The excellence of soul

We hear a lot today about American “exceptionalism” from many different viewpoints, and we see pictures in the Bible of men and women who possessed this quality. One such man found to be exceptional was Daniel. In Daniel 5:11-12 (HCSB) the Queen of Babylon is talking to the new king (who is in some trouble with God) and she describes Daniel like this, “There is a man in your kingdom who has the spirit of the holy gods in him. In the days of your predecessor he was found to have insight, intelligence, and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods... [Daniel] was found to have an extraordinary spirit, knowledge and perception, and the ability to interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve problems.”

Daniel was an exceptional man of God and had an excellent reputation. I believe that God is raising men and women in the Body of Christ who are like Daniel, exceptional. One of the descriptions that fascinated me was that Daniel had an extraordinary spirit. This spirit that he had was extraordinary because of how he carried himself, the way that he interacted and how he conducted his affairs with everyone. This is what I have heard referred to as excellence of soul.

Our souls are the seats of our emotions, mind, and thoughts. Daniel had excellence in how he thought, believed and handled his emotions in every circumstance. We know Daniel was exceptional because of his love of God and unwavering faithfulness to Him.

I believe the men and women of God are called to live extraordinary lives and we can often forget that it is our soul that needs to be healthy and rise to where we are seated in Jesus Christ.

John prays for his brother in Christ in 3 John 1:2, “Dear friend, I pray that you may prosper in every way and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.” As senior seek an excellent soul, we must have a passion to improve the way we believe, think, and handle our emotions to prosper. We must possess the mind of Christ, have faith that moves mountains, and live in the fruit of the Spirit which seem focused on healthy emotional responses.

Ask God for an excellent soul and He will give it to you. I believe God is waiting to unleash excellence on those who desire to have an extraordinary spirit in Bonner County. When we begin to live extraordinary lives, our community won’t be the same!

Chris Bassett is the senior leader at Harvest Valley Worship Center, which can be found online at hvwc.com or by calling 208-263-2637.