'To lie on the altar...' Sacrificing self.

'To lie on the altar is what we must do, but to divide the soul from the spirit with the well-honed knife is what our High Priest undertakes. If we truly commit ourselves to the cross our High Priest shall not fail to execute His ministry in separating our spirit and soul. We need not worry about His part. '   The Spiritual Man - by Watchman Nee

We have to lie upon the altar.  Think about that for a few moments. What does it mean to lie upon the altar?

Act_8:32  The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth

A sheep does not know it's being led to the slaughter. The sacrificial lambs were not terrified of death, they didn't know death was coming for them. A sheep that has been sheared knows that the touch of a human upon it will not cause it harm. Being shorn wasn't harmful to them. The shearers did not want to hurt the sheep they were shearing to do so would be hurting future profit. The shearers sheared off the thick wool of the sheep and then the sheep was set free no longer encumbered by its heavy, hot wool. Imagine the weight lifted from the sheep. We've all had haircuts and can comprehend that our head can feel lighter when a great amount of hair is removed from our heads. A weight is lifted from us. These sheep used to being sheared were led to the slaughter and they didn't panic at the hands of those preparing them for the slaughter.  I'm not saying there wasn't any thrashing about at all, or any noises made, I'm sure there was but for the most part the sheep led to the slaughter was very docile.

Isaac, Abraham's only promised son was placed upon an altar, bound to it by his father after asking his father where the lamb was for the sacrifice.  He had to comprehend he was being offered in the lamb's place. No record was made of Isaac fighting his father. If he did fight, Abraham conquered him because he was bound and placed there on the hard stone of the altar.

Our Savior was led to be slaughter- like a lamb- and He responded like a sheep before its shearer- NOT opening his mouth.

Our spirit and soul will be cleaved in two- separated one from the other by our great High Priest, Jesus Christ. Yet we have to lie upon the altar for this to be so. We are NOT forced to lay down on the altar, it is our choice. We have to place ourselves into a position to be sacrificed.  Do you imagine the sacrifice that Christ was led to was painless? Far from being painless, the sacrifice can be very painful.

The minutes leading up to the death of the offered sacrifice - lamb, sheep, cattle, birds, had to be a bit painful, yes? They didn't put numbing salve over the throats of the animals they cut. The pain was short live as they bled out fast, but the pain was there. Pain in sacrifice is often the case. When people make sacrifices there is usually some sort of pain to deal with even if it is miniscule- emotional, physical, mental there is pain otherwise how could it be a true sacrifice?  I sacrifice my time to help someone, there is a loss of that time. No, I might not be broken up in tears over it, but the loss exists.  Called to sacrifice we are being called to give up something for something or someone else.

We truly do need to lay upon the altar to have our soul and spirit cleaved in two.

Heb_4:12  For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Heb 4:13  Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.


We are sacrificing our SELF, we are sacrificing ALL that would keep us from God. We are willingly allowing ourselves to be sacrificed to God- a spiritual sacrifice of non-spiritual self.

Remember these from our study a couple days ago--

'7 Musts-

1- Understand why we have to have the soul and spirit divided.
2-Ask to have our soul and spirit divided.
3-Accept whatever it takes to have our soul and spirit divided.
4-We must be dead to sin, and alive to Christ. We must not let sin reign in us.
5-We have to pray to God and study the Bible.
6-We must bear DAILY crosses.
7-We must distinguish between the soul and spirit in our life- once distinguished we must follow the spirit.'

We aren't doing this alone on our own power- we are not saving ourselves. What we are doing is making a choice to follow God in our everyday life not just once a week, once a year, once a lifetime. We are deciding we want a life with God.

It makes sense doesn't it? Seriously, it does make sense. We long to have eternal life with our Savior and if we aren't interested at all in striving for this choice making right now in our lives, what makes us truly believe we would want to be in eternity with God?

Php_2:12 …work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.


Do you really long for God?

LORD, WE BELIEVE, HELP OUR UNBELIEF!!!  This is PRAYER!

More tomorrow by the grace and mercy, the overwhelming love of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ our LORD now and forever!

