OUR SPIRIT’S CONDITION
A wrong spirit is often responsible for much of our wrong conduct. If anyone desires to walk with God, they must keep their spirit continually in a proper state. We can have a proud spirit, that God resists or we can have a humble spirit, which God draws near to. Or our spirit can be withdrawn, the opposite of being bold.
All defeat starts in our spirit.
We need to understand that numerous outer failures start from the failure of the inner spirit.
When our spirit’s strong and powerful it can control the soul and body and, under any circumstances, prevent their lawlessness; but if it be weak, the soul and body shall dominate the spirit and we will yield to the temptation.
God is concerned about 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.
It is by the resurrection life in the spirit transforming our soul that our body eventually shall be changed into a glorified one.
As the condition of our spirit is, so is the condition of our spiritual life.
How essential for us to preserve our spirit in its normal state. What the Lord is especially concerned with in the Christian is not his outer man, the soul, but his inner man, the spirit.
No matter how highly developed out outer man may be, if our spirit is abnormal, we will not be able to walk straight.
The Bible is not silent about the normalcy of a believer’s spirit. Many matured ones have experienced what the Bible exhorts; they recognize that to retain their victorious position and to co-labor with God they must maintain their spirit in the proper conditions revealed in the Word.
Our spirit needs to be controlled by the renewed will of the believer.
By the will one can set their spirit in its proper order.
A CONTRITE SPIRIT
Ps. 34: 18 YHWH is near to those who have a broken heart and saves such as have a contrite spirit.
To have a contrite spirit is to have a repentant spirit, humble, penitent.
Isaiah 57: 15 For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble.
God’s people often mistakenly think that they need a contrite spirit only at the time they repent and believe in the Lord or whenever they fall into sin.
In a walk with God, we are an instant repenter. The moment our spirit convicts us we repent, so we maintain a contrite spirit, a humble spirit, a spirit open to the correction of the Lord.
We need to realize that God wishes us to always keep our spirit in a state of contrition. Although we do not sin daily, we are nonetheless required by Him to be of a humble spirit constantly, because our flesh still exists and may be stirred up at any moment.
Such contrition prevents our losing watchfulness. We ought never sin; yet we always should have sorrow for sin. The presence of God is felt in such a spirit.
God takes no pleasure in our repenting repeatedly as though this were sufficient; rather He wishes us to live in perpetual contrition. Only a spirit of this kind can equip us to detect and mourn immediately all disharmony with the Holy Spirit present in our conduct and deeds.
It also helps us to acknowledge our faults when told of them. This penitent spirit is very necessary, for it acknowledges the fact that even though a person joins themselves continually to the Lord, by staying aware of Him, they are not forever afterwards infallible.
The spirit can err “Isaiah 29: 24 These also who erred in spirit will come to understanding, and those who complained will learn doctrine.”
Even if our spirit has not erred, the mind can be under confusion as to paralyze it from executing the thought of the spirit.
A contrite inner life helps one to confess instantly and to not hide those little points others have noticed in them 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.
The word “save” yāshaʿ means to get victory,to help, to deliver, to defend.
People who cover their faults and excuse themselves do not have a repentant spirit; So, God cannot save them to the uttermost. How we need a spirit open to the correction both Holy Spirit and of Anointed leadership, a spirit willing to acknowledge that they have not absolutely surrendered to allow Christ to live through them and did not acknowledge God in every decision they make during the day. Then YHWH can save them to the uttermost.
A BROKEN SPIRIT
Ps. 51: 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart-these, O God, you will not despise.
The word broken shābar means Having the spirit depressed or crushed by grief or despair. Being broken hearted, experiencing pain.
Isaiah 66:2 For all those things My hand has made, and all those things exist,” says the Lord. “But on this one will I look: On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word.
A broken spirit is one which trembles before God. Some Christians do not sense any uneasiness in their inner man(spirit) after they have sinned. A healthy spirit will be broken before God as David was when he had sinned. It is not difficult to restore to God those who have a broken spirit.
A HUMBLE SPIRIT
Isaiah 66:2 “These are the ones I look on with favor: those who are humble and contrite in spirit, and who tremble at my word”.
The spirit with which God is delighted is a humble one because it reverences Him and trembles at His Word.
Our spirit must be kept in continually reverential fear of the Lord. Two of our spiritual senses are reverence and the fear of God.
We have nine spiritual senses that I am aware of- first love, fear of God, intuition, revelation, worship, hope, faith, reverence, prayer.
