What Atmosphere Do You Live In?

We all live and function in two atmospheres – an internal and an external atmosphere. The external is the one that most of us use to determine the quality of our lives. Whatever we see, hear, smell, taste and feel around us are the factors that many of us consider when evaluating life.

However, as Scripture points out, we have a more important internal atmosphere which truly is the determining factor in whether our lives can be deemed as successful or not. Remember that Jesus said that the Kingdom of God is within us. When He made that statement He was actually referring to our internal atmosphere.

The Kingdom of God has its own culture just as any nation on earth does. It has its own laws, language, music, belief system, protocol, currency etc. Our internal atmosphere is set by the level at which we allow the Kingdom of God to rule. It is an environment where what we think matters more than what we do.

The Word of God declares that “as a man thinks in his heart so is he”. Your thoughts, therefore, determine the rulership of your internal atmosphere. Interestingly, once your internal atmosphere is set it also regulates your external atmosphere. So you manifest externally whatever is happening internally. Your external atmosphere then – the outward environment in which you interact with the rest of the world – is merely a reflection of your internal reality.

What do you think about your life right now? What kind of internal environment do you function from? And how is it manifesting outwardly for the world to see?

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Your 7 Final Words - 7. Into Thy Hands...

And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said,
Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit:
and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.
– Luke 23:46

This was Jesus’ 7th and final statement before He bowed His head and died. As we discussed in the last segment, numbers are very significant. The number 7 signifies completion. It comes from a root word that means to be full, satisfied or to have enough. In other words, nothing could be added or taken away to make it any better. The word “Sabbath” also comes from the same root word. On the 7th day of creation, Scripture tells us, God rested. He also gave us a mandate that we should work for 6 days and rest on the 7th.

The number 7 also signifies an oath. For example, when God swears by Himself it’s a completed word so He “sevens” Himself. You can see this in Isaiah 45:22, 23 (Amplified Bible) –

“Look to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. I have sworn by Myself, the word is gone out of My mouth in righteousness and shall not return, that unto Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear [allegiance].”

Do you see the implications of that when you think about all of God’s promises?

In this final statement Jesus was patterning for us the end of the process of dying to the self-life. Keep in mind that He was 100% man as well as 100% God. His soul had to be kept in subjection just as yours does, and you can see this in His struggle in the Garden of Gethsemane. Scripture also tells us that He had to learn obedience through the things that He suffered.

Even the place where Jesus was crucified was significant – a hill called Golgotha which literally means “the skull”. What an appropriate place to crucify the soulish mind, will, emotions and intellect!!!

Soon after He gave His spirit to the Father His body was laid to rest in a tomb where the Holy Spirit began the mysterious work of His resurrection!

Jesus, the Head, was crucified, buried and resurrected. As the Head goes, so goes the rest of the Body. It stands to reason that you and I, being part of the Body of Christ, must have the same experience. Jesus was resurrected on the 3rd day (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). Scripture tells us that a day is as 1000 years and 1000 years is as a day. We are in the 3rd millennium, or the 3rd day!

In your own “Golgotha” experience you have crucified anything that is not in alignment with the Spirit of God. It is at this point that you also can rest from the labor and self-effort of the psuche-dominated life. And as you, like Jesus, give your unencumbered spirit into the hands of the Father, expect the Holy Spirit to begin His miraculous and mysterious work in you – resurrection into the limitless zoe life!! The stone has been rolled away! It’s time to come out of your ‘tomb’!

Stedfast [is] the word:
For if we died together -- we also shall live together;
if we do endure together -- we shall also reign together
2 Timothy 2: 11-12 (Young’s Literal Translation)

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Your 7 Final Words - 6. It is Finished

That little word “it” actually has a meaning. According to the Strong’s Concordance it means, “self or baffled wind”. Another word for self is ego. It is the part of you that makes up your nature – your soul. Do you remember that when God formed Adam out of the dust of the ground He breathed into him and he became a living soul? At that time Adam was in right relationship with the Father. He was in communion with and submitted to God. However, after the forbidden bite was taken and relationship was broken, his soul – his mind, will, emotions and intellect – became baffled. In other words it was confused, perplexed, out of order and in disarray. Sound familiar?