And please, Lord, there are people very close to me in great need of Your upholding them with Your strength. Trials and tribulations are surrounding other friends as well and they are in such intense need of Your sustaining power. You promise to hold us, to keep us through the storms, You never promised to keep out of the storms. Satan is doing all he can to lead us to despair, to give up but by YOUR grace, YOUR power this will never happen! You are stronger than he will ever be! Please, Lord, the sick in body, in mind, in heart are calling out to You, we need You LORD, please, hear our prayer!  In the name of Your beloved, only begotten Son, Jesus Christ! Amen!

Corrupted Emotions.

Can it be true that our carnal natures are filled with emotions, with sensations, with selfish-energy?  Having emotions is part of our nature- we are born with this and truly it's an integral part of our being, however as with most of our being- it has been corrupted. Emotions can rule our existence. Many people live by their emotions. What we are feeling on any particular day is our focus. Our corrupted emotional nature is most assuredly used to keep us from a spiritual walk.  If we use our feelings- our emotions, to gauge our walk with Christ we are in for a very, very bumpy ride.  If sensations are what we need- we are living for our flesh, not our spirit. This is truth.

Remember this--  Php_4:8  Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

We aren't to think on suppositions, on fantasies not based in any sort of reality. We aren't to think on things that are untrue, on lies.  We aren't to think on things that are unjust or impure. How much of our time is spent on all those things, thinking of them? We truly NEED to comprehend the word of our LORD. There is a reason for this instruction. People get so caught up in things that aren't real, things that provoke our emotions igniting sensations that are not of God. We are overwhelmed with living in fantasy and not reality. We prefer fantasy to reality because reality is so horrific when you have no faith in Jesus Christ and His message. Our world is consumed by lies, liars, fantasy, emotion, the sensational- we move from one sensation to the next. We truly need to recognize how caught up on our emotions we can be.

Some may be thinking that there are those who do not let their emotions rule them. A lot of men are known simply for being unable to express their emotions. Does not being able to express them mean they don't have them? Men have been notoriously ridiculed for showing undue emotion, men aren't supposed to cry etc. Yet emotions aren't all about crying, they can be about anger, frustration, agitation, etc. There are many 'manly' emotions, so we shouldn't confuse emotional suppression with lack of emotion.

True emotional control will only come through the Spirit being in control of our spirit. As long as we hold fast to our soulical nature, our selfish nature, our self-centered focus we are going to be ruled by our emotions. Recognizing our self-focused emotions for what they are is important.

Remember, I'm not saying emotions are wrong in and of themselves- I'm saying our emotions have been corrupted and will remain corrupted in us as long as we are letting the soul not the spirit rule in us.  God, please help us submit to You, to submit to the Holy Spirit, through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Help us to become more aware of where we are letting the soul, not the spirit rule in us. Open our hearts and LORD, please, LORD, please put in us a new heart that longs to do Your will and not our own! We do believe, we do- HELP OUR UNBELIEF! Please.

Rom 12:9  Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.
Rom 12:10  Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;
Rom 12:11  Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;
Rom 12:12  Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;
Rom 12:13  Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.
Rom 12:14  Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not.
Rom 12:15  Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.
Rom 12:16  Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.
Rom 12:17  Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.
Rom 12:18  If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.
Rom 12:19  Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
Rom 12:20  Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.
Rom 12:21  Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.



*******

'Everything which belongs to emotion, sensation, mind and natural energy would be separated one after another from the spirit so as to leave no trace of fusion.'  The Spiritual Man- Watchman Nee

The will to obey.

Another excerpt from - The Spiritual Man by Watchman Nee

'Everything which belongs to

emotion,

sensation,

 mind

and natural energy

would be separated one after another from the spirit so as to leave no trace of fusion.

To lie on the altar is what we must do, but to divide the soul from the spirit with the well-honed knife is what our High Priest undertakes. If we truly commit ourselves to the cross our High Priest shall not fail to execute His ministry in separating our spirit and soul. We need not worry about His part.

Upon seeing we have fulfilled the requirements for His working He shall part our spirit and soul at the appropriate time thereafter.

Those who have apprehended the danger of a mixture of these two organs cannot but seek deliverance. Open though the road is to deliverance, it nevertheless is not without its difficulties. Believers must persevere in prayer that they may see clearly their own pitiful state and understand the indwelling, working, and demands of the Holy Spirit.

