He Restores My Soul
“Behold, God does all these oftentimes with men, To bring back his soul from the pit, that he may be enlightened with the light of life.” (Job 33:29-30)
“He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.” (Ps 23:3)
The apostle Paul under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit once wrote to the church in Thessalonica his prayer that the God of Peace would sanctify them entirely and preserve their SPIRIT, SOUL and BODY completely and without blame. The power of redemption is provided to not only sanctify our Spirit but also our soul and our body. Presently, the spotlight of the Lord is on the soul of man reflecting His desire for total dominion in every department of life so that our fellowship with Him would be unhindered by the corruption of the carnal nature. The Lord’s yearning is for the restoration of the soul returning to the place of harmonious communion with God that was lost in the Garden of Eden with the fall of man. The soul is identified as the mind, will and emotions of man, the seat of our feelings, desires and affections.
In a recent prophetic experience the Lord illustrated this truth in a very vivid and unforgettable manner. Many of the experiences of this nature are simply given as a teaching tool to illustrate biblical truths that He is emphasizing in us personally and corporately. In this experience, an angel standing at my right side took me into the Spirit realm. In this place I was shown a circle or ring of thrones approximately 18 in number. I was then taken to the first throne occupied by the Angel of the Lord. The Angel occupied this throne with authority and dominion standing majestically as a soldier would inhabit his post of duty.
I was then taken to the next throne and it was occupied by the Angel of the Lord like the first. However, when I was taken to the next, a most disappointing and disturbing sight awaited me. Instead of the Angel of the Lord, the throne was occupied by a hideous creature usurping a position rightfully belonging to the Lord. The Angel standing to my right then handed me an implement that I used to begin pouring water on this creature. The moment I did, the spirit lashed out at me with his paw as a lion would strike its prey. Startled, I looked at my chest expecting it to be torn to shreds. Instead, I was un-injured by the assault. Encouraged, I began to pour the water freely until the creature began to diminish and eventually vanish from the throne. When this occurred, the Angel of the Lord emerged taking up His residence on this throne.
As I contemplated the remaining thrones I noticed that many were occupied by the Angel of the Lord and many by hideous creatures. In each case where the throne was occupied by one of these creatures, I would simply begin pouring water on the spirit until it disappeared from the throne and the Angel of the Lord appeared.
I was later instructed that this ring of thrones constituted the soul of man. Each throne represented a department of life that was to be subjected to the Lordship of Christ. However, because of the curse of the fallen nature these thrones are given over to the spirit of the world. It is through the redemptive process and the impartation of grace that these thrones are sanctified and brought under the Lord’s rulership. For there to be complete union with Christ, each of these thrones must be occupied by the Lord. Unfortunately, we oftentimes do not recognize that the spirit of the world occupies some of the thrones within our soul thus placing a veil over our soul prohibiting complete fellowship.
“Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you just as I have forewarned you that those who practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” (Galatians 5:19-21)
The Scriptures declare that the veil of the Temple was rent from top to bottom through the sacrificial offering of the Lord’s body. Therefore, if we are not seeing the Lord clearly it is because the veils remain over OUR soul. It is through the “water of the Word” that the issues of our soul are exposed and sanctified. For thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness. (Psalm 18:28) For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (Heb. 4:12)
The great patriarch Abraham even experienced this purging process of his soul for complete union with his God. After the promise had been fulfilled and Isaac was born, the Scriptures make it clear that Abraham loved his son with a great love. So great was this love for Isaac that it actually became an idol usurping a position in Abraham rightfully belonging to God. Abraham was then required to demonstrate the complete dedication of his soul to God by willingly submitting the life of Isaac to the Lord. Upon the successful completion of this test, Abraham was able to worship God on an elevated level that he would not have known otherwise. Very often, Isaac is symbolic of our ministry that we sometimes allow to occupy a place of preeminence belonging only to God. Though this purging process is painful, it is necessary to become One Spirit with Christ. It is the literal fulfillment of Galatians 2:20.
Alexander Dowie was a powerfully anointed leader during the years preceding and following the turn of the century. He was wonderfully used of the Lord in the ministry of healing and was a prolific writer of Scriptural Truth. His periodical, “Leaves of Healing” went to an international audience introducing the power of God to the universal church. Unfortunately, Brother Dowie is remembered more for the “Elijah proclamation” than for the awesome ways in which he was used by the Holy Spirit in his generation.
Brother Dowie records in his journal that two men requested an audience with him to share the word they reportedly had received from the Lord. During the meeting, these Christian men prophesied to brother Dowie that they had received a revelation disclosing that brother Dowie was the prophesied Elijah. Clearly, these men were deceived. Alexander Dowie was so upset with their words that he expelled them from his office immediately. However, Dowie further records that their words were like a hook embedded in his heart. No matter how earnestly he tried, brother Dowie was unable to free himself from the weight of this proclamation. In the years that followed, the demonically inspired lie grew within his soul until Dowie proclaimed himself the prophesied Elijah.
How could such a tragic thing happen to a precious man of God wonderfully used by the Holy Spirit? I recently posed that question to a dear prophetic friend. She informed me that the Lord had specifically spoken to her on this very subject in a powerful prophetic experience. In the vision, the Lord instructed her that great men of God with powerful anointing’s of the Spirit fell prey to the traps of the enemy because their souls were not fully purged of the carnal nature. Even in brother Dowie’s case, there were issues within his soul that the Lord desired to deal with that He was unable to extract for reasons known only to God. This left opportunity to the enemy to exploit those seeds of corruption resulting in spiritual error.
The Lord is now giving us the divine opportunity to allow his Spirit to purge and extract from us every tendency toward corruption becoming partaker’s of the divine nature free from the corruption of this world and it’s lusts. In John 14:30 the Lord announced that satan was coming to him, yet he {satan} had no place in the Lord. In other words, there were no seeds of corruption to exploit in the Lord’s nature. “I will not speak much more with you, for the ruler of the world is coming, and he has nothing in Me; There was in the Lord no principle or feeling that agreed with satan’s, and nothing, therefore, by which he could prevail. Temptation only has power when there are some principles residing in us which are in accord with the designs of the tempter, and which may be stimulated by presenting corresponding objects until our virtue be overcome. Where there is no such propensity, temptation has no power.
Many things can be allowed to occupy the thrones of our soul and will vary with each individual. However, each can be traced to the carnal nature of man and the elevation of “self”. A glorious opportunity is being offered to those willing to pay the price and experience this purging process for the joy of perfect fellowship after its completion. We should each pray that the Holy Spirit will reveal to us areas of our soul remaining subject to the carnal nature. Through repentance and the yielding our will, He will then extract worldly passions and impart the Divine Nature. We are given the magnificent opportunity to come to the Lord and take His yoke upon us–AND FIND REST FOR OUR SOULS. Seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, in order that by them you might become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. (2 Pet. 1:3-4)