Prayer And Warfare 2

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All spiritual prayers have their source in God. God makes known to us what we ought to pray by unfolding to us the need and by giving that need as a burden in our intuitive spirit. Only an intuitive burden can constitute our call to pray. Yet how we have overlooked many delicate registrations in the intuition through carelessness. Our prayer should never exceed the burden in our intuition. 

Prayers which are not initiated or responded to in the spirit originate instead with the believer himself. They are therefore of the flesh. So that his prayer may not be fleshly but may be effectual in the spiritual domain, the child of God ought to confess his weakness that he does not know how to pray (Rom. 8.26), and petition the Holy Spirit to teach him. He next should pray according to His instruction. God gives us utterance to pray just as he gives us utterance to preach. 

The need for the former equals that of the latter. In acknowledging our total weakness, we then are able to depend on the movement of the Holy Spirit within our spirit for uttering His prayer. How empty that work is which is done by the flesh; how likewise fruitless is that prayer which is offered in the flesh. Not only should we pray with the spirit; we should “pray with the mind also” (1 Cor. 14.15). In praying, these two must work together. A believer receives in his spirit what he needs to pray and understands in his mind what he has received. The spirit accepts the burden of prayer while the mind formulates that burden in prayerful words. Only in this way is the prayer of a believer perfected. How often the Christian prays according to the thought in his mind without possessing any revelation in his spirit. He becomes the origin of the prayer himself. But true prayer must originate from the throne of God. It initially is sensed in the person’s spirit, next is understood by his mind, and finally, is uttered through the power of the Spirit. 

Man’s spirit and prayer are inseparable. To be able to pray with the spirit a Christian must learn first to walk according to the spirit. No one can pray with his spirit if during the whole day he walks after the flesh. The state of one’s prayer life cannot be too greatly disconnected from the condition of his daily walk. The spiritual condition of many too often disqualifies them from praying in the spirit. The quality of a man’s prayer is determined by the state of his living. How could a fleshly person offer spiritual prayer? A spiritual person, on the other hand, does not necessarily pray spiritually either, for unless he is watchful he also shall fall into the flesh. Nonetheless, should the spiritual man pray often with his spirit, his very praying shall keep his spirit and mind continually in tune with God. 

Praying exercises the spirit which in turn is strengthened through such exercising. Negligence in prayer withers the inner man. Nothing can be a substitute for it, not even Christian work. Many are so preoccupied with work that they allow little time for prayer. Hence they cannot cast out demons. Prayer enables us first inwardly to overcome the enemy and then outwardly to deal with him. All who have fought against the enemy on their knees shall see him routed upon their rising up. Now the spiritual man grows stronger through such exercises. For if a believer prays often with his spirit, his spiritual efficiency shall be increased greatly. He will develop sharp sensitivity in spiritual affairs and will be delivered from all spiritual dullness.

Prayer And Warfare 1

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All Prayer Ought To Be Spiritual. Unspiritual prayers are not genuine and can produce no positive result. What abundant spiritual success there would be were every prayer offered by believers on earth in fact spiritual! But sad to say, fleshly prayers are far too numerous. 

Self-will found therein deprives them of spiritual fruitfulness. Nowadays Christians appear to treat prayer as a means to accomplish their aims and ideas. If they possessed just a little deeper understanding, they would recognize that prayer is but man uttering to God what is God s will. The flesh, no matter where displayed, must be crucified; it is not permitted even in prayer. No mixing of man's will in God s work is possible, for He rejects the best of human intentions and man s most profitable prospects. God does not will He should follow what man has initiated. Other than following God s direction, we have no right to direct Him. We have no ability to offer save to obey God s guidance. God will do no work which originates with man, no matter how much man may pray. He condemns such praying as fleshly. 

As believers enter the true realm of the spirit, immediately they shall see how empty they themselves are, for absolutely nothing in them can impart life to others or work havoc upon the enemy. Instinctively they will, therefore, reckon on God. Prayer then becomes imperative. True prayer uncovers the emptiness in the petitioner but the fullness in the Petitioned. Unless the flesh has been reduced to a vacuum by the cross, what use is prayer and what can it possibly signify? 

