Our Spirit

Praying to edify our Soul

Beloved Brethren & Friends. I pray the gathering of the following Scriptures will be a blessing in your life. As I know it is possible that some new reader will read these lines; If you have never given your life to Christ, just take a minute and ask Jesus to be Lord of your life, confess Him as such, knowing that He was actually risen from the death, & then, receive eternal life and learn to be led by His Holy Spirit. Rom 10:9-10

Jesus said... Jn 4:24 God is a Spirit, and they who worship Him must worship in Spirit and in Truth.

So we know God is a Spirit but, all those who have accepted Jesus as Lord & savior, who have been born again, also have received a new Spirit within. Jn 3:5- Jesus answered: Truly, truly, I say to you; unless a man is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, you must be born again.

So, when we come to God through Jesus: "We are born again of & in the Spirit" our physical body remains the same & it is our Spirit who is reborn.

The apostle Paul taught... 1Thes 5:23 may the God of peace Himself sanctify you, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blamelessly at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I am just showing from the Bible, that we Children of God, have a Spirit, a Soul & a Body, mainly because there are Christian circles that teach: the Spirit & the Soul are the same thing. If that is the case then why would Paul say that your whole SPIRIT and SOUL and BODY be preserved blamelessly? The Epistle to the Hebrews reads... Heb 4:12 For the Word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing apart of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

If the Spirit & the Soul were the same thing, how could the Word of God divide one from the other? This knowledge is very important in our walk with the Lord.

Let's see... Our "Physical Body" is the physical vehicle where our Soul and our Spirit reside; with our body we perceive the physical world that surrounds us, through our 5 senses: sight, hearing, touch, smell, and the palate. Now our soul is our intellect, our physical mind, which processes the information that the brain receives from our 5 senses.

Our physical mind, once the information it receives from our senses has been processed, gives rise to our moods: thirst, hunger, heat, cold, feelings that can make us happy, sad, mad, etc. Do you understand me?

For example: You are breathing right now, & your body does that on its own as almost all other physical activities, but if in your mind, you decide to stop breathing for a few seconds, you could, or decide to take a few deep breaths, you could too & your body will do as commanded by your brain. So most of the time, our soul, takes the decisions of what we will do with our body, whatever physical activities to get into, and most of the time people make those decisions with their mind. We can easily distinguish people who discipline their lives more than others, right? If we were to let our bodies lead us, we will never be on time, we would overeat, over drink, over sleep, rest, watch TV, waste time, etc. But those who discipline their lives get more done than others, right?

I am going to talk about learning to make decisions with our Spirit and not with the Soul.

We know that when we are born of the Spirit, the Spirit of God moves into the heart of our being.

1Co 3:16 Do you not know that you are a temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 6:19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit in you, whom you have of God? Eph 3:16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man;

Then, the Spirit of God moves within us together with our new Spirit, He strengthens our Spirit, the inner man, which is born of God, born of the Seed of God ... And it is that Spirit of ours that perceives the spiritual world that surrounds us. Just as the physical body perceives the physical kingdom, our Spirit is the one who perceives the spiritual world and what concerns the Spirit and God and his Word, because God is a Spirit and his Word is spiritual.

1Co 2:12-16 But we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit from God, so that we might know the things that are freely given to us by God. (Freely... Beautiful) These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man (the body of the man & his soul) does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned (spiritually discerned, by our Spirit). But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is judged by no one. For who has known the mind of the Lord, that He may instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.

Gal 3:29 And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise.

The man's body and his soul do not perceive the things of the Spirit of God, because they are madness for him; and he cannot know them either, because they are spiritually discerned (spiritually discerned, by our Spirit). But he who is spiritual judges all things, but he himself is not judged by anyone. For who has known the mind of the Lord, to instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

Rom 8:16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our Spirit that we are the Children of God. (See, the Spirit of God himself & our Spirit bear witness together).

When we carefully read Romans chapter 8, we see the difference, between what the apostle Paul calls "our flesh" which is our physical body, and our carnal mind (which is our soul) & then he points to our Spirit. Rom 8:9-14 But you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone has not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His. And if Christ is in you, indeed the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is alive because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of the One who raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the One who raised up Christ from the dead shall also make your mortal bodies alive by His Spirit who dwells in you. Therefore, brothers, we are not debtors to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh, you shall die; But if you through the Spirit mortify the deeds of the body, you shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

One of the main thing we can gather from the last passage is, if Christ is in us, we walk guided by the Spirit of God, the Spirit of God in us, will guide us towards the things of the Spirit, and we can then overcome the inclinations of the flesh, precisely because it is his Spirit who guides us, that is a sign that we are Sons of God.

