Soul Maintenance ~ Part 3

Soul Maintenance ~ Part 3

By Pastor Gary Wayne

We were created by God with a body, a soul, and a spirit.
Our soul is that inward part of us where our mind, will and emotions reside.
That is where our personality comes from. Our memories and our feelings.
Our souls need a checkup, let’s spend some time on the topic of soul maintenance.
3Jo 1:2 “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.” God wants your “soul” to prosper, to thrive!

Ps 23 “The LORD is my shepherd; …. He restores my soul…”
Eph 3:16-17 “…that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith…”

Text: Luke 4:14-21
I want you to notice the inner healing Jesus said He was to do. Not just the outside physical, but to heal the brokenhearted, to set at liberty those who are oppressed.
Much of this healing has to do with the wounds of my soul.

One of my favorite Christmas scriptures is: Mt 4:16 “The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, And upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death Light has dawned."

I want to pray about 3 different types of memories that can cause me problems.
1. Painful memories I have of traumatic events I know cause me problems.

2. Memories I have where I did wrong things, sometimes on purpose, that I am ashamed I did – I have asked God to forgive me, but too often those memories of my actions bring me shame and identity.

3. Implicit memories I don’t realize are causing me problems.

This morning I want to invite Jesus into those memories.
For the first two memory types, I intentionally recall various details about those events and then ask Jesus to step into the middle of the event and I ask Him for healing. This isn’t a formula, but a principal I use to invite Jesus into my memories.

1. Painful memories of traumatic events. (You don’t have to, but I like to close my eyes.)
Lord I give everyone and everything to You God. (Repeat.)
Jesus I ask You to restore my soul.
I give You my memory and recall, my understanding and imagination. I consecrate to You, Lord, my interpretation of events in my life.
Bring healing - wholeness – “sozo” to my body, my soul and my spirit.
Jesus I invite you to come into the middle of my memories.

When you settle on a specific memory, try and identify the main feeling and invite Jesus into the memory.
Give Jesus permission to go anywhere He knows needs healing.
What is the main feelings attached to this part of the memory?
Lets ask Jesus to heal that part of my heart / soul / memory.
Jesus I ask You to heal that part of me that has been damaged. Restore my soul.
[This is a place to use faith based imagination.]
In your mind’s eye, What do you see Jesus doing?
Is He holding you? Is He placing His hands on those painful areas?
If things just seem blank, ask Holy Spirit to open my eyes to what Jesus wants to do.
If I don't see Jesus doing anything - ask "Can you imagine Jesus speaking healing into you? Can You imagine Jesus laying His hand on you? Arms around you?
Can you imagine Jesus saying He did not want you to be betrayed / abandoned / abused? What happened was wrong and brought pain that He wants to heal?

Are there people I should forgive, but my heart doesn’t want to?
Jesus I forgive ______. I simply give my will to obey what You ask.

2. Memories I have where I did wrong things.
Most likely, you have already asked God to forgive and cleanse you. AND HE HAS!
If not, just ask – say: God forgive me for ____.

But even though I have been forgiven, and the Bible says God NEVER sees me in light of those wrong choices, I see me in that light – our enemy, the accuser steps in and reminds me of what I have done. Shame, disappointment, wrong identity can be attached to those painful memories.
Jesus I invite you to come into the middle of my memory.
Heal my heart, my memories. Remove any shame, disappointment I carry.
Remove wrong identity my heart holds onto.

Are there people I should forgive, but my heart doesn’t want to?
Jesus I forgive myself.
Holy Spirit, what lie has my heart believed?
Become aggressive with renewing your mind with God’s word, His identity.
We are not our temptations, or the wrong things I have done.
Find scripture that pertains to those areas and “renew your mind” with God’s Word.

3. Implicit memories.
Jesus I invite you to come into the middle of my memories. Are there memories that are creating problems in my life that have been buried that You want to deal with?

Questions I ask the Holy Spirit: Where is this coming from?
What lie has my heart believed?
Do I have bitter root expectations?

Are there people I need to forgive, but I have repressed those memories?