'(2) Blockage of the
Spirit
The spirit requires the soul and body as
organs for expression. It is like a mistress who must have a steward and a
servant working for her to accomplish her wish. It can also be likened to an
electric current which requires wire to show forth light. Should the soul and
body lose their normality under the attack of the enemy, the spirit shall be
shut in and denied any means of outlet. The adversary is familiar with the
requirements of the spirit; therefore he frequently acts against the believer’s
soul and body. When these parts cease to function properly the spirit is
stripped of its means of expression and so forfeits its victorious position.
During such a period
one’s mind may be confused, his emotions disturbed, his will weary and impotent
to actively govern the whole being, or his body overly tired and temporarily
lazy. He must resist these symptoms at once or else his spirit will be blocked
in and he be unfit either to engage the enemy livingly in battle or to retain
his ground of victory.
Shortly after his
spirit is shut in, the believer loses his aliveness.” He seems to be bashful,
seeks to hide himself, and seldom undertakes anything publicly. He likes to
withdraw to the back, not wanting to be seen. Perhaps he fancies he has
discovered something of himself, not realizing his spirit actually is being
blocked. He appears to have no interest in reading the Bible and to have no
word in prayer. His past work and experience, whenever recalled, appear to be
meaningless, sometimes even laughable, to him. He feels no power in
preaching—as though he were merely going through the motions. Should he allow
this blockage of the spirit to be prolonged, he shall be attacked even more
severely by the enemy. Were not God to intervene, due to his own prayer or that
of others, the believer would be suffocated spiritually.
For lack of
knowledge, his reaction may simply be one of surprise and he may thus assume
the all-too common attitude of giving up.
Actually though,
because no spiritual experience or sense occurs without a cause, we should
search it out carefully and not permit any weight to persist in us.
Satan tries to
imprison the spirit in a dark chamber so that the soul is without the guidance
of the spirit.
As soon as the
blockage is lifted, however, the believer once again can breathe easily and be
restored to his normal liveliness. Whenever a child of God is in such a
hemmed-in situation, it is vital that he exercise his will towards audibly
uttering words against the foe, lifting up his voice to proclaim the victory of
the cross and the defeat of the enemy. He must wholeheartedly oppose the work
of the adversary in both his soul and body. Following such a proclamation he
must employ his will actively to resist the blockage.
Prayer is one means
of opening the spirit. But given the above described situation, one needs to
pray aloud.
The best thing for
the saint to do is to claim the victorious name of the Lord Jesus over every
onslaught of the enemy. In addition to prayer he should exercise his spirit to
run the blockade so as to reach the outside.'
Excerpt from - The
Spiritual Man by Watchman Nee
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.
Mat 17:21
Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.
Dan 9:3 And I
set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with
fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:
Dan 9:4 And I
prayed unto the LORD my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the
great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him,
and to them that keep his commandments;
Dan 9:5 We
have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have
rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments:
Dan 9:6
Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in thy
name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the
land.
Dan 9:7 O
Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces, as at
this day; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto
all Israel, that are near, and that are far off, through all the countries
whither thou hast driven them, because of their trespass that they have
trespassed against thee.
Dan 9:8 O
Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to
our fathers, because we have sinned against thee.
Dan 9:9 To the
Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against
him;
Dan 9:10
Neither have we obeyed the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in his laws,
which he set before us by his servants the prophets.
Dan 9:11 Yea,
all Israel have transgressed thy law, even by departing, that they might not
obey thy voice; therefore the curse is poured upon us, and the oath that is
written in the law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against
him.
Dan 9:12 And
he hath confirmed his words, which he spake against us, and against our judges
that judged us, by bringing upon us a great evil: for under the whole heaven
hath not been done as hath been done upon Jerusalem.
Dan 9:13 As it
is written in the law of Moses, all this evil is come upon us: yet made we not
our prayer before the LORD our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and
understand thy truth.
Dan 9:14
Therefore hath the LORD watched upon the evil, and brought it upon us: for the
LORD our God is righteous in all his works which he doeth: for we obeyed not
his voice.
Dan 9:15 And
now, O Lord our God, that hast brought thy people forth out of the land of
Egypt with a mighty hand, and hast gotten thee renown, as at this day; we have
sinned, we have done wickedly.
Dan 9:16 O
Lord, according to all thy righteousness, I beseech thee, let thine anger and
thy fury be turned away from thy city Jerusalem, thy holy mountain: because for
our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and thy people are become
a reproach to all that are about us.
Dan 9:17 Now
therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of thy servant, and his supplications,
and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord's
sake.
Dan 9:18 O my
God, incline thine ear, and hear; open thine eyes, and behold our desolations,
and the city which is called by thy name: for we do not present our
supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great
mercies.
Dan 9:19 O
Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do; defer not, for thine own
sake, O my God: for thy city and thy people are called by thy name.
Eph 6:18
Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching
thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints