Johann Georg Faust sold his soul for unlimited knowledge and worldly pleasure. Barend Fokke was a 17th century captain for the Dutch East India Company. He sailed from the Dutch Republic to Java in 3 months and 4 days, cutting the normal travel time in half. This made people think that he had sold his soul for such speed on the water. He would later be the personage for whom the captain of the mythical Flying Dutchman was created. Robert Leroy Johnson was dubbed “King of the Delta Blues” and a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee. He was reported to have sold his soul at a crossroads in the Mississippi byways to be able to play the guitar. There are many other alleged soul sales made to the devil throughout history. They were made inside highly superstitious cultures and are obviously not true. I don’t think Satan would ever buy a soul, even if he could. People are just giving them away.
Consider this first, that every soul belongs to God. It was God that made man in His image (Gen. 1:26-27) and that breathed life into him (Gen. 2:7). God said to Ezekiel, “Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine” (Ezek. 18:4a). If He is the origin of our souls and He still claims them as His, then we should guard them and use them to His glory. Sadly, that is not always the case.
The value of your soul should be considered to motivate us to greater care. If we are in care of a precious commodity, what are we doing with it? Jesus said, “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? For what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Mark 8:36-37). People go to great lengths to protect those things that are most precious to them. What can be done to protect our soul that is worth more than all the riches of earth from our own fleshly desires?
Peter wrote, “Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul” (1 Pet. 2:11). “But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil. Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thess. 5:21-23). We have to be careful with what we allow to influence our lives. Even those people can influence us for good (Heb. 10:24) or evil (2 Pet. 2:7-8).
We often forget to think about what we are allowing to influence our souls. We neglect the care and vigilance that should be in place. Those that have taken no steps toward a sanctified soul are essentially handing it over to Satan. Not for sale or trade, but neglect and reckless abandon.