We are created in God’s image, possessing a physical body, a Soul (housing the mind and heart), and a Spirit designed for communion with God. A healthy individual effectively functions in all three aspects.
I conceptualize the soul to have a garden where we consistently plant seeds throughout our lives from birth. Our experiences, what we hear, and what we observe sow thoughts into our minds and hearts. Our soul’s garden is incredibly fertile; every seed planted in this garden eventually bears fruit if allowed to grow, some more rapidly than others.
When a thought, whether from spoken words or experiences, triggers a strong emotion, it is stored in our hearts as a memory. Each time we recall this memory, we re-experience the emotion. These thoughts then evolve into belief systems and mindsets, becoming part of our cognitive processes, impacting our perception and, ultimately, our actions. This explains why two individuals can receive the same information and arrive at different conclusions. For example, someone who has been cheated on is more likely to suspect their current partner of infidelity when they start coming home late due to work deadlines, unlike someone who has never experienced such betrayal.
The condition of our soul is therefore crucial for a fulfilled life. The mind processes thoughts, while the heart processes emotions. Ensuring both are in good condition is paramount for our progress and successful living. We are always bearing fruit, but the question is whether it’s good or bad. Matthew 7:18 states, “A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.”
The Mind of the Soul
Our minds are responsible for conceiving and processing thoughts, analyzing and rationalizing them, and holding our mindsets. Every thought is a seed. When we are fully identified with our minds, we lack the capacity to choose which thoughts to plant in our gardens. A prospering soul is discerning about the thoughts it engages with. Not every thought is worth exploring. When a thought triggers emotions, it means we’ve already engaged it. To plant good seeds in our hearts, we must actively focus on powerful thoughts that align with God’s will for our lives. Philippians 4:8 advises, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”
Understanding that you are separate from your mind and thoughts is the first step to awareness. Our mind is a tool to help us perceive and navigate life; thoughts are merely thoughts. We need to learn to use our minds to benefit us, not to oppress us. When operating on autopilot, our minds naturally gravitate towards human desires and ambitions, seeking pleasure and progress, sometimes at the expense of ourselves and others. Matthew 16:26 asks, “What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their souls?”
A mind must be governed. On autopilot, lacking awareness, it is governed by the flesh, meaning it’s controlled by worldly desires, impulses, and self-centered ambitions. Most thoughts in a mind governed by the flesh are bad seeds that eventually bear bad fruit.
Alternatively, the mind can be governed by the Spirit. A mind governed by the Spirit is aligned with the mind of Christ, focusing on thoughts that align with God’s word and will through the Holy Spirit. Thoughts originating from the Spirit of God are wholesome and good seeds for the soul.The Biblical word of God, helps us understand and embrace thoughts that align with His will for our lives, thereby shaping our mindset to align with the mind of Christ. However, studying God’s word requires the Holy Spirit’s guidance; without it, our minds can unfortunately veer into a negative religious mindset.
Thoughts from the flesh often trigger negative, crippling emotions like fear, worry, greed, shame, guilt, envy, jealousy, hate, pride, anxiety, anger, frustration, disgust, stress, apathy, timidness, inadequacy, self-criticism, aggression, depression, and resentment.
Thoughts from the Spirit, however, trigger empowering emotions such as love, humility, kindness, empathy, joy, peace, patience, confidence, encouragement, hope, gratitude, and compassion.
To discern the origin of a thought, pay attention to the emotion it triggers.
The Heart of the Soul (Garden)
The heart of the soul processes emotions that become feelings, which are felt and even stored as memories. Stronger emotions lead to stronger memories. The mind thinks thoughts, but the heart feels and stores feelings. The mind and heart work together. When the mind accesses a memory, consciously or unconsciously, the heart accesses the emotion tied to it. The phrase “Don’t take it to heart” essentially means to avoid giving emotion to a thought and to process it logically in the mind.
Romans 8:6 highlights a fundamental contrast: “The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the spirit is life and peace.” When an individual’s mind is controlled by the flesh, they can expect various forms of “death” to manifest in their life. This might involve the decay of relationships, the suppression of one’s calling, a decline in morals and reputation, physical demise, unfulfilled needs, spiritual death or deterioration in other vital aspects. Conversely, a spirit-dominated soul experiences the opposite.
The mind thinks, and the heart stores. Imagine your heart as a storage unit for all unprocessed trauma and accumulated strong feelings and thoughts. These form your belief system, mindset, and, along with genetics, shape your personality and character. Thus, your heart is the garden of your soul, where you plant all sorts of seeds, good or bad, which eventually grow and bear fruit reflected in your physical life.
Proverbs 4:23 says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” This emphasizes the need to be vigilant about the thoughts we allow to be planted in our hearts. We must learn to effectively process negative emotions. When experiencing negative emotions, we should ask, “Why am I feeling this way?” and then, in prayer, talk to God about it. For example, when experiencing envy, we should recognize it, take it to God in prayer, and confess. God’s Spirit will then guide us to love the person we were jealous of, pray for them, and sincerely wish them success and blessings, simultaneously uprooting the poisonous thought and emotion and planting an alternative.
Thoughts and feelings stored in our hearts eventually lead to actions. In Mark 7:20, Jesus warns the Pharisees about the unguarded heart: “What comes out of a person is what defiles them. For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance, and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person.” These words from Jesus highlight the heart’s influence on the thoughts our minds generate and eventually the things we end up doing. It suggests a continuous loop where the mind plants thoughts in our hearts, and in turn, the heart helps shape the thoughts the mind conceives.
Conversely, a mind governed by the Spirit focuses on heavenly things, guarding the heart from receiving or conceiving bad seeds. A guarded heart produces good fruit in a person’s life, bringing faith to every area, such as love, forgiveness, and kindness in relationships. Psalms 1:3 describes a godly person: “That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruits in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.” The Bible consistently promises good fruit to a Spirit-dominated soul. Matthew 7:16 states that we shall be known by our fruits.
When we allow God’s Spirit to work in our lives, two things happen: He begins to uproot bad seeds from our hearts and helps our minds align with the mind of Christ through God’s word, enabling us to plant godly seeds. Gradually, we start bearing different fruits, and our lives change for the better. Bad habits are replaced with good ones, broken relationships are addressed and restored, dormant gifts are awakened. Day by day, the Spirit heals and restores our souls to their original design. We cease to follow the world, instead walking and thriving on our unique paths, no longer competing but becoming cheerleaders for others, wishing them success on their own journeys.
In conclusion, the state of our souls is a reflection of our minds and hearts. Consequently, the state of our lives mirrors the state of our souls. Therefore, to truly restore our souls, we must, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, address the intentions of our hearts and the patterns of our thoughts. All the best!
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