Satisfy My Soul

In counseling, a lot of clients & students come to me to create change, find healing, or find new perspectives. A lot of our stress is self-caused. They look to a variety of illegitimate means to cope or feel better. When we feel unhappy, depressed, stressed, or anxious, it's easy to turn to unhealthy habits and that can create addictions. Temporal means of instant gratification don't truly help. In our culture, we try to "fix" ourselves by getting certain dopamine highs. But we always have the power to make better and healthier choices. When you're faced with challenges, stress, and trials, who or what do you turn to?


"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. - 2 Chronicles 7:14

If we lack sufficient sleep and rest, we turn to caffeine and sugar. If we lack healthy relationships, we could turn to lust and unhealthy relationships. If we're bored, we can go too far in entertainment/ social media/ gaming. If we're stressed, we might overconsume by stress-eating and not caring about our nutrition. 

If we feel unhappy, we might overspend on things we don't need in hopes that materialistic things will make us happy. If we're lazy, we might take shortcuts and not be responsible for our fitness and chores. In this world, there are so many temptations constantly in our face, saying, "here's what you need, this will make you happy." But they don't truly satisfy. 

Perhaps one of the pitfall traps is the temptation for comfort. We often avoid hard things, seek quick fixes, and even overindulge in neutral things too far. In what ways do we turn to created things rather than the Creator? 

John Piper puts it this way. He uses a term called, Christian Hedonism. Hedonism is a life seeking pleasure. It's not that our desires are too strong, but rather they are too weak. We settle for less. We settle for a puddle of mud when God has an ocean in store for us. Our highest joy and pleasure is in God Himself! Seek to truly satisfy your soul in Him!

"Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life."-John 4:13-14

In a world where we are constantly seeking to satisfy our thirsts, cravings, and emptiness, we turn to illegitimate ways to try and satisfy a legitimate need. God is the one who can meet our needs. In the same way that God takes care of all living things, how much more does he care for us?

The enemy will often use small dosages to get you to be more and more hooked to where we don't even realize how addicted our behavior can become. Don't be tempted to do what's easy, do what's right. 

What are the good things we should be focusing on? This is where holistic health comes in. It comes down to self-disciple and self-control. We know what's generally good or bad for us. But it takes commitment to change, self-care, and creating healthier habits.


"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things." -Philippians 4:8


At the end of the day, we need a lot of grace for our shortcomings and sins. We need a new heart. We need self-control. We need a deeper relationship and communion with God to be transformed. We need obedience and application of His Word. Surrender your vices, and learn to love the Christian virtues and fruit of the Spirit. 


"I know my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity. All these things I have given willingly and with honest intent. And now I have seen with joy how willingly your people who are here have given to you. Lord, the God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac and Israel, keep these desires and thoughts in the hearts of your people forever, and keep their hearts loyal to you." -1 Chronicles 29:17-18


One of my frustrations is that my heart is prone to wander. I like that old Christian hymn that goes, Take my heart Lord, take and seal it, seal it for thy courts above. The Christian life is asking God to help in staying devoted and focused on living a life of holiness, righteousness, purity, and faith. Our heart is prone to wander off, we must learn and practice to re-devote and re-commit to God's ways and to live a life of joyful obedience. 

"For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.

Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshipped and served created things rather than the Creator, who is forever praised. Amen." -Romans 1:21-25

God does not force obedience but invites us to choose Him over our sinful ways. A lot of our problems are self-caused. We need to take ownership and responsibility for our choices and health. God is calling me to a higher standard of ethics, accountability, discipline, chastity, and character.

God is calling us to smash our idols, repent from sin, turn our eyes away from evil, and humble ourselves before Him. That our ways, would be his ways, that our desires, would be his desires, that his principles, would be our principles. To love what God loves and to hate what God hates, which is sin.


In Catholicism, they have a good discipline of confession and lent. They point out something in their life that is an idol, distraction, or something harmful to their spiritual walk. And I think it's a good practice to identify what we truly seek after. In church they mentioned, "What do you think about most?" And there is your god. We all have little idols that we turn to that do not truly satisfy.

