Dangers of Spiritual Life

[Laela]

The Dangers of Spiritual Life
​

CFP, Vol. 2, Part 6 WALKING AFTER THE SPIRIT, Ch. 1, by Watchman Nee

NOTHING IS MORE VITAL to the Christian life than to walk daily after the spirit.

It is this that maintains the Christian in a constant spiritual state, delivers him from the power of the flesh, assists him to obey God’s will always, and shields him from the assault of Satan. Now that we understand the operations of our spirit, we must immediately walk by it. This is a moment by moment affair from which there can be no relaxing. In these days we must be keenly alert to the peril of receiving the teaching of the Holy Spirit while subsequently rejecting His leading. On this very point have many saints stumbled and fallen. To acquire teaching alone is not sufficient; we must also accept the leading. We should not be
content with just spiritual knowledge but treasure as well the walk after the spirit. Often we hear people drop the words, “the way of the cross”; but what is this way after all? It is in reality nothing else but walking by the spirit, since to walk in that fashion necessitates the committing of our ideas, wishes and thoughts to death. Exclusively following the spirit’s intuition and revelation demands our bearing the cross daily.

All spiritual believers know something of the operation of the spirit. Their experience of it, however,
is often sporadic because they have not fully understood all the laws which govern its functioning. But
with their intuition well-developed they could walk steadily after the spirit without any interference
from the outside (note: all that is outside the spirit is considered the outside realm). But not having
assimilated the laws of the spirit, they interpret life in the spirit as oscillatory, devoid of rule, and
arduous to practice. Many are determined to heed God’s will and to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit,
but they lack a positive forward-propelling heart because they are not sure if the guidance of their
intuition is wholly dependable. They have yet to learn to understand the indication of their intuition as
to whether to advance or to stay. They are additionally ignorant of what the normal state of the spirit
is and are thus incapacitated from being led continually by it. Frequently their inner man loses its
power to operate for the simple reason that they do not know how to keep it in a right condition.

Though they sometimes do experience revelation in their intuition, they nevertheless wonder why it is,
when they are earnestly seeking, that at times their intuition does receive revelation but at other times
does not. This of course is due to the fact that on some occasions they unconsciously walk according to
the law of the spirit and so obtain revelation whereas at other moments, though asking, they are not
asking according to this law and therefore do not secure any revelation. Were they to walk by the law
of the spirit continually rather than unconsciously following intermittently, they could always receive
the revelation. Unfortunately they are unaware of this possibility. It is nonetheless certain that for us
to consistently experience revelation we must know the laws of the spirit and the will of God and must
do the things which please Him. Since all movements in the spirit are meaningful we need to learn their
import if we wish to walk faithfully. Understanding the laws of the spirit is therefore indispensable.

There are countless Christians who consider the occasional working of the Holy Spirit in their spirit
to be the most sublime of their life experiences. They do not expect to have such an experience daily
because they surmise that such a special event could happen but a few times in life. Were they to live
by the spirit according to its law, however, they would discover that these are everyday occurrences.
What they deem extraordinary—something one cannot permanently sustain—is actually the ordinary
daily experiences of believers. “Extraordinary” indeed if believers should desert this ordinary life
experience and abide in darkness.
Suppose we have received a certain thought. Are we able to discern whether this comes from our
spirit or from our soul? Some thoughts burn in the spirit while others blaze in the soul. Believers ought
to understand how the various parts of their being operate or they shall not be able to distinguish the
spiritual from the soulical. When thinking, they should recognize the source of their thought; in feeling,
they should detect the direction from which such feeling comes; and in working, they should be clear as
to what strength they use. Only thus can they follow the spirit.

We know our soul provides us with self-consciousness. One aspect of self-consciousness is
self-examination. This is most harmful since it causes us to focus upon ourselves and thereby enhance
the growth of self life. How often self-exaltation and pride are the consequences of such
self-examination. But there is a kind of analysis of incalculable help to the spiritual pilgrimage. Without
it we are incompetent to know who we really are and what we are following. Harmful self-examination
revolves around one’s own success or defeat, stimulating attitudes of self-pride or self-pity.

 

[Laela]

Profitable analysis searches only the source of one’s thought, feeling or desire. God wishes us to be delivered from self-consciousness, but at the same time He certainly does not intend for us to live on earth as people without intelligent awareness. We must not be overly self-conscious, yet we must apprehend the true condition of all our inward parts through the knowledge accorded us by the Holy Spirit. It is positively necessary for us to search out our activities with our heart.

