When you are exposed
to truth and it sticks to you, it will follow you throughout your day. Learning
something new is supposed to affect us, isn't it? When you learn truth it
changes you. Maybe the changes are small, and not discernible to all around you.
The changes could be private and yet you know they are there.
Studying from the
Bible and reading 'The Spiritual Man' has exposed a deeper truth on things that
were only superficial to me before. We've been talking about realizing the
difference between the soul-self and the spiritual-self. We've been discussing
comprehending these two forces at work in us. So how do we comprehend? We ask
God to allow the Holy Spirit to open our eyes.
We will be shown. As we react to
everyday situations, situations that are common to us we may be allowed to
suddenly realize which force is at work in that situation. When we are allowed to realize which force is
working more often than not we'll see that it is the soul-self rising up in
us. The over emotional responses we are
prone to - anger, sadness, impatience, pettiness, vindictiveness, snideness,
flippancy, I could go on and on but you know yourselves what emotions, what things
you are prone to in any given situation.
If I give you a scenario you will know how you will react - for the most
part. Sometimes we react differently, but that's the exception to the rule. We
are allowed to see, to understand and our reaction to what we are allowed to
comprehend should be…what?
Reread the following
from yesterday-
The Spiritual Man-
Watchman Nee
'The Holy Spirit
alone can teach us what is soul life and what is spirit life. Only after we
learn how to differentiate experientially these two kinds of life and come to
apprehend their respective values, are we delivered from a shallow, loose,
sensational walk into that which is deep, firm and spiritual. Only then do we
come into rest. The soul life can never furnish us rest. But please note that this must
be known in experience; simply understanding in the mind will merely make us
more soulish. We need to pay special attention to this piercing and
dividing. The Word of God plunges into the soul as well as into the spirit in
order to effect the division of these two. The Lord Jesus in His crucifixion
had His hands and feet and side pierced. Are we willing to let the cross work
in our soul and spirit?
The cleaving of soul and spirit means not only
their separation but also a cracking open of the soul itself. Since the spirit
is enveloped in the soul, it cannot be reached by the Word of life save through
a cracked shell.
The Word of the
cross plunges in and splits open a way into and through the soul so that God’s
life can reach the spirit within and liberate it from the bondage of its
soulish shell. Having received the mark of the cross, the soul now can assume
its proper position of subjection to the spirit. But if the soul fails to
become a “thoroughfare” to the spirit, then the former surely will become the
latter’s chain. These two never agree
on any matter. Before the spirit achieves its rightful place of pre-eminence it
is challenged persistently by the soul.
While the spirit is
striving to gain freedom and mastery the strong soul power exerts its utmost
strength to suppress the spirit. Only after the cross has done its work on the
soulish life is the spirit liberated. If we remain ignorant of the damage this
discord between the spirit and soul can bring or remain unwilling to forsake
the pleasure of a sensuous walk, we shall make hardly any spiritual progress.'
Biblical references-
Joh 3:15 That
whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
For God So Loved the
World
Joh 3:16 For
God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever
believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Joh 3:17 For
God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world
through him might be saved.
God GAVE His only
begotten Son.
Joh 10:15 As
the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for
the sheep.
Jesus DIED for us.
Luk 14:27 And
whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my
disciple.
We bear a
CROSS. We've talked about this before
and it's truth.
We are the cross we
bear.
Mat_16:24 Then
said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny
himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
Deny ourselves and
take up the cross. It is only through the cross we can truly deny
ourselves. We can't take up our cross
without denying ourselves, they go hand
in hand.
*******
More tomorrow by the
grace of God, please Lord, please help us to comprehend YOUR truth and choose
to LIVE in Your truth!
In Jesus Christ our
Lord's name now and forever.
Amen.
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