THOUGHTS OF THE HEART
The Scriptures talk about the thoughts of people that lurk in the depths of the human souls: “A motive in the human heart is like deep water, and a person who has understanding draws it out.” Proverbs 20:5. We often hear of peoples’ desires to change, but change doesn’t happen. Along with that, the Scriptures confirm that if we do not change, we cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. I believe that a person can change, and his soul as well. Having an internal dialogue with your soul may be very useful in order to scoop those deep waters to which the Scripture refers to. Each person has a soul and every soul has a lot of problems. These problems must be resolved if we want to achieve our goal to enter the Kingdom of God. People have two layers: the outer layer that is visible to all; the inner layer that is the deep waters. It is hidden inside a person so deep, that even that person might not completely realize what lies inside of him. How do we perceive our soul? Some people aren’t aware of it at all; while others care for it so seriously that they carry on a conversation with it, and thus have much influence on it. King David spoke to his soul: “so that my soul may praise you with music and not be silent… My soul will boast about the Lord… My soul will find joy in the Lord and be joyful about his salvation…. Why are you discouraged, my soul? Why are you so restless? Put your hope in God, because I will still praise him. He is my savior and my God… Praise the Lord, my soul! Praise his holy name, all that is within me.… Praise the Lord, my soul, and never forget all the good he has done… Be at peace again, my soul… (Psalms)
If a person cannot see their problem, then it will never be resolved. How many problems are there in a person’s soul? A few? Dozens? hundreds? Often, a person sees his main problem and it takes all of his attention to it. But when the main problem is solved, then dozens of others open up and etc. More than often, a person cannot deal with his problems alone, and needs someone who can help him. Who can this person be; who can take on the role of counselor? The one who does not have problems in his life? Or the one who has learned to overcome them? I think both: the first one, because he lived his life and avoided serious problems; the second one, because he gained experience in taming his own soul. There is a saying that says: Who has never tasted bitter, knows not what is sweet. The person who went through the trials might be more useful in giving help, as he was able to learn about himself, and to see himself in true light and gain victory. In order to gain victory, a person must see the true state of his soul, penetrate into these deep waters, and only then he can get rid of it.
And that is what the Scriptures say: a wise person draws out those deep waters. Many believers, attending their congregation, praying to the Lord, still do not have peace in their hearts. They don’t have peace even with themselves. Why not? They don’t examine their souls and don’t want to solve the existing problems. They say: let everything remain as it is, I don’t want to deal with these problems. It is as according to this principle: A bad compromise is better than a good lawsuit. This kind of attitude leads to a worsening mental state of the person and as a result of it, he can explode. This attitude can lead a person into a deep depression. They begin to lose all ability to resist certain circumstances, and even their appearance can say a lot about their state of mind: their dark eyes with heavy eyelids, the corners of their lips begin to sag and this is not because of old age but because of having the wrong position in life. A person, who lives a life of victory, has a radiant face, his soul sings and his spirit prevails in all aspects of his life. If you tame your soul, making it obedient to the will of God, then you can achieve a lot. If you neglect your soul, then very soon you will exhaust all your resources and will not be able to go the way of God any more. You will just not have the energy to do so.
The spirit of a person is never silent; it is always speaking to you, saying: listen to me, you have a problem, you need to solve it, focus on your soul, or else there may be a tragedy. When a person ignores these warnings signs, as a result, his soul will become very aggressive. The person might begin arguments with his closest and dearest people, or a slam the door on a good job, or start using drugs, start drinking, or could drown in sexual sin, or enter into a rebellion stage, and start judging, slandering, gossiping, playing off people, making them go against each other and will not be able to stop, until it finally destroys himself. The dangerous negative effects on a person come from the environment that surrounds him. The person is constantly under the pressure of too much overwhelming negative information. And often, because of his inability to control his soul, he becomes a hostage of the desires of his own soul. He is not free. He is a slave. Radio, television, internet, all kinds of advertising, communication with the wrong people might be the negative environment.
Trying to oppose restrictions in communication with the wrong people they often say: Well, we are just talking, nothing more. But what do people do when they communicate with each other? They do not simply talk to each other; they share their own views of life. A musician does not just compose music, a singer does not just sing a song, a director on television does not just lists the facts, an artist does not just paint a picture, everyone tells their own story, their message, their sermon. And this message is addressed to the souls of others, whether we like it or not. Some say, oh it’s not like I actually listen to what is said on TV, I just carry on with my own business. But in fact that is not how it works, even if you didn’t listen completely, still, this information gets into your subconscious and affects your soul. When you speak with wrong people, their words, even if you disagree with them, still remain in your subconscious mind and affects your soul. Figuratively speaking, all this negative information builds an invisible track, on which your soul rolls down.
Here is an example: you wake up in the morning with a good mood, turned on the radio and heard some kind of music and, without noticing it, your mood has been spoiled; suddenly you feel overwhelmed, and then the rest of the day was not the greatest it could have been. Perhaps you did not even think to associate that song you heard with the bad day. What happened? You accepted the message, which had a detrimental effect, but your mind did not even notice this source of trouble. It is good to be wise on time. This means that you have to train yourself to respond to the message immediately and filter it. We often complain about past events and say: oh, if I could take back that moment, than I could have…
Why did not we react immediately? Because we are not trained this way. If the level of awareness in a situation is sufficiently high, then the person can think wisely on time. Scriptures say that we must captivate every thought to the obedience of the Messiah. When we receive a message and immediately filter it through the Word, and in the case of an inconsistent doctrine of the Messiah, you toss it away. If you start to do this, your reaction will be just fulminant. And negative messages will not be able to influence your subconscious mind.
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