SELLING OUR SOULS, HOW MUCH ARE THEY WORTH?

"For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?"

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THE SOUL, THAT IS OFTEN REFERED TO, BUT IS RARELY DEFINED OR DESCRIBED, IS PART OF OUR EXISTENCE. THAT IS THE SUBJECT OF THIS POST. BY THE END OF THIS POST WE EXPECT OUR PATRONS TO HAVE A NEW APPRECIATION FOR THE SOUL. OUR SOULS BASICALLY REPRESENT THE CULTURE OF OUR CONSCIOUSNESS. SIMILAR TO THE CULTURE OF ANY BUSINESS, CHURCH, GOVERNMENT OR ORGANIZATION, THE SOUL DESCRIBES THE ENERGY AND FEELING OF ITS OPERATIONAL MODEL AND POLICIES. SOUL REPRESENTS CHARACTER AND CONSCIOUSNESS. THE VISIBLE HEART AND INVISIBLE SOUL EMERGE FROM WITHIN THE SPIRITUAL REALM BUT PRIMARILY EXPRESS THEMSELVES THROUGH THE MAJORITY OF OUR EMOTIONAL, PHYSICAL AND TANGIBLE INTERACTIONS. WE SHOULD BE KEENLY AWARE OF OUR SPIRIT WHICH CONSTITUTES THE "ATTITUDE OF OUR BEHAVIOR AND BEING" IS GOVERNED BY OUR SOUL WHICH IS "THE SEAT OF OUR CONSCIOUSNESS AND THINKING" AND ALL CONTAINED IN A BODY OF FLESH WHICH IS OUR "PHYSICAL REALM OF EXISTENCE AND EXPRESSION.​"

THE WAY WE LIVE THIS LIFE IS HOW WE ETERNAL OUR SOULS

Why is so little attention given to our souls? The soul is an intricate part of our being and although we casually refer to it, many of us do not know what it actually is. The main battle we are engaging from within ourselves is centered around the soul. The seat of our consciousness is located there and the influences that originate from our flesh and affect our spirit are arbitrated by the soul. The role of the soul as ruler should never be underestimated. We educate our souls as children and allow them to guide us as adults. The realization and understanding that we all have a soul connected to our spirit and engaged with our flesh is one of the most important things to comprehend regarding our existence! It's easy to grasp that we live in a body, but it takes abstract thinking with a Godly consciousness founded in faith to embrace the true significance of flesh, soul and spirit. Our souls originate from within the spiritual realm, but express primarily through our natural interactions in the flesh. Our spirit, the attitude of being and behavior, are our lifeforce and source of energy. The soul and spirit interact in a manner similar to the way thoughts and ideas are mediated between the brain and the mind. The soul being an invisible and intangible part of our existence is on par with the mind which has those same qualities. The spirit or "life force" we feel powering us from within is comparable to our thinking brain under the conscious control of the soul. Although we describe flesh, soul and spirit separately, the reality is that they are one. God alone, has the ability to divide them. Our flesh, soul and spirit operate in tandem, what happens to one will always affect the others. A sober soul helps to insure a healthy being and body. An educated and sober soul understands the sacredness of sobriety. S.O.B.E.R. is an acronym for the following saying: "The Soul is the Overlord of our Behavior if we Educate it and allow it to Rule." The educated soul does not substitute one addiction for another.

