Number five is you strengthen yourself by speaking to your soul. Now I find that in Psalm 42:5-6
David says this, "Why are you cast down O my soul, why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God,
for I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance. O my God, my soul is cast
down in me." I find this interesting, David, he's speaking to his soul. Now watch this,
David is not in his soul. He's speaking to his soul. I believe the moment you start
strengthening yourself in the Lord, you will stop living in your soul. You will speak to your soul.
So many Christians live in their soul. So many believers live in their soul,
instead of speaking to their soul. We have to live in the Holy Spirit and speak to our
soul. To live in your soul, meaning you live in your emotions, you're living in confusion,
you're living in fear. But you have to live, strengthen yourself in the Lord your God and
then speak to your soul. Don't let your soul lead your life, don't let your soul tell you stuff. The
soul is going to discourage you. It's disquieted. It's cast down. Speak to your soul like David and
tell your soul, "Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him for the help of His contenance."
Psalm 42:11, David says again, "Why are you cast down, O my soul? Why are you disquietened?" He's
like, why are you all terrified over there? Why are you all scared over there? He says,
"Why are you within me disquieted?" He's say, "Hope in God, for I shall yet Praise Him.
"Psalm 43:5, David says, "Why are you cast down, O my soul?" David's soul was pretty cast down
and then David says again, "Why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God," the same thing,
"for I shall yet trust in Him." Then Psalm 105:1 David says, "Bless the Lord O My Soul." So he
tells his soul what to do. He's like okay, pity party, you know this self-pity party is over.
"Bless the Lord, O my soul and all that is within me, bless His name." He's like, we're gonna go to
worship. Soul, you're gonna worship. You're gonna not forget His benefits. Meaning you're forgetful,
you got a little amnesia, like you forgot God's been good to you. Do you remember when God forgave
you of your iniquities? Do you remember how He healed you your diseases? How He redeemed your
life from destruction? Come on soul, He crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies. Do
you know, that He satisfies your mouth with good things and your youth is renewed like the eagles?
So David speaks to his soul. In Psalm 103:20-22 David says, "Bless the LORD, you His angels,
who excel in strength, who do His word, heeding the voice of His word. Bless the LORD,
all you His hosts, His minister of His, who do His pleasure. Bless the Lord, all His works,
in all His places in dominion. Bless the LORD, O my soul!" So he tells everybody, "Come on guys.
Angels, come on start praising God." He says, "All of you His hosts, start praising God. All
of you His works, start praising God." And then David says, "And you soul, look at me.
You praise God too." When was the last time you spoke to your soul instead of
always being instructed by your soul? But why many of us live in our soul, live by our soul,
is because we are not strengthened in our spirit. When you strengthen yourself in the Lord your God,
you will have the grace and the strength not to be led or live in your soul, but to speak to your
soul and to lead your soul to bless the Lord. Come on somebody. And the last one, number six.
The way you strengthen yourself in the Lord, so we said number one is we return and repent.
Number two is we said is we begin to worship. Number three, we said we pray in the Spirit.
Number four we said is that we begin to trust God again, the dream and the promise He has given us.
Number five is we begin to speak to our soul and number six, find someone and strengthen them.
Find someone who's going through something worse than you're going through maybe and help them.
And if you can't find anybody go to the hospital,
look at the place of people who are dying, cancer patients. Go to the homeless shelter.
Go under the bridge in your city and community and find homeless people
and just give them a sandwich. Do something, why? Because when you strengthen others you
will be strengthened as well. In Proverbs 11:25, it says, "The generous soul will be made rich,
and he who waters will also be watered himself." Mmm. "He who waters will also be watered himself."