Many regenerated believers seem unconscious of possessing a spirit. Though they do have one, they
simply are not conscious of it. Perhaps they have spiritual sense but they do not realize such sense
arises from the spirit. What every truly born-again person should rely on for living is the life of the
spirit. If we are willing to be taught, we shall know what is our spiritual sense. One thing is
unmistakable: the soul is affected by outside influences, but not the spirit. For example, when the soul
is provided with beautiful scenery, serene nature, inspiring music, or many other phenomena
pertaining to the external world, it can be moved instantly and respond strongly. Not so the spirit. If
the spirit of believers is flooded with the power of the Holy Spirit, it is independent of the soul. Unlike
the latter the spirit does not require outside stimuli by which to be activated but is able to be active on
its own initiative. It can move under any circumstances. Hence those who are genuinely spiritual can be
active whether or not their soul has feeling or their body has strength. These ones live by the
ever-active spirit.

Now as a matter of fact the sense of the soul and the intuition of the spirit are distinctly opposite;
nevertheless, occasionally they appear to be quite similar. Their similarity can be so close as to confuse
Christians. Should they be hasty to move, they will not easily escape being deceived at these times of
similarity. Yet if they would wait patiently and test the source of their feelings again and again, they
would be told the real source by the Holy Spirit at the right hour. In walking after the spirit we must
avoid all haste.

Soulish Christians generally bend to certain directions. Most of them lean either towards emotion or
towards reason. Now when these people become spiritual they tend to fall towards the opposite extreme
from what they formerly were. Emotional persons will then be tempted to adopt their own cold reason
as the leading of the spirit. Because they appreciate how soulish their former passionate life was, they
now mistake their own reasoning to be spiritual. Likewise those who were rational believers may
subsequently accept their passionate feeling to be the leading of the Holy Spirit. They too are conscious
of the soulish cast of their hitherto cold and quiet life; consequently they now interpret their emotion to
be of the spirit. These are equally ignorant of the fact that the reversal of position between emotion
and reason does not render them a shade less soulish. Let us therefore remember the functions of the
spirit. To be led by the spirit is to follow its intuition. All spiritual knowledge, communion and
conscience come via the intuition. The Holy Spirit leads the saints by this intuition. They need not
themselves figure out what possibly is spiritual; all that is required is to abide by their intuition. In
order to listen to the Spirit we must apprehend His mind intuitively.

Some seek the gifts of the Holy Spirit with genuine earnestness. Yet often what they crave is but
some joy, for the “I” is hidden behind their quest. They believe if they can feel the Holy Spirit
descending upon them or some external force controlling their body or some warm fire burning from
head to foot, that then they have been baptized in the Spirit. However true it may be that He does
sometimes allow people to so feel Him, it is very damaging for men to seek Him by means of emotion.
For this not only can excite their soul life but also may evoke the enemy’s counterfeit. What is really
valuable before God is not how we emotionally feel the presence of the Lord or how we even feel love
towards Him; rather is it how we follow the Holy Spirit and live according to what He has revealed to
our spirit. Frequently we meet “Holy Spirit-baptized” people of this kind who continue to live by their
natural life and not by their spirit. They lack a sensitive intuition to discern matters in the spiritual
world. Not emotion but communion with the Lord in the spirit is what is valuable before God.
Through our lengthy discussion of the functions of the spirit as described in the Bible, we now can
realize that the spirit can be as passionate as emotion and as cool as reason. Only those who are
experienced in the Lord can distinguish what is of the spirit and what is of the soul. Those who try to
reason out the movement of the Holy Spirit or, as more frequently happens, attempt to feel His
movement rather than to seek to truly know God in their intuition and walk accordingly, commit
themselves to a life in the flesh. They permit their spiritual life to sink into oblivion.

 

[Laela]

It may help us to see more clearly the significance of following the spirit’s intuition if we examine the
life of Paul. God “was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, (and) I did not confer with flesh and blood, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were
apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia; and again I returned to Damascus” (Gal. 1.16-17).
Revelation, as we have indicated before, is given by God and received in the spirit. When the Apostle
John obtained revelation to write, he secured it in the spirit (Rev. 1.10). The Bible consistently testifies
that revelation is something which occurs in the believer’s spirit. Now the Apostle Paul informs us here
that he was walking by the spirit when he received revelation in his spirit to know the Lord Jesus and to
be sent to the Gentiles. He did not confer with flesh and blood because he had no need to listen further
to man’s opinion, thought or argument. He did not go to Jerusalem to see those who were spiritually
senior to him so as to obtain their view. He simply followed the leading of his spirit. Since he had
received God’s revelation in his intuition and had known God’s will, he no longer sought other evidence.
He deemed revelation in his spirit sufficient for guidance. At that time, proclaiming the Lord Jesus to

