“Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health just as your soul prospers” (3 John 2, NKJV).
To be successful in this life, in any area, we must have soul food, according to this Scripture. John is praying that we prosper in all things and be in health just as our soul prospers.
Your soul is made up of your mind or intellect, free will and emotions. As a child of God we are told to renew our minds: “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Rom. 12:2, NIV).
We are no longer to look to the world for answers. We are to look to God’s Word to give us the answers to the challenges of life. I love the book of Psalms; it shares life’s problems and also gives us insight into how to overcome them. But we have to seek His Word to find the answers. God is a good steward, and He plants the seed of His Word into a heart of good soil. A heart that is full of bitterness, hate and jealousy is not good ground.
Proverbs 4:20-23 tells us, “My son, pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to a man’s whole body” (NIV).
The seed of God’s Word has the power to deliver you from any addiction, hurt or heartache of the past. The addiction to drugs, food, porn, gambling, overspending or any other addiction all come from a wounded heart that has not been filled with soul food.
No matter what your life was before you met Jesus, He is the answer. God loves to take your past and recycle it into preparation for your future. “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jer. 29:11, NKJV).
When we look to the world we get caught up in bondage. We allow the world to influence our actions and find ourselves in debt, which causes guilt and condemnation. The world always has a “quick fix” if you are willing to pay the price. Often the price of addiction is not so much the financial debt incurred, but the emotional bankruptcy. The world’s method cannot touch the source of the pain that you are trying to cover with what the world has to offer.
Our deliverance comes when we fill up on soul food, God’s Word, and receive it with humility admitting our need of God. “Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you” (James 1:21, NIV).
Cultivate the soil of your heart so you can receive God’s Word. The Word enters through your soul and you must water it with rehearsing it over and over. Sing it, speak it and meditate on it until it becomes a part of you and automatically flows from your soul into your spirit and gives strength and health to your body.
How did Job persevere to find the end intended by the Lord? “I have treasured the words of His lips, more than my necessary food” (Job 23:12, NKJV).
God gave His only begotten Son for your life (John 3:16). He didn’t give His Son for a beaten, downtrodden vessel to hang on to the end. He is full of compassion and mercy and desires to give you a life of peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom. 14:17).
He has given you soul food to bring deliverance to your spirit, soul and body. Hear John’s prayer. He prays that you will prosper in all areas of your life and be in health as your soul prospers. Your battleground is your soul. Pray for strength to turn back the battle at the gate of your soul. You determine what will enter your mind, and it will definitely influence your life and your lifestyle.
We become partakers of His divine nature, escaping the corruption that is in the world through our knowledge of God (2 Peter 1:3-4, NIV). “My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge … ” (Hosea 4:6, NIV).
I can guarantee you that soul food will add spice to your life, bring deliverance from bondage and health to your bones. Taste and see that the Lord is good.
Joyce Tilney is the founder of Women of God Ministries, teaching women today from women of yesterday. She is author of Why Diets Don’t WorK—Food Is Not The Problem. To receive a free monthly newsletter with tips and inspiration, visit her website: whydiets.com. To learn about Women of God Ministries visit: wogministries.com to be encouraged in your daily walk with God.
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