Jesus, teach me that if I lose my soul, I lose my HUMAN life. Help me see that the only reason my spirit can live in my body and influence its activities is because of my soul. As long as I have a soul, I have a life as a human. So, help me understand that this study will mainly refer to my soul as my human life. Show me that after I leave this planet, I will have a heavenly, eternal LIFE. Make it clear to me that if I submit my SOUL to You, I will be submitting my BODY to You. Teach me that this is because my human life (SOUL) is expressed through my body. Take me into the issues of my human life (SOUL) and my human BODY.

Jesus, make it clear to me that salvation is God’s miracle for turning my heart (emotions), mind (thoughts), soul (human life), and strength (will) toward Him and His provisions; however, help me see that my body didn’t get turned; it still has a SINFUL NATURE in it. Teach me that the reason I am still having trouble with spirituality and other issues that aren’t good for me is because my body is fighting me. Help me submit my soul or human life to You so You can help me win over my human body.

Jesus, teach me that my body is still CONNECTED to the things of the world and can still feel the temptations of the devil. Teach me that it still craves the things that bring it pleasure, even though they have horrible side effects. Help me understand that my brain, which is a part of my body, still remembers all the pleasure sin brings. My mind, which is a part of my spirit, loves the things of my heavenly Father. So, help me understand what the Bible is explaining that going on with this situation. Rom 7:23 (NIV) But I see another law at work in the members of my BODY, waging war against the law of my MIND and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members.

Making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members: Jesus, teach me that the words, “Making me” are indicating that the real me is my MIND; teach me that this is because my mind is a part of me, a spirit being. BUT, help me see that the real issue here is that my BODY is winning over my MIND, making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. Empower me and teach me how to submit my body to You; show me that it is a VERY important thing.

Jesus, teach me that my body’s desires, needs, and demands are animalistic, selfish, and self-centered. And, teach me that my body remains susceptible to the world system and the temptations of the devil. Show me that if I, as a Christian, continue to respond to its cravings, I will be constantly living far below God’s provisions. Lead me into a submission of my body to You which will help solve this problem.

Jesus, make it clear to me that one of my heart’s principles makes it difficult for me to break free from my body’s cravings; and, show me that I have accepted this principle as an absolute--My mind has given my heart the command that my body is to be kept happy. Help m see that up until now, I have always gone against anything that tried to thwart the requirement of keeping my body happy. I sinned against my conscience; I rejected friends, family, and society if they tried to get in between me and my body’s happiness. If they tried to force me, I would lie, cheat, sneak around, threaten people, and do whatever it took to make sure that, that one rule was never broken.

Jesus, make it clear that if happiness for my body is still an absolute of my heart, there are some of Your rules that may really make it nervous. You said in Luke 12:23 (NIV): “Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes.” Teach me how I am going to start living a life through this body that is responding to God’s love for me. Teach me that if I don’t start living a life through this body that is responding to God’s help, I am going to continue to have trouble with spirituality and many other issues.

Jesus, teach me God’s plan for setting me free from my struggles with spirituality: Heb 10:22 (NIV) Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our HEARTS sprinkled to cleanse us from a GUILTY conscience and having our BODIES washed with pure water. Help me take a look at this Scripture a little bit at a time so I can see what it is going to take.

Let us draw near to God: Jesus, you taught me how to open the door of my heart; and, this was done by the process of me drawing near to God. Teach me that drawing near to God is accomplished by me spending more time with Him. Show me that spending more time with God means I will spend more time reading my Bible and studying; it means church attendance; it means me reading good Christian literature like these studies; it means me listening to more Christian music; it means me spending more time in prayer; and it means me talking with others about the things of God.

Jesus, my body isn’t going to like being exposed to all this Christianity. And, my heart isn’t going to like making my body do things that make it unhappy. Teach me that there will be times when I find myself feeling like I need a break from the things of God; I will feel over saturated with spiritual issues; I will crave something worldly or entertaining for my body. Make it clear to me that I will try to read the Bible more, go to church, study things like these studies, listen to more Christian music, pray more, and talk to more people about God; but, I will experince a battle between my MIND and my BODY. Show me that unless I use the proper procedures, I WILL lose the battle.