It is interesting to note that this was Jesus’ 6th statement. Numbers are very important to God, and the number 6 is connected to man, but more specifically it refers to man in his toil and labor and self-effort. Isn’t that what our unconquered soul does in trying to get its own way?

In making this sixth declaration Jesus was showing that the death of the soul-dominated life had been accomplished. In other words, He was declaring that the self life – the psuche life – was no longer in control. And He did it not just for you but as you. He had fulfilled the requirements of the Law and the prophecies concerning Himself.

By the time you get to this statement you will have given up everything that is contrary to a successful walk in God.

1. You have forgiven everyone who ever offended you, including yourself.
2. You have agreed not to hide your life, but to lay it down, allowing your woundedness, your mess-ups and your triumphs to be used as a living testimony that can draw men unto Christ.
3. You have given up the greatest treasure(s) to the Lord.
4. You have come to realize that aloneness is necessary, but that you’re never really completely alone. The Lord will never leave you nor forsake you.
5. Your thirst is for the Lord Himself, and only He will satisfy the longing within you.

If you are like me some of these statements presented more of a challenge than did others. My greatest challenge was with statement #3. While I was writing that piece I began to identify more closely with how Jesus must have felt in having to release His beloved mother into the hands of another. I must confess that my soul put up a major fight with that one, but thank God, after tears, prayers and finally praise, victory was gained!!

Don’t be surprised when, over the coming weeks, months and years, the Lord presents you with situations that will force you to confront your soul again and again, and have you revisit these statements. It is all part of the process that leads to spiritual maturity and greater intimacy with the Father. Each time you regain more dominion over your soul remember to take the time to say, “It is finished.”

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.
The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God,
who loved me and gave himself for me.”
- Galatians 2:20

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Your 7 Final Words - 5. I Thirst

After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished,
that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said,
“I thirst!”
John 19:28

Strong’s Concordance says this of the word ‘thirst’– “Figuratively, those who are said to thirst who painfully feel their want of, and eagerly long for, those things by which the soul is refreshed, supported, strengthened.”

Keep in mind that when Jesus spoke, even when He was on the cross, He was speaking at a Kingdom level, meaning that we can’t take His words at face value, but must be able to discern what He was actually saying beyond the spoken words. Although His crucifixion caused extreme physical thirst, Jesus was not just saying that He needed a drink of water.

The death process during His crucifixion was one in which He bore all of our sins and took on all of our iniquities. Given the Strong’s literal translation of the word ‘thirst’ we can see then, that Jesus was not only declaring that His body craved liquid. He was also declaring that His soul needed to be strengthened.

In a previous chapter we talked about the soul being female while the spirit is male. So Jesus was saying that his soul – his wife, the church, the Body of Christ – needed to be refreshed, supported and strengthened. That’s you and me! He was indicating that the Body of Christ was dry, needing the true Living Water which is the Word – Jesus Himself.

Thirst is one of the strongest sensations that you can feel. Your physical body can do without food for much longer than it can do without water. It is interesting to note that when Jesus declared His thirst He was given a drink that was distasteful to Him.

Matthew 27:34 tells us that when Jesus tasted the vinegar mixed with gall He would not drink all of it. It was sour wine that the Roman soldiers were accustomed to drinking. It was a part of their culture. The soldiers gave this drink to those who were being crucified to help ease the pain. It would cause them to become delirious, much as modern day alcohol would do if a person imbibed a large quantity of it. To the Romans this was an acceptable and seemingly humane remedy. Jesus did taste (experience) what was commonly accepted by the Romans – who represent the world system, but after tasting their ‘remedy’ He rejected it.