Spiritual prayer does not proceed from the flesh nor the thought, desire, or decision of the believer; rather does it follow purely from that which is offered according to the will of God. It is prayed in the spirit, that is to say, spiritual prayer is made after one has discerned the will of God in his intuition. The command insisted upon in the Bible is to pray at all times in the spirit (Eph. 6.18). If that is not the way we are praying we must be praying in the flesh. We should not open our mouths too hastily upon approaching God. On the contrary, we first must ask God to show us what and how to pray before we make our request known to Him. Have we not consumed a great deal of time in the past asking for what we wanted? Why not now ask for what God wants? Not what we want but what He wants. If such be the case, then the flesh is provided no footing here. It takes a spiritual man to offer true prayer.

The Strengthning Of The Holy Spirit

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In order for man s innermost organ to gain dominion over the soul and the body and thus serve as channel for the life of the Spirit to be transmitted to others, there must be His strengthening. Paul prays for believers that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with might through his Spirit in the inner man (Eph. 3.16). He so prays because he considers it infinitely important. He asks God to strengthen by His Spirit their inner man, which is the new man in them after they have trusted in the Lord. Therefore the prayer is that the believer s spirit may be strengthened by God s Spirit. 

From this, we may deduce that the spirits of some saints are weak while those of others are strong. Whether they are potent or impotent depends upon whether or not they have received His strengthening. Since those at Ephesus had been sealed already with the Holy Spirit (1.13-14), the Apostle's prayer for them must be concerned with a gift other than His indwelling. His prayer indicates they must have not only the Holy Spirit indwelling them but also have His special power inundating their spirit so as to render their inner man strong. It is possible for us to possess a weak spirit although having God indwelling us. 

To be filled with might in the inner man is the urgent need of Christians. However, unless they appreciate how feeble theirs is they will not ask for the invigoration of the Holy Spirit. Often the children of God cannot rise up to answer the Lord s call to service simply because, though their physical condition is good, their feelings are low, cold, and reluctant. Or even when their emotions are quite high, passionate, and willing, they find themselves unable to serve the Lord because now the body reacts lazily. Such phenomena betray the weakness of the spirit in its dominion over feeling and the physical body. The disciples found themselves in precisely that situation in the Garden of Gethsemane: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak (Matt. 26.41). Willingness by itself is not sufficient; the spirit also must be strong. If it is sturdy it can overcome the infirmity of the flesh. Why do believers sometimes find themselves dragging and failing while laboring for souls? Lack of power in their spirit is the explanation. The same holds true in the case of environment. How easily we are affected by the confusion of the outside world. Were our spirits hardy we would be able to meet the most disturbing situation with peace and rest. Prayer is the acid test of the inner man s strength. A strong spirit is capable of praying much and praying with all perseverance until the answer comes. A weak one grows weary and fainthearted in the maintenance of praying. A vigorous spirit can move forward in the midst of adverse environment or feeling, but a frail one is impotent to stand against opposition. Great is the need of power in the spirit for spiritual warfare with Satan. Only those who have might in the inner man understand how to exercise their spiritual strength in resisting and attacking the enemy. Otherwise the battle will be make-believe, fought in the imagination of the mind or the excitement of the emotion, and perhaps fought with the weapons of flesh and blood. 

In order for the inner man to be strengthened with power through the Holy Spirit, the children of God must discharge their responsibility. They need to yield specifically to the Lord, forsake every doubtful aspect in their life, be willing to obey fully God s will, and believe through prayer that He will flood their spirit with His power. Without delay God will answer the expectation of their heart, once all obstacles on their part are removed. Believers do not need to wait for the Holy Spirit s filling, because He has descended already. What they need only wait for is for themselves to fulfill the condition for His filling, which is, they must let the cross perform a deeper incision upon them. Should they be faithful in believing and obeying, then within a very short time the power of the Holy Spirit will saturate their spirit and strengthen their inner man for living and for laboring. Some may receive His filling immediately upon once surrendering themselves to the Lord, for they already have met the conditions for such filling. 

