By your patience possess your souls

Luke 21:19
By your patience possess your souls.

There is a distinction that we are spirit beings who live in a physical body and we possess a soul. The soul is the intellect, the mind, the emotions and feelings. The trouble is that these intellect, mind/thinking, emotions and feelings often takes first priority in us because we regard them as the truth. However they can be mistaken in thinking, emotions and so on. We know of a greater spiritual truth in Yshua and His revealed Word. Better that we take hold of the Word and let the Holy Spirit guide us. We can then use our intellect to check if things are consistent with the Word. Then developing patience, we can also put our emotions in check.

Rejoice, because your names are written in heaven

Luke 10:20
Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven. (KJV)

If we rejoice in the spiritual power we yield, then we may have missed the point. Similarly if we keep count of material success, even if it is counting the number of people we led to Christ or the size of our church, we have also missed the point. Every single spirit is important to God, like the Shepherd finding the lost one lamb out of a hundred. Salvation itself is the work of God. So what is our purpose? To bring the Good News to the unsaved and to disciple the saved. One commentary mentioned that Jesus never forced others, He usually begins His instructions with "If ....", not imposing on others with "You must ...."

Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me

Matthew 11:29
Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Jesus is talking to the believers, those who know Him. Everyone faces some kind of burden in their lives, some may be harder than others to face. What Jesus offer, is that if we trust Him enough to give Him our burdens, we will find some rest and peace. We also are required to learn from Him - there is a sense that He will not be taking our burdens all the time. Instead, we must learn from Him how to deal with the same burden in the future and also to assist others going through the same thing.

I will very gladly spend and be spent for your souls

2 Corinthians 12:15
I will very gladly spend and be spent for your souls

Here Paul is candidly telling the people that he served, that he did not want to be a burden for them. He made his own income and did not depend on those whom he served. His life is an example of dedication to serve others without any earthly compensation. His whole motivation was to serve Christ by serving His children. His conduct was such that there was nothing that could be spoken against him, so that his work in winning people to Christ cannot be compromised.

Behold, I am Against your Magic Charms by which you Hunt Souls there like Birds

This is a proclamation of all the false prophets who prophesy things that God did not tell them to say. They spoke of their own heart but falsely claim to represent God. So God will cut them off from His people and the land.

When God warned His people to get them to repent, the false prophets are telling everyone that they are doing well and there would be no wars or judgment. God likens them to building a weak wall that cannot withstand an attack.

Besides that false prophets, there were also another group of people whom God is warning. They are those who practice divination, and women who make magic charms and veils. Apparently, they use these to hunt and trap the souls of people, to make the righteous weak and to empower the wicked people. God has spoken against such people and plans to deliver his people from these traps.




Ezekiel 13
Woe to Foolish Prophets

1 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who prophesy, and say to those who prophesy out of their own heart, ‘Hear the word of the Lord!’”

3 Thus says the Lord God: “Woe to the foolish prophets, who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing! 4 O Israel, your prophets are like foxes in the deserts. 5 You have not gone up into the gaps to build a wall for the house of Israel to stand in battle on the day of the Lord. 6 They have envisioned futility and false divination, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord!’ But the Lord has not sent them; yet they hope that the word may be confirmed. 7 Have you not seen a futile vision, and have you not spoken false divination? You say, ‘The Lord says,’ but I have not spoken.”

8 Therefore thus says the Lord God: “Because you have spoken nonsense and envisioned lies, therefore I am indeed against you,” says the Lord God. 9 “My hand will be against the prophets who envision futility and who divine lies; they shall not be in the assembly of My people, nor be written in the record of the house of Israel, nor shall they enter into the land of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the Lord God.

10 “Because, indeed, because they have seduced My people, saying, ‘Peace!’ when there is no peace—and one builds a wall, and they plaster it with untempered mortar— 11 say to those who plaster it with untempered mortar, that it will fall. There will be flooding rain, and you, O great hailstones, shall fall; and a stormy wind shall tear it down. 12 Surely, when the wall has fallen, will it not be said to you, ‘Where is the mortar with which you plastered it?’”

13 Therefore thus says the Lord God: “I will cause a stormy wind to break forth in My fury; and there shall be a flooding rain in My anger, and great hailstones in fury to consume it. 14 So I will break down the wall you have plastered with untempered mortar, and bring it down to the ground, so that its foundation will be uncovered; it will fall, and you shall be consumed in the midst of it. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.

15 “Thus will I accomplish My wrath on the wall and on those who have plastered it with untempered mortar; and I will say to you, ‘The wall is no more, nor those who plastered it, 16 that is, the prophets of Israel who prophesy concerning Jerusalem, and who see visions of peace for her when there is no peace,’” says the Lord God.

17 “Likewise, son of man, set your face against the daughters of your people, who prophesy out of their own heart; prophesy against them, 18 and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Woe to the women who sew magic charms on their sleeves[a] and make veils for the heads of people of every height to hunt souls! Will you hunt the souls of My people, and keep yourselves alive? 19 And will you profane Me among My people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, killing people who should not die, and keeping people alive who should not live, by your lying to My people who listen to lies?”

20 ‘Therefore thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I am against your magic charms by which you hunt souls there like birds. I will tear them from your arms, and let the souls go, the souls you hunt like birds. 21 I will also tear off your veils and deliver My people out of your hand, and they shall no longer be as prey in your hand. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.

22 “Because with lies you have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; and you have strengthened the hands of the wicked, so that he does not turn from his wicked way to save his life. 23 Therefore you shall no longer envision futility nor practice divination; for I will deliver My people out of your hand, and you shall know that I am the Lord.”’”