This is a basic overview of the functioning of the soul of man. The soul (psuche’) was the way God designed man to be able to interface and interact with his environment (bios) in order to make sense of and understand the created world. Man’s soul became the interpretive module for what his body would experience. The sum total of the body’s experiences is taken in to the body by the five senses, namely: touch; taste; smell; sight; sound – which are constantly operational. That’s because our environment is continuously bombarding our senses with information.
This information comes to us through impulses linked to our senses. However, it’s the ‘interpretive module’, THE SOUL, which has the capability of making sense of these impulses. The soul is the avenue that these impulses, coming through our five senses, into our body, are interpreted. We are born fully equipped with all these necessary senses. In fact, scientific studies prove that these senses are not only present in the time of the womb, but also active. These senses develop and mature over time, you might even say there’s a level of intelligence attached to them. But this development of our senses can only occur because of the function of the soul.
3 Components of the soul
- Mind – able to determine reality
- Will – able to determine resources
- Emotions – seat of the heart
All these components have a role in the understanding of interpreting the impulses received through our senses. But it is the emotions which is the foundational premise of this interpretation.
The soul’s emotions are derived from the experiences of our interactions with our biosphere. This experiences/information, coming through our senses, are then accorded an emotional weight/value, together with the entire ability to affect all of our thinking and behaviors of the body – the soul is dominant over the body. We take in impulses through our five senses, these impulses create emotions produced by the soul.
Once ‘emotions’ are activated, the soul will assign a form of reality to these emotions, and immediately activate your will in service of that reality you perceive. Our decisions are made in the soul based upon our emotions. We justify the reality that these emotions conjure up in us through reason, and it’s the reason of association. We associate the emotion with a reality, whether or not that emotion, at the time, produces anything resembling the reality. So our reality is often generated out of our emotion, but we justify that reality by reason.
The association of which emotional weight or value to tag to its’ “relevant” impulse has been developed in our formative years growing up, and some even as far back as in the womb. We learn throughout our lives what it is that causes us pain or pleasure, joy or sadness. These associations become so ingrained in our psyche, by adulthood it is established as truth.
So then; if ever through our senses we: taste; touch; hear; smell; see anything, it is our soul’s which informs us on how the impulse makes us feel, and assigns the accurate response of emotion.
Example:- if you were experiencing a bad day, emotionally fatigued; sad; almost depressed, and a song played on the radio, which when growing up, brought you immense joy. That song, in that very moment, has the ability to transport you out of your current condition, and re-create in you the exact emotion you experienced when you first heard it. Automatically the state you found yourself in would change. Notice, your present circumstance hasn’t changed, but the power of your reason of association, informed by your soul, took you out of the state of despair into a place of joyfulness.
And this occurs with so many situations. Maybe you’ve tasted something familiar that brought you great joy, or evoked a nostalgic emotion. Or smelt something so pleasing it transported you right back to the point of the associated memory. This is what happens when an impulse from your environment enters your body by your senses, and triggers your emotions.
But what if those impulses are not ones which produce emotions of pleasure, but ones of fear, terror or vulnerability?
If the soul allows us to experience joy, happiness and pleasure through allocating certain emotions evoked by the taking in of impulses through the senses, then the opposite must also be true. The soul has the capability to cause negative or fearful emotions to be aroused by the taking in of certain impulses which trigger them.
Understanding the soul, its faculties and how it functions is the initial step in comprehending the schemes of the devil, and how he gets in control of your ‘idea of reality’.
Demonic Influences
This is not a study of Satan or demons, so not much detail will be given. But for the sake of understanding their role in the creation and the functioning of man, here’s a brief oversight.
Hebrews 1:14 (NIV)
“Are not all angels ministering spirits, sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?”
Plainly stated, demons are fallen angels once tasked with the responsibility to serve man. However, they were never assigned to minister through service, to the spirit of man, but to his soul, and even the body in some instances. Because of what they were commissioned to do, they were privy to a certain understanding on the functioning of the human soul. Given that these demonic entities understand the human soul, it becomes the place of residence and influence of their strength and power against man.
