The Value of a Soul

There are over seven billion people on Earth today, and God wants every one of them to go to Heaven; but no matter how powerful God is, there is one thing He cannot control: the right He gave mankind to make his own choices.

When God made man and woman, He gave them a perfect body and a perfect mind; and He breathed into them a divine soul. Then He gave the human race free choice to make their own decisions. God loved the human beings He had created, and He wanted them to love Him willingly in return. He knew they couldn’t do that unless they had free choice.

Down through the years, people have used their free choice to make some very bad decisions. They made a mess of the beautiful world God had created because so many chose sin over righteousness. But even though the human race has failed as a whole, God still sees value in every soul; and He is doing everything in His power to help each one make the right decisions.

It is not God’s will for one soul to perish and go to hell. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance (II Peter 3:9). That is why God gave us Jesus.

Don’t Misuse Your Free Choice

When God makes a promise, He will keep it no matter how much time passes by. One of His promises is the plan of redemption, and it is far beyond what any human mind could have ever imagined. Only God could have thought of a plan to send His only Son from Heaven to take on the form of a man, to be born of a virgin and then later crucified on a Cross for all of our sins.

God put His whole heart on the line for the human race, and how have people repaid Him?—by continuing to make the same mistakes over and over again and by going to the tree of death instead of the tree of life. The devil has convinced so many people that they have to live in bondage to sin. How many times has someone done something wrong and said, &ldqou;I can’t help it. I’m only human&rdqou;?

God has given you power over the devil and sin through the divine blood of Jesus, but it’s your choice whether you want to accept that divine blood or reject it. Every soul is valuable to God, and He wants to use you in this final hour to help others come to Jesus before they perish.

Not only do you have the power of the divine blood working for you; the Lord has also made the Holy Ghost available to all of His children who will seek Him. He even has a host of angels ready to help you succeed in whatever the Lord calls on you to do. The Lord has provided you with all the tools you need to stand for Him in this final hour, but it’s your choice whether you will use them or not.

Wear the Spiritual Armor

Paul wrote, Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (Ephesians 6:13-17). If you are struggling in your Christian life, check your armor. If you are missing any piece of it, you are vulnerable to the devil’s attacks.

In this last hour, God’s children are fighting a spiritual war against the devil and his kingdom; so you have to be alert and ready at all times. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places (Ephesians 6:12). That armor must become living reality to you.

The Apostle Paul knew more than anyone about the importance of wearing God’s armor because at one time, he was on the wrong side of the battle. Before Paul was saved, his mission was to find Christians, arrest them and put them to death.

You may think Saul’s soul would not have been of much value to God, but God sees what man cannot see; and He saw a soul in Saul that could be a great asset to His Kingdom. Saul just needed to see the Gospel light, and that is what this world needs to see today because it will draw people out of sin.

See as God Sees

There are many people in this world who are just like Paul was before his conversion. They think they are right with God and doing His work when they are actually on the devil’s side and being used by him to lead other souls to hell. Saul was under the impression that he was doing the right thing by persecuting the Early Church Christians. He didn’t believe Jesus was the Son of God until the Lord knocked him down to the ground and spoke to him on the road to Damascus. And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me (Acts 9:3,4)?

God gave Saul that opportunity to receive Jesus, and he made the right choice and gave his heart to the Lord. Then Paul went on to become a great witness and apostle for Christ. Under the leadership of the Holy Spirit, he wrote many books in the New Testament that encourage and instruct us. The Holy Ghost also worked through Paul to win souls and set up churches throughout the known world at that time.

Before Paul was saved, it looked like he would never be of much use to God; but I say again that God puts value on every soul. You can’t look at souls through your physical eyes; you have to look at them through the blood of Jesus. The Bible says, The LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart (I Samuel 16:7). God sees what a soul can become for Him when it is washed by the blood of the Lamb.

Even though Paul had done awful things against Christians, God forgave him because He knew Paul was ignorant. Paul really thought he was doing the right thing; but when he received the truth, he accepted it with his whole heart.

