Vertebrae

Arch of the vertebra, arcus vertebra (vertebralis), limits the back and sides of the vertebral foramen, foramen vertebrate; located one above the other, the holes form the spinal canal, canalis vertebralis in which the spinal cord lies. From the posterolateral edges of the vertebral body, the arch begins with a narrowed segment - this is the leg of the vertebral arch, pediculus arcus vertebrae, vertebralis passing into the plate of the vertebral arch, lamina arcus vertebrae (vertebralis)... There is an upper vertebral notch on the upper and lower surfaces of the pedicle, incisura vertebralis superior, and the lower vertebral notch, incisura vertebralis inferior... The upper notch of one vertebra, adjacent to the lower notch of the upper vertebra, forms an intervertebral foramen (foramen intervertebrale) for the passage of the spinal nerve and blood vessels.

Processes of the vertebra, processus vertebrae, seven in number, protrude on the vertebral arch. One of them, unpaired, is directed from the middle of the arch posteriorly - this is the spinous process, processus spinosus... The rest of the processes are paired. One pair - superior articular processes, processus articulares superiores, located on the side of the upper surface of the arch, the other pair - the lower articular processes, processus articulares inferiores, protrudes from the side of the lower surface of the arc and the third pair are transverse processes, processus transversi, departs from the side of the side surfaces of the arc.

There are articular surfaces on the articular processes, facies articulares... To these surfaces, each overlying vertebra articulates with the underlying one.

In some translations of the Holy Scriptures, there are some misunderstandings regarding the correctness of the translation of the words "soul" and "spirit", despite the fact that in Greek words for soul and spirit make the distinction clear enough. In various places, the same Greek word is translated as soul or spirit, according to the translator's understanding.

The writer to Hebrews 4:12 emphasizes this distinction with the following words: "For the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any two-edged sword: it penetrates to the separation of soul and spirit ...". Spirit and soul are not the same thing at all. The soul takes up the largest part of our carnal life. Failure to understand this, as well as to understand the difference between them, leads many people to condemnation and leaves them wide open to Satan, who comes as a “slanderer of the brothers” and undermines the confidence that people should have in God.

Without this understanding, people who have a life in spirit for God after their conversion are tempted to disregard the reality of their new life in Christ because of the problems they experience in their souls. Satan loves to confuse us of this kind and keep us defeated.

Body

The body is the easiest part of our created being for our understanding and definition, primarily because it has a clear and visible reality. Medical practitioners have made tremendous strides in dealing with physical disabilities. However, the body is so complex that even with all the tremendous advances made by science, there are still large gaps in our understanding of the body. Only the absolute genius of God could conceive and bring together hundreds of interdependent and perfectly balanced organs to create the human body.

We will not go into the debate on the issue of evolution and creation, except that I would like to say that the more I studied all the labyrinths of the created sphere, the more I saw the decaying world of the second half of the twentieth century, the less reliable it seemed to me very theoretical and completely unproven arguments of evolutionists.

They calmly argue that the evolutionary process was the result of the gradual improvement of the world through natural selection. However, this theory of evolution has come under heavy criticism over the past 10 years, both from the inside, from the scientific world that originally gave it birth, and from scientists, whose comments are not prejudice caused by any specific religious point of view.

For example, the discrepancy between the early date of the creation of the world, suggested by geologists, and the time that evolutionists claim for the evolutionary development of man, is so huge that it makes the whole theory of evolution now even less viable than it was when Darwin proposed it.

With regard to natural selection, history shows that the fittest in terms of strength and wealth, only on rare occasions were truly individuals who could be entrusted with such power. Natural selection very often implied persecution and even attempted genocide by those who were at the top of the evolutionary ladder !!

This human teaching does not stand in contrast to the ministry of Jesus, who ministered to the oppressed and the poor and strongly opposed those who abuse his power and influence. The judgment performed by angels on Herod (Acts 12:22), when he was eaten by worms and died, could serve as an interesting commentary on how God perceives those who exalt themselves and abuse their power over people.

Regardless of different theories or interpretations of human origins, ultimately God is the Creator, and I stand by what Scripture states: "In the beginning God created ...". The body that each of us has is itself an indisputable proof of a miracle from the realm of creation. However, each of us knows that the body does not always function perfectly, and no matter how God created man, now the body is exposed to diseases, weaknesses, deformities, and accidents, and often needs healing.