CHARACTERISTICS EXPRESSIONS & INTERACTIONS OF SOUL

​There are many theories about the soul and its interconnected levels of expression. The animal aspect of our soul considered to be the lowest level is said to connect to our physical body. It deals with our instincts, desires, physical senses and urges. Our emotions, personality, and speech come into play at the next level that bridges the physical body with the intellectual brain connected to the spiritual mind. This Intellectual component links to the next level which contemplates thought to create character. It uses the cognitive, analytical and the active spiritual components of our consciousness. From here an even higher level of rational awareness, intuition, and raw life force come into play. It is a level that can decipher truth and can operate outside of "conscious" thought. This all culminates in the most intimate essence of the soul that was breathed into a lifeless man. The soul of an individual comes into the world clean and pure. The gradual corruption of our souls starts after we are born and will continue unabated throughout our lifetime if we allow it to. A baby's innocence is as obvious as its helplessness at birth. Our spiritually invisible soul shares a connection with our physically visible heart as it operates autonomously. Many comparisons between the heart and soul are expressed in multiple commandments, poems and songs. In the same way that heart disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death globally, soul disease (SSD) is the leading cause of darkness in the world. People constantly seek medical attention for their ailing hearts, but how many of us seek healing for our Sin Sick Souls. The correlation is astonishing, notice how the psalmist asks God to "gift him" with a clean heart while "renewing" a right spirit inside. The first heart transplant ever performed was done by God, the only heart and soul surgeon! In light of all we do or say our souls ultimately must answer to GOD. God speaks to us constantly. Don't our hearts burn within us as we hear and listen to God's voice when it comes through his disciples? Only GOD knows the true condition of our soul. The most important thing to remember is that we have a soul and must give an account for it. Even an educated soul can fall victim to life and the circumstances it brings. However, our soul cannot be conquered or forfeited but they can be won over if not properly guarded. Even under the worse conditions we can always take them back. INVICTUS wrote a poem that many people recite but fail to understand. He knew that his soul was under his control even if it went astray.

"Out of the night that covers me
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance,
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeoning's of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul."

"SELL OUTS" DON'T LOSE THEIR SOULS THEY GIVE THEM AWAY

Our souls have the spiritual capacity to seek satisfaction and/or settle for a substitute. The soul  can burn, desire and yearn for all sorts of things. Once the soul becomes aware and sensitized to something, the soul has the option to seek after it for contentment and satisfaction. Too many times we leave our souls hanging. Our souls seek relief from the stress of the cares they carry. The educated soul knows where to find it. The soul can actively and freely functions at every level within mans free morally controlled consciousness. This includes any of the energy which affects our thinking, our subconscious thoughts and our unconscious dreams. Part of the soul's function is to reconcile cognitive dissonance and the ongoing conflicts between the body and spirit. "whether in the flesh through the brain" or in "the spirit through the mind." The soul constantly negotiates between desires, lusts, needs, stimuli, urges and just plain old wants. The soul has the final say, even if it's in conflict with the overall best interest of the entire body. This is one of the reasons why we keep our bodies under subjection and watch what, when, where and who we let our spirits come into contact with. The body is subject to its appetites and the spirit is subject to its attractions. The soul must be educated so it can both arbitrate and take a stand. Although emotions and feelings constitute a significant part of our total makeup, they can be deceptive. We all have feelings and feel emotions, and when emotions begin moving there's always a tendency to misinterpret their meanings. Agency and self control is built into the fabric of the soul. Whenever we allow anything from abuse to addictions to overrule our best interest we have sold out! Many of us think that we know what love is and define it by how we think it makes us feel. Unfortunately, feelings are learned, and when they are learned wrong, we tend to manifest the aberrant behaviors through emotionally based reactions. What we regard as LOVE is often actually something else in disguise. The truth is that there is no such thing as "unconditional LOVE." The concept is often misconstrued and the terminology is not scriptural, spiritual or even found in the Bible. God does not place pre-conditions on us for God's love to reach us, but there are requirements to maintain a spiritual relationship with God.​ LOVE does not make us dictators or doormats. First Corinthians chapter thirteen specifically differentiates loves' attributes and behaviors. Feeling something deep within our souls is not the only criteria for defining love or anything else!​