Accept the Whole Truth

The plan of salvation is a beautiful plan of love; but if you were never told about it, you would never know. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher (Romans 10:13,14)?

Unfortunately, there are many preachers in the world today who are not preaching the whole truth in the Word. They present only a watered-down version of the Gospel which says there is no power in the blood and no power of the Holy Ghost. Their messages may make people feel better about themselves, but that doesn’t bring deliverance; it only brings deceit.

Paul wrote, For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables (II Timothy 4:3,4).

The majority of people on Earth today do not know the Bible. They do not know that miracles and healings are for today when the Bible plainly states, Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). Jesus performed miracles two thousand years ago, and He is still performing them today; but it’s up to each person to believe that and use their faith to receive.

God Forgives Sincere Hearts

At one time, I didn’t know anything about the Bible and what it teaches. When I first went to Grace Cathedral with my wife, I did it because I knew it would make her happy; but God was working with me. Then one day as I was reading a Giant Little Book, I said the sinner’s prayer in the back of the book and gave my heart to the Lord.

I was ignorant when I first came to Grace Cathedral, but I am so happy I stayed because I now have the words of eternal life flowing through my soul. God saw the value of my soul when I was just a sinner, and He worked patiently to bring me into the fold. My transformation may not have been as drastic as Paul’s was, but it was a big transformation just the same.

Paul considered himself to be the chief of sinners. This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief (I Timothy 1:15). Those who sin a little and those who sin a lot will suffer the same fate if they die in their sins, and they will spend eternity in hell. For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all (James 2:10).

The Perfect Puppy

I once read a story about a shop owner who was selling puppies. A young boy saw the sign in the window and went in to ask the owner how much the puppies were. He said they were from thirty to fifty dollars. The little boy reached into his pocket and pulled out only two dollars and thirty-seven cents, but he still wanted to look at the puppies.

The shop owner smiled and whistled, and out came a dog and five adorable, little balls of fur. The boy noticed that one of the puppies was lagging behind the others, so he asked the owner what was wrong with it. The man explained that the puppy didn’t have a hip socket, so it would always limp.

The little boy became excited and exclaimed, &ldqou;That is the puppy I want.&rdqou; The owner looked at the boy and said, &ldqou;You don’t want that little puppy. He will never be able to run and jump and play with you. If you really want him, I’ll just give him to you.&rdqou;

The little boy got upset and said, &ldqou;I don’t want you to give him to me. That little puppy is worth every bit as much as all the other puppies. I will give you my two dollars and thirty-seven cents now and pay you fifty cents a month until I have paid full price for him.&rdqou;

Then the little boy reached down and rolled up his pant leg to reveal a badly twisted, crippled leg with a large, metal brace on it. As he looked up, he softly said, &ldqou;I don’t run so well myself, and that little puppy needs someone who understands.&rdqou; The little boy saw value in that lame puppy because he knew what it was like to be lame.

Don’t Listen to the Devil

When we are born into this world, we immediately have a soul. Then God no longer looks upon us as human vessels but as souls that will live forever. Unfortunately, most people don’t think about their souls; they only think about their human bodies. When God created Adam and Eve, the Bible says, And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul (Genesis 2:7). They each had a soul, but how much value did they place on their souls?

God intended for every soul to serve Him, but God gives each person free choice to decide whether they will serve Him or the devil. Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die (Ezekiel 18:4). Your soul will exist forever after your human body dies, but will your soul exist in Heaven or hell? It all depends on how much value you put on your soul.

We know Eve didn’t put much value on her soul because she allowed the serpent to persuade her to eat the fruit of the forbidden tree. Eve sold her soul to the devil because he had promised she would be wise like God. The serpent said, For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil (Genesis 3:5).

From the very beginning, the devil has been in the business of deceit. He is a master con artist who will do everything in his power to make people lose sight of the value of a soul. He can persuade people to do what he wants them to without them realizing it, and he has been scamming people for years. He wants every person to trade their most valuable possession, their soul, for eternal death.

