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Friday September 23, 2016

 

Nobody is happy. All you have to do to discover this is to turn on the news and you will see that from the extreme right to the extreme left, nobody is happy. Speak to every day people and you will find out that there is a lot of discontentment, depression, anger, fear, and all sorts of harmful emotions. What makes matters worst is that people who call themselves Christians are attending church with these same negative emotions and have no peace of mind. How is this possible? How is it that the people charged with being the role models of contentment, happiness, security, and everything positive, find themselves inundated by harmful emotions?

 

James 1:21-22 NKJ

Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

 

The soul, when James refers to it, is that place where all of our emotions and feelings reside. When you are feeling positive emotions such as joy, peace, and happiness, these take place in the soul. Likewise, when you feel negative emotions such as fear, unhappiness, jealousy, and envy, these emotions also happen in the soul. Far too many people, believers and unbelievers alike, are full of harmful emotions. James, speaking to those of us who call ourselves believers, admonishes us to receive with meekness the word that was implanted in us if we want to get rid of all the negative emotions that are overwhelming our souls.

 

When James speaks about “salvation of the soul”, he is not referring to heaven and hell. He us using language that speaks about the practical and daily salvation of our souls. He is simply stating that the reason why we are full of negative emotions is that we have not fully received God’s word. While it is true that we may know Bible and may even agree with him, it is not until we actually apply the word that its potential to save us on the inside, despite what is happening on the outside is activated.

 

The reason many Christians find themselves fighting negative feelings lodged within their souls, is due to the fact, that although they changed what they believe, they have not become meek enough to allow what they believe to change how the behave.