1Pe 1:22-23 Purifying your souls in the obedience of the truth through the Spirit to unfeigned love of the brothers, love one another fervently out of a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, through the living Word of God, and abiding forever.

If you ponder these passages, you can see that the apostle Peter talks about purifying the soul through the Spirit. If you think a bit our Spirits being born of incorruptible seed, through the living Word of God, our Spirits don't need to be purified because they are born from God, our souls on the other hand, do need transformation... Jas 1:21 Therefore putting aside all filthiness and overflowing of evil, receive in meekness the implanted Word, which is able to save your souls. Remember Jesus said: That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit, the Spirit that is born again from God, is not impure, but holy.

But then our soul needs to be renewed... Rom 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, pleasing to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, in order to prove by you what is that good and pleasing and perfect will of God. = Present your bodies in holiness & renew your mind = soul. It doesn't say renew your Spirit, because our Spirit comes from God, but it says renew your mind. Now, as a Child of God, doesn't sometimes your mind push you to do something, but you have a feeling within you that says, no: don't do that, or sometimes a feeling within that says: do this! Well that feeling inside is the Spirit within. Many times our mind, if it hasn't been renewed with the Word of God will always argue against the move of the Spirit, & many times even bring Scriptures to deviate us from the straight & narrow road that leads to a higher level, where God wants us to move to.

In other words; the job of renewing our minds is up to us, God will not do it for us. We have to do it ourselves; if we don't renew our minds we will remain spiritual babes. See what I mean... the epistle to the Hebrews reads... Heb 5:12-14For indeed because of the time, you ought to be teachers, you have need that one teach you again what are the first principles of the oracles of God. And you have become in need of milk, and not of solid food. For everyone partaking of milk is unskillful in the Word of Righteousness, for he is an infant. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, even those who because of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

See, they had been Christians long enough to be “Teachers”, nevertheless yet they were still infants... Why? Because of not putting into actions the Word they were hearing, their senses were not exercised to discern both good and evil.

Jesus said... Jn 4:34... My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work. In other words: doing what God told him to do was his spiritual nourishment, obviously not his physical food.

That's why James wrote... Jam 1:22-25 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror; For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

Nowadays we see many people going to gyms to do what? To strengthen their physical bodies; what do they do? well they have a good, healthy diet, good rest & then continual exercise to develop a good strong & good looking body; activities that help them to feel happier, more accomplished and better looking.

So to strengthen our Spirits we need...

1) A good diet of the Word of God, everyday. You know you have to digest the food you eat in order for it to be of benefit for your body, right? How do we digest the Word of God we eat, in order for it to benefit us... Well, meditate upon it & memorize it & quote it to yourselves & to those around you! If you don't put the Word of God first in your life, you will never get to where God wants you to get & be fully used by Him, first than your own desires, family, work, problems, fears whatever; 1Pe 2:2 desire the sincere milk of the Word, as newborn babes, so that you may grow by it;

Jesus said… Mat 4:4 "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God." Jn 6:63 It is the Spirit that makes alive, the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are Spirit and are life.

So if you read in the Bible that we are to love everyone around us, to forgive those who wronged us, that we are to pray without ceasing, to stay away from ungodly things, to witness & to pray for those around us, etc., & we don't do it, that will be a detriment to our spiritual growth.

It is very important for us to realize that if we are going to obey what God is asking us to do, we have to keep in close fellowship with Him, then we can rest on Him & simple see Him operate through us. We are not capable of obeying God on our own. Then it will be Him doing the work & not us. Otherwise we will get frustrated & get nowhere. Jn 15:4-5 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it remains in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the Vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

Guess why most Christians attend churches for years & remain spiritual children all their lives? Well, because their pastors are feeding them the wrong spiritual meals, for which those pastors will have to respond to God, & also because they spend most of their preaching in scolding their congregation for their sins instead of helping them realize that they have already been forgiven & that God will work through them if they would just let Him, by yielding their wills to Him.

I recommend: Do not to depend only on what pastors, ministers, leaders, etc., are teaching you, go to the Bible on your own & be nourished from the Word of God by yourself!

You have got the greatest Teacher you could possibly have within you... 1Jn 2:27 But the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as His anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true and no lie, and as He has taught you, abide in Him. You have got the Holy Spirit within you... Jn 16:13 However, when He, the Spirit of Truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth. For He shall not speak of Himself, but whatever He hears, He shall speak. And He will announce to you things to come.

