1 Thessalonians 5:23 (NIV) – “May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
When we press toward the mark God has for our lives, we quickly discover that real progress requires internal unity. What is internal unity? The Apostle Paul wrote that we are made of three parts—spirit, soul, and body. For God’s peace and purpose to flow through us, all three must work together in harmony under His leadership.
Your spirit is where the Holy Spirit lives and speaks to you. Some regard this as your conscience. The difference is that your conscience is guided by the Holy Spirit when you surrender your life to Jesus.
When you received Jesus, your spirit came alive and became the home of God’s presence. Your spirit is designed to lead because it’s connected directly to Him.
Your soul which is your mind, will, and emotions—is the seat of your thoughts, decisions, and feelings. It’s where you reason things out, plan, and respond to life’s pressures. Your soul is powerful, but it’s easily influenced by circumstances. When things go well, it feels strong; when they don’t, it can sink into discouragement or fear. That’s why your soul must be trained to follow your spirit, not lead it.
And then there’s your body—the physical part of you that interacts with the world. Your body has appetites and desires that can easily dominate if left unchecked. That’s why Paul wrote, “I discipline my body and make it my slave” (1 Corinthians 9:27 NIV). He knew the body must not lead—it must follow the spirit and soul aligned under God’s will.
Think of it like a train. Your spirit is the engine, fueled and directed by God. Your soul is the middle car where decisions are made, and your body is the caboose that follows. When that order is reversed—when the caboose tries to lead—the train derails. But when your spirit leads, your soul agrees, and your body obeys, you experience the “peace of God which passes all understanding.”
That’s what it means to walk in internal unity. It’s not perfection—it’s alignment. It’s saying, “Lord, I want my spirit to lead by the Holy Spirit and Your Word, my soul to agree with it, and my body to follow through with obedience.”
When we live that way, we make better decisions guided by the Holy Spirit, our gifts from God are given birth and grow, our lives experience greater consistency, and our emotions stabilize. It’s then that we truly press toward the mark with strength and focus. Philippians 3:14 (KJV) – “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
When your spirit leads, you’ll know when to take steps of faith, when to wait, and when to simply trust. Your soul will stay steady instead of tossed every which way by emotions, and your body will follow with discipline and purpose.
Ask yourself today: Is my life being led by my spirit, guided by God’s Word? Or by my emotions and impulses?
When your heart is aligned and each part of you is working together in harmony under the Lord’s direction, you’ll experience what Paul called “the peace of God.” And that peace is the fuel that keeps you pressing toward the mark and it is the power of internal harmony in operation!
Philippians 4:9 (NIV) – “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”
