Leading and Feeding Your Soul Part 2
January 15, 2023
What if one of the greatest barriers to your future isn't what's happening around you—but what's being stored inside your soul? In Part 2 of Leading & Feeding Your Soul, Pastor Kevin Gerald unpacks a powerful biblical truth: your soul naturally holds on to negativity unless you intentionally lead it toward God's truth. Through practical teaching, biblical wisdom, and Spirit-led encouragement, you'll learn why your soul needs to be read, led, and fed—and how unresolved hurts, offense, bitterness, guilt, and unhealthy thought patterns can quietly impact every area of life. If you've been struggling with emotional healing, overcoming offense, renewing your mind, breaking free from victim mentality, or finding freedom from past wounds, this message will give you practical tools for spiritual growth and soul restoration. Discover how the Holy Spirit helps, teaches, comforts, and empowers believers to live free from the weight of yesterday and make room for God's goodness. This message is packed with biblical principles for emotional health, Christian encouragement, healing from past pain, and developing a healthy soul that thrives in every season. God doesn't want you to simply survive—He wants your soul to prosper.
Talk-It-Out
Icebreaker
What’s something you’ve held onto for much longer than you should have—whether it was an object, a habit, or even a mindset?
Discussion Questions
- What illustration, statement, or story from the message stood out to you most? Why?
- Pastor Kevin described the soul as having a “negative bias” that naturally holds on to painful experiences. Why do you think Scripture repeatedly tells us to remember God’s goodness and forget not His benefits?
- What does Psalm 42 teach us about taking responsibility for the condition of our soul?
- Are there any hurts, disappointments, labels, offenses, fears, or negative thought patterns that may be taking up space in your soul right now?
- Pastor Kevin said, “Pain is unavoidable, but staying hurt is optional.” How does that statement challenge or encourage you personally?
- What practical step can you take this week to create more room in your soul for God’s truth, peace, and goodness?
This Week’s Action Step
Ask yourself:
What am I holding onto?
What needs to be released?
What truth from God’s Word do I need to believe today?
Write down one negative thought, offense, fear, or burden each day and intentionally replace it with a promise from Scripture. End by thanking God for three specific blessings in your life.
Remember: A healthy soul doesn’t happen accidentally—it grows through intentional leadership and daily surrender to God.
Key Scriptures
3 John 1:2 — “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.”
John 7:37–39 — “Jesus’ invitation to come and drink; rivers of living water representing the Holy Spirit.”
Psalm 103:1–5 — “Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all His benefits.”
Psalm 107:9 — “He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.”
Proverbs 4:23 — “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.”
View Transcript
okay you ready for the word okay say my heart’s open my mind’s ready
make me better God by your word I receive it I believe it I won’t be the same again in Jesus name
I’m going to let you sit down right after you say the verse with me. I think it’s going to go up on the screen.
Third John 1 verse 2:
“Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health just as your soul prospers.”
There you go. You may be seated.
We’re talking today about leading and feeding your soul. This is the second installment of this series, Leading and Feeding Your Soul.
Last week, as many of you know, I started with this illustration. I want to quickly recap what this is here.
The topic of the soul—and we are all human beings of three parts: body, soul, and spirit. We are a divine design. Can I get an amen? You’re made in the image of God. You’re not a mistake. I like to always remind people: you might have been a surprise to your mom or your dad, but you were no surprise to God.
You are planned by God. God knew you before you were born.
Yet there’s a complexity that we have about being here and being human. I’m simplifying it to give you a beginning place.
The glass represents your body.
The water represents your spirit.
The bag represents your soul.
Within your soul you are three parts: mind, will, and emotions.
Your soul is your mind, your will, and your emotions.
This has been incredibly helpful to me for over twenty years because it helps me understand myself better.
Your mind is not your brain. Your mind uses your brain, but your brain is physical. When you die, your brain dies, but your soul lives eternally.
If I know myself, I can grow myself.
The Holy Spirit comes to our spirit.
The Holy Spirit is here to help us, teach us, remind us, and comfort us.
The Holy Spirit doesn’t come without purpose. His primary purpose is the soul.
He wants to comfort your soul.
He wants to teach your soul.
He wants to empower your soul.
Say with me:
I am a soul.
I have a spirit.
I live in a body.
Three things your soul needs:
Your soul needs to be read.
Your soul needs to be led.
Your soul needs to be fed.
Your soul is not holy on its own.
Your soul naturally attracts and holds negativity.
Our soul is like Velcro to negativity.
It’s easy to go through life holding guilt, jealousy, resentment, worry, bitterness, blame, and offense.
By its very nature, your soul has a negative bias.
One criticism often sticks harder than five compliments.
Entitlement is trendy.
Being offended is fashionable in today’s culture.
The human soul has a negative bias. It is Velcro to negativity and Teflon to good things.
Good things slide off unless we intentionally hold onto them.
God wants to fill your soul with good things.
The psalmist says:
“Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all His benefits.”
We must intentionally remember God’s goodness.
We must shake off the negative and embrace gratitude.
Stuff accumulates in our souls just like stuff accumulates in storage units, closets, and garages.
Anger.
Bitterness.
Unforgiveness.
Regret.
Guilt.
All of it takes up room.
To have a healthy soul and a prosperous soul, you must empty out the negative and make room for the good.
Scripture says:
“Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.”
You are the keeper of your soul.
No one else can keep your soul for you.
Whatever is in your soul will eventually come out in your life.
The enemy wants to keep messing up God’s plan for your life, and the primary battlefield is your soul.
David said:
“Why are you downcast, O my soul?”
He read his soul.
He examined his soul.
Then he led his soul.
Then he fed his soul.
He said:
“Put your hope in God.”
Sometimes something is stuck in the soul.
Like a splinter beneath the skin, old wounds remain buried beneath the surface and continue affecting how we walk, talk, think, and relate to others.
Pain is unavoidable.
But staying hurt is optional.
Jesus came to heal the brokenhearted.
Jesus came to set captives free.
God does not want us living from a place of past pain or injury.
He wants to restore us.
He wants to heal us.
He wants to lift shame from our lives.
He wants to lift burdens from our souls.
Today God can give you your joy back.
Today God can give you your strength back.
Today God can revive your heart.
Today God can restore your soul.
Read your soul.
Lead your soul.
Feed your soul.
Make room for God’s goodness.
Talk to your soul.
Tell your soul:
Put your hope in God.
Rejoice anyway.
Let go.
Come on soul.
Let it go.
January 22, 2023
Leading and Feeding Your Soul Part 3
Our greatest problems are not the visible ones we see everyday, but the things deep in our soul that cause all the issues. What kind of stuff is stuck in your soul? In this message, Pastor Kevin Gerald encourages us that whatever is in our soul doesn't need to stay there. Read, lead, and feed your soul to a better place.
January 8, 2023
Leading and Feeding Your Soul Part 1
The condition of your soul has the greatest influence on your life. If your soul is healthy and strong, you can get through anything. In part one of the series Leading and Feeding Your Soul, Pastor Kevin Gerald discusses what knowing your soul is, how it works, and understanding why the number one key to being healthy is having a healthy soul.