The body itself is designed to protect itself from intrusion and heal on its own. It has its own protective functions, built-in defense systems, such as antibodies in the blood stream that fight against invading organisms, or ambulance systems, for example, when a person is injured, immediately a substance in the blood called fibrinogen, in reaction with atmospheric oxygen, changes its nature and forms first a blood clot, and then a crust, which will eventually fall off when new flesh forms under its protective cover.

And only when the built-in protective systems fail, or the damage is so serious that outside help is urgently needed, then most people think about turning to medicine. Unfortunately, only when this does not help, most Christians seek personal ministry from those who believe in healing and deliverance. As usual, God becomes the last refuge!

It is in such cases that those involved in the healing ministry must be especially sensitive to God in spirit, for most of the diseases that cause suffering to people have roots in the non-physical realm. Until there is a clear understanding of God's creation of man, it is not always easy to pinpoint the source of the problem and bring healing or deliverance to the sufferer.

Soul

When we talk about the soul, we take the liberty of intruding into a sphere that cannot be measured by scientists, but which can only be understood in the light of Holy Scripture and experience. When God created humanity, He gave each person a living soul. The soul is that dimension of our carnal life that lives forever. When our body dies, it will either decompose or be cremated. The physical part of our essence is undeniably temporary, limited and compressed in time in a short time - a time capsule within the kingdom of eternity.

When the body dies, the period of its usefulness ends. However, the soul is not limited to the dimension of time and seventy years. And this eternal destiny of ours extends far beyond the grave, which determines the need for evangelism and points to the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus about the need to be born again. Each of us is a spiritual being, to whom God gave a soul, and together (soul and spirit) dwell within the body and form the personality that we are.

Most commentators would agree that the soul itself contains three main dimensions - mind, feelings and will, each of which must be clearly understood if we are to have some doctrine and understanding about man, which would be a solid foundation for building a theology of healing and liberation. There are several good books that take these aspects in depth, but in studying our topic it is important to understand that the mind, feelings and will are not physical organs (they cannot be given a pill or cut out during surgery!), Although it is clear that the body can be treated and other influences, which in turn can have a profound impact on the soul.

Intelligence

The mind is that part of the soul that processes all the information coming through the physical senses, thoughts, and provides a kind of rational basis on which, day after day, makes decisions about issues of current life. Consciousness is not the brain. The brain is simply a large physical organ that acts very much like a computer, storing a large amount of information and performing many small functions that control the body without the participation of the mind, which does not always need to think about what to do next.

Nevertheless, the mind can intercept some of the standard brain commands that control the body (such as breathing - you can hold your breath for a limited period of time, stopping oxygen consumption), but fortunately, most of the brain functions that control the body are completely involuntary - we cannot for example, to make the heart stop beating. Arbitrary control of such vital mechanisms is not programmed into the computer by its Creator!

With the help of our mind, we can decide whether to store important information in our memory or not, and then we can restore (remember) this information when we need it. With the help of the mind, we can think over ideas, create pictures, generate ideas and work out plans of action, without moving any of our physical organs of our body by a single centimeter. This ability to conceptualize and create is one of the strongest proofs that man is truly created in the image of God, for God is the Creator.

When a person's mind and brain are upset, and there are no longer any rational thought processes and logically healthy behavior of the body is not ensured, then we say that the person is mentally ill. Although, in reality, defining what it means to be mentally ill can only be given in the light of a genuine understanding of spiritual truth. Without such an understanding, a person is constantly limited in his ability to observe and evaluate.

Contrary to the Greek origin of the word "psychiatrist", which means "doctor of the soul", modern psychiatry is mainly based on drug treatment that affects the chemical processes of the brain (that is, the body). Undoubtedly, they are effective in suppressing antisocial behavior, which can harm both the patient himself, who is already suffering enough, and all those who care for him and live with him. However, some psychiatrists are ready to go further, and to proclaim such stuffing with drugs as a genuine treatment, and many easily agree that they have little idea why these chemicals act in this way!

Unfortunately, side effects many drugs are significant and psychiatry has to maintain a balance between the harm done to the patient and those who somehow have to put up with the bizarre extremes of human behavior.

I do not in any way doubt the honesty and dedication of psychiatrists. I believe that most of them are selfless doctors who give all their abilities to the cause within the limits of their profession. But these limits inevitably exclude the spiritual and demonic dimension of mental illness. Indeed, we know of some patients whom we were told that in order to receive medical care from psychiatrists, they need to put aside their religious beliefs.

