Title: Remove the Shadow of the Soul
Contents
The main text is Hebrews 12:1-2
In the Bible, we see Jesus and Stephen confessing, “Father, receive my soul,” without worrying about where their bodies will be buried when they leave this world. A true Christian is a living Christian. Because the spirit lives, they are interested in the eternal life that God has given, and they give their time, talents, and money for it. I know that the soul is more precious than the body. So we minimize the work of the body and work hard in hopes that the soul will be well. However, in general, most people are more interested in the body than in the soul. No, it is not an exaggeration to say that we live only for the body, so we are interested in the body and the self, focus on the food, health, and enjoyment of the body, and accumulate wealth and invest for the body.
This time, I came back with a revival meeting in Los Angeles, USA. There weren't many people, but most of them had problems. That is why the spiritual atmosphere was very dark. It was so hard, dry, and dark because of many problems, but as time passed, I realized once again that the power of the Korean church is the revival meeting as they longed for grace. A revival meeting is a movement to save the spirit. In order for the Korean church to live again, the revival must be revived. In the old 60's and 70's, revival meetings were held from Monday to Saturday morning in order for the Spirit to live. The passion to live according to God's will was aroused through the revival meeting, but unfortunately, it will not be long after the revival meeting is over, and it will sink down. Enthusiasm quickly dies, and you return to your old self. Why? There are elements that shadow the soul. We must remove the shadows of our souls, our homes, our jobs, and our lives. It brightens only by removing the shadow of the soul Spiritually, the shadow of the soul belongs to the devil. John 1:5 “The light shined in the darkness, and the darkness did not understand it.” We must be in the light. There must be no shade.
However, there are things that constantly overshadow our souls. text today,
Hebrews 12:1 “…put away every burden and the sin that so easily entangles us, and let us run with perseverance the race set before us.”
There are many sins and burdens in life that are heavy and easy to entangle. They can be broadly divided into three categories.
First, it is the burden of sin. (the burden of the spirit)
Sin casts a shadow over our souls. The burden of sin affects the soul and body a lot, but the burden of sin is the biggest spiritual problem. When we sin, our spirit darkens and makes us sick. It is this burden of sin that separates us from God. We are spiritual children of God. We must unite with God. However, sin prevents us from being united with God.
Second, it is a burden of worry and worry. (the burden of the heart)
God has given us a vessel called the heart, and depending on what kind of thoughts we put in that vessel, our life can either succeed or fail. Positive, creative, enterprising and passionate people can succeed. However, life that contains negative thoughts such as “I can’t, I can’t, I’m tired, I’m annoyed” becomes like that. Just because we have troubles and worries in our hearts doesn't mean they can be solved. Rather, we must remember that such cares and worries overshadow our souls as they become a burden on our minds.
Third, the weakness of the body, the sick body. (Body burden)
When the body is sick, the body tends to be heavy. I hope that all the burdens of the mind and the body will be cast off before the Lord.
Matthew 11:28 “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
Hebrews 12:1 “Let us put away every burden and the sin that so easily entangles us, and let us run with perseverance the race set before us…”
This race is called the race of faith. Athletes in the world's races wear uniforms and shoes made from the lightest new materials. The same goes for the race of faith. We must cast off all the burdens and all the sins that easily entangle us and run. The race of the world is over for a while. Running 100m is just a short run. However, unlike the race of the world, the race of faith requires patience because it is a lifelong race. Therefore, it is not the right faith to take a break from living a life of faith. If there is such a mistake in the past, I hope that you will become more devoted to the race of faith, looking at Jesus, who is the main and perfecter of our faith.
In the name of the Lord, I earnestly pray that all problems of our spirit, soul, and body, shadows of darkness, and burdens of sin will all be resolved and healed when we come before the Lord.