Jesus said, For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul (Matthew 16:26)? Are you being conned by the devil?

Put Others Before Self

Jacob and Esau were twins, but they were very different from each other. Esau was an outdoorsman and a cunning hunter, and Isaac, their father, favored him. Jacob preferred to stay home and seemed to be more of a &ldqou;mama’s boy,&rdqou; and Rebekah, their mother, favored him.

When Esau came in from the field one day, he was hungry and feeling faint; and he wanted some of Jacob’s pottage. Jacob should have done the right thing and given his brother some food to help him; but instead, he wanted to take advantage of his brother in his time of need. And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright. And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me? And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob (Genesis 25:31-33). Jacob conned his brother out of his birthright for a measly bowl of pottage.

When you con someone, you’re not thinking about what they are going to lose; you’re thinking about what you are going to gain. When self is on the throne, you will not be willing to help others in their time of need. God wants you to help others so you can lead them to Christ, yet so many people in this world are focused only on helping themselves.

Jesus said, And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you (Matthew 5:41-44). When you hurt others and take advantage of their situation, they can become bitter toward you and the God you serve. Then it will make it more difficult to win them to the Lord.

Are you willing to help others; or do you first ask yourself, &ldqou;What’s in it for me&rdqou;? When you go out of your way to help someone, it can give you an opportunity to witness to them and tell them about Jesus. Not going out of your way to help someone can leave a negative impression on them, and the Holy Spirit won’t have anything to work with.

As Christians, we should always consider the value of a soul and be willing to go the extra mile for someone in need, expecting nothing in return. Jesus never let His personal or physical needs replace his desire to please the Father.

Jacob Fled for His Life

You should take advantage of every opportunity to feed someone the Word of God and give them the truth about salvation. If you withhold the truth from a hungry soul because it’s inconvenient to talk to them or you’re just too busy at the time, then you need to reevaluate your priorities. Unfortunately, Jacob’s priority was to obtain Esau’s birthright.

Later when Isaac was near death, he requested that Esau, his oldest son, kill a deer and prepare a meal for him before he would divide up the inheritance. Of course, Rebekah wanted Jacob to get the blessing, so she came up with a plan to deceive Isaac into giving Jacob the larger portion of the inheritance.

Isaac’s sight was not good at that time, so Rebekah had Jacob pretend to be his brother and go in before his father. She was hoping he would get the blessing, and it worked. When Esau found out, he got so angry that he threatened to kill his brother. And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob (Genesis 27:41).

After that, Jacob feared for his life, so he fled to another country to stay with some of his mother’s relatives; and he lived there for many years. Later in life, Jacob wanted to make things right with his brother, but he didn’t know if Esau still resented him or not.

The night before Jacob was to meet Esau, he wrestled with an angel all night until that angel blessed him. The angel also told him, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed. (Genesis 32:28). Jacob was finally on the right track and being blessed by God, but he still had to make things right with his brother.

When Jacob saw Esau coming his way, he humbly bowed down before him seven times; and that softened Esau’s heart. Then Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept (Genesis 33:4). Reconciliation finally came because Jacob had made a covenant with God.

Are Souls a Priority to You?

When you give your heart to the Lord, you need to begin looking at people through the Lord’s eyes and remember that there is value in every soul. Jesus put so much value on souls that He was willing to be falsely accused, beaten, tortured and hung on a Cross for them. One of the last things He said when He was hanging on that Cross was, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do (Luke 23:34). Jesus knew the value of every soul, and He willingly paid the price with His life for each one.

Jesus told this parable: What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it. And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance (Luke 15:4-7).

The sheep in that parable represent people. Would you be willing to leave the ninety-nine behind to go and rescue one soul that is lost?

When Jesus came to Earth, He gave up everything in Heaven without knowing if He was going to win even one soul; but He was willing to do that for your soul and mine. Jesus is our Shepherd. He wants to help us in our times of need, and He wants to help us find as many lost souls as possible and win them for Him. There is no greater experience than leading someone to Jesus Christ and knowing you have rescued a soul.

