Some notes I jotted down years ago on what I called “Soul Control”. One lady in the UK told me that this teaching prevented her from turning to alcohol for solace when depressed and becoming an alcoholic. I have practiced Soul Control personally during tough times throughout nearly fifty years in ministry, and I thank God that it worked every time. It is totally scriptural and very practical.
Psalms 42:5-11 & 43:5 — The psalmist, far from Jerusalem, interrogates his downcast soul; that is, he asks himself why he is feeling so depressed. This is now called ‘self-talk’ and it’s a way of helping those who are depressed to consider how they feel more objectively. You ask yourself the question, and you answer the question, and then you question your answer. It’s a case of the objective, rational mind questioning the subjective, irrational emotions.
The psalmist’s enemy taunts: “Where is your God!” (See verses 3 & 10)
Has anyone said these words to you when you were going through a tough time? Evil spirits taunt people in their minds with this question. Although the psalmist feels that God has forgotten him (verse 9), he says three
times, “I will yet praise Him.” (Psalm 42:5, 11 and Psalm 43:5)
He is standing on Mt. Hermon, watching the thundering waterfalls fed by the melting snow, and
they remind him of the floods of sorrow that have descended upon him. Yet they also stir the depths of his soul. They inspire the deep within him to yearn for the depths of God’s love (verse 7). The remembrance of better times plays an important part in all this (verses 4 & 6), as does expectation (verse 8) and anticipation (43:4).
Although David’s situation seems hopeless, he encourages himself in the LORD (1 Samuel 30:6). Encourages may also be translated repairs, fortifies, or strengthens. David asks the LORD for a prophetic word (verse 8) but only after he encourages himself. If he did not so, he would not have the heart to act on the word the LORD would give him.
David encourages himself in a time when those around him are discouraged. Ziklag was the scene of David’s greatest ever loss. Ziklag means A measure of oppression. David acts on the word and goes out to “recover all.” You too can overcome all that’s against you and recover all the enemy has stolen from you. You can begin to do so by speaking to your soul (self) and in so doing build up your resolve. Repeating God’s promises from His word will reinforce your will to do this.
When David said, “Bless the LORD, O my soul!” (Psalm 103:1), he was saying, “Bless the LORD, I say to myself!” What are you saying to yourself? Ask yourself, “Why am I feeling this way?” Answer the question and then question whether the answer is scriptural? Never say to yourself (as so many do) “I’m so hopeless!” This is terrible ‘self-talk’!
Remember that the only one who can defeat you is you, so join the winning side, the side of you that has faith in the promises of God, and go out again and recover what the enemy has stolen!
But what happens when the emotions are too strong for the mind, and so depression, grief and disappointment are gaining the upper hand? What can you do when your soul seems beyond your control?
In his lament over Jerusalem’s destruction, the prophet Jeremiah wrote: “It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.” (Lamentations 3:26) The Hebrew word for quietly wait means to wait in stillness, to be silent in God’s presence.
David said, “Truly my soul waits on God.” (Psalm 62:1) The margin reads: is silent. Verse 5 of the same psalm reads, “My soul, wait only on God, for my expectation is from Him. He only is my rock and my defence; I shall not be moved.” David’s enemies were cursing him inwardly while blessing him outwardly (verse 4). So, David speaks to himself, he says, “Just wait on God.”
Soul Control comes by silencing the soul, which is to say, by quieting your inner self. If self-interrogation — bringing roller-coaster emotions under the control of rational thoughts – doesn’t work, then we should silence our thoughts in the presence of God. We can say, “Be still, my soul.” “Be still and know that God is in control.”
Jesus said “Peace, be still,” to the troubled sea and these three words stilled a storm and brought “a great calm”. Say to yourself, “Be still in the presence of God.” Soul Control can prevent you from sinking into depressive moods. You can control your soul by ‘self-talk’, or by calming your restless thoughts in the quietness of God’s awesome presence. “Be still my soul…” Ah, that’s better!