Monday, April 15, 2013

Spirit Broken

We often hear the term “heartbroken” when it comes to our human process. In life, we’ll experience that condition. “The heart knoweth his own bitterness; and a stranger doth not intermeddle with his joy.” Proverbs 14:10 Death, divorce, breakups and loss are just a few situations which contribute to our heartbroken state of being. The heart, indeed, is frequently mentioned in scripture: “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” Proverbs 4:23 “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he...” Proverbs 23:7 “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Matthew 6:21; Luke 12:34 And God speaks to how He handles our hearts: “And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh:” Ezekiel 11:19 “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:7 “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9 We see, in fact, how Jesus is the ultimate expert in this domain: “The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.” Psalms 34:18 “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.” John 14:1 “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” John 14:27 But, I think we often get too focused on the heart, to the exclusion of the spirit. Perhaps, a reason we do this is because the spirit issue may seem more baffling than the heart. Its definition includes the following: “a life force of a person: the vital force that characterizes a human being as being alive. Important influence: somebody or something that is a divine, inspiring, or animating influence.” Is the spirit such a foreign concept? Is it a separate entity from the heart? Or, are the two one and the same? These aren’t easy questions to answer, but, perhaps, it’s might be a worthwhile question to ask: am I heartbroken or spirit-broken? The spirit is a powerful force. Scripture mentions its significance. First, it’s the ultimate witness of our “child of God” identity: “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.” Romans 8:16 “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” 1 Corinthians 6:20 And then it goes on to clue us into an aspect of God’s actual identity as well: “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” John 4:24 Likewise, once again, Jesus also factors into the spirit issue: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.” Luke 4:18-19 So, in our life issues, it would, indeed, serve us well to consider the connection between heart and spirit. Perhaps, we need to re-evaluate how we perceive our spirit’s needs. We are told, in scripture, we need to renew not just our minds (no brainer there), but also the spirit of them as well. “And be renewed in the spirit of your mind.” Ephesians 4:23 Indeed, it appears one cannot be affected without the other one. “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.” Psalms 51:17 And, that’s the good news. God knows, in full detail, each one of us: spirit, heart, mind, soul and body. Simply put: He knows what makes us tick. Therefore, whatever state we find ourselves in, even being heartbroken or spirit broken, He’s there, mending and loving us. Be comforted, then. Heart or Spirit-broken one! He’s loving, holding and ministering to you now!!! Copyright © 2013 by Sheryle Cruse

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