Gentiles was a new departure. Man’s soul naturally would suggest amassing more information,
especially the opinions of those who had more preaching experience. But Paul followed the spirit alone.
He cared not what men, not even the most spiritual apostles, would say.
Thus ought we to follow the direct leading of the Lord in our spirit rather than the words of spiritual
people. Does this then imply that the words of the spiritual fathers are use less? No, they are most
useful. The exhortation and teaching of the fathers are most helpful, but we nonetheless ought to
“weigh what is said” (1 Cor. 14.29). We must be instructed by the Lord directly in our spirit. When we
are uncertain whether a movement in the spirit is actually of God or not, we can be helped greatly by
those who have been taught deeply in the Lord. But if we already have known for sure—as Paul
was—that God has so revealed His mind, then we ought not inquire of men, not even of apostles,
should they still exist today.
From the context of this passage we can see the Apostle stresses that the gospel he preaches was
disclosed to him by God rather than taught him by other apostles. This is a point of immense
significance. The gospel we preach must not be just something we hear from men or read from books or
even conceive through our meditation. Unless it is delivered to us by God, it can serve no spiritual
utility. Young Christians today welcome the idea of “instructors” and the spiritually mature wish to
impart an orthodox faith to the second generation. But who knows what really produces spiritual value?
If what we believe and preach does not originate in revelation it counts for nothing. We can gather
from the mind of others some beautiful thoughts; yet our spirit remains impoverished and empty.

Obviously we are neither to expect a new gospel nor to demean what the servants of God teach, for the Bible distinctly instructs us not to despise prophesying (1 Thess. 5.20). We are simply emphasizing the
utter necessity of revelation.
Without revelation, all that has been written is vain. If we desire to be spiritually effective in
preaching, we initially must apprehend God’s truth in our spirit. Whatever and however much is
acquired wholesale from men counts for nought spiritually. Revelation in the spirit should occupy a
large place in a Christian servant’s life. It is actually the first qualification for a worker. This alone
empowers one to perform spiritual service and to walk by the spirit. How multiplied are the workers
who trust in their own intellect and mind for accomplishing spiritual work! Even among the most
evangelical believers it is perhaps chiefly a mental acceptance of the truth and amounts to nothing but
death. Should we not ask ourselves whether what we preach emerges from God’s revelation or comes
from men?

 

[Laela]

The Attacks of Satan​

In view of the significance of our spirit, which is the site of communion between the Holy Spirit and
the saints, should we marvel if Satan is most unwilling to let us know the functions of the spirit for fear
we may follow it? The enemy aims to confine the saint’s life within the soul and to quench his spirit. He
will give many strange physical sensations to believers and fill their mind with various wandering
thoughts. He intends to confuse one’s spiritual awareness by these sensations and thoughts. While
confused, God’s children are incompetent to distinguish what is of the spirit and what emanates from
the soul. Satan well recognizes that victories of believers rest in their knowing how to “read” their
spiritual sense (alas! how many are ignorant of this principle). He musters his whole force to attack the
believer’s spirit.

Let us reiterate that in such spiritual warfare Christians must never make any move according to
their feelings or sudden thoughts. Never assume that such thoughts cannot be wrong because we have already prayed. It is a mistake to consider every notion which comes to us in prayer as being of God.
We seem to innocently think that prayer can right the wrong and that whatever has been prayed out is
bound to be all right. True, we have sought the will of God, but it does not mean necessarily that we
have already known His will. God makes it known to our spirit, not to our mind.

Satan employs even more drastic measures against believers than that of enticing them into living
by the soul instead of following the spirit. Upon succeeding in luring them—through their thoughts or
feelings—to live by the outward man, Satan adopts the next step of pretending to be a spirit in them.
He will create many deceptive feelings in the believers in order to confuse their spiritual senses. If they
are ignorant of the wiles of the enemy, they just may allow their spirit to be suppressed until it ceases
to function. And then they heed this counterfeit feeling as though they were still following the spirit.

Once their spiritual sense grows dull, Satan proceeds further in his deceit. He injects into their minds
the thought that now God is leading them by their renewed mind, thus subtly covering up the fault of
men in not using their spirit as well as covering up the work of the enemy. As soon as man’s spirit
ceases to operate, the Holy Spirit can no longer find any cooperative element within him; naturally
then, all resources from God are cut off. And it is hence impossible for such ones to continue to
experience true spiritual life.