This invasion of God's power in us, this infilling of His Spirit, happens in the human spirit. It is the inner and not the outer man which is activated by His power and thence becomes strong. This is most important to recognize, for it helps us to exercise simple faith in our desire for the filling of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 3.14), rather than to anticipate some bodily sensations such as a shaking, a jerking, or a hurling to the ground. Yet Christians need to be watchful lest they use faith as an excuse for not experiencing the empowering of the Holy Spirit. The conditions for filling must be accomplished and the attitude of believers must be firm. God will fulfill His promise. 

By reading what the Apostle affirms in the succeeding verses in Ephesians 3 about apprehending, knowing, and filling, we are certain this strengthening with might in the inner man renders it highly sensitive. Like the body, the spirit has its functions and consciousness. Prior to the mighty inflow of the Holy Spirit s power into their spirit, believers scarcely can detect its intuitive power; but afterwards, its intuitive force becomes most distinctive and hence readily discovered. As the inner man is energized, its intuitive power is increased. Believers are able to sense its slightest movement. 

The effect of having the spirit filled with God's power is to afford it full sway over the soul and the body. Every thought, desire, sensation, and intent is now governed by the spirit. The soul can no longer act independently: it becomes instead the spirit s steward. Furthermore, through the believer's spirit, the Holy Spirit is able to impart God s life to thirsty and dying men. However, this filling of the Holy Spirit differs from the baptism with the Holy Spirit, because the latter is for the purpose of service while the former solves the problem of life (naturally it will affect service too).

The Spiritual Man-Watchman Nee-Salvation(Part 2)

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 When the Word became flesh He included all flesh in Himself. As the action of one man, Adam, represents the action of all mankind, so the work of one man, Christ, represents the work of all. We must see how inclusive Christ is before we can understand what redemption is. Why is it that the sin of one man, Adam, is judged to be the sin of all men both present and past? Because Adam is humanity’s head from whom all other men have come into the world. Similarly the obedience of one man, Christ, becomes the righteousness of many, both of the present and the past, inasmuch as Christ constitutes the head of a new mankind entered into by a new birth.

One incident in Hebrews 7 may illustrate this point. To prove that the priesthood of Melchizedek is greater than the priesthood of Levi, the writer reminds his readers that Abraham once offered a tithe to Melchizedek and received from him a blessing and so concluded that Abraham’s tithe offering and blessing were Levi’s. How? Because "he (Levi) was still in the loins of his ancestor (Abraham) when Melchizedek met him" (v.10). We know that Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac Jacob, and Jacob Levi. Levi was Abraham’s great grandson. When Abraham offered the tithe and received a blessing, Levi was not yet born, nor even were his father and grandfather. Yet the Bible considers Abraham’s tithe and blessing as Levi’s. Inasmuch as Abraham is lesser than Melchizedek, Levi too is of less account than Melchizedek. This incident can help us to understand why Adam’s sin is construed to be the sin of all men and why the judgment upon Christ is counted as judgment for all. It is simply because at the time Adam sinned, all men were presently in his loins. Likewise, when Christ was judged, all who will be regenerated were present in Christ. His judgment is hence taken as their judgment, and all who have believed in Christ shall no longer be judged.Since humanity must be judged, the Son of God—even the man Jesus Christ—suffered in his spirit, soul and body on the cross for the sins of the world. 

Let us first consider his physical sufferings. Man sins through his body and there enjoys the temporary pleasure of sin. The body must accordingly be the recipient of punishment. Who can fathom the physical sufferings of the Lord Jesus on the cross? Are not Christ’s sufferings in the body clearly foretold in the Messianic writings? "They have pierced my hands and feet" (Ps. 22.16). The prophet Zechariah called attention to "him whom they have pierced" (12.10). His hands, His feet, His brow, His side, His heart were all pierced by men, pierced by sinful humanity and pierced for sinful humanity. Many were His wounds and high ran His fever for, with the weight of His whole body hanging unsupported on the cross, His blood could not circulate freely. He was extremely thirsty and therefore cried out, "My tongue cleaves to my jaws"—"for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink" (Ps. 22.15, 69.21). The hands must be nailed, for they love to sin. The mouth must suffer, for it loves to sin. The feet must be pierced, for they love to sin. The brow must be crowned with a thorny crown, for it too loves to sin. All that the human body needed to suffer was executed upon His body. Thus He suffered physically even to death. It was within His power to escape these sufferings, yet He willingly offered His body to endure immeasurable trials and pains, never for a moment shrinking back until He knew that "all was now finished" (John 19.28). Only then did He dismiss his spirit.