Today the world offers its own version of ‘sour wine’. The problem is that, in accepting this ‘wine’ the soul is not changed; it’s just delirious, not knowing quite what is happening, open to all kinds of influences – and that’s a very dangerous position to be in!!

When Jesus uttered, “I thirst” He was fulfilling the Scripture as written in Psalm 69 – another prophetic psalm written by David. I encourage you to read the entire Scripture, but for this lesson we will focus on verses 19 through 21. I have taken the liberty to write in parentheses the meanings of some key words and phrases.

19 You know my reproach, my shame, and my dishonor;
My adversaries are all before You.
20 Reproach has broken my heart,(innermost being)
And I am full of heaviness; (I am soul-sick)
I looked for someone to take pity, but there was none;
And for comforters, but I found none.
21 They also gave me gall (bitterness, poison) for my food,
And for my thirst (for my eager desire) they gave me vinegar (from root ‘to be sour, leavened, oppress, be ruthless) to drink. – Psalm 69: 19-21

Everyone who goes through the dying process will experience this. It is the pain of not having your perceived needs met by the world’s comforts. You will experience extreme thirst – an eager desire for things that have beforehand comforted your soul and the body, especially in times of stress. The world’s remedies offer temporary relief with long term consequences. As verse 21 states, your eager desire to alleviate your thirst by their standards will result in ruthless oppression. It may come in a number of ways – through an unfit relationship, a bad financial decision or some other way that temporarily satisfies your soul, but stunts your spiritual growth.

It is necessary to go through this crucifixion without anesthesia. It is the only way that the soul can be conquered and subdued.

What has been your method of relieving your pain? Is it shopping? Watching television so that you can put your mind on “idle”? Is it making yourself so indispensable and busy that you don’t have time to face the issues? Is it working out? Overeating? Oversleeping? Computer games or chat rooms? Whatever your soul’s panacea has been until now, are you willing to give it up, and continue to go through the dying process without it?

As you release this soul-dominated life you will do as Jesus did. You will taste but reject the things of this world, choosing instead to taste and see that the Lord is good. And this time when you say “I thirst” it will be an eager and intense desire for the Only One who can satisfy that longing in the deepest recesses of your being – Your Husband King, Jesus the Christ.

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Your 7 Final Words - 4. My God, My God....

My God, My God why have you forsaken me? –
Mark 15:34; Matthew 27:46

When Jesus uttered this cry He was actually quoting Scripture from Psalm 22.

v. 19 But You, O LORD, do not be far from Me; O My Strength, hasten to help Me!
v. 20 Deliver Me from the sword, My precious life from the power of the dog. (emphasis mine)
v. 21 Save Me from the lion’s mouth and from the horns of the wild oxen!

Thousands of years before Jesus hung on the cross David had prophetically penned these words in a moment of his own personal anguish. In verse 20 David asked the Lord to “deliver my soul from the sword, my life from the power of the dog.” There is more to this statement than meets the eye initially. The King James Version gives a clearer account, using the word “darling” instead of “life”. In other words, it says, “Deliver my soul from the sword, my darling from the power of the dog.”

Darling comes from a root that means ‘united’, ‘beloved’ or ‘life’ and it is a feminine word. It is interesting to note that in the Hebrew language the spirit is denoted as masculine. I believe that the word darling is used here to show the marriage, if you will, of the soul and the spirit. It is also a type of the marriage between Christ and His bride, the church.

David also asks that his darling soul be delivered from the sword. Sword comes from a root meaning drought, desolation and destruction. When he asks that it be delivered from the power of the dog he is referring to the means or direction of an attack.

As Jesus hung on the cross and cried out, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” He was doing so on your behalf and on mine. His Bride, His darling, His Body – the true church – was about to be thrust into unimaginable turmoil! He may not have uttered every word of Psalm 22, but He, being the Word, embodied everything that that Psalm meant. Jesus was not only speaking for you; He was speaking as you. Romans 6:8 and 2 Timothy 2:11 remind you that you died with Christ.