Jesus, teach me that drawing near to God can be much like going on a diet. Before the diet, I liked food a lot; but, during the diet I started CRAVING food; all the sudden food became awesome! Even if I went on a diet that let me eat plenty of certain foods, I would still crave those foods I was not allowed to eat. Teach me that as in the diet, the success of my winning over my body will depend on the magnitude of my resolve with God.

Jesus, help me DEEPLY DISIRE God, INTENSLY STUDY the Bible, PASSIONATELY PRAY for being able to submit my body, FIX MY EYES on You for faith so I can BELIEVE I have the power to submit my body, LOVE ENOUGH to be willing to share my story with others, and then take FAITH-ACTION with You and live on the basis of the fact that I have the power to submit my body to You. Teach me that the pain I am suffering from my problems with spirituality will help me REALLY want (will) to get close to God. Teach me that this will help me stay on target as I try to expose my heart to the new belief system of God.

With a sincere heart: Jesus, help me take a look at the next point in this Scripture. Help me see that I can do all the above list of Christian things out of ritual and still not draw near to God. Reveal to me that I have to be doing all of these things as an honest seeking of God. Help me be doing that list of things so I can gain an intimate relationship with God. Teach me that love isn’t a matter of doing something special for someone just so I can get what I want; love has to do with me enjoying someone’s company. Show me that my need for help with spirituality issues can get me started heading in the right direction. It can help me start looking to God for His help; but, help me see that God isn’t willing to just have a business relationship with me.

Jesus, I have a lot of needs, problems, difficulties, and pain; but, teach me that, that isn’t all there is to me; I am a person. Show me that when I go to the store to buy those things I NEED, my relationship with all those people running the store is very impersonal. Sometimes I am a very busy person and don’t want to stop and take time for any of them to talk to me and get to know me. Teach me that this is just a BUSINESS relationship I have with all these people. Help me move far beyond this type of business relationship with You.

Jesus, help me understand that God looks deep down inside me and sees the real longings of my heart. Help me see that He cares about all my physical, emotional, financial, relational, and spiritual needs; but, He loves me. Teach me that there is a need in me that is greater than all my other needs put together; I need to be loved. But, help me see that I have filled that need with a lot of other things; also I have walled off other areas of my heart; and additionally I have given up on some of my desires for love.

Jesus, make it clear to me that some areas of my heart need to be EMPTIED so as to make room for love. Show me that other areas need to have the walls REMOVED so love can come in. And, help me realize that certain areas need to be REOPENED to the desire for being loved. Teach me that God is more than willing to care for me; but, He mainly insists on loving me. Show me that the wrong philosophies I have about my body, the barriers I have put up trying to make my body happy, my decisions to quit trying, and me filling my heart with body, world, and satanic things, are all keeping me from being able to be loved by God. Show me that these things are breaking my love connection between me and Him. Teach me how I am going to get healed from all these things.

Jesus, help me see that getting close to God is best accomplished by me asking God to reveal some of my spiritual flaws. Even though that doesn’t sound like a fun thing to be asking God to do, show me that I need it. Teach me that just like hunger and thirst are unpleasant experiences, so is God’s showing me areas that need spiritual growth. But, make it clear to me that exposure to church, Christian provisions, and other Christian activities will not help me until I have a reason to be exposed to them. My body is standing in the way of me being blessed by God.

Jesus, help me realize that the problem that helped me see my need for more of God’s help and a love relationship with Him was my issues with spirituality. The pain that was coming from it and the desire to get healing in that area was the hungering and thirsting I needed; it pushed me in the direction of looking for answers. Praise God, You helped me turned in the right direction to get my answers. Help me see that God is going to reward me for hungering and thirsting for His answers to my needs. Mat 5:6 (NIV) BLESSED are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they WILL be filled. And, show me that He is going to do this by establishing a LOVE relationship with me.

Jesus, help me NOT get discouraged and frustrated with the fact that I have problems, flaws, shortcomings, and needs. They are the reason I am opening up to the fact that I need a love relationship with my heavenly Father. They have helped me look outside myself for answers to these things.

Teach me that when I have problems that I am looking for answers to, that is the only time exposure to God will start helping me.

Help me understand that people who just read and study their Bibles, go to church, listen to and sing Christian music, and have Christian fellowship without problems they are looking for the solutions to, are going through a ritual. Help me see that I am being real with God by bringing real problems to Him for solutions; that is me having a sincere heart.