So, get to work on your own & feed yourself. Of course, if you know of a Church where members love each other & that is full of Jesus, the power of the Spirit, & that lets the Word of God be the final authority, then join them, work with them & grow together with them in the Faith, nevertheless, do what you can to get close to God yourself. God will meet you... Jas 4:8 Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.

2) Pray in the Spirit... Remember... God is a Spirit, and they who worship Him must worship in Spirit and in Truth. So God wants you to worship Him in the Spirit. Remember, our physical body senses respond to the physical world around us, but it is our Spirit, who reaches out into the Spiritual Realm & interacts with it. You cannot worship God with your mind, for Jesus said to do it with your Spirit, & this is done in prayer & worship before God in the Spirit.

Jude 1:20-21 But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, eagerly awaiting the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to everlasting life. What...? Building yourselves up... how?.. praying in the Holy Spirit, & how do we do that?

Paul wrote... Eph 6:18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching to this very thing with all perseverance and supplication for all saints. (What? Praying in the Spirit! & how do we do that?) Jesus prophesied that those who would believe in Him by the preaching of the disciples would speak in tongues.

Mar 16:15-18 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believes and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believes not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

It can be said that the Apostle Paul was and continues to be one of the most fruitful apostles of all time, not only for his great missionary work but for his writings that occupy at least 30% of the New Testament, and to this day his letters continue to be the most widely read books in the whole world, more than any of the contemporary books in history. Paul asserted that he spoke in Tongues more than all the Corinthian brothers put together.

This is some of what he taught about “Praying in the Spirit”…

1Co 14:18 I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than you all:

This letter was written to the Corinthians who were known in between other things by their many spiritual gifts like “speaking in tongues”. This helps us see Paul was a great practitioner of this gift. Most surely one of the gifts which helped him to accomplish so much for the Lord as he did; He explains...

1Co 14:2 For he that speaks in an unknown tongue speaks not to men, but to God: for no man understands him; howbeit in the Spirit he speaks mysteries... 4 The one who speaks in a tongue edifies himself up...

1Co 14:13-14 So then he speaking in a language, let him pray that he may interpret. For if I pray in a tongue, my Spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. 15 What is it then? I will pray with the Spirit (pray in tongues), and I will also pray with the mind; I will sing with the Spirit (sing in tongues), and I will also sing with the mind.

In other words, when we pray in tongues, it is to God that we are speaking. But the important lesson here is that we are not only speaking mysteries, but we are also edifying ourselves.

Paul continues to teach that if we are going to speak or minister to the congregation, we should not do so in tongues, unless we can interpret them or there is an interpreter of our tongues so that the brothers can also be edified and not be left without understanding. So he makes it clear that when we are going to speak or preach to the congregation, we must speak clearly so that everyone can be edified. The main point is to make sure that everyone is edified and that everyone can say amen to our words and prayers, that is, if they agree, because they understand what we preach or teach.

1Co 14:19 yet in a church I desire to speak five words with my mind, so that I might also teach others, than ten thousand words in a tongue.

Now when we pray in tongues, whether in the privacy of our room, or alone with the Lord, it is God to whom we are speaking. The important thing here is that we are not only talking about mysteries, but we are also edifying ourselves. If the apostle Paul did not pray in tongues when he preached in churches, he most certainly did when he prayed alone with God, and that is how I think he prayed in tongues more than all the Corinthians.

This is what he's talking about in Rom 8 Rom 8:26-27 Likewise the Spirit also helps our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And He that searches the hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. We know we are the Temple of the Holy Spirit 1Co 6:19... know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you.

Therefore it is the Spirit in us who makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered, in other words: tongues, according to the will of God.

There are some denominations that argue that the one who prays with unspeakable groans is Jesus himself without our intervention, or that it is the Holy Spirit before the Father, and that this has nothing to do with us and much less in tongues. I think that everything that passes through the mind of the Holy Spirit is already in the mind of God, and the same in the case of Jesus, why would God have to speak to himself with unspeakable groans? Whereas the fact that God wants us to be the ones to engage in spiritual battle through prayer, then our Spirits born from the very seed of God are moved to fight in prayer with intensity and fervor, and many times tongues put our human intellect aside.

