February 24, 2008
SoulTalk
Think Beneath (Part II): The Weapons of our Warfare
SoulTalk5.mp3
Pastor Wade Burleson
Emmanuel Baptist Church
Enid OK

Ephesians 4:29; 6:13, 18 (ESV)

29. Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

13. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.

18. Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints.

The battle in the soul is one of substituting knowing and enjoying a relationship with God for other things. When life is going well, the soul is anesthetized -- not healed. People just want life to work. But there is coming a day for us all when nothing will satisfy the soul but a relationship with God. SoulTalk is the ability to recognize the battle going on in all our souls and to help others place their joy and satisfaction in Christ Jesus. "The journey of life is not about getting our act together: it's about dropping our masks and facing the terror of living in a world without solutions to our biggest problems and then seeing we belong in a different world. Then wholeness sneaks up on us." Larry Crabb.

1. SoulTalk involves relating authentically.
   Bringing life and healing to a soul is not surgery where something bad is removed. It is the pouring of life into the fertile soul of another with words of grace (Ephesians 4:29). You are supernaturally alive, so you can speak with supernatural power into the life of others. It's exciting when you trust the power within you to bring life into others. It's not about you. Quenching the Spirit is when you let the bitterness well up in you.
2. SoulTalk requires rejoicing inwardly.
   SoulTalk happens when your heart is in tune with God. The reason most of us do not speak SoulTalk is not because we lack knowledge or skill, though we may. We lack rhythm, or, more precisely, we aren't feeling the rhythm that is already within us. The Lord your God is with you. He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you. He will quiet you with His love. He will rejoice over you with singing (Zephaniah 3:17).
3. SoulTalk requires waiting patiently.
   SoulTalk waits. It is patient. We don't set the timetable for change. The Spirit of God works in mysterious methods and timetables. When you engage in the care for the soul of another, you must be prepared to wait on the One who can do the work. Augustine once said that "Patience is the companion of wisdom," and he is right.
4. SoulTalk demands supernatural fighting.
   "Be prepared. You're up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued. Pray hard and long . . . keep your eyes open" (Ephesians 6:13, 18). This is the language of supernatural battle. Is the person you are speaking with interested in communion with God, or is he more interested in cooperation with God? That is the battle of competing desires. Whether life is bumpy or smooth, the most supernatural thing we can do is to want to know God better, to value his pleasure and his purposed above everything else. One wants life to go better. That's not sinful or immoral. It is natural and normal. But it is not supernatural. The question for the soul is this: Do you want God more? Abraham wanted his son to live, but he wanted to know God more. Mary wanted to avoid the humiliation of a pregnancy before marriage, but she wanted God more.