BUSINESSES & ORGANIZATIONS EXPRESS & SELL THEIR SOUL

The heart and soul of a restaurant is its food, but if the staff of cashiers, cooks, managers, and servers function or operate in a hostile environment, it will be reflected in the spirit of the food and feelings of that restaurant. The heart and soul of a church is fellowship and love. There are visible signs that distinguish the church from any other organization. It must be centered on a devoted relationship with God through Jesus Christ. It is characterized by the actions which reflect God's love to the world. The commitment to the mission of sharing and spreading the "Gospel" and ministering to others as well as themselves describes the spiritual aspect of its calling. The heart and soul of any business is in the belief and practice of its core principles. Its purpose and values are an intangible and invisible aspect of its functioning. Its culture, the intangible essence that defines it, is illustrated in its identity which drives passion, and guides decision-making beyond just profitability. Although strategies may act as the ten percent (10%) or less consciously controlled part of the "brain," the culture and mission act as the ninety percent (90%) or more autonomous portion behind the emotional center connecting people, fostering authenticity and sustaining the organizations heart and soul. This means that the employees, which are people, who are really the heart and soul of most non-automated businesses. Many times purchased businesses get exploited rather than saved. Investment entities like hedge funds, private equity firms (PE) and Venture capital organizations often prioritize short-term profitability over long-term stability. They tend to employ strategies such as excessive debt loading, massive layoffs, and asset stripping. In 2025, PE firms were involved in over 50% of the largest U.S. corporate bankruptcies, resulting in significant job losses. The primary goal of such acquisitions was simply profit. Sometimes these "leeches" will run the companies they buy into the ground, extract all of the life blood they can and leave them hemorrhaging in the gutter. They corrupt and destroy the soul of many of the business they acquire. More and more modern day online business models are being managed and run by A.I. The "enshittification" of businesses today are a shameful testimony to the greed and profit compromising the soul of many enterprises. “Enshittification” is a term that is appropriate and fits its meaning. It is so relevant to our circumstances, that it has become more than just a buzzword. “Enshittification” actually defines the entire moment that we are in. The term was coined by the prolific technology critic and author Cory Doctorow. Doctorow came up with this phrase in 2022 to describe how most of the digital services that increasingly dominate our daily lives seem to be getting worse simultaneously. Google Search has become enshittified. It takes us to more and more ads and product links ahead of and rather than the relevant website results we're after. TikTok got enshittified by artificially “heating” specific videos so that some would go viral. Twitter became royally enshittified as X and loss its status as a global town square. The same things are happening with Spotify, iPhones, Adobe software and e-mail inboxes. The technologies we depend on and have grown to be accustomed to are being used against us. “Enshittification” was named the word of the year by the American Dialect Society in 2023 and by Australia’s Macquarie Dictionary in 2024. The embrace of the term reflects a sense of collective frustration. The improvements many technologies make are being redesigned to extract value from users and clients while explicitly driving profit for the companies themselves. Even as Facebook's experiences got worse, Meta double dipped by getting free labor from content creators while simultaneously extracting revenue from advertisers. Uber now algorithmically manipulates the rates that drivers are paid, while conditioning users to lower their expectations. Most of today's "enshittification" progresses through three phases. At first a company is good to users drawing participants in droves. Then the company consolidates that audience with dependencies. Finally the company exploits its market share with business ventures for mutual profit. On the personal side, if we are honest with ourselves, we will discover that whenever we make ethical or moral compromises, like them, we are actually selling our souls. How do we describe the soul of a nation of immigrants that fear immigration?

is it well with our soul?

GATEKEEPERS: EARS, EYES, FLESH AND MIND 

The significance of the soul must never be underestimated. It is our minds immune system. It operates similar to the way that our physical bodies immune system fights foreign pathogens. The immune system as we understand it can be broken down into two types, they are called the innate and the adaptive defense systems. The innate or non-specific immune system has a broad spectrum response to anything it suspects is invasive. this is why our eyes water, noses run skin itches and we sneeze. The adaptive, more tailored, immune system designs and builds memory specific ways to recognize and deal with anything that gets by an innate response. The soul, our spiritual immune system works both intellectually (innate) and autonomously (adaptive) to filter out the garbage that would infect our brains and minds. Our spiritual being wrestles against unseen powers. The tangible natural side of our existence is armed with biological gatekeepers called antibodies. There are B-cells, leukocytes, lymphocytes, macrophages and many other components protecting us from all kinds of diseases. This includes a complex network of cells, tissues, and organs. The intangible side of our being is managed by a spiritual gatekeeper called the soul which resides over our freedom to choose and shape our own destiny. There are angels and divine precepts, promises and sacrifices enabling us to overcome wickedness. Victory in any warfare requires infiltration. Much of the infiltration we suffer come through our ears and eyes. The heart which is also closely affiliated with and connected to the soul, must be kept with all diligence. This is where the "issues of life" are decided. The idea that we operate on both a natural and spiritual plane of existence is not something that can be tangibly proven. We believe that the strength of a belief or ideology should be measured in how difficult it is to disprove it, rather than how eloquently we defend it. It's not proven by how many people accept or agree with it. When a belief, concept or idea stands the test of time after being attacked, broken down, criticized, dissected, examined, scrutinized and torn apart, it is then and only then that it gains and maintains credibility. Most of us fight and strive to prove what we personally believe is right rather than continually question it to discover how or where our interpretation and perspective of it might be wrong! 