All self-reliance and self-conceit must be broken; the Word of God must be accepted as the only guide.
The believer must possess within themselves a holy fear: they must have absolutely no confidence in themselves: they must be as one whose spirit is so broken before the Lord (contrite) that they humbly follow the New Testament commands of God relying on His spirit to strengthen theirs.
A hard and haughty spirit always obstructs the way of obedience. But when the cross is working deeply (vital redemption) a believer comes to know their soul-life (self). And realizes how undependable are their ideas, feelings, desires and plans.
So, they dare not trust in themselves, but trembles in all matters, acknowledging that except they be supported by the power of God they shall unquestionably fail.
That is why it says we should workout our own salvation with fear and trembling.
Philippians 2; 12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
1 Corinthians 2: 3 I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. 4 And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
We must never be independent of God for a moment. The moment our spirit ceases to tremble before Him at that precise moment it declares its independence from Him.
Except we sense our helplessness we shall never trust in God. A spirit which trembles before Him protects one from defeat and helps them to truly apprehend God.
I do not see this quality in any Christians I know. These last two scriptures are New Covenant scriptures.
A LOWLY SPIRIT
Prov.16: 19 Better to be lowly in spirit along with the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud.
Prov. 29: 23 Pride brings a person low,
but the lowly in spirit gain honor.
The word lowly shāpāl means a humble, meek, or contrite spirit.
Isaiah 57: 15 For this is what the high and exalted One says- he who lives forever, whose name is holy: “I live in a high and holy place, but also with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.
Lowliness is not looking down on oneself, rather it is not looking at oneself at all.
As soon as a believer’s spirit becomes haughty, they are likely to fall. Humility is not only Godward but is toward mankind as well.
A lowly spirit is demonstrated when one associates with the poor. It is this spirit alone which does not despise any who are created by God. God’s presence and glory is manifested in the life of the spiritually humble.
A lowly person is a teachable person, easily entreated and open to explanation.
Many of our spirits are too arrogant: they can teach others but can never themselves be taught.
Many possess a stubborn spirit: they stick to their opinions even if they realize they are wrong.
Many are too hard in spirit to listen to an explanation of a misunderstanding.
Only the humble have the capacity to bear and forbear. God needs a lowly spirit to express His virtue.
How can a proud man or woman hear the voice of the Holy Spirit and then cooperate with God?
No trace of pride should be found in their spirit: tenderness, delicacy, flexibility: these all should be the norm.
A tiny bit of harshness in the inner man (spirit) may hinder fellowship with the Lord, for we are still incompatible with Him.
To walk with the Lord our spirit must be lowly, forever waiting on Him and offering no resistance to Him.
POOR IN SPIRIT
“Blessed are the poor in spirit” (Matt. 5:3).
The word poor ptōchos means “needy, utter helplessness, complete destitution”.
The poor in spirit view themselves as possessing nothing. A believer’s peril lies in his having too many things in their spirit.
We can do all things in Christ, but nothing in ourselves, we need maintain our joining to the Lord that his life is continually flowing into us, this is why God commands us to be continually filled with the Spirit.
Ephesians 5: but be filled with the Spirit. The word filled is an imperative which means a commandment.
Only the poor in spirit can be humble. How often the experience, of growth and progress in a Christian becomes their focus and they lose that lowliness of spirit, because they focus on self and not YHWH.
All we have to do is to keep the right spirit, and the Holy Spirit will do the rest. The Holy Spirit is responsible for our spiritual growth, if we listen and obey, because our obedience is a participation in the divine nature, which causes our growth.
The most deceitful of all dangers for a saint is to meditate on what they appropriate and to pay attention to what they have experienced.
Sometimes they engage in this unconsciously. What, then, is the meaning of being poor?
Poor indicates having nothing. If one endlessly reflects upon the deep experiences which they have experienced, they lose that poorness of spirit. An emptied spirit enables a person to lose themselves in God whereas a wealthy spirit renders them self-centered.
Being saved to the uttermost delivers a believer out of themselves and into God.
Should a Christian retain something for themselves their spirit immediately shall turn inward, unable to break out and be continually joined to the Lord.
Our focus should always be on God, worshiping and magnifying him, or we get focused our own spiritual development and then look down on other’s. We need to always see other’s perfect in Christ and speak to them about who they are legally in Christ, so that they can begin thinking that way, so that their mind can be renewed.
