Soul Ties in the Church

When I write, I prefer to focus on writing all day. Many times before composing I take some time to worship and set my mind on Almighty Yahweh.

This morning as I worshipped, I began praying about holy connections within the Body of Christ. As I did, the Spirit of the Lord began to download something into my spirit about 'soul ties'. Although I had not planned on blogging today (I have another project on my mind), I knew I was to share this.

What is a 'soul tie'? My understanding of this phrase is that it is referring to a relationship with another person or group that is of an intimate nature. If you were to look up the exact phrase, 'soul tie', in the Bible, you will not find it. What you will find, however, are examples of holy and unholy soul ties.

David and Jonathan had a holy soul tie.

And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit [qashar--to bind, tie, bind together, league together, conspire] with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. - 1 Samuel 18:1 KJV

The Book of Ephesians shows that marriage ties two souls--they become 'one flesh'.

For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined [proskollaō--from kolla ("glue")] unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. - Ephesians 5:31 KJV

 

This union is not only through a sexual relationship, but also through vows spoken to one another. I Corinthians gives an example of an unholy soul tie via sexual union:

What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh. - 1 Corinthians 6:16 KJV

So you can see that soul ties can be made in a number of ways. What hit my spirit this morning, however, was how we can actually have unholy soul ties within the Church. Because we fellowship with other believers in the Lord, we can innocently or perhaps more accurately, naively, form a union that is not Godly.  Sometimes we might have ulterior motives to connect with someone in a leadership position in the church body.

Our Heavenly Father created our physical bodies to be made up of interdependent parts or members. When even an individual cell within a part operates outside of its purpose towards another part, the brain is alerted. So it is with the Body of Christ. Just as human body parts were made to be interdependent, members in Christ's Body are to be mutually supportive of one another. BUT when an individual operates outside of how Christ the Head has ordained, they are in danger. This includes relationships we have with other members of the Body of Christ!

Do not confuse this with church leadership. What I mean is, just because your church is set up where a pastor or bishop is the overseer, does not mean he is the head of the church! Yes, an overseer has responsibilities towards the church body, but it is not to be a dictatorship.

Neither as being lords over [katakyrieuō--1) to bring under one's power, to subject one's self, to subdue, master; 2) to hold in subjection, to be master of, exercise lordship over] God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. - 1 Peter 5:3 KJV

Whenever we allow a church member--whether in leadership or not--to manipulate or control what we do or not do, this is an unholy soul tie.

It is only through an intimate relationship with the Head, Jesus our Yahshua, that we will know who we are to be in relationship with and how intimately we are to be connected, for He alone is the true lover of our souls.

Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but thou hast in love [chashaq--' to love, be attached to, long for']to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back. - Isaiah 38:17 KJV

 

Genuine unity can only be accomplished through the Spirit of the Lord.

But he that is joined [kollaō--glued]

unto the Lord is one spirit. - 1 Corinthians 6:17 KJV

For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

Ephesians 5:31-32 KJV 

 

Hello, Hello, Hello

Hello dear ones!

With Google Blogger updating things, I thought I should update my blog's look just a little.

But what I REALLY want is to know what YOU would like to see, learn, or know about. 'Like what?' you might ask. Well--about ANYTHING that pertains to life and godliness!

The reason my blog is called 'Everyday Life in the Spirit' is because our entire lives are affected by the spiritual realm. That is why you will see posts about all different subjects--ranging from how I get my way when I want something in life to dramatic experiences with God!

I'm not claiming to be some kind of expert, I'm simply trying to better connect with folks for I am still learning about this whole blogging thing. If you like what you have seen so far, let me know that as well. So...

Show some love & please leave a [constructive] comment~

 

Free to Love

As I sat in the kitchen recently trying to clear my mind and pressing in to see if the Spirit of the Lord would speak to me, I heard, "Daughter, you're making life too complicated. The enemy wants your life to be complicated. Simply love Me as I love you."

When He said that, I remembered something else He had taught me years ago. Something I keep forgetting.

The Word of God instructs us in Mark 12:30 to love the Lord God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. Well, you see, I had taken it upon myself to work harder on this. I would chastise myself because I didn't feel as though I loved Him enough. My Heavenly Father was gracious, though, and spoke to me one day saying, "Daughter, you are not able to love Me as much as I love you!"

What a relief! I cannot express how this freed me. It was as though another layer of manmade religion sloughed off me and I was free! Free to love Him as only I could.

Today, as I thought on His love, I came across wonderful encouragement through Anne Elmer as she shared regarding dealing with disappointment in our heart. I found it here: Anne Elmer: "REMOVE THE STONE! Let Out the Thing that is Rotting and Beginning to Smell"

And today I pray that you will be free to love!
 

