Every individual is unique; no two individuals share the same DNA, fingerprints, facial features or the sound of your voice. You are fearfully and wonderfully made; only God knows the numbers of hairs on your head and only He can tell you who you are. Though we share many differences and qualities unique only to ourselves, we do share the commonality of bearing the image of Christ. We are all spirit, soul and body. Scripture uses them interchangeably, though it differentiates between spirit and soul. Understanding their differences and distinctness is vital in your walk with Christ. Continue reading and you will find out why.

The Difference Between Soul and Spirit

The “soul” and “spirit” sometimes appear to be used interchangeably in Scripture (Gen. 41:8, and Ps. 42:6; John 12:27 and 13:21), because they both refer to the life-principle. Our “spirit” is the inner depth of our being, having its origin in God, and the “soul” indicates that same life constituted in man. In our mission statement for Emmaus Road Healing Center, we exist to bring healing and wholeness to spirit, soul and body. When we understand the different roles they play in our life, we are better able to position our hearts to receive everything that Jesus has for us. We can experience healing for our soul and walk in our true self by allowing our spirit to lead us. 

Unknowingly, we often lead with our soul – the part of us that sees life through our woundings, false values and beliefs. The lens that we operate from is faulty and unhealed. We know we are “soulish” when we are reactive, angry responses, feeling insecure, doubt and unbelief, mad at God. It’s where codependency lives, addictions and controlling defense mechanisms. We are often without hope, waiting for the other shoe to drop. These are areas in our life that need healing and are the hidden places in our heart. When we are led by our soul, we often find ourselves in messes that we don’t know how to get out of. 

When we learn to lead from our spirit, we instruct our soul to be at rest, that it is safe and can let go of life and the propensity to lead through grit and determination, striving and performance; all the defenses we used to stay safe, to survive. It is from our spirit that we can connect with Jesus and live by everything that He has deposited into our life; faith, goodness, understanding, self-control, patient endurance, godliness, mercy and unending love (2 Peter 1:5). 

Author and speaker Leanne Payne explains it this way: “To speak of the soul is also to speak of the spirit in that the spirit of man expresses itself through the soul. Conversely, of course, to speak of the spirit is also to speak of the soul, for the two are wed in man’s makeup. We know nothing of a human spirit in isolation from a soul or a soul in isolation from a human spirit.” When we come into relationship with Christ, our spirit is united with Him and we have access to the very nature of God (Eph 4:23-24). We also have the mind of Christ and we can know His heart. We do this by practicing His presence, reminding ourselves that we have another who lives within us, we are not alone. His spirit is imbedded within us and becomes our place of wholeness. It is in this place where we experience and engage with our highest self, the person that Christ created us to be. It is here we can experience unconditional love and know we are His child.

Wholeness and Healing

It’s important to grasp the truth that your spirit is whole and houses the very nature of Christ; his heart and mind. It is your soul that is in need of healing. When our spirit leads us, we are able to receive healing from our “whole place.” If you were to see yourself as broken in every area of your life, you would lose hope believing your wounding, abuse and trauma is too much to recover from. Nothing could be further from the truth. Because you are spirit, soul and body, there is a part of you that is very whole, that is newly created; blameless, flawless and complete. Your journey with Christ is healing and restoring your Christian soul.

Action Steps

There’s a simple process that I practice; inviting my spirit to lead and my soul to rest. 

1.  I sit in silence and speak to my soul, reminding her she is safe and she is at rest, that she can lie down her defenses. I don’t move on until I feel a “letting down” of my soul. 
2. I call my spirit forward and ask it to take the lead so that I am sitting with Jesus Spirit to spirit. I remind myself that I have the mind and heart of Christ. 
3. I turn my gaze to Jesus and sit in His presence. 
4. When things come up, I simply let it go, reminding myself that I do not have to figure it out right now. 
5. I now am in a position where I can pray from a place of peace and rest; my heart can engage and I can hear. 
6. This takes practice, so don’t be discouraged if it feels difficult at first. Learning to come to a place of rest has numerous benefits.

There’s a beautiful Psalm in the 62nd Chapter that is a picture of this practice: “I stand in silence listening for the one I love, waiting as long as it takes for the Lord to rescue me. For God alone has become my Savior. He alone is my safe place; his wrap-around presence always protects me. For he is my champion defender; there is NO risk of failure with God. So why would I let worry paralyze me, even when troubles multiply around me?”

Sit with Jesus today calling your soul to rest and your spirit to lead; it will change everything!