There is a battle brewing and it’s been brewing for quite some time. Have you ever wondered why this is so?
Before I start on that point, I did a little bit of research first. I typed in the following statement, “the definition of a human soul”. According to the AI Overview, it stated that, “A human soul is the immaterial essence, spiritual principle, or animating life-force of an individual person.” It goes on to separate this definition into headings and then further describes a soul in general and philosophical definitions like: Essence of Life; Mind and Will; and Platonic View. In addition, it describes our souls in Religious and Theological Views, such as: Christianity and Judaism; Eastern Traditions; and Science.
Then another question came up and was asked in AI, “What is a human soul according to the Bible?”. The AI Overview answers with the following, “According to the Bible, a human soul is the entire living person, formed from when a physical body receives the breath of life from God.” Then that information is expanded on from there and you can go and do a whole lot of research if you choose to learn more about the subject.
My point to all of this information about our souls though comes back to my original question, which is… why is there such an epic battle brewing for our souls? I have some thoughts on that.
I believe that it all comes down to a battle of good versus evil or if, you will, a battle of God (all that is good, right and holy) versus the Devil (all that is dark, evil and unholy). You see, our God wants us to live with Him when our time on Earth is done; on the flip side, the Devil is fighting against that with everything that he has. Our earthly bodies will go away but the essence of who we are (our souls) will go somewhere when our body dies. The choices that we have are either Heaven or Hell. Guess what? The time to make that particular decision is now while you have the chance.
This leads me to another point, I once saw a video on YouTube with a preacher or a speaker who was holding a very long rope that went off to the side. On the end that he was holding was a section of perhaps only a foot or so that was painted red. The man stated something like the following: “This rope represents you and your soul. This red “short” part is what represents your time on Earth. What you do during your time on Earth depends on where your soul goes after.” I liked that representation because it shows us visually and is a reminder that we only have a very, very, VERY short time on Earth to decide where we would like our soul to go in the afterlife.
So, my question is very simple, do you want to go to Heaven and be with God where there is light and love or would you rather spend an eternity burning in Hell? The choices that you make during this short time needs to be thought through very carefully. Not everybody gets a second chance to change their ways. I do believe that our God will show you where you are going if you ask. However, only do so if you are prepared to understand how you got to that point in the first place. Remember also that our God gives us free will. Your choice of going to Heaven or Hell is based on the choices that you decided to make while you were here on Earth and understand that He’s just honoring those choices. The power to change your ways is within you and I sure can tell you where I would rather be. (Related post: For the Love of Our Soul)
What did I learn from this? This topic has made me think very hard about what I am doing now on Earth and what I want to continue to do as I get older. It also has made me consider what I’ve done in the past that I cannot go back and have a “do-over”, if you will. Those lessons are why I write this blog. I am continuing to learn about grace, forgiveness (of myself as well as of and for others), loving my neighbor and loving our God. I am learning that my growth isn’t done as long as I am able to wake up each and every day until I take my last breath. (Related post: My dad always said that “You can’t woulda, shoulda, coulda…..”)
So, what can you gain from this? As a people, we need to always consider how what we do affect others as well as ourselves. Is that easy? No, of course not! If it was easy, we wouldn’t need to be constantly reminded about it, would we?
The point that I want to make here is that we always have choices in this life. Yes, there are things that we cannot control like weather and storms and conflicts (and the lists go on). We certainly cannot control what other people do but we can control our own thoughts and feelings and emotions. Look within and really think about why you do what you do then vow to change your storyline. Who knows, perhaps you will turn that page and find a happier you to share with the world. (Related posts: Jehovah Rapha-Name of God)
A Joyful Mission 