It's Time!

Soon after moving to the Carolinas six years ago, I began to notice when the clock read 9:11--usually in the mornings. It occurred a few times a week.

I remember commenting to one of the leaders of the church I was fellowshipping with about this. Something in the day's service must have prompted me to go up and talk with him. I said, "I believe the Spirit of the Lord is showing us the urgency of the time we are living in." I don't remember his reaction or whether he even commented on what I shared.

Since then, my 'sightings' have increased to the point that I notice 9:11 in the morning and in the evening. Now my husband is beginning to notice it!

Why? Why are we noticing when the time is 9:11?

A couple weeks ago I joined friends of mine who oversee a ministry, House of Hope, for what I thought was simply a time of worship. It turned out that it was worship along with intercession for an event that was to occur the following evening hosted by a group called Ignite Hickory.

During worship, a microphone was made available so that anyone who was led to sing or prophesy or pray, could do so. At one point, a short song rose up within me, so I went to the mic to sing as the Holy Spirit led. It helped that I had ministered before with the brother who was leading the worship that night, and he smiled with approval as I began to sing:

Hickory dickory dock
You better wind up the clock
'Cuz it's time!

I sang my few lyrics twice and then went back to where I had been standing. Others came up and prayed and I began to understand that Ignite Hickory was a group of believers who expected revival in their city. That night they were pressing in to see the hand of God move the next evening where they had organized a worship event in one of the area hotels.

Later I ambled up to the mic again and shared how I had been seeing 9:11 for years, and that night I knew the Spirit of the Lord was saying--"It's time!" Time for Amos 9:11-13:

In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old:

That they may possess the remnant of Edom, and of all the heathen, which are called by my name, saith the LORD that doeth this.

Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt. - Amos 9:11-13 KJV
As I finished speaking and went to set my Bible down, a couple of the young men there shouted, "Look at the clock!" I looked up and the hour hand was on the '9' and the minute hand was on the '11'!

We all took this as confirmation of what I was led to speak. It seems to have been so long that I have waited for this time to arrive--the great move of Yahweh in the last days...

I went to that gathering at the hotel the next night. The worship was high and when anyone spoke, they remained in the crowd instead of prancing up on the stage where the worship team was ministering. It blessed my heart to see that they wanted to be 'nameless and faceless'. Designated teams were praying for people in the back of the huge room.

When a friend came up to me afterwards to ask my impression, I said, "It felt like a great plowing session in the spirit realm. I could see it was like sparks of Heaven falling on people who were getting healed and saved--sparks can cause a great fire!"

Do you, dear readers, believe 'It's time'?

Trial Duty

Shouldn't that title be 'Jury Duty'? No, but let me explain...

Like a multitude of other families, we live in an area severely affected economically. This has hit close to home now to the point where I realize we are truly going to have to walk by faith in order to continue paying for what are considered 'basic bills' here in America--water, electricity, gas, home-health-auto insurances etc. Oh, and let's not forget groceries!

This is not something entirely new to me. In the very first year of our marriage, I was forced to stop working early due to a car accident resulting in the premature birth of our first child. (I share this story and the harrowing tales of my other two pregnancies in The Mommy Manual. Click here.)

Financial help was short in supply and our own auto insurance company was trying to pin the blame for the accident on us so that they wouldn't have to pay us! (The other driver was a minor who ran the light and smashed into us at high speed totalling our car. It was a miracle Tom and I and our unborn survived.)

The thought of having to live through a time similar to that pulled me down into a dark place--a place I did not want to go. Like David in Psalms, I poured my heart out to my Heavenly Father. I was led to read in I Corinthians beginning in Chapter 9, but kept reading the next chapter. A verse that had been of great encouragement to me in the past was there like an old friend to greet me again~

There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man:but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. 1 Corinthians 10:13 KJV

This verse if powerful once you better understand the word 'temptation'. It was translated from the Greek word peirasmos and means 'trial, proof'. What a promise!

No trial will come upon you that any other person hasn't already gone through. God is faithful and will not allow you to be proved beyond what you can bear and will make a way for you to come up out of the trial, so that you may be able to endure it. 1 Corinthians 10:13 LOV (Lyn's Own Version)

As I write this, I am remembering two specific things the Lord did for us that difficult year. I received a check for $200 unexpectedly from the State with a note claiming that I had overpaid my taxes. This was the exact amount we were short that month in order to pay the rent! Another incident was that we found groceries sitting outside our apartment door, although we had not told anyone of our plight.

Again, like David, I am thankful to remember how my God is faithful. He has delivered us through the fire before, so I know I can trust Him to come through for us once again.

[Note: The LOV is based on studying the words according to the Young's Analytical Concordance.]