We are to belong to Christ.

We are-

1Pe 5:5  Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder.

Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and

be clothed with humility: for

God resisteth the proud, and

giveth grace to the humble. 

1Pe 5:6  Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: 

1Pe 5:7  Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. 

1Pe 5:8  Be sober,

be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 

1Pe 5:9  Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. 

1Pe 5:10  But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. 

1Pe 5:11  To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. 

We are to - submit and be subject to each other.

We are to- be clothed with humility.

We are to- humble ourselves.

We are to- cast all our care upon God.

We are to- be sober.

We are to- be vigilant.

We are to- resist the devil.

2Ti 2:22  Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. 

2Ti 2:23  But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes. 

2Ti 2:24  And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, 

2Ti 2:25  In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth

We are to- flee youthful lusts.

We are to- follow righteousness.

We are to- follow faith.

We are to- follow charity.

We are to- follow peace..

We are to- be gentle unto all men.

We are to- teach.

We are to- be patient.

We are to- be meek.

1Ti 6:11  But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. 

1Ti 6:12  Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses. 

We are to- follow righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.

We are to- fight the good fight.

We are to- lay hold on eternal life.

1Co 10:14  Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry. 

We are to- flee from idolatary.

1Co 6:9  Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 

1Co 6:10  Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. 

We are to- not to be deceived.

We are to- not be- fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, effeminate, abusers of ourselves, thieves, covetous, drunkards, revilers, extortioners.

1Pe 4:15  But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters. 

1Pe 4:16  Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf. 

We are not to be- murderers, thieves, evildoers, busybodies.

Mat 5:3  Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

Mat 5:4  Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. 

Mat 5:5  Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. 

Mat 5:6  Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. 

Mat 5:7  Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. 

Mat 5:8  Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. 

Mat 5:9  Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. 

Mat 5:10  Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

Mat 5:11  Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 

Mat 5:12  Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. 

We are to be- poor in spirit.

We are to- mourn.

We are to be- meek.

We are to- hunger and thirst after righteousness.

We are to- be merciful.

We are to- be pure in heart.

We are to- be peacemakers.

We are to- rejoice.

Seriously- we know- we do know if we've read the Bible, we know how we are to be and we know how much we fall short of being how God would have us be. We need God so desperately to live in us, to be ours, to forgive us, to teach us. We need to trust in the Lord - with all our hearts and lean NOT to our own understanding-- 

Pro_3:5  Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

Truly, we need to shun all things that would keep us from Christ, all through the power of the Holy Spirit.

'(4) Sinking of the Spirit

The spirit sinking or being submerged is largely due to a turning in on oneself. It may be induced by a possessiveness over all the experiences one has had or by an intrusion of the power of darkness or by a self-centeredness in prayer and worship. When anyone’s spirit is tilted inward instead of outward the power of God is at once severed and the spirit will soon be surrounded by the soul.

Sometimes this submerging of the spirit in the soul is precipitated by the deceit of the evil foe who supplies the person with physical sensations and various wonderful joyful experiences. He does not perceive that they originate with the evil spirit: he instead construes them to be from God: and thus he unknowingly comes to dwell in a sensuous world where his spirit is drowned in the soul.

Believers may be additionally deceived—and their spirit accordingly descend into the soul—when they do not understand the position of Christ.

The Holy Spirit indwells the child of God to manifest the enthroned Christ to him. The books of Acts, Ephesians, and Hebrews speak very plainly on the position of Christ in the heaven today. The spirit of the Christian is joined to the heavenly Christ. Because of his ignorance, however, the Christian looks within to find Him. He wishes to be united with the Christ Who is in him. Hence his spirit cannot ascend above the clouds, but rather is oppressed and tumbles into the soulical realm.

All these operations tempt the individual to live in his feelings rather than in his spirit.

He needs to know that before he becomes spiritual and actually walks in the spirit the enemy is not compelled at that time to resort to counterfeit; but after the person has experienced the pouring of the Holy Spirit’s power into his spirit, he faces a new world never before encountered. And just here is there cause for alarm, for the enemy will work to induce him to cease abiding in the spirit. If he succeeds, the believer will incur great loss.

The tactic of the adversary is to deceive him through the feelings of the soul and body into thinking these are spiritual experiences for him to enjoy.

Many who have entered into spiritual living shall meet defeats because of their ignorance of its laws.

The enemy foments within them all sorts of physical sensations and supernatural experiences. Should they lean on these supernatural phenomena or on other sensational occurrences which come from the outside, their life in the spirit will be obstructed. They will dwell in their outward soul or body while their innermost spirit is denied the power to cooperate with God. Naturally soul and body once again ascend, regain their forfeited authority, and submerge the spirit completely. While the spirit is submerged its senses are rendered inoperative. When this occurs, many spiritual Christians feel they have lost their spirit.

Soul and body occupy such a large place that the entire being can live by their sensations.

Man’s sensory organs replace the operation of the spirit.

The movements of the spirit are buried beneath the powerful sensations of the soul and body.

And eventually all spiritual life and work are completely terminated.

If such a condition is permitted to last for very long the believer has fallen terribly indeed. He may perhaps be possessed by the evil spirit.

Everything therefore which is capable of impairing spiritual consciousness must be denied.

We must shun wild laughter, bitter crying, and every other extreme outburst of physical emotion. The body should be kept in perfect calm. We must reject inordinate supernatural or natural sensations, for these propel the mind to follow the body and not the spirit. Never allow anything to hinder us from understanding the small still throb of the spirit. Because the soul—when the spirit begins to sink—surrounds it and reduces it to servitude, the child of God must learn how to keep his spirit continuously outgoing, never permitting it to stagnate.

For unless his spirit sallies forth to attack Satan, Satan unquestionably will attack his spirit and cause it to sink.

Only as our spirit is flowing out is the Holy Spirit equally able to flow out His life.

The moment anyone turns in on himself and sets his spirit to sinking, the torrential flow of the divine Spirit immediately stops. He uses the believer’s spirit as His channel for the flowing out of God’s life. A Christian needs to determine what has caused his spirit to slump and then must restore it to its original state. As soon as he discovers a leak in the power of his spirit, he must try to redeem the situation at once.

'The Spiritual Man' By Watchman Nee

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