Can you relate to what both Jesus and David were saying? In this walk, you too will cry out at times for the Lord to deliver your psuche life – the darling of your being – from attack.

The psuche or soul life feels rejection, and the spirit of rejection is one of the strongest strongholds that you have to face. There is rejection from others, but there is also self-rejection.

Rejection from others can be real or simply perceived, but it doesn’t make the pangs of pain any less intense. So often we develop coping mechanisms to deal with it, but unless a coping mechanism is firmly rooted in Christ you will feel those pangs of rejection again and again when similar situations arise.

God will orchestrate seasons in your life when support from brothers and sisters in the faith is just not enough. These are times of intense loneliness when you may feel that not even God Himself is there with you. The truth is that those are the seasons when He is actually closer to you than you recognize. It is during these times that He is wooing you, wanting to take you to another level of intimacy in Him. You are His bride, His darling, His soul. Enter into His inner chamber and let Him do His greatest work in and through you.

This work in you is a work of the Spirit. Your soul – your mind, will, emotions and intellect – will feel the pangs of rejection, and will want to seek comfort, pity and satisfaction for itself. Reject the temptation to find solace in any other but the Lord Himself. Embrace the aloneness, remember what He promised and declare, “My God, My God, I know that You will never leave me nor forsake me!”

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Your 7 Final Words - 3. Woman, behold your son...

When Jesus therefore saw His mother,
and the disciple whom He loved standing by,
He said to His mother, “Woman, behold your son!”
Then He said to the disciple, “Behold your mother!”
And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.
John 19:26, 27

It would stand to reason that His mother was Jesus’ greatest earthly treasure. After all, she raised Him and taught Him about His miraculous birth. She sacrificed the pleasure of having her first born Son with her because she knew of His awesome calling. Jesus’ love for His mother is evident in that, even while He was suffering on the cross He thought about her well being. He knew she would miss Him terribly and wanted to make provision for her welfare. With that, He placed His mother in the care of His close friend John, and John in turn became Jesus’ substitute as Mary’s son.

This was not the first time that Jesus would leave His mother. In fact, starting at age twelve, He was about His Father’s business, and that entailed being away from her for extended periods of time.

There were times when it even seemed that He was ignoring His family. We read in Matthew 12:46-50 that Jesus’ mother and brothers were standing outside the place where He was ministering, desiring to speak to Him. When Jesus was told that they were there and were asking for Him, His response must have puzzled the onlookers. Instead of excusing Himself and going out to greet His family He posed a question. “Who are My mother and brothers?” He asked. Then He answered His own question. He pointed to His disciples and said essentially, “Look at My mother and brothers right here. Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my mother and brothers.”

Jesus is not insulting His family here, but rather using their visit as an opportunity to teach a principle about the Kingdom of God. Unlike the world system in which family is often limited to those who share the same DNA as you, Jesus removed those limitations. He didn’t deny that those waiting outside were His family, but rather He included those who were grafted in also.

There will be times when you will have to make the choice between your biological family and your wider spiritual family – the Body of Christ. Your biological family may expect certain things from you, especially if they don’t share in your enthusiasm and commitment to the Lord. If you are not careful and discerning, guilt and a sense of obligation can often play a part in your decisions. Remember that it is in times like these that your psuche (soul) will try to dominate. Please be sure to choose wisely, not giving in to family tradition or similar pressure, but rather seeking the Father’s will for you, and then doing it.

I have had to make this very difficult decision on more than one occasion, and I can tell you from experience – it was not easy. In 2007 the Lord released me to leave Atlanta and return to my native land of Trinidad. In doing so I was leaving my only son, daughter-in-law and five precious grandchildren behind, not knowing when I would see them again. Whenever the temptation to mourn arose I would hear the Lord speaking to my spirit, “Stay focused.” At the same time He would always assure me that they were in His hands.