Not His body only, His soul as well, suffered. The soul is the organ of self-consciousness. Before being crucified, Christ was administered wine mingled with myrrh as a sedative to alleviate pain, but He refused it as He was not willing to lose His consciousness. Human souls have fully enjoyed the pleasure of sins; accordingly in His soul Jesus would endure the pain of sins. He would rather drink the cup given Him by God than the cup which numbed consciousness.

How shameful is the punishment of the cross! It was used to execute runaway slaves. A slave had neither property nor rights. His body belonged to his master; he could therefore be punished with the most shameful cross. The Lord Jesus took the place of a slave and was crucified. Isaiah called Him "the servant"; Paul said He took the form of a slave. Yes, as a slave He came to rescue us who are subject to the lifelong bondage of sin and Satan. We are slaves to passion, temper, habits and the world. We are sold to sin. Yet He died because of our slavery and bore our entire shame. 

 The Bible records that the soldiers took the garments of the Lord Jesus (John 19.23). He was nearly naked when crucified. This is one of the shames of the cross. Sin takes our radiant garment away and renders us naked. Our Lord was stripped bare before Pilate and again on Calvary. How would His holy soul react to such abuse? Would it not insult the holiness of His personality and cover Him with shamefulness? Who can enter into His feeling of that tragic moment? Because every man had enjoyed the apparent glory of sin, so the Savior must endure the real shame of sin. Truly "thou (God) hast covered him with shame . . . with which thy enemies taunt, O Lord, with which they mock the footsteps of thy anointed"; He nonetheless "endured the cross, despising the shame" (Ps. 89.45,51; Heb.12.2).

No one can ever ascertain how fully the soul of the Savior suffered on the cross. We often contemplate His physical suffering but overlook the feeling of His soul. A week before the Passover He was heard to mention: "Now is my soul troubled" (John 12.27). This points to the cross. While in the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus was again heard to say: "My soul is very sorrowful, even to death" (Matt. 26.38). Were it not for these words we would hardly think his soul had suffered. Isaiah 53 mentions thrice how His soul was made an offering for sin, how His soul travailed, and how He poured out His soul to death (vv.10-12). Because Jesus bore the curse and shame of the cross, whoever believes in Him shall no more be cursed and put to shame.

The Spiritual Man-Watchman Nee-Salvation(Part 1)

Salvation( Part 1) 

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Death entered the world through the fall of man. Reference here is to spiritual death which separates man from God. Through sin, it came in the beginning and so has it ever come since then. Death always comes through sin. Note what Romans 5.12 tells us about this matter. First, that sin came into the world through one man. Adam sinned and introduced sin into the world. Second, that death (came into the world) through sin. Death is sin s unchanging result. And lastly, that, therefore, death spread to all men because all men sinned. Not merely has death spread to or passed upon (Darby) all men, but literally to all men the death did pass through (Young's). Death has permeated the spirit, soul, and body of all men; there is no part of a human being into which it has not found its way. It is therefore imperative that man receive God s life. The way of salvation cannot be in human reform, for death is irreparable. Sin must be judged before there can be rescue out of death. Exactly this is what has been provided by the salvation of the Lord Jesus. 

The man who sins must die. This is announced in the Bible. No animal nor angel can suffer the penalty of sin in man's stead. It is man's triune nature which sins, therefore it is man who must die. Only humanity can atone for humanity. But because sin is in his humanity, man s own death cannot atone for his sin. The Lord Jesus came and took human nature upon himself in order that He might be judged instead of humanity. Untainted by sin, His holy human nature could therefore through death atone for sinful humanity. He died a substitute, suffered all penalty of sin, and offered his life a ransom for many. Consequently, whoever believes on Him shall be judged no more (John 5.24).