Should Christians be insensitive to their condition, Satan assaults them even more mercilessly. He
may either mislead them (at a time when they are unconscious of the presence of God) into thinking
they are living by faith, or make them suffer without a cause under the delusion that they are suffering
with Christ in their spirit. Wherefore Satan by means of a false spirit deceives believers into obeying his
will. Such experiences occur to spiritual but undiscerning Christians.
Spiritual ones ought to possess spiritual knowledge so that all their movements can be governed by
spiritual reasoning. They should not act impulsively according to fleeting emotion or flashing thought.
They should never be in haste. Every action must be scrutinized with spiritual insight in order that only
what is approved by the spirit’s intuitive knowledge is permitted. Nothing should be done which is
propelled by excited feeling or abrupt thought; everything must be carefully and quietly examined
before it is executed.
To examine and test our walk is a very important element in following the spirit. Believers should
not while away their spiritual life foolishly; they must examine carefully all thoughts, feelings, etc.,
which come to them in order to discern whether these arise from God or from themselves. The natural
inclination is to take life easy, to adapt oneself to whatever happens. If so, one will often welcome what
the enemy has arranged. Usually we do not investigate these matters, but Scripture commands us to
“test everything” (1 Thess. 5.21). Herein lies both a characteristic and a strength of spiritual believers.
They “interpret spiritual truths in spiritual language” (1 Cor. 2.13 RSV marginal). The word “interpret”
here means in the original “compare” (RSV marginal), “mixing” or “putting together” (Darby note), or
“determined” (Darby note). The Holy Spirit purposely gives spiritual believers such power for them to
use to test anything which enters their life; otherwise, under the manifold deceits of the evil spirit, it
would be most difficult to live.

 

[Laela]

The Accusation of Satan​

Satan has another way to assault those who set their heart on following the leading of the spirit’s
intuition. This is by counterfeiting or fasely representing one’s conscience with all sorts of accusations.
To keep our conscience pure we are willing to accept its reproach and deal with whatever it condemns.
The enemy utilizes this desire of keeping the conscience void of offense by accusing us of various
things. In mistaking such accusations as being from our own consciences we often lose our peace, tire
of trying to keep pace with the false accusations, and thus cease to advance spiritually with confidence.

Those who are spiritual ought to be aware that Satan not only indicts us before God but also to
ourselves. He does this to disturb us into thinking we ought to suffer penalty because we have done
wrong. He is alert to the fact that the children of God can make no progress spiritually unless they have
a heart full of confidence; consequently he falsifies the accusation of conscience in order to make them
believe they have sinned. Then their communion with God is broken. The problem with believers is that
they do not know how to distinguish between the indictment of the evil spirit and the reproach of
conscience. Frequently out of fear of offending God, they mistake the accusation of an evil spirit to be
the censure of conscience. This accusation grows stronger and stronger until it becomes uncontrollable
if not listened to. Thus in addition to their willingness to yield to conscience’s reproof, spiritual believers should also learn how to discern the accusation of the enemy.

What the enemy charges the saints of may sometimes be real sins, though more often than not they are merely imaginary—that is, the evil spirit makes them feel they have sinned. If they actually have
sinned, they should confess it immediately before God, asking for the cleansing of the precious blood (1
John 1.9). Yet should the accusing voice still continue, it obviously must be from the evil spirit.

Here is a matter of serious consequence. Before one knows how to differentiate between the
reproach of conscience and the enemy’s accusation, he should ask himself whether or not he really
abhors sin. If this particular thing is wrong, am I willing to confess my sin and eliminate it? If we truly
desire to follow God’s will, not having yet heeded the accusing voice, we can be quite confident in our
heart for it is not in us to want to rebel against God. Then, having determined to follow God’s will, we
should examine ourselves as to whether or not we have actually committed that sin. We must know
beyond the shadow of doubt whether or not we have done it, because the evil spirit frequently accuses
us of many unrelated items. If we have done it, then before we confess to God, we first must find out
through the teaching of the Bible and the leading of intuition, whether or not this thing is verily wrong.
Otherwise, though we have not sinned, Satan will make us suffer for it just as though we had.

The adversary is skillful in imparting all sorts of feelings to men. He may cause them to feel happy or
sad; he may induce in them a feeling of guilt or of none whatsoever. But a child of God should
understand that his feeling is not necessarily accurate when he thinks he is not wrong, for often he
feels right when actually he is wrong. Moreover, he may not be wrong even when so feeling; it may be
just his feeling and not be factually grounded at all. Whatever he feels, he must test it out for sure so
as to know where he really stands. The child of God should adopt a neutral attitude towards every
accusation. He should not take any action before he is assured as to the source of it. He must not be
hasty, rather, he should wait quietly for assurance as to whether it is indeed the chiding of the Holy
Spirit or but the charge of the evil spirit. If it originates with the Holy Spirit, he will then deal with it
honestly. The believer’s present waiting is due to his uncertainty and not to rebellion. Nevertheless, he
absolutely must resist making all confessions to men which are motivated by sheer force from outside,
for the enemy often tries to compel him to do this.
Real conviction from the Holy Spirit leads us to holiness while the aim of Satan is solely to accuse.
He indicts us to make us indict ourselves. His motive is nothing other than to make Christians suffer.

Sometimes after one has accepted the enemy’s imputation and confessed accordingly, Satan may next
fill him with a false peace. This is no small danger for it deprives the believer of any real contrition over
defeat. The reproach of conscience ceases once the sin is confessed and cleansed by the precious blood,
but the accusation of the enemy continues even after what is accused has been dealt with. The former
leads us to the precious blood; the latter drives us to despair, causing us to reckon ourselves
irredeemable. The purpose of Satan is to engineer our fall through accusations: “Since we cannot be
perfect,” sighs the believer resignedly, “then what is the use?”