The same thing happened when I returned from Trinidad to Atlanta, thinking that I would be spending just twelve short days before returning to Trinidad again. After I realized that this would be an extended stay the temptation again arose to mourn. My mother, who was suffering from dementia, was back in Trinidad and I was missing her terribly. But again I would hear the Lord say very firmly, “Stay focused.” I was to stay focused on Him and on the assignment that I had been given. Anything less would leave me double-minded, distracted and depressed. Recently I have even had to accept that, should my 89 year old mother pass from this life into eternity, the Lord may just say to me as He did to the man in Luke 9:60, “Let the dead bury the dead, but you go and preach the Kingdom of God.”

Sometimes friends are closer to you than your biological family. Like the people in Jesus’ day, they have become your brothers, sisters, mothers etc. However, there will be those who God places in your life for a season, and you must discern when that season is up and be willing to relinquish that loved one to go on to their next assignment.

God has reminded me that my family members (biological and grafted) are dearer to Him than they are to me, and He being multi-faceted, has made provision for each of them, intertwining our destinies to fulfill His purposes. While I was away from my son and his family the Lord provided a wonderful support system for them. Now, at the time of this writing, as I am away from my mom He has again proven Himself faithful.

It is so important to remember that no one should be held in higher esteem in your life than God Himself. Learning to hold loved ones with an open hand and not a closed fist is no easy feat, but it is absolutely necessary in this journey to freedom. Because of the emotional connections that we have to our loved ones – be they biological or otherwise – our emotions can wreak havoc during those times when we must separate from them in order to usher in a higher good.

Jesus promised, 29 “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife[a] or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, 30 who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life. – Mark 10: 29, 30

If a beautiful butterfly landed on the palm of your hand and stayed there for a while, you would probably admire it and savor its presence. However, if you noticed that the butterfly was about to fly away you wouldn’t close your fingers around it to trap it in your hand, would you? Doing so would mean certain injury or even death to the innocent creature. We are to treat each of our treasured relationships like that butterfly, holding them close to our hearts, savoring the fellowship, but at the same time allowing them the freedom to move on as God requires.

Who or what are your greatest earthly treasures? Are you willing to take up your cross of walking alone without them? If so, then declare to whoever or whatever that treasure is, “________________________ (insert the name in the blank), I give you over to the Father. Father, here is my greatest treasure.”

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Your 7 Final Words - 2. You will be with Me...

Assuredly I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.
– Luke 23:43

Jesus was hanging between two men that He created, on a cross made from a tree that He created. The men were convicted thieves and both men spoke to Him, but each in a totally different manner. One thief, knowing his guilt but being unrepentant, jeered at the Lord to get them all out of their predicament. To him Jesus was a way out. The other thief however, recognized Jesus’ innocence and saw the power of His words of forgiveness. He knew he was wrong and deserved death. He desired a way in, so he asked that Jesus remember him when He went into His Kingdom. To this request Jesus responded, “Today you will be with Me in Paradise.”

These two thieves typify the two kinds of people you will meet in your walk with the Lord. There are those who will see you as a channel for a quick fix out of whatever problem they are facing. They may be willing to share their difficulties with you, but stop short of taking ownership for their own actions. They want you to do the work for them so that they can get on with their lives in the same condition that they are in now.

But then there are those who will recognize the Christ in you, and will sincerely seek to follow you, not just for what you have but for who and Whose you are.

Jesus’ mandate to us before He left the earth was that we should make disciples. Many have taken this directive to heart, and have employed various methods to reach this objective. Why then, is it that there aren’t more people coming to the Lord in droves? Is it that our methods are ineffective?

We have been taught that it is necessary to work at getting people to come into the Kingdom of God and follow Christ. The problem is that it often requires that the psuche life (your mind, will, intellect and emotions) make plans and projects to accomplish this. The soul life is very natural and earthy, and cannot understand or execute the things of the Spirit. So any plans forged from a soulish level will have limited results at best.

