Do we still receive from God or have we already received? • Deshen Daily

For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace (John 1:16, ESV)

Have you received from God as in John 1:16 above or do you still receive from God? Let me rephrase it using examples to drive home the point. Have you already received power from God or do you still receive power from God? Does God still give us anything? If no, then asking in prayer is useless. If yes, then does it mean the verses that say God has already given us all things are inaccurate? Do you see why these things are sometimes so confusing?

These questions and many other similar questions will become easy to answer when you understand that God made us, human beings, to be spirit, soul and body. Man is a mystery, a unity of spirit and flesh, a unity of spirit, soul and body. We are not just a spirit that merely lives in a body neither are we a body that is simply animated by a spirit. It is the understanding of the spirit and soul that will help us with the questions above.

The spirit is the person, that interacts with God and can have a completely spiritual existence by itself. But the man is more than a spirit. He is also a soul, meaning the SAME person that lives here on now on the earth. Your spirit has already received from God, so yes, we have already received from God: blessings, healing, protection, joy, etc. However, if you were merely a spirit, you would have been experiencing and living all of these things here and now. The problem is that God made us to dwell on the earth and the “person” that lives here is called the soul. Your feelings, thoughts, words, behavior, etc constitute the soul. God’s presence is full in your spirit but your soul, meaning the YOU that is living here can be full or empty of that presence. Your spirit already has healing, so yes, you WERE healed already. But having that healing in your mind or body NOW is a different story. So yes, you still receive healing from God, but in a different sense. We are not three persons in one, but one and the same person having a spirit, soul and body!

You are in God’s presence(spirit) but you can also get in and out of God’s presence(soul). If yo u have ever learn to practice God’s presence in continual fellowship, you will immediately recognize that you can get in and out of PRACTICAL FELLOWSHIP with God, which is the function of your soul. You are full of the power of God in your spirit and as bold as a lion but you could be as weak as a chicken here and now. Yes, you are blessed with financial prosperity already(spirit)but you could be as broke as you could ever be here and now. The examples continue. The present soul and body we have are still carrying the taints of the fall. When Jesus returns, the complete man will be perfectly what God designed us to be. There is will no apparent disparity between one part of us and another part.

But until then, God has commanded us to “renew the mind”. This simply means bring your soul to be what your spirit already is. It is wonderful to know God’s presence is in you. However, living practically in that presence is a completely different thing. Don’t just let these things be in your spirit and become a matter of fancy Christian talk. Pull them out of your spirit and make them a present-day reality here and now. Allow the Spirit to transform you by the renewing of the soul with the Word.

MEDITATE

Can you see yourself in the spirit, how loaded you are with spiritual blessings? Compare that to the YOU that is living here and now!

APPLY THE WORD

Let this understanding of spirit, soul and body be ingrained in you. It will change your spiritual walk completely. This evening, we will be concluding the series on practical applications of this knowledge during our live Bible study. If you cannot make it live, ensure you watch the free recording!