Spirit, Soul, & Body by Andrew Wommack
2020, book 15: “Nobody loves their mate exactly like Christ loved the church. No one is as passionate about ministering to others as they should be. None of us meditates on the things of God as much as we could. Therefore, according to God’s definition of sin, everyone constantly falls short.” — Andrew Wommack
Finished on March 2, 2020
As part of the men’s group that I was part of in early 2020, this book was recommended to me by one of the people in the group. I was looking forward to going through it as there were some great comments from a gentleman, Tim. This book definitely was powerful and there were a ton of great takeaways.
As the premise of this book, I thought this type of an intro was fantastic, it was very beneficial to study this topic at a deeper level. At first I was unsure of how I felt about this being explained in such a way but did respect the author’s perspective as I continued reading through the book.
Pg. 1, Even though God’s Word clearly teaches that we are three-part beings, very few Christians practice a functional understanding of spirit, soul, and body in their everyday lives. Most people actually believe that they’re only made up of body and soul. They confuse soul and spirit as being basically the same thing. Therefore, on a day-to-day level, they only acknowledge a physical part and an emotional, mental, inner part (commonly called “personality”).
When we live in alignment with God, more happens than would ever happen on our own.
Pg. 14, When your soul agrees with your spirit, the life of God in you will manifest, itself in your physical body. You’ll experience healing, deliverance, anointing, victory, power, joy, prosperity — on and on it goes.
Quite interesting here. The scriptural reference was great. I do agree that much of the potential and purpose that God has destined for people never comes to fruition largely because of the difficulty to surpass and separate from sin — especially without turning to God for His strength, His power, and His might.
Pg. 26, When a believer’s understanding is darkened, they are “alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart” (Ephesians 4:18). In other words, the life of God is still there, but they are alienated from it due to ignorance, which refers to the mind. This is where most Christians live their lives — separated from the life of God within, due to their own ignorance of spiritual truth.
This is tough. It’s clear within The Word that it is not God’s will for anyone to experience death. However, sin was brought into the world and death is now an inevitable outcome for all of us as humans. It’s the question of where do we put our trust in, right? So, God has equipped people to be doctors, experts, etc. In the same breath, we mustn’t put our reliance on human capacity or human power. While it’s important that we can utilize the opportunities that we have been granted, our trust must be in God.
Pg. 26, In His Word, God declares that by His stripes, you were healed (1 Peter 2:24), but suppose you look at yourself and ask, “Is that cancerous tumor gone?” Still feeling pain, emotionally drained, and fearful, you continue, “God says I’m healed, but I’m not. It’s still there, so I must not be healed.” If you adopt that attitude, you’ve allowed your five senses to dominate you more than God’s Word. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is in you, but if you don’t believe it (Ephesians 1:18–20), you’ll let your mind be controlled by what it sees in the physical realm more than the spiritual realm. Therefore, even though you have the resurrection life of God in your spirit, it won’t manifest in the physical realm because you’re carnally minded, which equals death.
We were never designed to be just people but God’s people. Now, everyone might look at this differently but here is one important aspect of who we are. We were created to be in alignment with God, weren’t we? What was the original design? Remember that you are more than flesh — Jesus shares that the Holy Spirit fills us.
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” — Acts 1:8 NIV
Pg. 36, My attitude completely changed since discovering these truths. When problems came, I used to feel inadequate. I’d lament, “O God, I know You’ve got power, but I’m just a man. I don’t have any power at my disposal.” Then I realized I’m not just a man anymore. One-third of me is complete. One-third of me is identical to and one with Jesus. One-third of me is wall-to-wall Holy Ghost! Because of the confidence, security, and faith this has given me, I can confront and overcome problems now that I wasn’t able to before. As you keep digging, these truths will do the same for you.
Everyone falls short. That’s a humbling thought, isn’t it? Paul said numerous times in the New Testament that he is the worst sinner that he’s ever known. I’d echo that statement for myself. Many people think I’m a “good person” but I know my heart and I know that I’m far far far from perfect. I need God every single day and more of Him each and every day too. However, God still doesn’t look at sin as just action but also inaction; that’s another thing that is made abundantly clear throughout His Word.