This is one of the most important ways in which we edify ourselves in our walk with the Lord. Remember: if I pray in an unknown tongue, my Spirit prays & those who speak in tongues edify themselves up. Those who lack this gift of speaking in tongues can pray & ask the Lord for this gift, which would help them edify their souls in more powerful ways. 1Co 6:17 But he that is joined unto the Lord is one Spirit.

Now someone could argue: Why pray in tongues if I don't understand what I am praying for? The reason is because we put ourselves utterly in the Hands of God & allow his Spirit to pray for whatever we may need according to the will of God. And most surely the Spirit doesn't forget anyone, or any issue we're supposed to pray for & knows exactly what to ask for.

What true Son/Daughter of God does not want to allow God to choose those things that He really wants for us? This way also, our carnal mind is forced out of the picture & it cannot interfere with its selfish motives as it does at times, praying for what it wants & not what we truly need, as we sometimes forget we need to die to ourselves every day. In tongues we could be asking: Heavenly Father, help me give my income this month to the missions & trust You for my well being. See what I mean?

The Lord blessed me with the gift of tongues shortly after I got saved, I was 19 years old. For me it has been a tremendous blessing, as it has helped me out in my everyday walk in my pilgrimage on this earth. Especially at times when I don't know what would the best thing be, I pray in tongues & trust that the Spirit knows what I need best. I pray for all my loved ones, my friends, situations, etc., in tongues & I pray with my understanding also. Throughout my most difficult times, praying in tongues has been one of my greatest weapons to help me overcome. It truly is beautiful when we can praise the Lord & pray in tongues, seeking the Lord with brethren who share in the faith with us also.

The many mistakes I have made throughout my life as a Son of God, have been for not obeying that inner voice of the Spirit of God within me telling me what to do. Sometimes I even argued against the Spirit using Scriptures, to justify doing what I wanted to do, rather that obeying God. So the Lord graciously allowed me to smash my face against the wall, a few times so that I would stop & then learned that only God's way works. At times it has taken me years to go back to where I was supposed to be. So friends, do it the easy way... Obey the Spirit within you!

I have met a few brethren who quote... 1Co 12:30 Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? Then they say. well, you see, not all speak in tongues. I ask them to read the context, for you will realize that Paul is talking about Ministries within the Church & not the gift of tongues as such… 12:28-30 And God set some in the church, firstly, apostles; secondly, prophets; thirdly, teachers, then works of power, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of power? Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak tongues? Do all interpret?

In other words the ministering in Tongues to the Congregation with interpretation is also an office within the Church.

But; Yes, I know that most Christians in the world do not speak in tongues. Now as I said, most Christians are spiritual children who do not put into practice what they read in the Bible. In the same way, could we say... because almost no one is going to preach the Gospel, neither will I? Brother... if you feel satisfied doing almost nothing or very little for the Lord. I wonder: how is your daily relationship with the Lord?

Jn 7:38-39 He who believes on Me, as the Scripture has said, "Out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water." (But He spoke this about the Spirit, which they who believed on Him should receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.)

See out of your belly, the Spirit within You... Hallelujah!!!

All disciples in the book of Acts spoke in Tongues, why shouldn't we. Read the Book of Acts carefully & use it as a guide.

Now in respect to spiritual gifts he exhorts us clearly. 1Co 14:1 Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy. (Hello... earnestly desire the spiritual gifts... ¿What for? For the edification of the “church” which is not a temple made with hands but God's temple made of living stones, you, the brethren & me for the glory of God.

How do we covet to prophesy & praying in tongues? Ask & you will receive, for every one that asks receives Luke 11:9-10.

I also want to bring up the fact that there are amazing Christians who don't have the gift of tongues, nevertheless the Spirit of the Lord manifests in them in beautiful different ways, & there are some who claim to have the gift of tongues & who are not as fruitful. So be led by the Spirit & let's do all for the Glory of God!!! Let's get ready... God is about to pour his Spirit upon his Children in powerful ways in these last days... Hallelujah! Don't drag your feet & stay behind, but be exited with joy, it is later than we think. Please let me know if this was a blessing to you.

Love in Jesus ... Alejandro

Please leave your comments & questions below; also if this reading has been a blessing to you, please don’t hesitate to share it with the world. We need to be a blessing to others today, tomorrow may be too late.  John 9:4 I must work the works of Him who sent Me, while it is day. Night comes when no man can work.
Also ask the Lord if He wants you to help with a donation to help us keep sharing the truth with the world. Every cent we give to spread the Gospel will have eternal rewards. There is a link to our Pay-Pal in our home page. Thank you... Blessings