The evidence of a soul fits this criteria exactly. The evidence of reality beyond the purely physical can be proven by science but the science must be sound. Science must also be scrutinized by the same type of attacks that religious beliefs are subjected to. Science in all of its logical and sound foundational proofs has one major flaw. Science can meticulously break down and explain the "how" but it falls short in answering the question that forms the basis of religious beliefs, mainly the "what or who" and the why. It's apparent that whatever we observe in nature we can find a physical explanation for. We see that in science chemistry explains biology and physics explains chemistry. We may not have a complete unified theory, but we do have an extraordinarily successful track record of scientific explanations that cannot be ignored. The main reason that we posit or tackle the meaning of life beyond the physical is the soul. The soul searches for answers to questions posed from more than an intellectual basis. The soul looks beyond reasonable explanations and explores regions of the mind that the brain cannot satisfy. The soul question the unseen yet firmly felt regions of invisibility that exist without evidence. In reality it was the soul that developed and encouraged scientific research into the microscopic arena of atoms, germs and molecules even before we could explain or see them! The soul asks why! Why is there something rather than nothing? Why do the laws of physics operate within the form we've discovered? Why does the universe even exist? Most importantly, why does the universe contain human beings capable of asking these questions?  Leonardo Davinci once said and is quoted that "the greatest deception men suffer is from their own opinions." The Bible informs us repeatedly, that all of nature knows the answers to these questions of why, but only mankind has the capability to ponder them. That is the liberty given to us for "free moral agency," that is the autonomy and privilege of the human soul. "But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee: Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee: and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee. Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the Lord hath wrought this? In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind." Is this not from the twelfth chapter of the Book of Job?

GAMBLING, THE GATEWAY FOR GAIN THROUGH GREED

When it  comes to "sell outs" the U.S. government tops the list! The history of gambling alone illustrates this emphatically! Our challenge is defining the differences between what's possible, what's predictable and what's probable. As a nation we've "sold our souls" by conquering natives and then colonizing or exploiting them. This is not to mention hegemony, slavery and war. We can see how the selling of the soul of our nation has become an ongoing legacy. Today, once again new ethical and moral compromises are being made for the love of money. Gambling has always been considered a vice. A vice is any behavior, habit or practice established as ethically, legally or morally wrong. A vice is a violation of a standard and/or tradition that is known to be corrupt and/or depraved. A vice also refers to things deemed unhealthy like prostitution or smoking. Gambling is just like taking an unnecessary chance. We are told that life is a gamble, but that's not true! When we try to achieve or do something we haven't done before, that is considered taking a chance but it is not gambling. Learning is all about striving and struggling to master another skill. The educated soul knows what its trying to do, and learning the lessons of life differs from enrolling in a school of higher learning. Whether we acknowledge it or not its important to distinguish life's lessons from schools lessons. In school we're taught the lesson first and then tested. In life we're given the test first in hopes of learning the lesson. Gambling in the United States has a history of sporadic regulations combined with moral and religious disapproval. In the early days of the British Colonies, lotteries were used not only as a form of "so called" gambling but also as a source of government revenue. Historically, gambling has been as prevalent as the seven capital vices, namely pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, and sloth. It is easy to gamble on just about anything. Anyone can engage in betting or wagering with and/or without money. The Devil and Daniel Webster is a story about a man who sold his soul but won it back.  So many forms of gambling exist from blackjack, cock fights, dog fights, horse racing, pigeon races, (a multimillion dollar spectacle) poker and any other type of luck and chance. Blessings, faith, good fortune and luck can become difficult to distinguish or tell apart in the final analysis when the results appear to be one of prosperity. Gambling has been expressed in multiple forms from shooting craps (dice), to casino gambling, keno, margin investing, options trading, scratch tickets, state lotteries and plain old betting. Gambling is also another form of instant gratification. Sports betting that uses venues like "Draftkings," "Fanduel" and others are available on any smartphone. In addition to this selling our souls to gambling disquised as prediction markets like Kalshi and Polymarket allow us to bet on just about anything from war to weather. There are many things which appear to be gambling that are not! Even the soldiers at the crucifixion of Jesus cast lots. However, casting lots may not be the same as true gambling. Although they both involve chance, there is a  significant difference in their purpose and motivation. Casting lots was used as a method for seeking a divine or heavenly sign. It was used to ensure a fair or impartial decision. The difference is that gambling involves risking money or something of value on some random outcome for personal, financial gain. All betting is not gambling, but it can come so close that it's intention may be. Gambling, unlike most other iniquities or sins involves elements of belief and feigned faith that originate from and are rooted in witchcraft. Gambling can be involved in any activity we do or thought process we use from betting to investing. Gambling by design allows us to delve into the future to some extent by temporarily playing the role of God. Gambling applies belief in ways it was never meant to be used. Gambling allows us to think that we can see, determine, effect, change, influence and/or predict the future by manipulation or looking beyond signs ordained by God. The normal course of events, forces, people and nature was never meant to be exploited for gain or profit. If we take a gamble it will involve some level of witchcraft. Gambling can corrupt character and our souls by manipulating belief in "future" occurrences outside of its unknown course. Only the word of God is guaranteed to be fulfilled and absolutely come to pass every time. Gambling is a mimicking act that creates confidence through subtility. Gambling can become a fake form of applying faith. Gambling often takes history, logic, numbers and patterns into account. Gambling can infect a souls connection to its spirit and body. Life is not a gamble, it is a gift! Serving and worshipping God is not about taking a chance it's about making a vow!

