A Repentant Spirit

Psa_34:18  The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.

Psa_51:17  The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

Isa_57:15  For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

Isa_66:2  For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.

Excerpt - The Spiritual Man by Watchman Nee

'A contrite inner life helps one to confess instantly and to not hide those little points others have noticed in him as being unlike the Lord. God saves those who possess a contrite spirit; others He cannot save for it requires contrition to know His mind. People who cover their faults and excuse themselves do not have a repentant spirit; hence God cannot save them to the uttermost. How we need a spirit susceptible to the correction both of the Holy Spirit and of man, a spirit willing to concede to having lived below par. And then we shall daily experience the salvation of the Lord.'

Mat_9:13  But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

Mar_2:17  When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

Luk_3:3  And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins

2Co 7:8  For though I made you sorry with a letter, I do not repent, though I did repent: for I perceive that the same epistle hath made you sorry, though it were but for a season. 

2Co 7:9  Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. 

2Co 7:10  For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. 

 2Pe_3:9  The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

A sound mind... no fear.

A sound mind.

How many people today believe they have a sound mind? Seriously. We've become so caught up in the world and its ways, a world ruled by evil, that very few people believe they have a sound mind. Do we even know anyone with a sound mind? This world is filled with damaged people. Damaged emotionally, mentally, and some even physically.

We've got so incredibly many names for the various problems associated in the mind. We've got medicines that alter our mind's chemistry in order to correct problems going on right there in the brain. We talk about natural means to fix mind problems and so on and so forth.

A sound mind.

What constitute a sound mind? A mind without fear. 

Is your mind free of fear- all fear, the tiniest bit of fear.

Fear has many forms. From fear we get worry, from fear we get all sorts of mind problems. Fear can be the root of many problems that are emotional and mental.  You say you have fear of nothing? Then tell me, do you have any worry at all? You say you have no worries, well do you have concerns?  Ah, you say concerns are normal and natural and all people even with the soundest of minds have concerns. I say, a tiny bit of fear can be equal to what we call concern.

I know many people will argue that it is normal for us to be concerned about things, I would even say it because that's what we've been taught. We are taught that concern and worry are normal so we accept them, and even encourage them. We use the idea of them to placate ourselves so we can tell ourselves we're fine, we're normal, we have a sound mind.  We rebel against the thought that we shouldn't be concerned, worried, upset, because we've completely accepted it as normal.

2Ti 1:7  For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 

1Jn 4:18  There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. 

Mat_6:34  Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

Do we listen to any of this? Do we listen to the word of God? Do we believe the word of God?

Or are we tormented in any way? If we are tormented by anything, the least of things then we are allowing fear to reign in us.

Through the Spirit in our spirit may we live in Christ Jesus our Lord and the belief He would have us have of Him.

Gold or Faith?

Gold.

You have just been given a brick of gold.  How do you feel about that brick of gold? Seriously, use your imagination. Someone anonymously gives you a brick of gold- it's all yours to do with as you please. So you take that gold brick and you put it away somewhere safe to contemplate the situation. What do you imagine your first thoughts of that gold will be? How much it's worth, what you can do with the money you might get from it, these are logical thoughts for someone who has suddenly received something of such great worth. Would you forget about it? Would you not think about it? Would you ignore the fact that you have a brick of gold in your possession? Seriously, would you completely go on as if you didn't have that gold?

I know many people live in different situations, but me in my own situation can't imagine forgetting I have a gold brick in my possession. That gold would be very important to me.

We know that people do a lot of things when money comes into play. Some ruin their lives over the possession of money. Others think nothing of ruining other people's lives over money.

The point I’m trying to make here is money is important but only in its proper place. There are many things more important than money. And yes, I'm speaking as a person who isn't poor. I'm not rich, but I'm not poor. Some might say that it is easy for me to say something like that because I'm not poor, but it's not easy for me to say that because I'm not poor, it's easy for me to say this because it's the truth- God's truth.

One of the things more important than money is- the TRIAL OF OUR FAITH. 

Notice please, I didn't say faith in and of itself, I said - TRIAL OF OUR FAITH.  I'm not belittling faith by saying that, I'm saying the Bible says this--

1Pe_1:7  That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold…

The trial of our faith.

What is the trial of our faith?

1Pe 4:13  But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. 

1Pe 4:14  If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. 

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. 

The trial of our faith is…  suffering as Christ suffered.

Being reproached for the name of Christ.

Psa 66:10  For thou, O God, hast proved us: thou hast tried us, as silver is tried. 

Psa 66:11  Thou broughtest us into the net; thou laidst affliction upon our loins. 

Psa 66:12  Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water: but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place. 

Being brought into the net.

Affliction laid upon us.

Men ruling over us.

Fire and water trials.

Think about it for a moment… we are tried in many different ways, and we are tried to God's glory. We can't comprehend WHY, we may only feel the horrors of the trial without having understanding.

