Ultimately, it is the renovation of the soul that God desires to accomplish in you. If I am to make any headway in transformation, and the soul is at the center of who I am, my operating system, then it is critical to think deeply about my soul.

The key starting point is to realize I am not contained in my body. I am not only a physical being. I am a spiritual being who has a body.

You see, it is tempting to think that scientific understanding is the sign of greatest intelligence. If this is not the case, if the spiritual world is actually the real world, then we will miss out on the most important aspect of reality. True intelligence is not measured by lab instruments. True intelligence starts with realizing the physical is not all there is.

And just like the physical body, the soul needs proper care. The soul lasts forever. It is not a ghost that leaves our body and floats around after we die. The soul is a non-physical entity that isn’t limited to our body’s boundaries.

Caring for the soul centers on spiritual disciplines which bring refreshment to our existence. Our souls are grievously damaged over the years. Abuse, betrayal, abandonment, and other destructive forces in our lives chip away at our identity. We need God to “renew” us. We need God to make us new. We need to give ourselves over to God’s care.

Think about these words from Psalm 23. “He restoreth my soul.” (KJV)