
This morning I awoke thanking God for helping me overcome both depression and anxiety. Both were very dark and painful journeys. Both completely different yet coming from the same nature. The enemy. The one who comes seeking anyone he can devour. Interestingly enough, we are all prey to him, no matter how strong we think we are emotionally, physically, or spiritually. Jesus was tempted by this darkness often. This is how we know both that he is already defeated and that we can also overcome. Jesus has overcome the enemy, but that doesn't mean that the enemy will take it without a fight against the best thing that God created. His children.
First, let's take a look at our DNA a little bit through spirtual eyes. You are made up of a Spirit, a Soul and a Body. Being in the image of God, we are also 3 in 1.
1) Your Spirit: This is your God Whole. This is absolutely completely God in you...everything He has, you have... Your unlimited supply of all of God...lacking nothing. It was planted in you even before your conception. God knew you BEFORE you were in your mothers womb and he planted HIS SEED in you...a seed that lies dormant until you apply faith and obedience and that seed begins to grow...just like a fertile garden...that seed will grow from a dormant seed to a full grown mustard tree, full of everything it needs for blessing others.
2) Your Soul: This is what I call your freewill zone. This is the place that you are allowed to be tempted. This is the place where your emotions, which God made, can either be in perfect balance or perfectly out of whack. This is the place that your mind can wander into a million different worries, thoughts, anxieties. This is the devils playground, because this is where the devil is allowed to influence you, in order that you should have the freewill to choose. Without this part of you....God would not be God...he would be a Psychopathic Control Freak...like the enemy...but you...were created with the ability to choose, not be controlled and it is very evident in this part of your nature.
3) Your Body: This is the part of you that your Spirit and Soul reside in. It is also the part of you that has tools to do either the kingdom's work, or the enemies. You have been given a tool, which is your body, to fufill the worlds toil. You can be the hands to help, the voice to share God's word, the eyes to see His glory, the mind to solve needs, the ears to hear the needs, the feet to carry you to the needy.
I personally am an encourager, a writer, a compassionate heart that wants to reach out and lift up. But I also have a very melancholic nature that does a lot of deep thinking and if I'm not very careful, which many times I am not, I sink into that darkness and allow the enemy to play in my playground for a time. Once he's there, having fun with all my emotions, thoughts and fears, it takes a lot of time to force him to leave...unless of course I go directly to Christ. Christ makes him go without even allowing him to speak. It's incredible. No struggle, no torment, nothing...He just says the word, and the tempter has to leave. And to think...all you have to do is ask for the Holy Spirit to live in you and start growing that God seed that's already planted, and the enemy begins to loose ground, until finally, you understand, that the enemy is already a defeated foe and you were created to be victorious.
Blessings!
Ang