So often you hear people exclaim- how could God let such an awful thing happen to this or that person, and there is no answer other than He has His reasons and we will trust in those reasons without comprehension. That isn't an answer that is good enough for a lot of people. They want to blame God for the awful trials they undergo or others undergo, they don't want to trust in God because the trials are too horrific. It is a trial of faith for sure- all the awful things we go through and the trial of our faith is more precious than anything else. Our trial of faith is truly having our belief in the love of our God tested to the furthest way possible.

Please, Father in Heaven, please keep us during the trial of our faith no matter what form it takes and how severely we are tried. Please be our hope, our strength, our sound mind, please be for us all we cannot be on our own.

All through Jesus Christ our Lord may we be YOURS!

Amen.

The Spirit with our spirit.

Rom_8:16  The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God

God, the Holy Spirit, will bear witness with OUR spirit that we ARE the children of God.  The Holy Spirit and our spirit, one bearing witness to the other. That doesn't read, the Spirit itself bears witness with our minds… that doesn't read, the Spirit itself bears witness with our bodies.  What it does read is the Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit. 

We know from all our studying that our spirit and mind are not one and the same. Our mind is a vast storage hold of many aspects. We need our mind and spirit to work together, the spirit in control, the mind subject to the spirit.

It sounds odd doesn't it? We live in a world where talk of spirits might invoke the image of an ethereal being. If we say the spirit is living inside us we can even envision that spirit as a separate entity able to separate from our bodies but this isn't truth, there is no Biblical truth for such belief. The truth is the spirit is a part that forms us just as the soul and flesh and these parts do not separate. These are three parts that make us up and so many people do not believe this, do not know it, and believe that thinking about it is crazy. 

Above we read from God's word- Rom_8:16  The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit

To believe we don't have a spirit as a very real active part in us, as real as we believe we have a mind, is to deny God's word.

2Co 1:12  For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward. 

1Jn 4:13  Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. 

'God is interested in our spirit. It is there that the new life dwells, there that His Spirit works, there that we fellowship with Him, there that we know His will, there that we receive the revelation of the Holy Spirit, there that we are trained, there that we mature, there that we resist the attacks of the enemy, there that we receive authority to overcome the devil and his army, and there that we secure the power for service.'

The Spiritual Man by Watchman Nee 

Spirit Condition.

We would much rather believe that we do not have any spiritual work to do- than to comprehend the truth- that we have a part to play in our walk with Christ.

You accept Christ as your Savior and then… what happens after your initial acceptance? How do you incorporate your new life in Christ with your everyday life? How do you take Jesus with you into the work place, into school, into your family life?

We have a new life, a spirit life- our Savior told us that we must be born again of water and Spirit. Born anew in baptism and the Holy Spirit, our spirit life is awakened and we need to comprehend its existence, not as something of fantasy and fiction but of reality. We’re going to continue studying the word of God and the book- The Spiritual Man- hoping and praying God grants us only His truth!

'(8) Conditions of the Spirit Let us summarize.

A believer should know every law of the spirit if he desires to live by it.

If he is not vigilant and loses the cooperation of his spirit with God, then he unquestionably has fallen. To discern the particular condition of his inner man is one of the most central laws pertaining to the spirit. All which we have discussed in the chapter are included in this law.

A child of God ought to know what is and what is not the normal condition for his spirit. Since it should have authority over man’s soul and body, occupying the highest position in him and possessing the greatest power, the Christian needs to know if such is the situation in him or not.

He should also recognize whether his spirit, if it has lost its normalcy, did so through war or environment.

The conditions of the spirit may be classified generally into four types:

(a) The spirit is oppressed and is therefore in decline.

(b) The spirit is under compulsion and so is forced into inordinate activity.

(c) The spirit is defiled (2 Cor. 7.1) since it has yielded ground to sin.

(d) The spirit is quiet and firm because it occupies its rightful position.

2Co 7:1  Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. 

A Christian should know at least these four different conditions and also understand how to deal with each one if necessary.

Often a person’s spirit sinks and is “pushed aside” through his own carelessness as to the enemy’s assault. During that time he seems to have forfeited his heavenly position together with its brightness and victory and subsequently feels cold and withered. Due to sadness in his spirit or to any one of a number of other reasons, his inner man is cast down and is denied the joy of floating above. When the spirit is oppressed in this fashion it drops below its normal level. At other times it may be coerced into running wild. A person can be so stimulated by his soul that his spirit falls under compulsion and is thereby denied its tranquility. Because of his pursuit of creaturely activities he may develop an “unruly spirit.” Too much laughter as well as many other actions may produce an unmanageable spirit. Protracted war with the enemy can provoke the spirit to become overly active. The saint may find his spirit overstretched to the point where it is powerless to stop. Or the enemy may inject strange joy or other feelings into him to entice his inner man to move beyond the acceptable and right counsel of his mind or will. Whenever anyone is incompetent to guard his spirit, then is he open inevitably to defeat. The spirit on other occasions neither sinks too low nor is elevated too high but is simply defiled. The defilement may be due to its attitude of hardness or unyieldedness; or to sins like pride, jealousy and others; or to the mixing in with the spirit of such soulical functions as natural affection, feeling, thought, and so on.

