We talk a lot about loving God with our hearts — the emotions, the feels — and our minds — the thoughts, the theology. But when Jesus says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37), He’s pointing us beyond sentiment or study. He’s talking about devotion of identity.

The Greek word for soul, psyxē (5590), comes from psyxō — “to breathe.” It’s the same root as psyche, the word behind psychology. In the Old Testament, the Hebrew nephesh carries the same idea — the living self that came alive when God breathed into Adam’s nostrils the breath of life (Genesis 2:7). So when Jesus says, “Love God with all your soul,” He’s not talking about a hidden part of you. He’s talking about you.

Sis, let’s get this straight — you don’t have a soul. You are a soul.

To love God with all your soul means to love Him with the whole of who you are — your will, your personality, your history, your inner life — everything that makes you you. It’s choosing to let every corner of your identity orbit around Him.

That’s deeper than emotion. It’s allegiance.
It’s worship that shows up in your choices, your habits, your tone of voice, and even your thought life.

And here’s where the Holy Spirit steps in: He’s the One who makes this kind of love possible. Romans 8:16 says, “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.” That’s the Spirit’s ministry — minding your inner world, shaping your desires, and aligning your identity with your adoption.

Sis, you’re not the manager of your soul — the Holy Spirit is. But He governs what you surrender. When you let Him, He orders your inner life around divine love. He heals fractured motives. He corrects disordered affections. He makes your will want what God wants.

That’s why John writes, “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper and be in good health, even as your soul prospers” (3 John 1:2). When your soul loves God rightly, everything else begins to flourish rightly too — your body, your relationships, your peace.

So, what does it mean to love God with all your soul?
It means to let the Spirit continually breathe your identity back into alignment with His truth — until the way you live, decide, rest, and relate all echo one confession:

“My life is Yours.”

Loving God with all your soul means letting His Spirit shape how you think, choose, and show up — until your life looks like love in motion.