They need to know the mystery and reality of the Holy Spirit dwelling within them. May they honor such holy presence; may they be careful not to grieve Him; may they know that, aside from sin, what grieves Him the most as well as what harms themselves the deepest is to walk and labor according to their own life. The first and original sin of man was to seek what is good, wise and intellectual according to his own idea. God’s children today often make the same mistake. They should realize that since they have believed in the Lord and have the Holy Spirit indwelling them, they ought to give the Spirit complete authority over their souls. Do we think because we have prayed and asked the Holy Spirit to reveal His mind and to work in us, that all shall accordingly be done? That assumption is not the truth; for unless we deliver to death specifically and daily our natural life, together with its power, wisdom, self, and sensation and unless we equally desire honestly in our mind and will to obey and rely upon the Holy Spirit, we shall not see Him actually performing the work. The Lord’s people should understand that it is the Word of God which parts their soul and spirit. The Lord Jesus is Himself the living Word of God, so He Himself effects the division.'

By the grace of God we will study this tomorrow…. Please, Lord, we are… I am so unworthy.

Who is more important than you?

Yesterday we study on the following-

7 Musts-

1- Understand why we have to have the soul and spirit divided.

2-Ask to have our soul and spirit divided.

3-Accept whatever it takes to have our soul and spirit divided.

4-We must be dead to sin, and alive to Christ. We must not let sin reign in us.

5-We have to pray to God and study the Bible.

6-We must bear DAILY crosses.

7-We must distinguish between the soul and spirit in our life- once distinguished we must follow the spirit.

We went to our Bibles and we could find a few of the many, many truths in these 7 musts. I need to study them more. Maybe this is just a personal need of mine, I don't know, but if anyone else is reading this maybe you need this too. 

I spent the day today off and on asking myself if various things going on around me were soulical or spiritual. A few times I reminded myself that it was the spiritual that matters, not the soulical. Is this the beginning of understanding? Is this how we continue the spiritual journey we are on?  I do remember asking myself why we choose the soulical so much, why do I choose it so much and how can I stop choosing the soulical. I didn’t have answer for myself just the realization that it is a DAILY battle and it is a LEARNING experience. 

Do I want my soul and spirit divided so that my spirit rules over my soul through the Holy Spirit, by Jesus Christ's grace?  I do, I DO, I'm just so incredibly weak! 

It's not until we begin to recognize the soulical that we realize just how full we are of ourselves, our selfishness, our soul, our carnal flesh nature that we are.  It's all around us in so many, many forms.

Another thing happened over the last few days I'm going to share. When I know I'm being selfish and not wanting to do something, when I'm called from my own work to go help another and that selfishness rises, the thought comes- THEY ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN YOU.  

And you know, when someone is told another is more important than they are, isn't there supposed to be a resentment rising in us because we aren't as important? We are taught this by so many things in society. We are all equal and whatnot, but in truth, isn't EVERYONE more important than we should be to ourselves?  Seriously, JESUS died for us, that's how important He deemed us over Himself! Loving others- NOT loving self, this is what is needed!  Yet we constantly deem ourselves more important. Our needs no matter how noble they are- are NOT more important than others needing us for even something someone might consider petty.  Is this truth?

Where soulical begins selfishness abounds, right? SELF.

1- Understand why we have to have the soul and spirit divided.

2-Ask to have our soul and spirit divided.

3-Accept whatever it takes to have our soul and spirit divided.

4-We must be dead to sin, and alive to Christ. We must not let sin reign in us.

5-We have to pray to God and study the Bible.

6-We must bear DAILY crosses.

7-We must distinguish between the soul and spirit in our life- once distinguished we must follow the spirit.

We need the soul and spirit divided!

PLEASE LORD divide our soul and spirit!

Please LORD help us to accept whatever it takes to have our soul and spirit divided!

Help us be DEAD to sin and ALIVE to CHRIST! Let not SIN reign in us!

Keep us in constant prayer with you, in constant study of Your word to us!

Help us to bear the crosses as they DAILY come to us!

Please help us to see all that is soulish in our life, please help us to see all that is spirit in us and HELP us follow the SPIRIT!

Our Part

From yesterday…

'The Practice

We have just seen how the High Priest operates if we accept the cross. We shall consider next the practical side; that is, how we may arrive at the experience of having the Lord Jesus divide our soul and spirit.

