From the Soul or From the Spirit?

One day a Christian went to talk with a servant of God. Being somewhat fearful of criticism, this Christian exerted his utmost strength to keep himself humble during the conversation. His attitude as well as his word were quite humble in tone. But while he was trying to be humble, those who sat nearby detected the strain of it. Now if a person is truly humble, he has no need to exercise so much effort. Actually, this Christian was simulating humility, and therefore it required great effort indeed. Can you say he was not humble? Well, he appeared to be so, but in point of fact it was man-made humility, and such belongs to the soul. For if God had worked in this brother, he could have been humble quite naturally. He himself would not have felt he was being humble, and those around him could have instead seen the work of God in him.

The lady who powders herself needs to look at the mirror frequently, but Moses’ face shone often without his even being conscious of it. Whoever manifests the effects of God’s working in him, that can be called spiritual. But the one who attempts to manufacture something must employ much strength; therefore he feels weary at being a Christian, although a Christian should never exercise his own strength in any case. We often judge that so long as a thing looks good it is probably all right, but God looks at the source as to whether it is of Him or an imitating in the power of the flesh.

The same could be said in another situation. Let us say that someone tries to be patient. Yet the more he tries to be patient, the more you with a discerning spirit feel sorry for him. But another person can be patient without his even being conscious of it. In that case you bow your head in thanks, saying that God has truly worked in that life. You notice that the second is of God but the first is out from himself. The difference lies not in respect of outward appearance but in respect of the source.

Oh do let us see that even though something out of the natural life may appear quite spontaneously, that in itself does not signify that it is of the spirit. Someone, for example, is born with a gentle nature. Yet one day he will realize the total difference between his natural gentleness and Christ-given gentleness. Another individual may have been born with the natural capacity of loving people, yet he too will one day see the vast difference between his natural love and that love which comes from the Lord. The same will be true of the man who is born with natural humility in his character, but he also will one day discern the difference between God-given humility and his natural humility. This something which a person is born with tends to more easily substitute itself for what is spiritual than that which may be simulated by man. How often people will take what is naturally endowed in them as a substitute for what the Lord seeks to do in them. Yet as a matter of fact, what comes from the soul has no connection with God, since only what comes from the spirit is related to Him.

The meekest of all men will discover someday that temptation is stronger than his natural meekness. One day his meekness will be exhausted, his patience will come to an end: he can endure only so much, he can be meek only to a certain degree. Whereas the natural strength of man is limited, the strength given us by the Lord is something totally different. What the Lord can do, I cannot do; for it is not I who do it but it is because the Lord being in me, I can therefore do it spontaneously. And afterwards I will marvel as to how such a thing could ever be. I can only bow my head and say, “I have no patience; yet, Lord, You are doing it in me.” And without a doubt this that comes forth is truly something spiritual.

I most truly agree with this. This has been one of the most frustrating parts of my own walk. In wanting to attain something so badly, we sometimes "make" it happen ourselves that we may then think we have reached our goal but have really only sunk deeper into a selfish state of mind. The most defeating sins are the ones mixed with some truth. So in attempting to do something good we sometimes, if we are not careful, end up hurting ourselves even more. Once we begin to decieve ourselves we enter into a very dangerous game. It truly is so simple that we seem to percieve it as hard to do the right thing. In a carnal state of mind we are always trying to have our own hand on every part of our life, we are in many ways "control freaks." And after many tribulations and trials when we can no longer bear the inner turmoil we finally give up in agony and surrender to the Lord....their is usually then that awkward silence as you realize that this was all you had to do in the very beginning, oh and how much pain you would have been saved. We seem to know this in so many ways, that we are to surrender and every part of us even our very own hands are His, yet we still struggle so much. It is better to portray one self as not humble, if this is the true nature, than to decieve yourself and others with a false humility. But it is best to rememer to surrend and wait upon Christ to work in us that we may bear fruit that is genuine. Oh how we need to pray to remain strong and alert for it is that one moment that we take our eyes off of the Lord, for even a quick second, and look into ourselves that we then in trying to become holy only become more self serving. Of all things, I struggle with this the most and I know first hand just how badly it hinders us.

What works for me the best is strengthening the intuition (conscience and communion) of my spirit with the Spirit through the dividing of my spirit and soul, by knowing the laws and functions of each to walk by the spirit first and foremost. The most effective way to do this is sacrificing my time reading the Bible, and of great help has been the foremost work done on the dividing (Heb. 4.12) of the spirit, soul and body (1 Thess. 5.23) which is The Spiritual Man by Watchman Nee. I can't state it any more simply than this. This is the crux of the matter: dissecting the laws and functions of our tripartite being with such clarity!

I have noticed there is a direct correlation to a person willing to devote the time in reading the Word and work on the component of their being that is their intuitive sense to their overcoming and spirituality, assuming they are not reading the Word in pride or priding themselves on knowing the laws of the spirit and soul.

Thank you for the wisdom you have shared finestwheat, it truly helps.