Imagine a balloon tied to the ground by several strings. God wants us to float upward. To be filled with Him. However, the strings can keep us tied down. We must learn to cut off the things that hinder us. We must cut off distractions, temptations, and our old habits. 


Someone good has recently come into my life. I'm very grateful for her. She is an answer to my prayers. Perhaps God prepared us for each other. I see the joy of God within her. Faith in Christ is the core center of our foundation. My love continues to grow for her. I have been confronted with needing to become better & stronger. 


God and spirituality is not one aspect of our lives. God calls us to be holy as he is holy. God calls us to first seek his kingdom and his righteousness. In our virtues and values to what degree do we want to hold to them? The answer should be to the fullness. To be aligned and synchronized to His Word, Will, and Way. God is most glorified when we are most satisfied in Him. 


I asked my therapist, "How can I be a good Christian leader for her in this relationship?" She responded, "First you must recognize your own relationship with God and as a follower of Christ. You are first a son & child of God." In the same way, I asked her, "How can I become a good counselor/ therapist?" She responded, "First you must work on your own soul care and self-care to be more effective."


The point is, we must get the greatest commandment down first for the second to be more impact. You see I skipped a step. I wanted to become better for others, but first and foremost is to glorify God and become the best versions of ourselves for our own good. When you develop healthy habits, a strong self-esteem, a pure heart, and a deep trust in God, you are in a better place to nurture and love others.

Trying to be "good Christians" can sometimes feel like just following the rules. The Pharisees in a similar held themselves to the law. Perhaps, true devotion, spirituality, and faith comes from loving God, more than just coloring within the lines. Perhaps, the goal isn't to be a "good Christian," but someone who is after God's own heart in intimacy. Joyful obedience and fruit of the Spirit is an organic byproduct of a healthy fear and love of God. If we love Jesus, we will obey his commands. His plans + ways are for our good.

I talked to another great psychologist. I explained, I can't seem to workout, focus on my nutrition, and stay consistent with my goals. He said, "Is this something you know you ought to do, or something that you want to do?" He continued to say, "I'm challenging you to make promises to yourself. To schedule time for exercise, to do attainable behaviors."

If you really want to make lasting changes in your life, you must stay consistently disciplined and committed to your resolves. We must learn self-control, take responsibility and accountability for our lives. Take ownership of our spirituality, health, ethics, morality, thoughts, emotions, time management, and how we treat others. 

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." -Luke 12:34

May God be your treasure! God is our highest good! What would our life look like if God were truly the center and focus of our lives? Paul counts everything else loss and rubbish, for the surpassing worth of knowing Christ. Do not go back to our old ways in slavery, don't compromise your faith or trade that in for temporal pleasures, rather store your treasure in heaven and find true freedom, joy and peace in Him. Turn from our old wicked ways of darkness. Walk in the light. Abide in Him. 

"But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ."-Philippians 3:7-8

In thinking about my own insecurities, doubts, fears, anxieties, sin, pride, lust, greed, slothfulness, indulgences, shortcomings, and idols, I see how these things can prevent spiritual growth and our relationship with God. The enemy will use these vices to try and keep us in bondage to sin. However, in the Spirit of the Lord there is freedom. In Jesus Christ we are free from a slavery to sin, and instead can become bondservants and slaves to righteousness.

As Christians, God gives us the ability and the new nature to worship in joyful obedience. To desire Him. To have no other gods before Him. To bring the dark inadequacies, imperfections, and self-condemnation to the light. God calls us to righteousness, holiness, integrity, self-control, and faith. God calls us to live a life of harmony, peace, and in greater virtue/ fruit of the Spirit. 

"For I will take you out of the nations. I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you. I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. Then you will live in the land I gave your ancestors. You will be my people, and I will be your God."-Ezekiel 36:24-28

"Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me."
-Psalm 51:10