When I first got saved, I was awestruck at the ministries I listened to, I put them on a pedestal. Now when I listen to them, I am bored. But I still have ministries that feed me, and eventually I will get that word in my spirit, so that it becomes revelation knowledge to me, and then that revelation becomes mine, it becomes a part of the Christ that is still forming inside of my spirit.
A GENTLE SPIRIT
Galatians 6:1 Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.
Gentleness is a most necessary feature of the inner man (spirit). It is the opposite of harshness.
God requires us to cultivate a gentle spirit. During the most successful work anyone co-laboring with the Lord is doing, if they have a gentle spirit they can stop instantly, when the Lord leads them to do something else, just as Philip did when sent from Samaria to the desert to minister to one individual and then sent him to another city to evangelize it.
Philip the Evangelist initiated a major revival in Samaria, as recorded in Acts 8:4-8. Following persecution in Jerusalem, he preached the gospel there, resulting in mass conversions, healings, and deliverances from demonic possession, which brought “great joy” to the city. This marked a pivotal moment in early Christian history, breaking barriers between Jews and Samaritans. But the Apostles sent Peter and John to there to finish the work, and the Holy Spirit sent Philip to evangelize Azotus and he preached the gospel to all the towns there. Philip was selfless, whether it be one individual, a city, a town, it made no difference to him, only his sensitivity to the Lord is what mattered.
A gentle spirit turns easily in God’s hand however He wills. It knows not how to resist God nor how to follow its own will. God needs such a yielding spirit to accomplish His purposes in the earth.
A gentle spirit is similar to a meek spirit, but a meek spirit is like the most powerful horse in the world, yet the master with his hand on the reigns, with that little bit in the horse’s mouth, can turn that horse and way he so he desires.
A gentle spirit is no less important in human relationships. It is the spirit of a lamb which characterizes the spirit of the cross. “When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten” (1 Peter 2:23).
This is a description of a gentle spirit. Such gentleness is willing to suffer loss; though it has the power of revenge and the protection of the law, it nevertheless has no wish to avenge itself with the arm of flesh. It is a spirit which in suffering harms no one.
The one who possesses such a gentle spirit lives righteously themselves but never demands this kind of righteousness from others. They are full of love and mercy; and can soften the hearts of those around them.
A FERVENT SPIRIT
Rom.12: 9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. 10 Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; 11 not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.
For a time, the soul may be fervent when it is emotionally excited, but this fervency does not endure.
Even when the soul seems most diligent it may be quite lazy, since it is diligent specially in those things with which it agrees; so, the soul is encouraged by emotion. It cannot serve God in matters which do not appeal to it nor when emotion is cold and low.
“Fervent in spirit” is a permanent feature; the one who possesses this spirit is qualified to serve the Lord endlessly.
We should avoid all fervency of the soul but allow the Holy Spirit to so fill our inner man (spirit) that He may keep it perpetually fervent. Then our spirit will not turn cold when our emotions become discouraged, nor will working with the Lord be hindered.
What the Apostle gives here is an exhortation. This must be engaged by our renewed will. We should exercise it to choose to be fervent. We confess, ” my spirit is fervent in the Lord”. By the strengthening of our spirit, our soul will come into alignment. We should not be overwhelmed by our indifferent feelings; instead, we should permit our fervent spirit to control everything, even where our emotion is undisturbed. The sign of a fervent spirit is serving the Lord always.
A CALM SPIRIT
Prov.17: 27 He who has knowledge spares his words, and a man of understanding is of a calm spirit.
The word calm qar means even-tempered, cool.
Our spirit needs to be fervent yet also to be cool. Fervency is related to “diligence in serving the Lord” whereas coolness is related to knowledge.
If our spirit lacks coolness, we often take inordinate action. The enemy’s purpose is to drive us off track in order that our spirit may be deprived of its contact with the Holy Spirit.
Frequently we see saints who, in the time of a fervent spirit, shift to soul life.
The spirit is closely interlaced with the mind. The moment the spirit loses its composure the mind is excited; when the mind becomes excited the conduct of the believer is affected.
So, it is always profitable to keep the inner man (spirit) calm and collected.
By disregarding the enthusiasm of the emotion, the increase of desire, or the confusion of thought and by measuring every problem with a cool spirit instead, we shall maintain our feet on the pathway of the Lord.
Any action taken when our spirit is excited is likely to be against the will of God.
The knowledge of God, self, Satan and all things bring calmness to our spirit; it effects a kind of spirit which soulish believers never experience.
The Holy Spirit must fill our inner man (spirit) while the outer man (soul) must be ignored until it is renewed; then the spirit will enjoy an unspeakable calm.
