Jeremiah 32:27 -   Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing to  hard for me?

DO YOU HAVE A GOOD HEART?

What is the difference between the human soul and the human spirit? That is a good question. The soul, simply put, is that which lives and breathes. It is that which includes the five senses: Sight, smell, taste, hearing and touch. (A breathing creature)

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.

As to the question: "Do our pets have a soul", the answer is yes! They "are" a living soul.

One way to describe the difference between soul and spirit, would be to compare it to your conscious and subconscious mind. We are aware of our conscious mind, and it is our conscious mind that gives us a false sense of "being in control".

We think, and then our brain sends commands to our body and it responds. Example: We are thirsty, so our brain commands our hand to pick up a glass of water etc... Though our subconscious goes virtually unnoticed, it is actually the subconscious that tells our brain that we are thirsty and need water to begin with. Like the spirit, it is our subconscious that keeps us alive! It controls all of our involuntary actions such as "breathing, blinking our eyes, swallowing" etc.

The human spirit is that which inhabits the soul (or body), and it is Spirit or "Ghost like". I believe it is more associated with our mental disposition and emotions such as: Anger, Love, Jealousy, greed, envy etc, because we do not choose or decide to be jealous, angry or envious, it is something that comes over us. We can train ourselves to control these emotions, and it is my personal belief that when we do, we are molding our spirit into something more pleasing to God and more suitable for heaven.

The soul is mortal, but the spirit is immortal and lives forever. Where your spirit will reside for eternity, will very much depend on the path you choose while in your mortal body. (or soul)

~ WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SOUL AND SPIRIT? ~

The proverbial heart "is" the spirit! Not the organ that is in your chest. Unless you are new to this website, you've heard me say several times "God reads your heart, not your mind!" A lie comes from the soul, because lies are calculated. Before telling a lie, we make a conscious decision to do so. We think about it, then decide what comes out of our mouths. The spirit however, is incapable of lying to God.

The love you feel for your newborn baby comes from your spirit. It requires no thought or decision, it is just there! Whatever you feed your soul will eventually effect your spirit. If you steal, lie, and are full of greed, anger and envy, these things "will" change your spirit to adapt to them. The old saying "You are what you eat", It's True! You are what you take in. If you feed your spirit dark things such as lying, cheating, gossiping and being critical of others, you will end up with a "Dark Spirit".

As I stated earlier, the spirit is like the subconscious. It controls your involuntary actions, but both work together. The more you lie, cheat, gossip, steal and are greedy, eventually you train your spirit so that these things become involuntary for you to do (In other words, these things become normal to you, and you do them more naturally, without thinking), leaving you with a dark spirit that is detestable to God.

The reverse is also true. The more you love one another, and have compassion, and treat others the way you would like to be treated, you will develop a "Good Heart" (or spirit), and these things will become natural for you, and you will grow a spirit that is pleasing to the Lord, and more suitable for heaven.

We are all evil, and developing a spirit that is pleasing to God takes some work and practice. It starts with the soul! (That which thinks, breaths and makes conscious decisions) Focus your mind on God and have a personal relationship with him, and he will guide and help you. It's a journey that starts with a single thought, but ends in heaven.

God Bless You

Dan Douglass (I Have Spoken)

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This page last modified on Thursday, May 24, 2012