Soul Care Pt 1 Series

Opening Video Illustration: The Real You from blufishtv.com

Series: Acts Too – Soul Care

We need to approach the New Year of 2015 with healthy souls.

This is why we are stressing - Soul Care this Jan. 2015:

I asked you “How is your soul moving into this new year?”

Jesus said in Matthew 16:26: “What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?”

Jesus said in Matthew 22:37: “Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”

Jesus emphasized the importance of your soul not just in eternity but it’s health in the here and now! Your success this year depends on the condition of your soul!

John Orberg states this about our souls: “If your soul is healthy, no external circumstance can destroy your life. If your soul is unhealthy, no external circumstance can redeem your life (Pg 40, Soul Keeping).

Story of Louis Zamperini Olympian, WW2 Ware hero and prisoner of War in the new movie just released: Unbroken

Highlight his life from http://www.louiszamperini.net/?page=bio

Biography

Many people thought Louis Zamperini would not live long beyond his formative years, and on many occasions they were almost right. As a child of immigrants, Zamperini was often in trouble with the authorities, until a police officer suggested that Louis use his fleet feet for sport instead of mischief.

Olympian at Hitler's Berlin Olympic Games

By the end of high school, Louis had become a world class runner, setting a world high school record in the mile. He qualified to run on the 1936 Olympic team by tying the world record holder in the 5000 meter run. At the Games in Berlin, he was America's top finisher in the event, covering the final lap in an astounding 56 seconds.

Following the Olympic Games, Louis competed on many record-breaking teams at the University of Southern California (USC). Many claim Zamperini would have broken the four-minute mile had he not elected to retire from the sport and join the U.S. Air Corps as a bombardier in the South Pacific during World War II.

Crashed at Sea and Drifted for 47 Days

On a routine reconnaissance run, Louis' aircraft crashed into the Pacific Ocean. He and another crew member survived in a life raft for 47 days, drifting 2000 miles, into Japanese-controlled waters. His rescuers were also his torturers, as the Japanese put Louis into a series of prison camps. One particular guard wanted to make an example of the eternally optimistic Olympic runner, and for two years this guard tried to break Louis' spirit with verbal and physical cruelty.

Louis outlasted the guard, and when the war ended, Louis returned to Torrance, California to a hero's welcome. He partied with celebrities and married a debutante, but his life was spinning out of control due to a lack of direction. It was a chance meeting with young evangelist, Billy Graham, that changed Louis' life for good. He decided to become a missionary to Japan, preaching the gospel of forgiveness to the very guards who had tormented him during the war. His book, "Devil at My Heels" was an astounding record of Louis' life. Upon his return to the States, Louis created the Victory Boys Camp for wayward youth, where he taught other juvenile delinquents the skills to succeed in life. Meanwhile, Louis and his wife, Cynthia, raised two children of their own.

Honored and His Story Told

In 1998, the Olympic Winter Games were held in Nagano, Japan, just outside the town where Louis had been held captive. The people of Nagano asked Louis to carry the Olympic flame as part of the torch relay. The host broadcaster (CBS) created a 45-minute feature about Louis' life, which aired during the telecast of the Olympic closing ceremony.

Share His testimony from Hour of Power broadcast: How could his soul be healthy and whole through such a horrible ordeal? How could he choose to forgive his enemy and the torture? How could he be restored in His soul in one night?

So how is your soul? Is it restored healthy and whole as we move into the New Year? Is it wounded or damaged? Is it forgiving or bitter? Is it loving or hating?

Listen to some other Bible verses speaking of the soul:

• Deut. 4:29: “But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul.”

• Deut. 10:12: “And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul...”