Neither the soul nor the body nor changing environment takes away that calm in our spirit.
It is like the ocean: although the waves rage on the surface, the bottom of the sea remains composed and undisturbed.
Before a Christian experience’s the dividing of soul and spirit they will be disturbed and shaken immediately by the slightest agitation. This is due to lack of spiritual knowledge.
So, to keep the inner (spirit) and outer man (soul) divided, until they are reintegrated is the way to keep the spirit cool.
A person with a calm spirit experiences a kind of “untouchableness.” However chaotic the outside situation maybe they do not lose the calm and peace inside.
Though a mountain should fall at their feet they remain as composed as ever.
Such composure is not achieved through self-improvement but is secured through the revelation of the Spirit. Who reveals the reality of all things.
Through the control the believer exercises over their soul, it no longer influences their spirit.
The renewed will is the key. Our spirit must accept this spiritual principle. Fervency of spirit is what our will desires, and so also is calmness of our spirit.
We must will both to have a fervent spirit towards the Lord’s work and maintain a cool spirit in executing that work.
A JOYFUL SPIRIT
Luke 1: 46 And Mary said: “My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
Towards himself a Christian should have a broken spirit (Ps. 51:17), but towards God it should be one of rejoicing always in Him.
They rejoice not for their own sake nor because of any joyful experience, work, blessing or circumstance, but exclusively because we are God centered. God is joy, and our response is to rejoice in Him.
No saint can genuinely rejoice out of any cause other than God Himself.
If our spirit is oppressed by worry, weight and sorrow it will remain immature, next it will sink down, then lose its proper place, and finally become powerless to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit.
When pressed down by a heavy load the spirit loses its lightness, freedom and brightness. It quickly unseats from its ascendant position. And should the time of sorrow be prolonged, damage to spiritual life is unpredictable.
Nothing can save the situation except to rejoice in the Lord: rejoice in what God is and how He is our Savior.
The communication of Hallelujah must never be in short supply in the spirit of the believer.
A SPIRIT OF POWER
2 Tim. 1: 7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of POWER and of love and of a sound mind.
Fear or timidity is not humility. While humility is self-forgetfulness completely: forgetting both its weakness and strength: timidity recalls all the weaknesses and therefore is self-remembering.
God does not delight in our timidity and withdrawal. He wants us, on the one hand, to tremble before Him because of our dependance upon him, lest we move in self.
On the other hand, to proceed courageously in His might. He desires us to exhibit witness of Him fearlessly, to suffer pain and shame for Him valiantly, to accept loss of all things with courage, and to rely on the Lord’s love, wisdom, power and faithfulness with confidence.
Whenever we discover ourselves shrinking from witnessing for the Lord or withdrawing in other ways where boldness is demanded, we should realize that our spirit has abandoned its normal state. We ought to preserve it in a condition of “boldness.”
We need to have a spirit of power, of love, and of self-control. Our spirit should be strong, but not to the point of becoming unloving. It is also needed to be quiet and controlled. We must have a spirit of power towards the enemy, a spirit of love towards men and women, and a spirit of self-control towards ourselves.
A QUIET SPIRIT
1 Peter 3: 4 rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.
The word quiet hēsychios still, peaceable, quiet, tranquil, undisturbed from without.
1 Thess. 4: 10 But we urge you, brethren, that you increase more and more; 11 that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, 12 that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing.
The word quite hēsychazō means to keep still refrain from labor- “the rest of God”, nosy, or overly interfering in the private affairs of others or speech: – cease, hold peace, be quiet, rest.
This is the responsibility of every Christian. Modern Christians talk far too much. Sometimes their unuttered words surpass in number those that are spoken.
Confused thought and endless speech set our spirits to wander away from the control of our wills.
A “uncontrolled spirit” often leads people to walk according to the flesh. How hard it is for believers to restrain themselves from sinning when their spirits become uncontrollable. If we do not keep a right spirit consistently, we do not behave correctly.
Before one can demonstrate a quiet mouth, they first must possess a quiet spirit, for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
We ought to carefully keep our spirit in stillness; even in times of intense confusion our inner being (spirit) should nevertheless be able to sustain an independent quietude.
A calm spirit is essential to anyone walking after the spirit: without it they shall quickly fall into sin.
If our spirit is silent calm we can hear the voice of the Holy Spirit there, obey the will of God, and understand what we cannot understand when confused.
Such a quiet inner life establishes the Christian’s beautification which radiates something manifested outwardly.
