Deal. With. Your. Soul. Issues!

What personal issues are plaguing your life? Overcoming an abusive childhood? A horrible drinking habit? Unforgiveness towards a church member? A know-it-attitude? An ex-boyfriend or girlfriend you can't get over? Is it depression? Have you tried to suppress these problems, and act like everything is ok? Do you smile at church and act like such a great family man, but behind closed doors you are secretly having an affair? Do you have a haughty spirit? Do you have hate in your heart, but you are in the ministry? Do you try to avoid repenting and changing?

Deal. With. Your. Soul. Issues!

Guys in order for us to be all that God wants us to be, we have to deal with our hang-ups! You can't just ignore them and hope they go away......NEWSFLASH......it won't! The apostle Paul tells us to lay aside EVERY weight.

Hebrews 12:1 NKJV

"Therefore, we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, LET US LAY ASIDE EVERY WEIGHT, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us......."

Who's going to do the job of laying aside your weights? You noticed Paul under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit said "let US lay aside every weight"? Did you notice he didn't say it was the Pastor's job to do that for you? Not the church intercessor? YOU are supposed to do something about that, and soul issues are WEIGHTS. If you don't deal with it now, they will crop up in the future! People we have to realize that the devil will come back later to set up TRAPS against us at an opportune time, usually at our weakest. he knows at that point we are more inclined to follow his suggestions, and will try to knock us out with the "death blow". There are moves he's working on you all the time to get you to sin just like a chess game, but the "death bow" is when he can knock you down for good and win the war, and "checkmate".

Yes, the bible says that every temptation is a way of escape, BUT if we don't deal with our soul issues, it will be almost impossible to recognize and withstand the blows of the enemy, and you WILL succumb to the pressure.

Too many people say they want freedom, but they won't do what it takes to be free! They don't want to make the sacrifices to live freedom and keep making excuses for sin. In the church of Jesus Christ, for example, it is reported that over 80% (possibly closer to 90%) of Christian men are addicted to pornography! Yet some of those same people are not willing to CLOSE THE DOORS in their life that is ENABLING them to look at that junk! Jesus said in His word, that if your right hand is causing you to sin, then CUT IT OFF!

Men, you may have to take some EXTREME measures to guard yourselves against the enemy's strategies! You may have to get rid of your smartphone for a while, get rid of the cable, and the internet. You may need to get an accountability partner, delete social media, and for goodness sake "STOP TALKING YOUR EXES WHEN YOU'RE MARRIED!! IT'S TOTALLY INAPPROPRIATE!" And don't give me that "well I'm just trying to minister Jesus to her NONSENSE!" Let Godly women talk to her! "Dara, that's too extreme! Well, brother how bad do you want to be FREE?!"

We have to stop making EXCUSES and get REAL with ourselves and God. "Well sister you’re a WOMEN and you don't understand!" Since when did being a woman have a thing in the world to do with speaking the word? Brother, continue to stay in your sin because your liar! You want what you want! Now I'm not being harsh! "Love" isn't always warm and fuzzy! Did Jesus apologize when He rebuked the Pharisees and the lawyers?

Matthew 11:43-52

"............43 “WOE TO YOU PHARISEES! For you love the chief seats in the synagogues and the respectful greetings in the market places. 44 “WOE TO YOU! For you are like concealed tombs, and the people who walk over them are unaware of it.”

45 One of the lawyers said to Him in reply, “TEACHER, WHEN YOU SAY THIS, YOU INSULT, US TOO.”

46 BUT HE SAID, “WOE TO YOU LAWYERS AS WELL! For you weigh men down with burdens hard to bear, while you yourselves will not even touch the burdens with one of your fingers. 47 “WOE TO YOU! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and it was your fathers who killed them. 48 “So you are witnesses and approve the deeds of your fathers; because it was, they who killed them, and you build their tombs. 49 “For this reason also the wisdom of God said, I will send to them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and some they will persecute, 50 so that the blood of all the prophets, shed since the foundation of the world, may be charged against this generation, 51 from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the house of God; yes, I tell you, it shall be charged against this generation.’52 “WOE TO YOU LAWYERS! For you have taken away the key of knowledge; you yourselves did not enter, and you hindered those who were entering.”

Now, who is going to accuse Jesus of being unkind for my "grace" people? Truth isn't always easy to swallow, but if you humble yourselves, you can allow it to change you and the way you live.

Deal. With. Your. Soul. Issues!

You see this in the ministry. Insecure preachers competing against each other and copying other ministers. They can't hear God for themselves so they have to go steal it from you! You got some preachers going around calling themselves "Apostle" this and "Prophet" that, like that somehow makes them more powerful? Do they even know how these ministry gifts actually operate? NO! Because they’re not "whole" in Christ. They put their identity in a "title" so they can feel important, and fill that void. They never learned that Jesus loves them unconditionally, that He is all they need! They seek honor from men, and not the honor that comes from the one and only God. They need men to VALIDATE them because they haven't dealt with those deep pains in their life. Friend, you are a child of God first! Your identity is in being a child of God......period. Sure, your calling is a part of your life, but trying to get your WORTH and VALUE in having people call you all 5 ministry gifts is utter nonsense! The ministers are to equip the saints for the work of the ministry, and build up, not self-promotion!

Deal. With. Your. Soul. Issues!

The problem is, people don't want to face the truth about themselves! They want to stick their heads in the sand and hope it will disappear! People don't want to be uncomfortable; they want you to pet them! Many people have unforgiveness in their hearts, and will not give it to the Lord. Many women in the church seem to struggle with this more than the men. There are some women holding unforgiveness in their hearts for over 20 years! I hear people teach that unforgiveness is like drinking poison, and it will only hurt you! This is true, but I will like to let you know that there are plenty of women in the church who don't mind drinking poison and being miserable! This teaching is not really what the scriptures say.

Matthew 6:14-15 NASB1995

For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then YOUR FATHER WILL NOT FORGIVE YOUR TRANSGRESSIONS.

Guys, that's pretty plain. The Bible means what it says, and says what it means. And if you can't get your sins forgiven, then what happens to you? Forgiveness is NOT an option, it is MANDATORY. And if you want to see Jesus at the pearly white gates you better do it or else! The love of God has been shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, and so we have the ability to love people who hurt us! You born again, aren't you? You have the life of God inside of you, don't you? You a new creature in Christ, aren't you? THEN ACT LIKE IT!

Deal. With. Your. Soul. Issues!