Genesis 2:7- And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
When God created man, He made him different from every other creature out there. The difference was not in his humanoid form, for even apes have a similar form. The difference wasn't in his spirit, for angels are spirits. The difference was in his soul.
Man is a unique creature that has a soul- a consciousness to choose good and evil, believe, experience emotions, and increase in learning. No other creature contains this. The soul is the part of us with a personality, the part that is effected by other people's pain or circumstances, the part of us that can love or hate or envy or covet.
There is something else about the soul that is very interesting. It is powerful. Many people have tapped into the power of the soul throughout the ages and have been able to perform impressive feats.
God gave Adam dominion over the whole earth- if he didn't have some sort of supernatural ability how could he accomplish this? But, what we think of as "supernatural" now-a-days was actually "natural" when Adam was created.
But, Adam sinned. The curse of sin was death. The spirit immediately died. The soul became dormant. And, the flesh slowly decayed. The amazing feats that Adam could perform before were now suppressed, though his mind was still as keen.
Adam was completely conscious of the power that he had lost. The flesh was now in control of the psyche. Physical needs and desires were more powerful that the logic and will power, and they became the predominate force in man's decision making. But, the soul-power was still there.
Psychology is the study of the powers of the soul. A person's psyche has the potential to tap into their soul power and utilize it, but it takes great discipline and self-control. For a person to tap into their soul power they must weaken the power of the flesh.
Is this wrong?
Yes.
Why?
Because the soul was the reason Satan wanted Adam to fall. Satan wanted to be able to have some control over the soul's power. Perhaps the devil didn't anticipate the loss of this power to the urges of the flesh, or maybe he was hoping that would happen.
As Adam and Eve had children, they saw that their offspring were born in their fallen image- dead spirit, dormant soul, and decaying flesh.
When Jesus came, he was made in the image of Adam with one exception- he didn't have the curse of sin. Both His spirit and soul were alive. Jesus had the ability to use His soul's power.
I Corinthians 15:45- And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
And, that's why Satan tempted Him. If Jesus had fallen for Satan's trap, then the devil would have gotten what he had always wanted. The ability to utilize the power of the soul.
But, Jesus knew something that we should all learn.
John 8:28- Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.
Jesus knew that the Spirit was not only alive but also life giving, but though the soul is alive, it cannot give life. He did nothing of Himself- meaning every work He ever did was through the Spirit, not the power of the soul.
John 6:63- It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
Satan is trying very hard to teach people to utilize the latent powers of the soul so that he can accomplish his original desire. And, he will succeed. He has in the past.
Those who are Buddhist, Hinduist, Taoists, etc have been able to tap into the soul's powers and can accomplish some impressive things from astral projections, to invincibility to pain and disease, to mind reading and fortune telling. These are all different powers of the soul. But, they come at a cost that not many people understand.
When you tap into the soul's power you open yourself to the spiritual realm and allow the devil access to work through you. Even if you think that you are only doing good, you are still being used by the demonic spiritual world.
This will one day happen on a global scale.
Revelation 6:9- And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:
In the tribulation, the AntiChrist will have the ability to trap the souls of men. He will use their latent powers for his purposes and will even barter with them.
Revelation 18:12-13- The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble, And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.
Many people today are using the power of the soul without even realizing it. They say it is a blessing of God, or karma, or some other such thing, but in actuality it is a small releasing of the soul's power.
John 3:6- That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
When we use our soul's power, we will see positive results. But, they aren't permanent results. The soul cannot impute life to others- just fleeting emotions. Some times these emotions are wonderful, but some times they are oppressive and terrible.
That's why Jesus never used the power of His soul. Everything He did was through the power of the Holy Spirit so that it was able to endow the object with Spiritual life. Spirit is eternal. It works long after the person who opened the door to the knowledge of the Holy Spirit is gone. It's a change in perspective and action, not just temporary attitude.
If our Savior who was sinless wouldn't use the powers of the soul, should we?
No.
God wants to work through us, but not through our power. He wants to work through the Holy Spirit for His glory.
Hebrews 9:14- How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
When we work through our soul, we are giving glory to our flesh.
Galatians 5:16-17, 25- This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
God doesn't use our wisdom, our strength, or our other perceived distinctions. He uses what we view as faults, or flaws, or shortcomings, because that's how He gets the glory!
I Corinthians 1:25-31- Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.
If you want power from God on high, you must do everything through the Holy Spirit, and not through your own strength. You must ask God to bind your soul's power so that the working is from Him alone.
It won't be a feeling, or an emotions, or even a conscious knowledge of His moving, but the fruits will be seen long after you have moved on. And the work that He will do will remain for eternity!
Galatians 5:5- For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.
Romans 11:36- For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.
For more information on this subject check out the books The Latent Power of the Soul and The Spiritual Man by Watchman Nee.