(1) Know the necessity of having the spirit and soul divided. Without this knowledge no such request will be made. Christians ought to petition the Lord to show them the abhorrence of a mixed spirit-and-soul life and also the reality of that deeper walk in God which is wholly spirit and uninterrupted by the soul. They should understand that a mixed life is a frustrated life.

(2) Ask for the separation of soul and spirit. After knowing, there must be a genuinely earnest desire in the heart, a requesting that this mingled soul and spirit be cut apart. Just here the question rests with the human will. Should believers prefer to enjoy what they themselves consider the best life and not desire to have their soul and spirit divided, God will respect their personal rights and not force them into such experience.

(3) Yield specifically. If believers definitely desire the experience of having their soul and spirit separated, they must consign themselves to the altar of the cross in a specific manner. They must be willing to accept totally every consequence of the operation of the cross and be conformed to the death of the Lord. Before they encounter the cleaving of soul and spirit believers need to bend their will continuously and incessantly towards God and actively choose to have this cleavage. And as the High Priest accomplishes this division in them their heart attitude should be that He should not stay His hand.

(4) Stand on Romans 6.11. God’s children need to watch lest in seeking to experience the separation of soul and spirit they fall back into sin. Remember that this separating is built upon their having died to sin. Hence they should maintain daily the attitude of Romans 6.11, considering themselves verily dead to sin. Additionally, they should stand on Romans 6.12 and not permit sin to reign in their mortal bodies. This attitude will deprive their natural life any opportunity to sin through the body.

 (5) Pray and study the Bible. Christians ought to search the Bible with prayer and meditation. They should let God’s Word penetrate thoroughly into their souls so as to enable their natural life to be purified. If they actually do what God says, their soul life shall not be able to continue its free activity. This is the meaning of 1 Peter 1.22: “having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth.”

(6) Daily bear the cross. Because the Lord desires to sever our spirit and soul He arranges crosses in our everyday affairs for us to bear. To take up the cross daily, to deny self at all times, to make no provision for the flesh—not even for a moment, and to be shown constantly by the Holy Spirit what are the activities of the soul in our lives: this is spiritual life. Through faithful obedience we shall be led to encounter the dividing of soul and spirit so that we may experience a pure spiritual walk.

 (7) Live according to the spirit. This is a condition not only for our preservation but also for a distinct cleavage between spirit and soul. We must seek to walk by our spirit in all respects, distinguishing what is of the spirit and what is of the soul and resolving as well to follow the former while rejecting the latter. Learn to recognize the working of the spirit and follow it.

 These are the conditions which we on our side must fulfill. The Holy Spirit requires our cooperation. The Lord will not be able to do His part should we fail to do ours. But were we to discharge our responsibility, our High Priest would tear apart our spirit and soul with the sharp Sword of His Spirit in the power of His cross.'  --  The Spiritual Man  by Watchman Nee

*******

7 Musts-

1- Understand why we have to have the soul and spirit divided.

2-Ask to have our soul and spirit divided.

3-Accept whatever it takes to have our soul and spirit divided.

4-We must be dead to sin, and alive to Christ. We must not let sin reign in us.

5-We have to pray to God and study the Bible.

6-We must bear DAILY crosses.

7-We must distinguish between the soul and spirit in our life- once distinguished we must follow the spirit.

Truly the Holy Spirit does require our cooperation.

Truly the Lord cannot do His part if we don't do ours.

The High Priest- Jesus Christ our Lord- will divide our spirit and soul.

The Bible explains WHY we have to have our soul and spirit divided-  the natural man and the spiritual cannot both rule.

Rom 8:5  For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.

Rom 8:6  For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

Rom 8:7  Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

Rom 8:8  So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

Rom 8:9  But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

We must ask-

Luk 11:13  If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

We must accept whatever we are called to do-

Eph 6:11  Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

Eph 6:12  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Eph 6:13  Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

We must be-  dead to sin.

Rom 6:11  Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Rom 6:12  Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.

We must pray and study-

Eph_6:18  Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints

2Ti_2:15  Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth

We must bear our own cross - connected to the cross of our Savior-

Luk_9:23  And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

We must constantly choose spirit over soul-

Luk 14:33  So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.

Rom 7:24  O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

Rom 7:25  I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

Gal 5:16  This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

Gal 5:17  For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

*

Satan would have us believe there is so little we can do when in truth we can engage in the battle, we MUST engage in the spiritual battle before us as those who would belong to our Savior.