At times the accusation of Satan is added to the rebuke of conscience. The sin is real, but when it
has been treated according to the mind of the Holy Spirit the accusation continues because the evil
spirit has joined his indictment to the reproach of the conscience. It is therefore a matter of utmost
concern that we preserve an uncompromising attitude towards sin: not merely yielding no ground to
the enemy to indict but also learning how to differentiate between the reprimand of the Holy Spirit and
the accusation of the evil spirit and learning how to distinguish what is exclusively the enemy’s charge
from what is his charge mixed in with the reproach of conscience. We must realize most assuredly that
the Holy Spirit never reproves further if the sin is cleansed by the precious blood and forsaken.

 

[Laela]

Additional Dangers​

Other hazards lie in the way of following the spirit besides Satan’s counterfeits and his attacks. Often
our soul will fabricate or sense something which urges us to take action. Christians must never forget
that not all senses emerge from the spirit, for the body, the soul, and the spirit each has its own
senses. It is highly important not to interpret soulical or physical senses as the intuition of the spirit.
God’s children should learn daily in experience what is and what is not genuine intuition. How very
easy for us, once perceiving the importance of following the intuition, to overlook the fact that senses
exist in other parts of the being besides in the spirit. Actually spiritual life is neither so complicated nor
so easy as people usually imagine.

Here then are two causes for alarm: first, the peril of mistaking other senses to be the spirit’s
intuition; and second, the danger of misunderstanding the meaning of intuition. We meet these two
hazards every day. Hence the teaching of the Holy Scriptures is quite essential. To confirm whether or
not we are moved by, and walk in, the Holy Spirit, we must see if any given thing harmonizes with the
teaching of the Bible. The Holy Spirit never moves the prophets of old to write in one way and then
move us today in another way. It is categorically impossible for the Holy Spirit to have instructed
people of yesteryear what they ought not to do and yet tell us in our day that we must do these very
same things. What we receive in the spirit’s intuition needs to be certified by the teaching of God’s
Word. To follow intuition alone and not in conjunction with the Scriptures will undeniably lead us into
error. The revelation of the Holy Spirit sensed by our spirit must coincide with the revelation of the
Holy Spirit in Scripture.

Since our flesh is continuously active, we must be ever vigilant against its intrusion into our keeping
the teaching of the Holy Scriptures. We know the Bible discloses the mind of the Holy Spirit; but were
we to observe the Bible perfectly, we still would not necessarily be following the mind of the Holy Spirit.
Why? Because often we search the many teaching of the Scriptures with our natural mind and later do
them with our strength. Although what is understood and is done agrees perfectly with the Scriptures,
it is nevertheless done without dependence upon the Holy Spirit. The whole matter has remained within
the realm of the flesh. Wherefore, not only what we know in our spirit concerning the mind of the Holy
Spirit needs to be checked by the Scriptures, but also what we know from the Scriptures must be
carried out through our spirit. Do we not realize that the flesh craves priority even with respect to
keeping the Holy Scriptures? The spirit has intuition; but it also has power. It is consequently null and
void if we understand any doctrine in our mind while at the same time it remains unexecuted by the
power of the spirit.

One more matter needs to be noticed: a great danger looms before us if we live and walk by the
spirit too much. Although the Word does emphasize the believer’s personal spirit, the Word also informs
us that the significance of one’s spirit is due to the indwelling Holy Spirit. The reason why we must walk
and live in the spirit at all is because our spirit, being the habitation of God’s Spirit, is where He
expresses His mind. The leading and discipline we receive therein is His leading and discipline. In
stressing the significance of the Holy Spirit we are at the same time emphasizing our own spirit since
the latter constitutes His base of operation. Our danger, upon apprehending the work and function of
man’s spirit, is to rely entirely on it, forgetting that it is merely the servant of the Holy Spirit. God’s
Spirit and not our spirit is the One upon Whom we wait for direct guidance into all truth. If man’s spirit
is divorced from the divine Spirit it becomes as useless as the other parts of man. We should never
reverse the order of man’s spirit and the Holy Spirit. It is because many of the Lord’s people are
ignorant of man’s spirit and its operation that we have presented in these pages a detailed account of
it. This does not mean, however, that the position of the Holy Spirit in a man is inferior to that of his
own spirit. The purpose for understanding this faculty of man is to help us to obey Him more and to
exalt Him more.