Pg. 41, God doesn’t look at sin the way people do. To Him, sin isn’t only doing something wrong by violating a command, it’s also not doing something right that you should have done. “To him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin” (James 4:17). Nobody loves their mate exactly like Christ loved the church. No one is as passionate about ministering to others as they should be. None of us meditates on the things of God as much as we could. Therefore, according to God’s definition of sin, everyone constantly falls short.
This was the most energizing thing that I read throughout the entirety of this book. It is said in the Bible that God will no longer see our sin but see Jesus when He looks at us (after of course, we accept Jesus as our savior). We were lost in sin but are no longer.
Pg. 49, This old phrase, “I’m just a sinner, saved by grace” isn’t true. If you’re a sinner, then you need to be born again. If you were truly saved by grace, then you are no longer a sinner. Your spirit has been recreated in righteousness and true holiness and it cannot sin. Neither can it be penetrated by sin in your body or soul because of the Holy Spirit seal. Don’t approach God confessing “I’m an old sinner.” Draw near to Him boldly because you are now “the righteousness of God in [Christ]” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
This, also, is absolutely fantastic to truly meditate on. God does not see all that we did but sees all that He created us to become. Who you were yesterday and last week and last year is not the same as who God is leading you to become and the more that we draw closer to Him, the more that we are going to be living in a state of fellowship and alignment with God.
Pg. 62, Your spirit has been sealed, sanctified, and perfected forever. Its righteous state doesn’t fluctuate with the holiness of your actions and attitudes. Since salvation depends solely upon putting your faith in Jesus and being born again, your sin doesn’t affect your relationship with God. He fellowships with you based on your faith in Christ alone.
There is but one thing in the Bible that is said to be unforgivable that sends us into eternal damnation with no way out — that is the following which is shared in the book of Hebrews.
Pg. 66, You can’t renounce your salvation ignorantly. That’s what Hebrews 6:46 is saying. You have to be a mature Christian who was drawn by the Spirit, born again, baptized in the Holy Ghost, mature in the Word, and operating in the gifts of the Spirit before you can reject the Lord. Only then are you held accountable.
Amen to this! Living holy is essential and we all know through our own experiences, what may happen when we give the devil a foothold. The devil will always want more and always strive to pull us down. Remember, the enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy — I don’t want that in my earthly life and certainly don’t want that in my eternal life!
Pg. 69, I have received eternal redemption (Hebrews 9:12). This doesn’t encourage me to live in sin but instead gives me stability in my life and relationship with God. I live holy because I want to, and if I don’t, I know I’ll give Satan and other people an opportunity against me (Romans 6:16). Living holy is definitely more beneficial than living in sin!
Can God heal? Yes. Then why do we dwell on the statistics?? It’s crazy. Every time you say that something is too MUCH for you to handle and there is NO way out, you are effectively stating that God cannot make a way. That’s not true, though, God can do all things. And thereby, we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. We must remember that apart from God we can do no things but with God, we can do all things. The most important part is going to be remembering that we must be operating in alignment with God and in alignment with God’s Word and in alignment with God’s commands.
Pg. 91, Your spirit mind always thinks the way God thinks. The Word perfectly represents what you think in your spirit. For instance, it’s saying, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13). If your physical mind agrees, then you’ll see supernatural power and ability flow through your soul into your body, which produces results in the physical realm. But if your mind is contrary, thinking I can’t beat this sickness. I’ve known five people who’ve died of this same thing, and my doctor told me it’s hopeless! then you’re double-minded. A double-minded person receives nothing from the Lord.
This is so awesome to experience. The more time that I spend in God’s Word, the more that I experience something like this. I read a nightly Psalm and begin my mornings with a chapter of Proverbs, a chapter from the Old Testament, and a chapter from the New Testament. It’s been wonderful to read something for the 10th or 15th time and suddenly, my soul is moved. It’s humbling and it’s powerful.
Pg. 95, Surely you’ve read a scripture and felt like all of a sudden you “saw” it. You may have read it a hundred times before, but all at once everything within you shouts, “Yes!” That’s your spirit and your soul becoming of one mind. When your soulish realm gains a truth and begins to embrace it, your spirit connects and agrees. Once the connection is made, that truth just goes off inside of you. It’s now revelation and reality to you. Because of your inner witness, you don’t necessarily need anyone else to prove it; you just know.