Jesus did not leave us comfortless- our comfort can be found in the Spirit.  When we seek comfort anywhere else we are seeking comfort from the flesh, from the soul not the spirit.

Is it any wonder we are led to despair so often, we are seeking hope in fleshy things, in soulical things, not spiritual. Our hope must be in Christ, not in this world or things of this world.  All things that give us happiness that are of the flesh, that are of the soul, even things we deem wonderful are things that will keep us from the spirit.  We are told this--

Luk 14:26  If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.

Luk 14:27  And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.

Mat 10:33  But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.

Mat 10:34  Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.

Mat 10:35  For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.

Mat 10:36  And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.

Mat 10:37  He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

Mat 10:38  And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.

Is it any wonder that we must live in the SPIRIT first and foremost or all our soulical love we have for others is only harmful to them, and not true love at all. We truly believe that we love from a good place, but that good place could be a trap set by Satan for us.  We must LOVE with CHRIST'S love, not our own soulical love!  There will never be a time we shouldn't love others, never! But that love if a love coming from Christ, from the Spirit, may be revealed in ways others would deem heartless. Does this seem contradictory when we are told to 'hate' others?  The hate we are to have is the sin in others, the sin in ourselves- the Godlessness that prevails, the soulical that exists.  We are to recognize that CHRIST in us must be first and it is with HIS love we can TRULY LOVE.

By God's grace may we grow in HIM and HIS TRUTH, allowing the soul and spirit to be divided in us, seeking only HIM and HIS truth, His LOVE!

In Jesus Christ our Savior always!!!!

We have a part to play in our Walk with Christ.

Do we have a part to play in this Christian walk?  It wouldn't be much of a walk if we didn't.  We need to YIELD and in YIELDING we recognize our inability to save ourselves. In yielding we trust in God's word, His word calling us into action. We aren't to remain stagnant in our walk with Christ. Too many people believe that we are no longer accountable to God once we accept that Christ died for us. Christ did it all in saving us and we have no part to play.  I can't argue with people on this, it's true that we cannot save ourselves, however it is also very true that we can damn ourselves.  We choose Jesus and HE saves us. We don't choose Christ and He doesn't save us= we are never forced to be saved. When we are saved can we ever be unsaved? Yes, we can turn back, we can turn away from God. We can un-save ourselves. Remember this…

Luk 8:11  Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.

Luk 8:12  Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.

Luk 8:13  They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.

Luk 8:14  And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.

Luk 8:15  But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good

…. These have no root which for a while believe and in time of temptation fall away.

….they heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasure of this life and bring no fruit to perfection.

And this…

Luk 11:24  When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out.

Luk 11:25  And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished.

Luk 11:26  Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first.

We can be saved and then still be lost.  The belief in 'once saved, always saved' is not Biblical.

We are instructed--

1Co 10:1  Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;

1Co 10:2  And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;

1Co 10:3  And did all eat the same spiritual meat;

1Co 10:4  And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.

1Co 10:5  But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.

1Co 10:6  Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.

1Co 10:7  Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.

1Co 10:8  Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.

1Co 10:9  Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.

1Co 10:10  Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.

1Co 10:11  Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

1Co 10:12  Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.

1Co 10:13  There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

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

Those of old are examples for us NOW.

We must not lust, we must not give into temptation-- yet we scarcely know what lust is any longer because we've sunk so low in a worldwide society with depravities so incredibly vile and we call them good. We call evil good. We believe if we desire something it's just and good, because we desire it and the things we desire can't be wrong, because we don't believe we ourselves are wrong, that we are bad, we want to believe we are good.

We have a walk to walk, a daily cross to bear, keep that in mind as you read the following excerpt from - The Spiritual Man by Watchman Nee.  Make sure you take your Bibles and read all the verses given. Take all he says to the Bible, pray and study to know truth. If he is leading us wrongly may God please reveal it to us! If he is not leading us wrongly, but to a deeper understanding of God's truth, may we learn from what we read.  By the grace of God, by His mercy, His love, His truth! All through Jesus Christ our LORD, our SAVIOR!  Amen.

*******

'The Practice

We have just seen how the High Priest operates if we accept the cross. We shall consider next the practical side; that is, how we may arrive at the experience of having the Lord Jesus divide our soul and spirit.

