Apostle Azemobor Gregory – You are a Spirit that Lives in a Body
Man is essentially a tripartite being. He is a Spirit, that lives in a physical body, and he has a soul. The real you is your spirit and not your flesh. Unfortunately, many of us are awfully ignorant of this fundamental truth about our real human nature.
The Bible reveals that man was made in the image and likeness of God. The term “man” is a generic term for humanity. It means man and womb-man (woman), as well.“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and overall the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.” (Genesis 1:26) “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:24) God is a Spirit. Grab hold of that.
This means all human beings are first and foremost spirits, not bodies. On the inside of every living human body, there is a human spirit. That is the real person, the one created in the image of God.“But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding.” (Job 32:8). It is through the spirit of man that God communicates with him or her. God does not communicate with humans through their souls because He does not live in the soulical realm. God does not communicate with humans through their bodies because He does not live in the physical realm.
God is a Spirit and He lives in the spirit realm. This is why He communicates with humans through their human spirits. The soul of man is actually the mind of man. The soul is comprised of the mind, the will, the intellect and the emotions. The human soul is where the human being acquires knowledge. It is a storage and operational area for information, learning, logic, and reason. It is kind of like a hard drive on a computer only it is alive now we come to the body of man. The body is a dwelling place and a vehicle of expression for the human spirit. The spirit actually gives animation to the body. The body is NOT the real person. The SPIRIT is the real person.
However, in order for the spirit to live in the Earth realm, it must be contained within a human body. I call the human body my earth suit. You have to have an earth suit to live in the earth realm. As soon as an earth suit fails, a human spirit immediately departs for one of two places that do not require one – Heaven or Hell.
Now, beyond the above elucidation on the triune nature of man, it is imperative to state here, that your life is driven by two contending dynamics: the gratification of the desires of your ‘spirit’ or the appeasement of the cravings of your ‘ body’. Fulfilment or a purposeful life, therefore, is only attained when your life aligns with the yearnings of the spirits inside of you. Hence, a person is said to be ‘spiritual’ when he totally submits to the control of his spirit being, and he is ‘carnal’ when the lust of the flesh dominates his existence. Let me quickly add here, that being ‘spiritual’ has nothing to do with the religion you profess.
Spirituality is not also a ‘mystical practice’ as portrayed by some religions, it is simply an act of obedience to the ‘voice of good’ inside of you. This ‘voice of good’ is popularly called your ‘conscience’, ‘your moral compass’, that nudges you to good deeds. It pricks you each time you deviate from the path of morality. Your conscience judges every of your action, and constantly guides you toward godliness. Spirituality, therefore, is the gateway to godliness, not religiosity. When your life is totally controlled by the ‘spirit’, you express God anywhere you go and this qualifies you to become an authentic child of God. Romans 8:16 captures this truth: “For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God”
Again, your godliness is not a function of your religious affiliation. It is simply an expression of the ‘God’ in you, in your daily relationship with others. The good you do to others is the only definition of godliness that I know! Please, do not be deceived by any religion and its complicated vain doctrines. You do not need religion to access God, or to live a godly life. Listen to the ‘voice of good’ inside of you- that is God guiding you along the path of rectitude. The more you acquiesce to the leading of your spirit the more godly or fulfilled your life becomes.
Have you ever wondered why Africa is backward and underdeveloped, in spite of our pervasive religiosity, and the developed countries that are not religious, are building better societies? The answer is simple: those developed countries have a strong moral value system that creates a ‘godly society where the government is compassionate to the needs of each of its citizens, especially the weak, the poor and the vulnerable. And their godly leaders constantly strive to provide for the common good, I have had cause to challenge many of my Christian folks, who are ‘tongue-speaking, holy ghost filled and bible quoting’, that an average white man, who does not even go to church like them, is godlier.
While the white man is looking for an opportunity to help someone in need, my Christian brother would rather carry a big bible to meet a man who is hungry, in name of ‘evangelism, copiously quote the scriptures, and tell him to ‘give his life to Christ’. And when he is done with his ‘ministration’ he goes his way, with the pious feeling that he has done the ‘work of God’ Rubbish! Arrant nonsense. This is wickedness towards humanity that has created an ungodly religious society that we find ourselves today.
Help me tell my evangelist brother: “Even the Christ you preach about, remember, he fed five thousand people during His earthly ministry”. Why not do the same, if you are truly his disciple? Bill Gates is not a Christian (he is even an atheist), but he has spent over $28 billion of his net worth on charity, to support the cause of humanity. He has invested millions of dollars alone in Nigeria to support the fight against polio. His philanthropy is impacting the world. This act of nobility is godliness at its peak. Let me even shock you, God is more glorified by the life of Bill Gate than the miserable life of your religious leaders, who collect money from the poor to build schools, and the children of the same poor people cannot attend these schools. Many of you religious folks will be shocked to see ‘sinners’ in heaven on that day.
The reality of life that we live today, especially most of us in Africa, is that we are not conscious of the essential ‘spiritual nature of man. This is attributed largely to the negative influence of religious falsehood that shaped our lives and society. This is tragic! Many of us are consumed by the pursuit of carnality, at the expense of our spirituality.
Apostle Paul warns in Romans 8:6-10: “For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if any man has not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness”
Finally, my beloved, Let me leave you with this piece of advice: be careful about your desperate quest to satiate the cravings of your flesh. The lust of the flesh is unappeasable! You know exactly what I am talking about. The more you have, the more you want to acquire. Tame your flesh or else, it will destroy you.“There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end, it leads to death”- Proverb 14:12
Albert Schweitzer, once said, “The purpose of life is to serve, to show compassion, and the will to help others”
I rest my case! Azemobor Gregory, The International Coordinator of the Azemobor Gregory Foundation is a Messenger of Truth and Apostle of Humanity.
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