In telling the dying thief that he would be with Him in Paradise, Jesus was patterning for you the kind of sweatless victory you can often achieve in leading souls into the Kingdom. It happens when you give up the plans and purposes that your limited mind constructs, and you simply allow your own life to be the living testimony of who Christ is in you. This alternative truly is simple, but it certainly demands more of you personally than does handing out a tract! It requires that you become the walking Word 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days each year because you never know when the Holy Spirit will usher a “thief” into your presence.

Jesus Himself was the power that brought the repentant thief into the Kingdom of God. He lay on that cross, denying Himself the right to call on myriads of angels to rescue Him. He submitted to the persecution and gave His life over completely to the Father. In doing so, He won over not only the thief next to Him, but many others who witnessed His selfless sacrifice, down to the very last second.

Isn’t it interesting that Jesus was crucified with two thieves? God is a Master Strategist, and nothing that happens is by chance. It was certainly not coincidental that these two men embodied the spirit of the enemy that Jesus had described during His earthly ministry.

'Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.' (John 10: 7 – 10)

Jesus mentioned thieves and robbers, both taking what isn’t rightfully theirs, but in different ways. According to Strong’s Concordance, thieves are false teachers who abuse the confidence of men and women for their own gain. They stealthily and underhandedly give false hope to a captive audience – an audience trapped by empty promises. Thieves manipulate the Word of God to their own advantage, yet are unable to demonstrate the true power of the Word. It is these, I believe, whom Jesus referred to when He said that not everyone who says, “Lord, Lord” will enter the Kingdom of heaven.

Robbers, according to Strong’s Concordance, steal openly. Could it be because they don’t know any better, having been raised in a certain kind of environment, in a certain culture, with a certain belief system? Could it be that they actually believe that what they take – spiritually, emotionally, financially – is rightfully theirs? Could it even be that they rob openly because they want to get caught, knowing that their lifestyle is wrong, but not knowing how to change?

To me the thieves represent those who have heard the true Word of God, but who have chosen to prostitute the Word for their own advantage, caring more about their own comforts than the true message of the gospel of the Kingdom. I see robbers as those who have not yet been introduced to the powerful truth of the Gospel, and so they themselves are trapped.

Is it possible that the unrepentant criminal typified the thieves that Jesus spoke about – still looking out for his own gain – while the repentant one who reached out to Jesus typified a robber – finally meeting The One who is The Truth? If that is so, then you can see how arguments, gimmicks and persuasive speech will not cause either of these types to be drawn into the Kingdom. It is only the overwhelming power of the Holy Spirit that will bring transformation. It is when they come face to face with the only Jesus they may ever see – the Christ in you.

When you and I live our lives with such transparent sacrifice, others are able to see the manifested power of God happening now, in real time, and not just read it as a historical event. It is then that this wonderful gospel of the Kingdom of God will have its appeal, as the Holy Spirit draws attention to your life, wooing others to experience the freedom in Christ that you demonstrate.

Are you willing to not only take up your cross, but allow yourself to be nailed to it? Are you willing to be one of those whom Jesus talked about – who would be persecuted for righteousness sake? It doesn’t mean necessarily that people will spit in your face, or that you will have to face physical martyrdom. But when you choose not to go according to the tenets of this world system – even the world system that has infiltrated the church – you automatically open yourself up to persecution. You will face two kinds of “thieves” – those who will jeer and criticize you and those who will be drawn to the Christ in you.

When you ignore the criticisms you deny your soul the opportunity to revert back to its old ways of arguments and imaginations. At the same time you give the Holy Spirit a powerful weapon that will draw men unto Christ – the weapon of your sacrificed life that says to seekers, “You too, will be with me in the Kingdom of God.”

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Your 7 Final Words - 1. Father, Forgive Them

Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. – Luke 23:34

Unforgiveness is often a major stronghold in the minds and hearts of believers and unbelievers alike. The mind, will and emotions like to hold on to the wrongs that you perceived were done to you, replaying them over and over, in one way or another. Very often these memories lie dormant, hidden in the recesses of your mind until something similar in nature happens, and you react.