This should exert great influence on our guidance. The Holy Spirit is given primarily for the benefit
of the whole body of Christ. He abides in each individual because He dwells in the whole body of Christ
and each is a member of it. The work of the Spirit is corporate in nature (1 Cor. 12. 12-13). He guides
individuals because He guides the whole body. He leads each of us for the sake of the body. The
movement of one member involves the whole body. The guidance of the Holy Spirit in our individual
spirits is related to the other members. Spiritual guidance is the guidance of the body. In order that our
movements may therefore be related to the body, we need to seek sympathy and agreement from the
spirit of “two or three” other members, even after we personally have received guidance in our spirit.
This principle must not be neglected in spiritual work. Much of defeat, strife, hatred, division, shame,
and pain has been due to the independent moves of those who mean well but who follow merely their
own spirit. All who follow the spirit should accordingly test their guidance by its relationship to the
spiritual body to determine whether or not it is of the Holy Spirit. In every bit of our work, conduct,
faith, and teaching we should be regulated by that relationship of the members one of another”
(Rom.12.5) .

In conclusion, then, along the spiritual pathway lurk many snares. A little carelessness brings in
defeat. Yet there is no short cut or bypass we can take. We are not insured because we have learned
some knowledge; on the contrary, we ourselves must experience everything. Those who have preceded
us can only warn us of the hazards ahead so that we may not fall prey to them. If we intend to bypass part of the pathway, we shall be disappointed, but faithful followers of the Lord can avoid many
unnecessary defeats.

 

[Laela]

I apologize for the dissertation...but I just had to share this. I hope it's a blessing to someone as it has been to me....

 

[Uber]

nice post. I have this book. I think its one of the most important books any believer shold own

 

[loolalooh]

Still reading but I can tell this is a blessing. Thank you. The timing is eerie yet perfect.

 

[aribell]

This is very much on time. Immersing oneself in God's word continually teaches one to readily identify that which is in accord with the Spirit and that which is not.

ETA: When thinking about these things, I've had the tendency to become fearful sometimes, wondering how I could be sure that I wasn't being deceived, etc. But I found peace in remembering that He who is in us is greater than he that is in the world. Satan may prowl about like a roaring lion, but we are also told that we can easily stomp him under our feet. God will lead us in paths of righteousness, even if we aren't fully mature or have full understanding yet.

 

[Laela]

YW, sis! It really is a refreshing read, IMHO

Still reading but I can tell this is a blessing. Thank you. The timing is eerie yet perfect.

I don't have it in my collection -- yet... but ITA

nice post. I have this book. I think its one of the most important books any believer shold own

Amen to the bolded... at the end of the day I believe that's what matters most in our Walk. Thank you for sharing that!

This is very much on time. Immersing oneself in God's word continually teaches one to readily identify that which is in accord with the Spirit and that which is not.

ETA: When thinking about these things, I've had the tendency to become fearful sometimes, wondering how I could be sure that I wasn't being deceived, etc. But I found peace in remembering that He who is in us is greater than he that is in the world. Satan may prowl about like a roaring lion, but we are also told that we can easily stomp him under our feet. God will lead us in paths of righteousness, even if we aren't fully mature or have full understanding yet.

 

[JinaRicci]

Laela- this is great! Thank you so much for sharing. I struggle with this very thing. Sometimes I hear God's voice so clearly that I don't have to wonder & then other times I wonder if it is just my mind. How to dissect intuition from the Holy Spirit?

I'll have to keep coming back to this thread to fully digest.

 

[Laela]

YW, Jinna... I'm digesting this, too...

 

[Laela]

SPIRITUAL GIFTS​

Discerning of Spirits

Category
Revelation Gift
Definitions
Recognizing what is of God verses the world, the flesh, and the devil.
Example
Paul recognizing that the girl in Philippi had a spirit of divination.

Discerning of spirits is the supernatural ability given by the Holy Spirit to perceive the source of a spiritual manifestation and determine whether it is of God (Acts 10:30-35), of the devil (Acts 16:16-18), of man (Acts 8:18-23), or of the world. It is not mind reading, psychic phenomena, or the ability to criticize and find fault.

Discerning of spirits must be done by the power of the Holy Spirit; He bears witness with our spirit when something is or is not of God. The gift of discerning of spirits is the supernatural power to detect the realm of the spirits and their activities. It implies the power of spiritual insight - the supernatural revelation of plans and purposes of the enemy and his forces. It is a gift which protects and guards your Christian life.


How to Test a Spirit
You can discern or test whether or not a spirit is of God by the following three ways:

1. Observing what a person does. In Matthew 7:15-20, Jesus explains that false prophets are known by their fruit - by their conduct and actions.
2. Observing whether or not a person exalts Jesus Christ as the Son of God and as Lord and Saviour (I Corinthians 12:3).
3. By listening to what a person says (I John 4:1-3). Does their confession line up with the truth of God's Word?