Again, we must remember how much power the devil has. The devil can send us thoughts but it is up to us whether we think on those thoughts or we dismiss those thoughts as not being from God. We must ALWAYS refer back to the Word for confirmation. Anything that comes to us as from God — is it in alignment with His Word? If not, we can confidently say that it’s not from God.
Pg. 102, Now just because you pray in tongues and ask God for interpretation doesn’t mean you should accept any and every thought that comes to your mind as being from the Lord. That’s a recipe for disaster! You must judge every thought by the Word of God. The Spirit and the Word always agree (1 John 5:7). They never disagree because God’s Word never contradicts spiritual truth. Whether you are praying in tongues and believing for interpretation or not, whenever thoughts that are contrary to the Word flash across your mind, you should immediately conclude “That’s not God!”
What is really in control? Your spirit? Your heart? Your mind? God’s Word? Which one is it? Our mind is filled with sin, no one on earth today has a pure mind, we cannot fully trust our mind to guide us. As the author emphasizes, we cannot obey both God AND the world.
“You either listen to the world or you listen to God. You can’t do both at once.” — Harrison Wendland
Pg. 110, Each and every day of your life, the battle lies in whether you’ll be dominated by your flesh or your spirit. Your flesh gravitates toward what it can see, taste, hear, smell, and feel. Therefore, it leans toward the influence of Satan and his kingdom, which operates in the physical realm. The devil is flesh-oriented, working through carnal, natural things. He tempts you to not believe God by using things you can see and feel. On the other hand, the Lord operates in the spirit realm, primarily through His Word. Due to the nature of this intense, continual, inner conflict, you can’t just do what you want to do. Either your spirit will dominate you or your flesh will instead.
The key aspect when it comes to forgiveness is that we must have the desire in our hearts to not commit that sin again. We must have the desire to change and live as God has designed for us to. This is tough, most definitely. As many people find out, the more that we strive to glorify God, the harder the devil will work to prevent that from happening.
Pg. 122, The Lord wants you to forgive totally — as much and as many times as it takes. In your flesh, you might be able to forgive a person for some minor things once, twice, or even seven times in a day (Peter thought that he might be able to do that). But what Jesus asked goes far beyond your human ability. The only way you can forgive like that is by saying, “Father, I can’t do it, but You can. Lord, please love them through me.” When you humble yourself, turning away from your own natural ability and to God and His divine ability, you’ll discover a supernatural strength flowing through you.
God will accept us and call us as we are. Only God can change someone’s heart but the important thing is that WHILE we were still sinners, Jesus died for us. This means that it was not a price Jesus paid AFTER we were changed but rather before! Don’t let anything stop you from drawing near to God.
Pg. 130, Today, this man has been a pastor for over twenty years. How did he overcome his flesh and its bad habits? Did he quit snorting cocaine and all the other ungodly things he was doing first? No. This man didn’t let his vices keep him from beginning to find out what God’s Word said about him. He centered his attention on discovering who he was in Christ and what all Jesus had done for him. As those things became reality to him, he finally came to a place where God led him out of that lifestyle.
I loved this emphasis. God has a specific design for this world that He created and it’s up to us to become all that He has created for us to be. What does God have in store for you or for me? It’s far greater than anything we could imagine, that’s for sure.
Pg. 137, If you’re experiencing something other than life and peace, then you’re something other than spiritually minded (Romans 8:6). You may desire the right things, praying and begging God for them, but you don’t receive victory by desiring or begging for it. You receive the victory He’s already achieved and provided for you by focusing your attention on the spirit. When you do that, you’ll overcome.
What does God want for us? As we said, it’s far greater than we could imagine. What God has created us for? We were not created to go after desires of the flesh but rather to experience all that God has for us.
Pg. 137, God wants you healed, prospered, and delivered from oppression. You may even have a desire for and a sensitivity to God that they don’t have. But as far as results go, you won’t really experience any more of God’s miraculous power in your life as long as you continue thinking on the same carnal things that the world does pretty much all day long. To get different results, you have to do something differently! If you mind the things of the flesh, then you’ll be after the flesh; the physical realm will dominate you.
I gave this book a 4/5
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