A NEWNESS OF SPIRIT
Rom. 7: 6 But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.
Newness is kainotēs, the root of the word is kainós and means “new in nature”
So, we serve the Lord, through the new creation, our born-again spirit.
This is a serious aspect of spiritual life and work.
Until our spirit is born again, we cannot inspire people: the best we can do is pass on some thought to others:
Never can dynamic life flow out from an old spirit. Whatever issues from our spirit before it was born again (words, teaching, manner, thought, life) are but old, stale and traditional.
Perhaps many doctrines do in fact reach another believer’s mind, but they gain no footing in their spirit; therefore, it is impossible to touch the spirits of others because there is no release of the Spirit behind one’s teaching.
These truths are transferred from the spirit to another person’s spirit. They impart the Spirit of God through words.
Time and again we meet various Christians who habitually convey something new from the Lord. While we are with them, we feel they are walking in the Lord’s presence.
This is what newness of service means; anything else is old. Those possessing the newness of the spirit enjoy renewed strength all the time, soaring like eagles and running like youths.
Instead of imparting dried, corrupt, and worm-eaten manna of the mind to people, the spirit joined to the Lord’s, gives meat and bread freshly cooked on the fire of the Spirit.
Deep and wonderful thoughts never move people as a fresh spirit does.
We must maintain a fresh spirit continually. How can we face people if our inner man (spirit) does not give the impression of having been newly in the presence of the Lord and newly blessed of the Lord?
Anything: life, thought, experience: which has reduced itself to a remembrance of the past is old and aged.
Moment by moment we must receive everything afresh from the Lord. To imitate the experiences of another without ourselves having it in life is not alive; and to copy from the residues of our own past experience is likewise ineffective.
So, we can grasp the importance of what Jesus uttered as recorded in John: “I live because of the Father” (6:57).
Our inner man (spirit) shall remain unceasingly fresh if we moment by moment draw upon the life of the Father to be our life.
An old spirit generates no fruit in work, inspires no walk after the Spirit, and achieves no victory in warfare.
An old spirit cannot face others because it has not faced God. To enjoy a spirit that is always fresh and new, one’s inner being (spirit) must be in constant touch with God.
A HOLY SPIRIT
1 Cor. 7: 34 There is a difference between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman cares about the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit.
2 Cor. 7: 1 Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
For anyone to walk in a spiritual manner it will be necessary for them to always keep their spirit holy.
An unholy spirit (not sanctified) leads people into error.
Excessive thought towards men, women or things, assessing the evil of others, a lack of love, talkativeness, sharp criticism, self-righteousness, refusing correction, jealousy, self-pride, and so forth: all these can defile the spirit. An unholy spirit cannot be fresh and new.
In our pursuit of spiritual life, we must not overlook any sin, because sin inflicts more harm upon us than does anything else.
Even though we already have learned how to be delivered from sin and how to walk by the spirit, we nevertheless must guard against unknowingly returning to the old sinful ways.
For such a return renders a walk after the spirit utterly impossible. The child of God therefore needs to maintain an attitude of death towards sin lest it overcome him and poison his spirit. Without holiness no one can see the Lord (Heb.12:14).
A STRONG SPIRIT
Luke 1: 80 So the child grew and became strong in spirit and was in the deserts till the day of his manifestation to Israel.
Our spirit is capable of growth and should increase gradually in strength. This is indispensable to spiritual life. How often do we sense our spirit is not strong enough to control our soul and body, especially the moment the soul is stimulated or the body is weak.
Sometimes helping others, we notice how heavily weighed down they are in their spirit, ours must have the power to release them.
As our spirit grows stronger the senses of our spirit increase. We are fit to resist everything not of the spirit.
Some who wish to walk after the spirit cannot because their inner man (spirit) lacks the strength to control the soul and the body. We cannot expect the Holy Spirit to do that for us; our born-again spirit must cooperate with Him.
We should learn how to exercise our spirit and use it to the limit of our understanding. Through exercise it will become progressively stronger till it possesses the strength to eliminate all obstructions to the Holy Spirit, such hindrances as a stubborn will, a confused mind, or undisciplined emotion, guilty conscience, all the functions of the soul.
The functions of our soul are will, choice, mind, emotions, imagination, reason, and conscience.
Prov. 18: 14 The spirit of a man will sustain him in sickness, but who can bear a broken spirit?
Clearly the spirit can be broken or wounded. A wounded spirit must be a very weak one.
If our spirit is strong, we can overcome the unhealthy desires of the soul and body.
