Kim Clement: Purifying Your Soul

• Is Your Soul Whole?
Our souls are constantly being saved, restored, purified, and renewed.
• Saved
James 1:21 "Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to SAVE YOUR SOULS."
•Restored
Psalm 23:3 "He RESTORES MY SOUL and leads me in the right path for His name's sake."

• Purified
Our souls are purified by obedience...
1 Peter 1:22 "Since you have purified your souls in OBEYING the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of your spiritual family..."

• Renewed
2 Corinthians 4:16 "Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man (soul) is being RENEWED day by day."
• So When Am I Truly Saved?
Most of us realize that forgiveness of sins and eternal life are received the minute we call to God and receive Jesus Christ. However, we have to live on this earth with our imperfect aging bodies AND our souls.
To assume that the condition of your soul does NOT have an effect on your brain, mind, body, relationships, social life, industry, your environment, and existence is ludicrous. Your soul (heart) is the very core of your being and it should be cared for as much as we care for our bodies. King David called his soul, "my darling" (Psalm 35).

God's Intentions – Are God's Intentions Ours?
We have to discover the intentions of God and then judge the intentions of our soul. Do they differ? If so, we have to teach our soul the desire and purpose of God, and if necessary make adjustments in our mind so as to remove any ill intentions. You have to defeat your soul's evil designs and checkmate the WILL.
Something also to understand is that when God speaks to you He states His INTENTIONS for you as a whole person. You may be a broken person when He speaks to you, but the implanted word, as written by James, will save your soul thereby making you whole.
His intentions may not always end up being His actions. This is proven throughout Scriptures. Man's will plays an important role and can, by obedience, fulfill God's intentions. Disobedience and rebellion can possibly change God's mind. There are many examples of this in the Bible.
Isaiah prophesied that Hezekiah the King would die from the tumor he had. Hezekiah threw himself against the wall and prayed fervently with tears and reminded God of his existence as a good king. (Thereby presenting himself as a whole person.) By this I mean that Hezekiah's soul was whole. God changes His mind and sends Isaiah back to predict an extra 15 years to Hezekiah's life.

Spiritual Warfare?

So our spiritual warfare involves both "being" and "seeming" (to be), both "appearance" and "reality". There are many image makers out there and what the enemy aims to do is lead your soul away from its natural and divine inclination, which is what you were designed to be. Substance, not appearance, is what matters. We were created in the image AND likeness of God.
Quite simply, image means "to reveal" (it is substance) and likeness means "to reflect" (it is appearance). Image is "to be like" and likeness is "to act like". There is more substance to the one than the other. And so in our walk with God we can appear to be or actually be. A reflection does influence, but it does not necessarily change anything in your life or anyone else's life.
An actor can play the part of a great hero while, in reality, he is a weak character and not anything like the hero he depicts. His appearance can convince you of his heroism when actually he may be the complete opposite.
Read James 1:22-24 "Be doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the Word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was."
That truly sums it up.

Self-Deception

The Greek word for deceive is Paralogizomai, "To make a false reckoning; delude, circumvent." Quite frankly, deception is paralysis. It paralyzes your progress and steals your TIME.
Another fact is that GOOD PEOPLE are the easiest to fool. Good people are sheep in the midst of wolves and so in the training of the soul we are to temper the innocence of the dove with the wisdom of the serpent, governing ourselves according to the way people ARE, rather than the way they would like to be or would like to appear.
This is where the discerning of spirits plays a huge role in the realm of perception in your life. This gift of the discerning of spirits is NOT the gift of judging others, but rather seeing the substance and not the appearance. If you want to prosper in life and in the world you live in, your soul has to prosper. Your soul has a capacity for goodness, which is assisted by art and can triumph over evil. Why do I say "assisted by art"?
Art comes in various forms. Art is the expression/production of what is beautiful, appealing and/or more than ordinary significance. It comes in many genres. Art is visual and meaningful. When I am praying in the garden, my surroundings are important to me. You must create an environment that inspires you to pray, worship, and many times conduct spiritual combat.
David said these words in one of his Psalms, "My heart is fixed, oh God, my heart is steadfast. I WILL sing praises yes I will sing praises" (Psalm 57). He willed to do this. However, in that same Psalm he says the following, "Awake my soul, awake my harp, I will awaken the dawn." He wanted a divine production to inspire him. That is why I created a garden that stimulates me to linger longer and be with God. The art in my prayer garden assists me.
"Evil is done without effort, naturally, it is the working of fate: GOOD is always the product of an art." Charles Baudelaire
Psalm 19:1 "The heavens declare His glory and the skies declare His handiwork." A great example of the effect of art on your soul is when you watch a movie, attend a play, enjoy the scenery, etc. Your soul is taken into that world. "No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader." So your artistic environment can assist your soul's goodness. Temper (preserve; guard) the innocence of your soul with the wisdom of a serpent.

Purify Your Soul By An Act of Obedience
1 Peter 1:22 "Since you have purified your souls in OBEYING the truth through the Spirit."
We are committed to serving you the finest of God's revelation and speaking a word in season to those who are weary. Pray and ask God what you should do and then act. Be a doer and not only a hearer. Your act of obedience will bring purification and prosper your soul. And remember, "Prosper and be in health as your soul prospers." Thank you for your love, support and overwhelming words of encouragement. We could not do it without you.
Kim Clement
Prophetic Image Expressions
Email: hope@kimclement.com
Website: kimclement.com