The spirit needs to be purified from its every defilement (2 Cor. 7.1; 1 John 1.9).

2Co 7:1  Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. 

1Jn 1:9  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 

If a Christian wishes to walk after the spirit he has to discern exactly what condition his own is in, whether it is quietly occupying its proper place, has fallen too low, is risen too high, or is simply defiled. He must learn, if required, how to uplift his oppressed spirit so that it measures up to the standard of the Holy Spirit, how to exercise his will to prevent his spirit from becoming overly active or to restore it to its normalcy if it is too active, and how to cleanse his defiled spirit that it may work together with God once again.'

The Spiritual Man by Watchman Nee

Don't Quench the Spirit

'(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

Spiritual Fountain.

Gal_5:16  This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

Gal 5:25  If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 

Rom 8:1  There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Rom 8:4  That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 

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. 

Jud 1:21  Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. 

The Spiritual Man by Watchman Nee-  Excerpt.

(6) Ebbing of the Spirit

God’s life and power in our spirit can recede like a tide. We recognize that anyone soulish usually deems his spiritual life to be at high tide when he feels the presence of God; but if he feels low and dry, he is at ebb tide. These are of course but feelings; they do not represent the reality of spiritual life.

Nevertheless, spiritual life does encounter a time of decline, though it is quite unlike any feeling of the soul. After one is filled with the Holy Spirit he can proceed quite well for a period, and then gradually, not suddenly, his spiritual life subsides. The difference between a sensuous decline and a spiritual decline lies here: the former is usually abrupt, whereas the latter is gradual. A believer may become conscious that the life and power of God which he once received is gradually ebbing. This may cause him to lose the joy, peace and power which his spirit ought to sustain. Day by day he grows weaker. At this time he seems to lose his taste for communion with God: his Bible reading becomes meaningless: rarely, if at all, is his heart touched by any message or special verse. Moreover, his prayer turns dry and dreary as if there is neither sense nor word; and his witnessing appears to be forced and reluctant, not overflowing as before. In other words, life is no longer as vibrant, strong, buoyant or joyous as before. Everything seems to have receded. A tide has its ebb and flow. Can God’s life and power in our spirit likewise be characterized by such phenomena? By no means! God’s life knows no such ebb, because it is forever flowing. It does not rise and fall as the ocean tide, but is like a river ever flowing with living water (John 7.38).

Joh 7:38  He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. 

God’s life in us is not at all like the tide which must ebb at a certain hour, because the source of our inner life is in God with Whom there is “no variation or shadow due to change’ (James 1.17).

Jas 1:17  Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. 

Hence the life in our spirit should flow like a river— incessantly and unto overflowing. Wherefore if anyone becomes aware that his life is receding, he should understand that life does not subside, it simply ceases to flow. He should know as well that such ebbing is totally unnecessary. Never be so deceived by Satan as to consider it impossible for one who is still in the body to be filled permanently with the life of God. His life in us is like a river of living water. If it is not hindered it shall flow uninterruptedly.

A Christian can experience a life forever flowing; an ebb tide is not only unnecessary but abnormal as well. The question in hand is accordingly not how we may induce spiritual life to rise up after it has fallen; rather, it is how we may get it to flow.

The fountain of life remains within the believer, though it is now blocked. Nothing is wrong with the inlet; it is the outlet which is obstructed.

The water of life does not spring forth because the flow has no way through. Were the outlet cleared, the water of life would flow unceasingly. What a child of God therefore needs is not more life but more flow of life.

Immediately upon sensing a waning in his spiritual life, a child of God automatically should realize an obstruction must exist somewhere. Satan will accuse you of having retrogressed spiritually; other people will judge you as having lost power; and you yourself will imagine you must have committed some grave sin. These may be true, but they do not form the whole truth. Actually, such a situation is mostly, though not entirely, created because of our not knowing how to cooperate with God in fulfilling His conditions for the certainty of a ceaseless flow.

Foolishness is a prime factor. Hence a person should immediately pray and meditate over, and test and search out the cause for, such an ebbing. He should wait upon God, asking His Spirit to reveal the reason. In the meantime, he should try to unearth where he has failed to fulfill the condition for the steady flow of life.

Not only should you confess that you have drawn back (such confession is important) but also you should actively ferret out the explanation for the falling back. While the opinions of Satan, others and yourself are undependable, they are still worth considering, since sometimes they are real. Upon discovering the cause, you must deal with it without delay. Life will not flow until the cause of obstruction is duly treated. Consequently, at each ebb tide in spiritual life one must instantly begin to isolate its cause through prayer, meditation and searching. Know the law of the flow of God’s life; repulse every attack of the enemy. Then life once again shall flow, stronger than before, breaking through every stronghold of the enemy. '