Moses’ spirit is usually portrayed as being a very strong one; yet because he failed to keep it continually firm, he found that the Israelites “made his spirit bitter” (Ps. 106:33) and consequently he sinned.
Psalm 106:32 They angered the Lord also at the waters of Meribah, so that it went ill with Moses for their sakes; [Num. 20:3-13.] 33 For they provoked [Moses’] spirit, so that he spoke impulsively with his lips.
If our inner being (spirit) remains vigorous we can triumph in Christ however much our body may suffer, or our soul be afflicted.
The Holy Spirit alone can grant us the strength required by the inner man (spirit).
The might of our spirit obtains the power of God’s Spirit. Our spirit needs to be trained.
After one has learned how to walk by their spirit, they will then know how to live by its life in place of soul life, how to use its power instead of their natural power in performing God’s work, and how to apply its strength rather than their soulish strength in overcoming the enemy.
Naturally, such experiences are progressive and must be entered into progressively.
Yet the principle is clear: as a believer moves according to their spirit, they will gain increased power of the Holy Spirit, and their inner man (spirit) will grow stronger.
A Christian ought to always maintain their spirit in strength lest at the critical moment they become powerless to meet whatever need they may have.
ONE SPIRIT
Philippians 1: 27 Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in ONE SPIRIT, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel.
The life of a spiritual Christian flows with that of other Christians. Oneness of the spirit is a matter of great importance. If by His Spirit God dwells in the believer’s spirit and He fully unites with them, how can their spirit not be one with other believers?
We cannot come into the unity of the faith until we first come into a oneness of spirit, with the Christians that we meet.
A spiritual Christian is not only one with Christ but also one with God indwelling each of His children.
That is why we minister the Spirit to one another, so that others have a right spirit, then they will be open to consider the exact knowledge of scripture interpreting scripture and come into a unity of faith, where we all believe the same way.
Then the true believers can change the world that we live in because we will be sitting on our throne in the heavenly places in Christ.
Should a Christian permit their soul to rule instead of their spirit we will not come into the unity of spirit, and the unity of faith.
Only when mind and emotion are subject to the spirit’s rule can we the differences in doctrine and so be one in the spirit with all children of God, and open to correction.
It is necessary for us to guard unceasingly the oneness of spirit with all believers.
We are not just to be in unity with a small group: those who share the same interpretation and outlook as we: but with the body of Christ at large.
Our spirit should not have harshness nor bitterness nor bondage in it, but be completely open and entirely free, thus creating no walls in our contact with all other brethren.
A SPIRIT FULL OF GRACE
Gal. 6: 18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is with your spirit, brethren! Amen.
Philemon 25 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is with your spirit! Amen.
Grace is the Holy Spirit, the empowering presence of the Lord, to be and to do that which we could not do in ourselves (soul).
Zechariah 12: 10 “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced.
Hebrews 10: 29 Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?
The Holy Spirit dwells in our body, So the Scripture speaks of Him being with us, upon us, and “being full of the Spirit, being immersed spirit, soul and body”.
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ is exceedingly precious to our spirit. There we find the Lord’s grace to help us in time of need.
These first two scriptures of benediction (closing verse): of grace being with our spirit, speaks of our spirit being with the grace of the Holy Spirit, so that our words will always be with grace seasoned with salt.
Colossians 4: 6 Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.
A SPIRIT OF STUPOR
Romans 11: 7 What then? Israel has not obtained what it seeks; but the elect have obtained it, and the rest were blinded. 8 Just as it is written: “God has given them a spirit of stupor, Eyes that they should not see and ears that they should not hear, To this very day.”
The word stupor katanyxis means slumber, dullness, sleep.
The not yet-believer has a spirit of slumber or sleep, they need to be born again.
2 Corinthians 5: 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
Because of the finished work of Christ on the cross, YHWH has no enmity in His heart toward the world.
The enmity is in the mind of the unbeliever; we need to preach the word of reconciliation.
That God is not mad at them or causing them harm, but loves them and tell them about the finished work of Christ, that they are reconciled to God through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, but they need to receive Jesus as Lord and savior, so that their spirit will be awakened, alive to God.
A born-again believer’s spirit can also be asleep; they can also have a spirit of Stuper.
Romans 13: 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfillment of the law. 11 And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now, our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. 12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore, let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.
Ephesians 5: 8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), 10 finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. 11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness but rather expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. 13 But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. 14 Therefore He says: “Awake, you who sleep, arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.”
This is talking to born-again Christians whose spirit has fallen asleep.