Physical and Spiritual

Isiah 43:2 gives us this beautiful promise, When you go through deep waters I will be with you. I have called you by name; you are Mine. When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you (NLT). The poetic truth of this verse comforts and builds faith. Even so, the question may come, Then why do Christians suffer, and many through the centuries have been killed for their faith? This is where we must understand the difference between the physical and the spiritual.

Jesus said in Matthew 10:28, Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul (NLT). The Apostle Paul said in II Corinthians 4:8-9, We are pressed on every side by troubles. but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed (NLT). Both Jesus and Paul were letting us know that no matter what happens to our bodies, our souls cannot be touched. That is why we have stories of Christians who went to their persecuted deaths, not only with courage, but more importantly with their Heavenly Father’s own peace and joy within them.

Never forget that our physical bodies are here today and gone tomorrow, but our inner being, where the Holy Spirit resides, sealing us for eternity, cannot be touched by anything in this world, and lives on and on and on. Our minds can become downcast, hearts discouraged, minds dull of hope…but when we choose to obey the guidance given in Philippians 4:8 to, Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right and true, and lovely and admirable, then inner strength from God soars to the heights of hope where peace and joy cannot be touched nor taken away.

Does God care about what happens in our physical worlds? A resounding, Yes! Each day we awaken is a day of blessing. Every time we eat or drink, it is a blessing. Physical blessings of this world come to all humans and every creature. Jesus said in Matthew 5:45 about His Father, He gives His sunlight to both the evil and the good, and He sends rain on the just and the unjust alike (NLT). Our Heavenly Father loves to guide us to the right careers and jobs and places we live. He loves to provide food for our tables and clothes to wear. Even so, all the physical things of the world will pass away, but all spiritual blessings and promises last forever. It is the spiritual promises that assists our physical selves to get through the difficulties and sorrows of this world today, until one day we live in our eternal world where neither sorrow nor death exist.

Therefore, today, no matter the hardship, know that He will be your strength so that your spiritual selves are not crushed, but strengthened instead to say, “My Lord is with me and will be my everything to get me through anything.”