'(7)
Irresponsibility of the Spirit
Man’s spirit can be
compared to an electric bulb. When in contact with the Holy Spirit, it shines;
but should it be disconnected, it plunges into darkness. “The spirit of man is
the lamp of the Lord” (Prov. 20.27).
God’s aim is to fill
the human spirit with light; yet the believer’s spirit is sometimes darkened.
Why is this? It is because it has lost contact with the Holy Spirit.
To perceive whether
or not one’s spirit is connected with the Holy Spirit, one need only notice if
it is shining. We have said before that God’s Spirit dwells in mans and that he
cooperates with Him through his own spirit. If the spirit of man has been deprived
of its normal condition it will seem to be disconnected from the Holy Spirit,
losing all its light. It thus is very necessary for us to maintain our spirit
in a healthy quiet state so as to insure its cooperation with the Holy Spirit.
If it is disturbed by external forces it automatically is bereft of its power
to cooperate with the Holy Spirit and is plunged into darkness.
Now these phenomena
cause the spirit to fail in its responsibility of cooperating with the Holy
Spirit. As long as it is irresponsible, victory remains impossible. Suppose a
person, rising in the morning, feels as though he has lost his spirit. The
enemy will perhaps induce him to think it is due to physical weariness
lingering from yesterday’s overwork. If he takes the enemy’s suggestion without
question and allows his spirit to become irresponsible, he shall be stripped of
all his strength to repel that day’s temptations as well as to accomplish that
day’s work. He should search right away for the real cause, for the spirit
ought to be active and powerful enough to regulate the body and not be
adversely affected by it. He should acknowledge that his spirit, having been
assaulted by the enemy, has become irresponsible. He must seek immediate
recovery or else he shall be defeated the moment he meets anyone. Never permit
the early irresponsible state of the spirit to continue until midday, for this
is a sure way to defeat. Once realizing his spirit has been irresponsible, a
believer. should oppose without delay all the works of the enemy as well as the
causes for the enemy’s work. Should it be purely the attack of the adversary
the spirit will regain its freedom after having resisted. But if there is
justification for the attack, that is, if the person has given any ground to
the enemy, then he must uncover the reason and deal with it. Usually the reason
is related to the past history of the individual. He needs to pray over such
various matters as his environment, family, relatives, friends, work, and so
forth. When his spirit senses a release after a certain matter has been prayed
over, then he has isolated the cause for the enemy’s assault. Shortly after he
has taken care of this matter, the believer’s spirit will be freed and restored
to its function.
Sometimes, however,
the irresponsibility of the spirit is because the Christian has loosened the
reins, allowing the spirit to stray off course. But we should note from the
Word that “the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets” (1 Cor. 14.32) and
“woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit” (Ezek. 13.3). How
extremely important for a Christian to control his spirit by exercising his
will so that his spirit may not go to extremes but be kept in that state of
cooperation with God.
Man's spirit can go
wild; hence “a haughty spirit” is remarked upon in Proverbs (16.18). The spirit
of man can take action independent of God’s Spirit if a believer does not
exercise mastery over it and make it subject to Him. We accordingly must be
watchful lest our spirit veer out of God’s orbit, lose its quiet communion with
God, and be disabled from laboring with Him. Occasionally the irresponsibility
of the spirit is due to its hardness. God requires a soft and tender spirit to
express His mind. Should it grow harsh and unyielding, the operations of His
Spirit will be hindered. Only a yielding spirit can fulfill the thought of the
divine Spirit: “and every one whom his spirit made willing. . . “ (Ex. 35.21
ASV).
A Christian ought to
be able to yield to Him on the shortest notice. His spirit should be most
sensitive so that it can detect the still small voice of God and respond right
away. If it is hardened the child of God not only is powerless to follow His
will but is also unfit to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit in his spirit.
Hence it is necessary to keep one’s spirit in a tender and pliable state so as
to enable that one always to follow the delicate throbbing therein. This is
what the Apostle meant when he wrote: “do not quench the Spirit” (1 Thess.
5.19).
A Christian should
heed every word, movement, and sense in his inner man carefully. By so doing,
his spiritual consciousness will be sharpened and God will be able to make His
will known to him. If a person wishes to walk by his spirit he should recognize
when it is irresponsible and unable to cooperate with the Holy Spirit and also
determine why. He needs to guard his spirit carefully so as to insure it
against all disturbances both from the enemy and from his self life and to
assure it a peaceful communion with God.'
The Spiritual Man -
by Watchman Nee
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