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Tuesday, December 23, 2014

That's the spirit!

Spirit.  This word is used to describe everything from personalities to apparitions.  People with spirit are typically described as having high energy, being the life of the party, and easy to get along with. Some people even call alcoholic beverages spirits.  Going just a little further, sometimes people use the term spirit as a verb. Example: 'the kids spirited away the chalk before the teacher came into the class room.'  

But what about you, your spirit?  When you listen to music how does it make you feel? What thoughts enter your mind?  Do you feel negative or do you feel positive?  Do the lyrics speak life to you, or do they speak death? What is the spirit of the music? When you read a book or watch a TV show or movie, how does the content make you feel?  Do you walk away feeling encouraged, discouraged, hateful?  What many people do not understand is how their spirit is negatively or positively affected by the things life presents to us.  Some people do not understand why they feel a certain way after walking away from a conversation, a movie, or a song they just heard. 

Job 32:8 says 'But it is the spirit{a)} in a person, the breath of the Almighty that gives them understanding.' (Biblegateway.com, NIV).  Some have argued that all sentient beings have a spirit and a soul.  Some believe that animals go to heaven when they die, like humans do.  I really do not know.  What I know is that we as human beings need to diligently guard our soul and spirit.  This means that we should make specific choices about what we choose to read, and what we choose to watch, and what we choose to listen to.  This is not about censorship, unless that is what you want it to be. This is about protecting your spirit.  

Think about it, we are all different and the same event can affect us differently.  We all like to think we are tough, and that not much can affect us, especially some book or some song.  But if you think about the last time an event, a book, or a song affected you for the good or for the bad; how long did the impression last?  How long did it 'weigh' on your spirit if it was negative, or lift your spirit it was a positive event?  Be honest.  When you honestly review what you are watching and listening to, all the world's negative assaults will quickly know their place in your life.  The good stuff will be just that, the good stuff.  The things that enhance your life and even help you through difficult times instead of making difficult times even worse.  Bottom line: protect your spirit.