Often times we have no idea why we are the way we are, or behave the way we do, or like and dislike the things we like and dislike. Why do certain things bring us pleasure, and others cause us pain?! Many times we don’t understand our attraction to certain situations, people, activities, and why others are completely repulsive.
The truth is that we have an enemy who has been observing our lives since before we could even make sense of the world around us. In the Book of Job we see an engagement between God and Satan concerning the life of Job. When God presents Job to Satan, Satan is already clued up on the life of Job. He is well aware of Job’s accomplishments; possessions; faithfulness and obedience; and that God placed a hedge of protection around Job and all he has. The life of Job has been examined and thoroughly observed prior to this conversation. And we can guarantee the same can be said concerning our lives.
We entered an arena in which this enemy has been performing and executing his plans since the creation of man. We exist in a compromised, fallen, dark and misled world. It is in this environment in which our soul’s emotions have been forged. Could it then be that not all of our emotional responses to the taking in of impulses are what God intended it to be?! It could be that we’ve built up fears and insecurities, habits, responses and coping mechanisms which has been created through false beliefs, influenced by demonic activities.
The most foolish stance we could take is to think that we, as Christians, are exempted or immune from having any demonic activity at work in our lives. As with all words, there’s a clear description which comes to mind when we hear the word ‘demon’. We most likely picture this huge, dark, eerie, terrifying, unearthly monster as depicted and popularized by the likes of Hollywood and so on. However, that’s not (always) the case. 2 Corinthians 11:14 tells us that Satan masquerades as an angel of light. So no, demonic forces are not (always) these monstrous figures lurking in the dark.
Luke 4:33-34 (NIV)
“Now in the synagogue there was a man possessed by a demon, an evil spirit. He cried at the top of his voice: What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are – the Holy One of God!”
This demon possessed man dwelt among the people of God, not in a cave. He was in the synagogue. It could almost be assumed that he was one who was constantly present in the synagogue. Being possessed by a demon is not always this pale-skinned; blood-eyed, bed-bound, head-spinning, walking up the wall individual. No, it could be the person you engage with each and every day. It could be a family member, friend, neighbor, or colleague, literally anyone. Our understanding and notion of what “demon possession” is, need to be updated. Anything or anyone opposing the purpose and will of God is influenced or possessed by a demonic spirit.
Matthew 16:23 (NIV)
Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”
Jesus turns to Peter, yet he rebukes Satan. Jesus understands that Peter, in his soul, has been compromised and demonically influenced to speak against the purposes of God. Therefore, Jesus doesn’t rebuke Peter, but directly addresses the root of this influence, Satan.
The assumption that an evil spirit, by possession or influence, and the Holy Spirit cannot dwell in the same place (individual) is a statement which is true, but the conclusion is false. Angels are created beings. Them being spirit is not the same as the spirit which resides in man. That spirit in man originates from God Himself. The human spirit, that which comes and originates out of the very person of God Himself, is in fellowship with the Holy Spirit. It’s the Zoë life of God which is enacted in the spirit (pneuma) of man, which connects man to God. The matter is that the Holy Spirit does not reside in the soul of man, but in man’s spirit. It’s mans’ emotions which lives out of his soul. And it’s the capturing of the human emotions that allows evil spirits the ability to inhabit the soul.
So no, no evil spirit has the capability of dwelling where the Spirit of God dwells. They were not created to have that compatibility. They are designed to understand the human soul, and when it captures the soul, through human emotions, you have fully active demonic capabilities functioning within that soul.
Often it’s the weight of demonic influences and activities, acting in the soul, which is then manifested through human behavior in the body. It is important to look back and study our own behavior, as Christians, and see where we have allowed the enemy a foothold in the life of our souls. These emotions, expressed as the responses to the impulses taken in by our senses, shape our soul’s reality, which in essence, shapes our identity. Ergo, if our soul’s reality has been compromised by certain influencing, it’s safe to assume so has our identity.