OUR BEHAVIOR OUR SOULS TECHNOLOGY & A.I. 

​A.I. may not have a soul but it does have a will! By design it is not built to be self intentional. Originally, A.I. functioned as a glorified algorithm. We asked questions and it found the answers using its vast accumulated data pool from large language models called (LLM's). A.I. was about assistance, like a copilot helping us to navigate, but we still did the work. The new and subtle shift today is A.I.'s ability to take a goal and autonomously return finished work. The basis, context and perspective A.I. takes into consideration are all originally derived from our corruptible nature. The version of reality we hear and/or see, ideally bundled together today, can easily be subject to manipulation by the perspective of the reporter, adjusted by the algorithm of the editor or tampered with by mechanisms inserted by broadcasters. Do not our souls search for​ legitimate answers to simple questions like: If we can automatically register citizens online for selective service into the armed forces, why can't we do the same when it comes to voting? With all of the technological advances and miraculous breakthroughs why is it that we aren't trying to solve mankind's historically greatest issues? With all that is facing us today, why are so many A.I. agents geared toward personal companions, sexual satisfaction and social popularity? What about issues like world hunger, alcohol and drug addiction, deadly diseases and world peace? Apparently the soul of man's philosophy today and the zeitgeist of the time is based on selfish motives. If the dawning of A.I. is so awesome and filled with such miraculous potential, why don't we task it with solving the most important problems we have? Is it because our "philosophy of soul" is one of greed, power, pride, profit and world domination? Have we philosophically sold our souls? Is it possible that A.I. will be more benevolent and not as malevolent as its creators and parents? We suspect that it will behave as any child and continue in the behaviors and ways of its progenitors! Is following in the footsteps of those who paved the way destiny? Is most of our analytical reasoning, ethical evaluation, fundamental questioning, thinking and worldview corrupted to the point that we will intuitively and unintentionally transfer a corrupt philosophy on how to live within artificial intelligence? Philosophy is a systematic study of fundamental truths. The soul, in the pursuit of wisdom, must establish and accept the standards and values it deems to be fundamental to core beliefs. The critical analysis of these beliefs defines existence and the application of  knowledge. The soul utilizes such reasoning to define and develop ethics and call it reality.  Metaphysics  and logic can only then seek to answer "the big question" about what life is and what it means. ​