Spirit-Conscious
... I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be
preserved blameless....
—1 Thessalonians 5:23
In this scriptural passage, Paul begins with the inside, the
innermost part of man, the heart of his being, which is his spirit, and comes
to the outside.
Yet most people misquote this verse. They say, body, soul,
and spirit. Why do they put the body first? Because they are more
body-conscious than spirit-conscious. Natural things mean more to them than
spiritual things. So they put physical things first.
Sometimes we are more mental-conscious because we live more
in the mental realm.
But man is a spirit being. We need to be spirit-conscious.
Spiritual things will become more real to us the more spirit-conscious we
become.
If we are going to be led by the Spirit of God, we must
become more spirit-conscious, or we'll miss out on the whole thing. God's
Spirit leads us through our spirits.
Put spirit first. Become more spirit-conscious, more
conscious of the inward man. Realize that you are a spirit being and that you
became a new creation created by God in Christ Jesus. It will help you
grow—spiritually.
Many years ago I began to think like this, and at first I
would say it to myself out loud: I am a spirit being. I have a soul. And I live
in a body.
Saying that helped me become more spirit-conscious. It helped
my faith, because faith is of the spirit, or the heart.
