneuma factor. What if=
the
voices Sonja and Travis have been hearing in their heads all these years are
not their own? Since theyR=
17;ve heard
them for so long, even all their lives, they think these deceptive, negativ=
e,
destructive, self-abusive, deadly ideas are actually their own.
On the other hand, what if the th=
oughts
are coming into their minds through the suggestions of fallen, deceptive,
destructive spirit beings? The
Bible says, “We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but
against…the spiritual forces of evil…” (Ephesians 6:12
ESV)
Could it be that the destructive
thoughts we think are our own are actually those of spiritual beings to who=
m we
have given access into our thinking? The Bible says, “Yes!” =
and calls
them “familiar spirits”---spirits with whom we are so familiar =
we
have no idea that they are not us. <=
/span>
And sadly, their “lying,
stealing, and deadly” (john 10:10) suggestions are so
“familiar” (Leviticus 19:31) that even when we know they are ki=
lling
us we hang onto them because losing them would be like losing an old “=
;familiar”
friend or family member. So we hang onto them for dear life (or death)!
This spirit-soul-body connection =
is
clearly stated in the Bible where
Let’s begin to think about =
the
connections of all three parts of our beings: spirit (Greek=3Dpneuma) and s=
oul
(Greek=3Dpsyche) and body (Greek=3Dsoma).&=
nbsp;
Let’s begin to understand that as we recognize and repent of r=
oot
issues, and then renounce and their partnering spirits such as fear,
bitterness, self-loathing, and jealousy we will also bring peace and health to our bodies.
Let’s begin to discern the
“spiritual forces of evil” (Ephesians 6:12) who have sidled up =
alongside
our own thinking and taken it as their own. Let’s learn to take authorit=
y over
them and, with the authority of Jesus’ name, name them, bind them and=
cast
them out of our earthly temple (or body, see 1 Corinthians 6:19).
To Your Health, Pastor John!
John Parker helps to facilitate a=
bundant
life along with