 

[Laela]

Word of Wisdom

Category
Revelation Gift
Definitions
Seeing life from God's perspective.
Examples
Paul before the council (Acts 23:6)

Jesus' answer to the question regarding taxes (Matthew 22:15-22)

The temptation of Jesus (Luke 4:1-14)




There are three types of wisdom:

* The Wisdom of God (I Corinthians 2:6-7)
* The wisdom of the world (I Corinthians 2:6)
* The wisdom of man (Ecclesiastes 1:16-18)

The gift of the word of wisdom is the application of knowledge that God gives you ( I Corinthians 2:6-7). This type of wisdom is a gift which cannot be gained through study or experience and should by no means try to replace them. The gift of the word of wisdom is seeing life from God's perspective. As a Christian exercises this gift, he begins to develop a fear of the Lord. This is the "beginning of wisdom" according to Proverbs 1:7.

The gift of the word of wisdom is also the revealing of prophetic future; it is speaking hidden truths of what is not known. It is a supernatural perspective to ascertain the divine means for accomplishing God's will in a given situation, and is a divinely given power to appropriate spiritual intuition in problem solving.

Furthermore, this gift involves having a sense of divine direction, being led by the Holy Spirit to act appropriately in a given set of circumstances, and rightly applying knowlege.

The gift of wisdom is the wisdom of God. It is the supernatural impartation of facts; it is not natural. You can't earn it. It is received from God through prayer (Ephesians 1:17).

The gift of the word of wisdom works interactively with the other two revelation gifts: knowledge and discernment.

 

[Laela]

Prophecy


Category
Inspirational or Vocal Gift
Definition
Bringing to light secret motives of the heart.
Example
Jesus speaking forth the strengths and weaknesses of the seven churches in Asia (Revelation 2-3).


The gift of prophecy edifies, exhorts, and comforts (I Corinthians 14:3); helps us build up or strengthen; and should lead us to the Word of God. It is the ministry of the Holy Spirit to convict of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment to come (John 16:8-11).

Prophecy is divinely inspired and anointed utterance; a supernatural proclamation in a known language. It is the manifestation of the Spirit of God - not of intellect (I Corinthians 12:7), and it may be possessed and operated by all who have the infilling of the Holy Spirit (I Corinthians 14:31)

Intellect, faith, and will are operative in this gift, but its exercise is not intellectually based. It is calling forth words from the Spirit of God. The gift of prophecy operates when there is high worship (I Samuel 10:5-6), when others prophets are present (I Samuel 10:9-10), and when hands are laid on you by ministers (Acts 19:1-6).

Some Common Misconceptions About Prophecy

The gift of prophecy (I Corinthians 12) and the office of the prophet (Ephesians 4:11) are not the same thing.

There is a ministry of the prophet, but not everyone is a prophet. For example, a boy may wear a Cubs baseball cap, but that does not mean he plays professional baseball for the Chicago Cubs. You may prophesy, but operating in the simple gift of prophecy does not qualify you to stand in the office of a prophet, much like wearing a Cubs hat does not qualify you to play baseball for the Chicago Cubs - you must be gifted. To stand in the office of a prophet, one must have a consistent manifestation of at least two of the revelation gifts ( word of wisdom, word of knowledge, or discerning of spirits) plus prophecy.

Prophecy is not the intepretation of tongues.

The Bible says that "greater is he that prophesieth than he that speaketh with tongues" (I Corinthians 14:5), even though both are inspired utterances. Tongues, of course, is inspired utterance in an "unknown" tongue. The interpretation of tongues is inspired utterance telling that which was spoken in tongues. Prophecy, on the other hand, is inspired utterance in a "known" tongue. The difference between interpretation and prophecy is that interpretation is dependent upon tongues, whereas prophecy is not.

Prophecy is not prediction..

People sometimes think that "prophecy" means to predict (foretell) what will happen in the future. Actually, the simple gift of prophecy is essentially forthtelling; it is a ministry to make people better and more useful Christians now. Prophecy in the New Testament church carries no prediction with it whatsoever, for "he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort" (I Corinthians 14:3). Notice that there is no mention of the word prediction here.

Prophecy is not the same thing as preaching..

The words preach and prophesy come from two entirely different Greek words. To "preach" means to proclaim, announce, cry, or tell. Jesus said, "Go ye into all the world, and PREACH the gospel.." (Mark 16:15). Note that He didn't say to prophesy the Gospel.

The word prophecy means to "bubble up, to flow forth, or to cause to drop like rain." Teaching and preaching are preplanned, but prophecy is not.

The Bible tells us that we are to "Despise not prophesyings. Prove all things." I Thessalonians 5:20-21. When a prophecy is given, we are to test it and hold on to what is good in it.


