Man’s soul, his mind, and his body are designed in such a way that they cannot fulfill their purpose unless the his spirit is alive, and thus capable of action. So movement in our spirit  can only take place when it is securely fastened to God and thus enlivened by the power of His Spirit.

All the elements of our nature (body, mind, soul and spirit)  are interrelated—they are progressively hinged to one another, each changing automatically as its neighbor changes. Progress in the spirit changes the soul, in turn affecting the mind which dictates the behavior of the body. It is impossible for our elements to operate effectively independent of one another, because they are all securely hinged together.

Now, what happens if our spirit is not securely hinged to God? Tug all you want on the body and it won’t effect our mind and soul much at all. The sad fact is that the purpose of man is totally lost when his connection to God severed.

Excerpted from: Free from the Power of Sin: The Keys to Growing in God in Spite of Yourself