Have you ever thought you had forgiven someone only to have that memory triggered, and you feel the twinge of uneasiness or pain again? That is an indication of the psuche (pronounced ‘soo-kay’) being still alive in that area.

The first step in your walk out of the psuche or soul-dominated life and into the zoe (pronounced ‘zoh-ee’) life is the act of forgiveness. Forgiveness is not a feeling; it is a decision. It is the doorway, so to speak, through which all other things in your relationship with the Lord must come. Without forgiveness it is impossible to have right relationship with the Father. He forgave you of all that you have done, are doing and ever will do.

In forgiving someone you give up the right to be right. You release your offender from any obligation to make it up to you. How do you do that? Let’s examine Jesus’ choice of words.

“Father, forgive them…”

Because the Father’s life is already the powerfully limitless zoe life He can forgive in a way that you may not yet be able to. God will not do anything that you don’t ask Him to do, so in essence you “empower” the Father to extend His forgiveness on your behalf in a particular area. The Christ in you is then able to forgive, and you can release the offenders and yourself from the burden of the offence. You no longer are affected by the “nail” of unforgiveness.

“…for they know not what they do.” – This is the key to forgiveness.

There is a saying that ‘hurting people hurt people’. People hurt others because they themselves had been hurt. Think of your offender as a wounded animal, bruised by the pain of some past offence – whether real or perceived. When a wounded animal is backed into a corner – when it has to face the reality of its own vulnerability – it strikes out at whomever or whatever is closest. This is the way it tries to convince itself that it still has some modicum of control. It is the same with hurting people. Hurting people are in survival mode – functioning from the level of the soul – so their mind, will and emotions are in control.

Now, see yourself as that wounded animal. Have you ever lashed out at someone either deliberately or instinctively? Was it not an effort to retain or regain control in some area of your life? If you had it to do all over again would you have said the same words? Done the same thing? You hurt that person because you didn’t fully know the extent of what you were doing. Your offenders hurt you for the same reason.

People hurt others because they don’t fully understand who God is, or who they are. Genesis 1:26 tells us that God created all mankind in His image and in His likeness. You have your parents’ physical DNA imprinted in you, so you look like and act like them in many ways. Similarly, you have God’s DNA embedded in you. The characteristics of God are a part of your make up. It is when you don’t recognize this truth that you malfunction in your thoughts, attitudes and resulting behaviors.

Are you willing to do as Jesus did and ask the Father to forgive? In doing so, you deny your soul the right to have its own way. Be cautioned that your soul will not submit without a fight for its right to survive in this area. It may lie dormant for a while, and then arise again at an unexpected time, showing up as anger, depression, resentment, feeling overwhelmed or some other negative emotion. But if you are willing, the Father will enable you to tell your soul, “Be quiet!” when the temptation to hold a grudge presents itself.

Will you take the time now to quietly ask the Father to bring back to your remembrance any offenders that you have not been able to completely release in forgiveness? Then ask Him to forgive them. In doing that, you will be forgiving them also, and you will have taken the first step out of the psuche-dominated life and into the limitless zoe life that Jesus always intended for you to have – the zoe life that is part of your spiritual DNA.

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Your 7 Final Words - Introduction

Philippians 3:10
that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable to His death.

There are 3 levels of life that you can live in…

1. Bios – this is the most basic level.
2. Psuche – this is the next level up. It is the soul life.
3. Zoe – this is the highest level of life. It is spirit life.

Bios life is not limited to humans, but rather is the life of any living organism – the physical, natural life of the body. Simply put, it is what happens “between the dashes” – from the time of birth to the time of death. Hence, from the Greek “bios” we derive words like biography and biology.

The psuche life is the realm of reasoning. This is what distinguishes man from other living creatures, and is the realm dominated by the mind, the will, the emotions and the intellect. It is from this Greek root that we get English words like psychology and psychic.