Seven Ways to Judge Prophecy

1. By their fruits you shall know them.
(Matthew 7:16-18,20)
2. Does it glorify Christ?
(John 16:14; I Corinthians 12:3; I John 4:1-2)
3. Does it agree with the Scriptures? (Isaiah 8:20)
4. Are their prophecies fulfilled? (Deuteronomy 18:22) Some prophecies are not of God even though they may come to pass. The benchmark remains that all prophecies should exalt the Lord Jesus.
5. Is the prophecy disjointed or confused? True prophecy is line upon line and precept upon precept.
(Isaiah 28:13)
6. Do the prophecies produce liberty or bondage? (Romans 8:15)
7. All believers have an unction (anointing) within them that tells them when something is wrong. Prophecies should witness with our spirit.
(I John 2:20,27)

 

[Laela]

Why Is Prophecy Important?

There are five reasons why prophecy is so important in the local church:

1. It brings life. Prophecy brought life to the valley of dry bones (Ezekiel 37:1-4).
2. It gives spiritual vision. The Bible says, "Where there is no vision, the people perish.' The Lord gives vision through the prophetic word (Proverbs 29:13,18).
3. It edifies, exhorts, and comforts (I Corinthians 14:3).
4. It brings revival and restoration. True prophecy brings restoration and revival (Acts 2:16-18).
5. It guides you to your right position in Christ. Prophecy is used by God to direct you where you need to go (Acts 13:1-3)

 

[Laela]

Gifts of Healing

Category
Power Gift
Definition
Removing diseases from the spirit, soul, and body.
Example
Elisha telling Naaman the Syrian to dip seven times in the water to rid himself of leprosy.


The gift of healings refers to supernatural healing without human aid; it is a special gift to pray for specific diseases.

Healing can come through the touch of faith (James 5:14-15); by speaking the word of faith (Luke 7:1-10); or by the presence of God being manifested (Mark 6:56; Acts 19:11-12).

The Bible speaks of "gifts" of healing because there are three types of healings: physical (diabetes, blindness, cancer, deafness, etc.), emotional (jealousy, worry, discouragement, and other destructive attitudes), and spiritual (bitterness, greed, and guilt, etc.).

Although there are three main types of healings, there is much diversity with the gift of healings. While one person might have the gift of healing to rid a person of cancer or perform a creative miracle, another person might have a diversity of the same gift to correct lower back problems or remove a root of bitterness).

According to Mark 16:17-20, the gifts of healing belong to all believers.

You can know whether or not you have the gift of healing by the following:

* By the inner witness of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:16).
* When you have a special ability to believe for physical healing for someone (Romans 12:3-8).
* When you have an overwhelming feeling of compassion which moves you to action (Matthew 20:34).

 

[Laela]

Gift of Faith

Category
Power Gift
Definition
Function on the behalf of the believer to perform something impossible by ordinary human efforts. God intervenes with His sovereignity and glory to work this miracle for us.
Examples
While in Pharaoh's court, Moses laid down his and it turned into an adder and then changed back into a staff.

Healing of a man afflicted with leprosy (Matthew 8:1-3)

Healing of the crippled man by the Pool of Bethesda (John 9:1-7).

Judgment upon a sorcerer (Acts 16:16-18)


The gift of faith is the supernatural ability to believe God without doubt, combat unbelief, and visualize what God wants to accomplish. It is not only an inner conviction impelled by an urgent and higher calling, but also a supernatural ability to meet adverse circumstances with trust in God's words and messages.

The Bible speaks of several different types of faith which increase from faith to faith (Romans 1:17):

* Saving faith - faith which gets you into Heaven
(Ephesians 2:8-9)


* Fruit of faith - faith which gets Heaven into you
(Galatians 5:22-23) .


* Gift of faith - stems from saving faith and the fruit of faith; It is the ability to believe for the miraculous
(II Thessalonians 1:3).

This gift not only operates in healings and in miracles, but in the realm of the impossible as well. Saving faith produces the active faith of the fruit of the Spirit which, in turn, produces the gift of faith. When the gift of faith is empowered, the results are miraculous!


Source: http://www.christcenteredmall.com/teachings/gifts/faith.htm

 

[Laela]

Word of Knowledge


Category
Revelation Gift
Definition
The supernatural comprehension of Christ and His Word.
Examples
Noah building the Ark. (Genesis 6:14-22)

Joshua knowing about Achan's sin. (Joshua 7:10-11)

Elisha knowing that Gehazi lied to Naaman. (II Kings 5:20-27)


A word of knowledge is a definite conviction, impression, or knowing that comes to you in a similitude (a mental picture), a dream, through a vision, or by a Scripture that is quickened to you. It is supernatural insight or understanding of circumstances, situations, problems, or a body of facts by revelation; that is, without assistance by any human resource but solely by divine aid.

Furthermore, the gift of the word of knowledge is the transcendental revelation of the divine will and plan of God. It involves moral wisdom for right living and relationships, requires objective understanding concerning divine things in human duties, and refers to knowledge of God or of the things that belong to God, as related in the Gospel.

The gifts of the word of wisdom and the word of knowledge function together; knowledge is raw material and wisdom builds on it.