"Chasten Your Soul"

"When I wept, and chastened my soul with fasting, that was to my reproach." Psalm 69:10

 

The Bible tells us that the Lord chastens those that He loves. But we should also chasten (correct, discipline) our own selves and not wait for Him to always do it. 

 

If we don't chasten ourselves, pretty soon we will find sin creeping in. We will find ourselves doing those things we know we should not do. We will find ourselves pulling away from the Lord and being drawn back into the lusts of the flesh. 

 

How do we chasten our souls? Through self denial. Self denial comes in many forms. Fasting is one. Turning off the television and spending time reading the Bible is another. Getting away from computer games and taking that time to pray. Getting up in the morning when the clock goes off and going to church. 

 

When a child is chastened (disciplined), it reroutes that child from going in the wrong direction to going in the right one. The chastening (discipline) of the Lord reroutes us as well. It turns us from going our own way back to going God's way. Chastening our own soul brings our will into subjection to the will of the Lord. 

 

Have you chastened (corrected, disciplined) your soul/flesh? Are you allowing it to act like a "spoiled child"? Are you letting it follow after its own lustful desires without keeping it in check? Paul said of his own soul that he had to chasten it to keep it in line. He used the illustration of beating it black and blue like a boxer would beat up his opponent. 

 

We must chasten our own souls. If we do, the Lord won't have to chasten us as often. If we do, the power of God would have more liberty to flow freely through us. If we do, our flesh won't get in the way of what the Spirit is trying to do in our lives. If we do, our spiritual ears will hear the voice and prompting of the Holy Spirit more clearly. Chastening doesn't let our flesh be unruly against the Holy Spirit. Chastening our own souls keeps our flesh in check and our spirit in control. 

 

Have a great day. Are you chastening your own soul? Or allowing it to act like a spoiled child always having its own way?

 

For further reading:

1 Corinthians 9:27

Hebrews 12:6

 

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Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell

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