There is no doubt that just as a person's body can be sick, his mind can also be sick, and in any ministry of healing or deliverance, we need to know that the roots of a person's disease can lie in this area of ​​his existence. The symptoms present and the roots of the disease can vary significantly. When someone comes to pray for the symptoms of a disease, as I call it, “come with their own treatment plan for God,” then “God's treatment plan for them” is primarily concerned with the roots of the disease.

Until we carefully consider God's plan, any service rendered to a person will be incomplete, and, in the end, may even turn a person away from the search for healing and deliverance, and even from God Himself. I believe that the most common one reason why a person does not receive healing through prayer is that the minister is not praying about what to pray for - he is praying for the human plan of healing, not for God.

Emotions

Emotions are feelings that we experience inside ourselves, as a reaction to events happening around us. These events can affect us through our bodily organs - for example, to a sudden loud noise, our reaction can be fear; through our mind - satisfaction from creative thought can give us pleasure; through our will - a bad decision can lead to suffering and malaise; or through our spirit - there are many spiritual experiences that can result in deep and lasting joy. Indeed, the highest experience of our emotions is, in my opinion, the experience when our spirit, soul and body operate in perfect harmony and in relationship with God.

Many Church members despise emotional experiences as irrelevant in real spirituality. However, this position denies the very fact that God provided us with emotions for specific purposes. Rather than deny the existence of such a subtle realm of God's creation, it would be far more honest to acknowledge the emotional reality and bring emotion to the Lord for healing. Indeed, if damaged emotions are not healed, they accumulate enormous potential, causing the downfall of our lives, as well as causing suffering to those with us in daily communication. Emotions need healing just like physical wounds.

All evangelical activities have been repeatedly accused of playing on the emotional sensitivity and vulnerability of some people. But there is a huge difference between the actual reaction in the emotional sphere that a person experiences in God's presence, and excited feelings that have nothing to do with reality. For most people, the experience of turning to God, being born again, rightfully includes an emotional moment, and in no case would I want to deny people the privilege of responding to God with all their feelings when He enters their lives or in any other case of their passage. through spiritual experiences.

Similar judgments apply to many of the experiences a Christian may experience in his own personal experience... The harm done to countless Christians forced to bury their emotions in a quagmire of pain has left us with a generation scarred and wounded in this area. Very few people I have served in recent years have not needed deep emotional healing in addition to prayer for obvious symptoms, which were the main reasons for seeking help.

There are many different sources of emotional pain - experiences such as sexual abuse or physical abuse, which wreak havoc on the realm of emotional reactions that people choose to hide their true feelings and become emotionally disabled. Man has attained an amazing skill in wearing masks to hide their real feelings. And it so happened in the Body of Christ that you always have to look so that everyone thinks that everything is fine with you, attacks as the actual situation is fundamentally different, then these masks serve as a distinctive stigma of certain circles of Christianity!

I thank God that He not only heals most of the obvious diseases in people, but also brings healing to emotions - the area of ​​our life that suffers from cruelty, lack of attention or even simple ignorance on the part of all those with whom we have been close in the past. ...

It is clear that emotions can be painful and very painful. Equally, it is clear that God does not want to leave His people sick in any area of ​​their lives. Jesus died not only so that you can inherit eternal life, but also so that we can receive salvation, which means both healing and deliverance. This is very, very good news for many, many people who are healing their emotional wounds and yearning to get rid of them.

Will

The third main element of the soul is the one with which we make decisions. Scripture says that the spirit has a will, that is, it is strong, but the flesh is weak. The meaning of this phrase, which has come into use in connection with the concept of temptation, is simply that if the flesh is not crucified, the will gets out of control.

Satan will use any trick to make our will obey the flesh, contrary to God's established order. A person who experiences wholeness and health and walks in obedience before God maintains his will under the lordship of Jesus Christ, and whose carnal life, as a result, is under His control. This side of our life is not one of those that it is customary to talk about openly, because if the real truth concerning all aspects of our life became publicly known, some people would be very embarrassed and would sit every Sunday in Church with red faces!

Crucifying your flesh is the most unpopular phrase Paul ever wrote in his epistles, but it serves as a path to fullness and health (holiness) that will bear wonderful fruit in all dimensions of our lives. Control of the will is the key.

Many people are so sick in this area of ​​their lives that they are unable to make the right decisions - the temptations are too strong for them. One of Satan's main tactical moves towards all Christians is to gain control of this area. If he wins here, he wins everywhere. To heal a sick will is possible and often may be necessary to be released, but this requires determination and obedience on the part of Christians, which only the Holy Spirit can give them.