A Valuable Soul at the Well

There are so many examples in the Bible of Jesus rescuing souls, but I want to take you to the story of the woman at the well. It’s a beautiful story of redemption and a great example of how Christians need to focus on the spiritual and not the physical when it comes to lost souls.

Jesus and the disciples were traveling from Judea to Galilee; and after a long day of traveling, they stopped in Samaria. Jesus was resting at Jacob’s well while the disciples went on to buy food, and a Samaritan woman came to draw water. Jesus asked her for some water, and it shocked her because the Jews normally had no dealings with the Samaritans. She asked, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans (John 4:9).

Jesus wasn’t looking at the woman as a Samaritan; He saw her as a valuable soul who needed to be rescued. Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water...whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life (John 4:10,14).

Jesus knew the woman was a sinner, and He was letting her know that she could be forgiven. The woman got so excited that she left her waterpot and went into the city to witness to the people crying, Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ? Then they went out of the city, and came unto him (John 4:29,30). Jesus wants all of us to tell others about Him so they can leave their earthly waterpots behind and receive spiritual living water.

Always Be Ready to Win Souls

When the disciples returned with food, Jesus knew it was no longer time to satisfy the flesh but the spirit. He said, I have meat to eat that ye know not of (John 4:32). Jesus was receiving spiritual strength from Heaven to rescue lost souls. When you put self under subjection to the leadership of the Holy Spirit, you too will receive supernatural strength from Heaven to do whatever God calls you to do.

The disciples did not understand what Jesus was trying to tell them, and they thought someone must have given Him some food; but Jesus explained, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work (John 4:34). Your focus needs to be on the spiritual meat too.

It’s God’s will for all of us to rescue lost souls. That’s why Jesus said, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest (John 4:35). The Lord wants you to know that the harvest fields are ripe and ready to be harvested; but if you don’t value souls and put them first, you will miss this harvest of souls. You need to be a reaper in this harvest and help rescue as many souls as possible.

Child of God, examine your life today. Do you value all souls, and are you willing to make any sacrifice to rescue them? Are you about your Father’s business and always ready to be a blessing to others? Jesus paid the price so all people can have eternal life. Now, it’s up to you to pick up your cross, follow Jesus and tell others about Him.

Know the Value of Your Soul

Jesus took on the sins and sicknesses of this world so all people could have a chance to receive the benefit of Heaven. Jesus lived on this Earth, so He knows what you are going through; and He understands. No matter what valley you are in, Jesus has already helped someone out of that same type of valley; and He will be there for you too.

Sinner, Backslider, the devil has conned you into thinking you are missing out on worldly pleasures, but he is deceiving you. Those worldly pleasures will only lead to destruction, but having Jesus Christ in your heart leads to eternal life.

Jesus loves you, and He knows your soul is more valuable than all the wealth in the world. He proved His love for you by dying on the Cross. Now, it’s time to prove your love for Him by accepting Him into your heart. Pray with me now: Oh, God. Save my soul. Forgive me for my sins. I have come home to serve you for the rest of my life. I believe the blood of Jesus washes away all of my sins. Come into my heart, Jesus. Come on in, Jesus. Amen. Friend, if you meant that prayer, you have Jesus Christ in your heart.

Receive a Valuable Miracle

Now, let’s get your miracle for you. It doesn’t matter what sickness or disease may be in your body. God made you; He can heal you, so let’s pull down Heaven together expecting God to move in a great and mighty way. Raise your hand as a point of contact as I pray.

Lord, Heavenly Father, move in a great and mighty way for these people. You know every request that has come in from throughout the world. Lord, move and break the bondages of these people and set them free. Heal them in the holy, blood name of Jesus Christ I pray. Heal! Let everything come to normal in their bodies, and let them have a wonderful testimony for you. Amen.

Friend, look for every sign of improvement and give God all the praise, the honor and the glory. We would love to hear how you are doing and of how God is moving for you. You can email your testimony to testimonies@ernestangley.org. You can also post a message to one of our social media pages.