Most people limit themselves to the bios and psuche life. They are concerned about what they will eat, what they will wear and how they will pay their bills. To live according to the dictates of your intellect, imaginations, thoughts and emotions is to live life from the psuche level.

The death that you and I must die is death to the psuche or soul-dominated life. It is where you are able to give up soulish desires and ‘die’ to them. This does not mean that those desires are necessarily evil. It is not evil to want the comforts of life. However, in desiring true zoe life you are able to see those comforts from a different perspective, and renounce their importance in order to attain an even greater and higher level of life – the resurrection life of Jesus Christ – the zoe life.

Revelation 12:11 says, “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony, and they loved not their lives to the death.”

The word “lives” in this Scripture is the Greek word psuchē which means the soul. So this verse is indicating that they – the overcomers – became overcomers by the blood of the Lamb, by the word of their own testimonies and they were willing to experience the death of their own soulish lives.
When Jesus was about to leave the earth and ascend to the Father He said to His disciples. “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. And you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” – Acts 1:8

The word “witnesses” is the Greek word martus, from which we get our English word ‘martyr’. Even then Jesus was indicating that, in order to spread the gospel of the Kingdom of God, they would have to die to their soulish lives. It is the same for us.

The first Adam was a “living soul (psuche)” – Genesis 2:7. Is it any wonder, then that the man and woman in the Garden gave in to what their senses detected? They heard what the deceiving serpent told them. They saw that the forbidden fruit was good for food. They took (touched) the fruit. They smelled and tasted it. They reasoned within themselves and made a decision which led them down the path of destruction.

The last Adam, Jesus the Christ, is a life-giving Spirit – 1 Corinthians 15:45. The life He gives is the zoe life. Zoe life is a life that is not restrained by the limitations of this world. It is a life that knows no boundaries. It is a life of true freedom. This is what Jesus spoke about when He declared that He had come to give us life and that more abundantly – John 10:10.

Jesus, in His death on the cross, patterned for us the death of the self or psuche life.
His seven last statements show this clearly.

1. Father, forgive them for they know not what they do – Luke 23:34
2. Assuredly I say to you today you will be with me in Paradise. – Luke 23:43
3. Woman, behold your son. Behold your mother. – John 19:26, 27
4. My God, My God why have you forsaken me? – Mark 15:34; Matthew 27:46
5. I thirst – John 19:28
6. It is finished. – John 19:30
7. Into thy hands I commit my spirit. – Luke 23:46

The death of the psuche life is the entrance to zoe life. It is possible for you and me to live the zoe life here and now, and through eternity. Jesus declared, “He who loves his life (psuche) will lose it, and he who hates his life (psuche) in this world will keep it for eternal life (zoe).” – John 12:25

Isn’t it wonderful to know that in giving up the limited psuche life we can experience zoe life, and in doing so, regain Spirit-dominated control of our psuche and bios life?

In the next seven writings we will examine each of these sayings, and see how we ourselves can declare our own 7 final words, and prepare to enter into the glorious abundance of zoe life.

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Audrey E. Charles’ cutting edge revelations both inspire and challenge her audiences. She has ministered extensively in the United States and the Caribbean for over 30 years, and her driving passion is to fulfill the mandate that Jesus Christ gave – “make disciples of all nations.”

Audrey founded Ensign Enterprises with a vision to establish and promote the standard of the Kingdom of God. To that end she imparts the hidden truths of God’s Word to undiscovered, emerging, and established leaders alike, empowering them to function as Kingdom citizens here on earth.

Audrey teaches by example, and at God’s command has lived by faith, totally trusting Him for His guidance and provision. She is a living testimony of God’s faithfulness, strategic wisdom and His manifested power in the life of a yielded believer. Her signature statement is, “You either live as the image and likeness of God as the Father intended, or you merely exist as a figment of your own imagination.”

For bookings and other information please write to:
ensignenterprises@gmail.com

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