Who Are You?

1 Identity Crisis

The body is our temple that houses all that pertains to us as spirit beings. Our soul, our thoughts, our organs, and everything else that we are. Exercising the body (temple) allows us to stay fresh and rejuvenated as it helps to relieve the stressors that tend to weigh us down. The body is just as important as the spirit and soul because without a healthy "house", everything that we desire to do cannot be done effectively. The stress that life brings could cause wear and tear in multiple areas such as the mind and organs. I like to think of consistent exercise as a compliment not just to the body, but mind and spirit. Have you ever enjoyed a good run at the gym or on a trail? Although it does not feel the best while you are doing it, afterwards you feel great. I encourage you to take care of the body the best way you can. It's not realistic to become a bodybuilder or triathlete out of the blue, but try to get at least 30 minutes of physical activity every other day coupled with nutritious eating habits. Doing so will allow you to remain in shape so that all of you can walk in your purpose effectively.

"Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding." –Proverbs 4:7

Whenever we read with our physical eyes (the body), the information goes into our mind (soul) and is finally transmitted to our spirit man. This is why reading and comprehension is so very important. If you are simply reading this book without comprehension, then it would be a pointless waste of time. It is one thing to read, but it's another thing to understand what you read because understanding leads to belief. Belief agrees with our Faith and our Faith is found in our Spirit man. So if we were to read a powerful quote and begin to act on it, we have done something so extraordinary simply because our Spirit receives the message and we are therefore encouraged to do that which we have read. As a result, our faith is strengthened and we are able to exercise it more when we act on that which we have read with understanding. Faith is a crucial factor in this life and without it we could not accomplish all that we want to do. So seeing that faith is housed in our spirit, when it is strengthened it will transfer that know-without-a-doubt attitude to the mind (soul).

Meditation and Prayer

Something powerful happens when we take the time to meditate and pray. Meditation is the ability to shut off all of life's "noise" that continuously rings both internally and externally. I often times pray and meditate early in the mornings before listening to any radio, watching any television, or speaking with anyone about anything. The early morning is when our spirit man is most charged and in tune with life. At this point the mind and body has had the chance to rest before any occurrence the day may bring. Prayer is the intimate form of communication that the creation can have with the Creator. I like to enter into prayer with thanksgiving for both what has been done, what currently is, and what is to come. I then ask God for help in any area that is concerning me. Lastly, I ask Him for answers to complex questions or what I should do about a particular problem. Meditation follows after my prayer time as I am able to listen to what He has to say to me (or my Spirit). Sometimes I open the Bible or a book to gain insight on a particular subject. What I have noticed is that God may drop the answer to my prayer while I'm doing something completely random like washing my hands or performing a task while at work. It simply amazes me how His answers may not necessarily come when I think it should, but are always on time when I least expect it.

Spirit vs. Flesh (soul)

It is necessary to compare and contrast the spirit and the flesh. To walk in the spirit realm means to literally live, flow, and function in the 'invisible' things that were given to us freely. Things such as love, faith, integrity, peace, humility, etc. To walk in the flesh means to live, flow, and function through our reactionary and impulsive triggers. Those things could include fear of what we see, read, hear, think, etc. The Word of God tells us that God is a Spirit and they who worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in Truth. The main reason why many of us don't understand who He is or what He is trying to say to us, is because we don't understand this truth. Although He has the ability to do anything but lie, God does not speak to us the way we speak to each other. This is why it is critically important for us (our spirits) to be in line with Him (His Spirit). The way we do this is by reading the Bible or other inspirational material that expounds on His goodness/creation, meditating, fasting, praying and reflecting on His goodness throughout the years. Doing these things allows you to walk in the spirit and not in the flesh. Truth be told, we live in the soulish realm here on Earth so there will always be temptation ever-present around us. We may have the temptation to steal something that doesn't belong to us or lie to someone to get what we want. We also may have a desire to be intimate with someone other than our spouse or spread mean, malicious rumors about people for the sake of making ourselves feel better. The list could go on and on. The reason why we have the desire to do the things that we should not is because we don't fully comprehend that what we are really searching for is a solution to fill a void, or hole, within the soul. The only thing that can fill that void is God – not things.