(1) Know the necessity of having the spirit and soul divided. Without this knowledge no such request will be made. Christians ought to petition the Lord to show them the abhorrence of a mixed spirit-and-soul life and also the reality of that deeper walk in God which is wholly spirit and uninterrupted by the soul. They should understand that a mixed life is a frustrated life.

(2) Ask for the separation of soul and spirit. After knowing, there must be a genuinely earnest desire in the heart, a requesting that this mingled soul and spirit be cut apart. Just here the question rests with the human will. Should believers prefer to enjoy what they themselves consider the best life and not desire to have their soul and spirit divided, God will respect their personal rights and not force them into such experience.

(3) Yield specifically. If believers definitely desire the experience of having their soul and spirit separated, they must consign themselves to the altar of the cross in a specific manner. They must be willing to accept totally every consequence of the operation of the cross and be conformed to the death of the Lord. Before they encounter the cleaving of soul and spirit believers need to bend their will continuously and incessantly towards God and actively choose to have this cleavage. And as the High Priest accomplishes this division in them their heart attitude should be that He should not stay His hand.

(4) Stand on Romans 6.11. God’s children need to watch lest in seeking to experience the separation of soul and spirit they fall back into sin. Remember that this separating is built upon their having died to sin. Hence they should maintain daily the attitude of Romans 6.11, considering themselves verily dead to sin. Additionally, they should stand on Romans 6.12 and not permit sin to reign in their mortal bodies. This attitude will deprive their natural life any opportunity to sin through the body.

 (5) Pray and study the Bible. Christians ought to search the Bible with prayer and meditation. They should let God’s Word penetrate thoroughly into their souls so as to enable their natural life to be purified. If they actually do what God says, their soul life shall not be able to continue its free activity. This is the meaning of 1 Peter 1.22: “having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth.”

(6) Daily bear the cross. Because the Lord desires to sever our spirit and soul He arranges crosses in our everyday affairs for us to bear. To take up the cross daily, to deny self at all times, to make no provision for the flesh—not even for a moment, and to be shown constantly by the Holy Spirit what are the activities of the soul in our lives: this is spiritual life. Through faithful obedience we shall be led to encounter the dividing of soul and spirit so that we may experience a pure spiritual walk.

 (7) Live according to the spirit. This is a condition not only for our preservation but also for a distinct cleavage between spirit and soul. We must seek to walk by our spirit in all respects, distinguishing what is of the spirit and what is of the soul and resolving as well to follow the former while rejecting the latter. Learn to recognize the working of the spirit and follow it.

 These are the conditions which we on our side must fulfill. The Holy Spirit requires our cooperation. The Lord will not be able to do His part should we fail to do ours. But were we to discharge our responsibility, our High Priest would tear apart our spirit and soul with the sharp Sword of His Spirit in the power of His cross.'

Are we willing?

Dividing our souls and spirit.  Do we know what this means? We should, we need to know. Too many stop their Christian walk with their accepting Jesus Christ as their Savior, and forget to continue on- learning more from the Holy Spirit sent to us by our Savior.

Joh_16:7  Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

Joh 16:13  Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

Joh 16:14  He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

Heb 4:12  For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

A high priest's work was in the sanctuary where sacrifices were made -  Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior is our High Priest now…

Heb_3:1  Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus

Heb_4:14  Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.

Heb_4:15  For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

An excerpt from - 'The Spiritual Man' By Watchman Nee

 'As the priest of old split the sacrifice, so our High Priest today divides our soul and spirit.

As the priestly knife was of such sharpness that the sacrifice was cut into two, piercing to the separation of the closely knit joints and marrow, so the Word of God which the Lord Jesus currently uses is keener than any two-edged sword and is able to split cleanly apart the most intimately related spirit and soul there may be.

The Word of God is “living” for it has living power: “active” because it knows how to work: “sharper than any two edged sword” since it can pierce into the spirit.

What God’s Word has penetrated is much deeper than the soul; it reaches into the innermost spirit.

God’s Word leads His people into a realm more profound than one of mere sensation; it brings them into the realm of the eternal spirit.

Those who wish to be established in God must know the meaning of this penetration into the spirit.

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?'

*******

Are we willing?

Please, Lord, please help us to be WILLING to let You, to let Your Word, to let the Holy Spirit work in us as You will!  Please!