How To Succeed In The Christian Life (Spirituality 101) For New Converts

Charles Finney in his book "How To Succeed In The Christian Life" discusses the dynamics of success in the Christian life. He states "There are two classes of people who start out in the Christian life: those who make a complete or partial failure of it and those who make a complete success of it:" He shares the following seven steps of biblical paths to success as a Christian.

1. BEGIN RIGHT
Receive Christ, take Him as your Savior who died for you. It is in this first step that many make a mistake. They try to mix in their good works as a ground of salvation. They think if they are good God will forgive them because of Christ's death and their goodness.

2.CONFESS CHRIST OPENLY BEFORE MEN
The life of confession is the life of full salvation.(Matthew 10:32, Romans 10:10.)It is when we confess Christ before men that He confesses us before "My Father in Heaven" and that the fullness of His blessing comes.

3.STUDY THE WORD
The Word of God is the soul's food(spiritual food).It is the nourishment of the new life. (1 Peter 2:2)One who neglects the Word cannot make much of a success of the Christian life. All who get on in the Christian life are great feeders on the Word of God. Here many fail. Ask any backslider, "Have you fed on the Word daily?" I never have found one that could say that he had.

4.PRAY WITHOUT CEASING
The one who would succeed in the Christian life must lead a life of prayer.(1 Thess.5:17).The rule of David and Daniel, three times a day, is a good rule.

5.GO TO WORK FOR CHRIST
Those who use what they have will get more, and those who let what they have lie idle will lose even that.(Matt.25:29)

6.GIVE LARGELY
"The liberal soul shall be made fat"(Prov.11:25), He which soweth sparingly; shall reap also sparingly...(2 Corinth. 9:6,8.)

7.KEEP PUSHING ON
Forget that which lies behind; press onto the better things that lie before.(Phill.3:13,14)

How To Grow Spiritually As A Christian

Importance Of Spiritual Growth

As a Christian, you must strive to grow spiritually, by God's power alone(The Holy Spirit).Christianity minus spiritual growth equals to failure in life. Therefore when you don't pay attention to your spiritual growth you will not be able to attain God's plans and purposes and perfect will for your life. Spiritual growth is only made possible by the Holy Spirit and not by your strength, power or intellect.(1 Samuel 2:9, Zechariah 4:6).

If you desire to grow as a Christian know these things

1.Go to God in prayer which is the master key into God's will for your life.Without prayer, you will never be able to communicate with God.Take every opportunity to pray and commune with God. Charles Usher in his book, "The Prayer Life" states in page 2 the following precepts."The old nature is one of the greatest hindrances to prayer; and until it is brought to the place of death, it will continue to exercise a deadening influence.Prayer is the pulse of the Christian life. You can tell the state of your spiritual health by your prayer life-not by your knowledge of divine things, not even by the amount of Christian work you do; for while you may be very busily engaged in work, you may be very sick spiritually. Prayer is to the spiritual man what breathing is to the natural man.The spiritual man can no more exist without prayer than the natural man without breathing.It is through prayer that he takes in and gives out the life of God."

2.Read study and meditate on the Bible daily, and consistently. The Word of God is your spiritual food as a Christian without which you will be spiritually impoverished and subsequently lose your covenant birthright in God.(1 Peter 2:2)

3.Obey God at every given moment.He will talk to you through his Word and many other ways that you will learn about in your walk with Him.(Isaiah 1:19)

4.Witness for Christ in your Christian walk.(Matthew 4:19)Speak to others about the love of Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit, who alone has the power to convict people of sin.Your life, your speech, actions, and behavior must also witness to people about Christ.

5.Trust God for every detail of your life.Cast all your cares upon Him because He loves you and cares for you. (1 Peter 5:7).Look for the best of God and let God be God and let things work out through Him.

6."Holy Spirit Influence" should be allowed to influence your life and not the lusts of your flesh and the pride of life.When you walk in the power of the Holy Spirit at all times you will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.(Galatians 5:17-24)Walking with the Holy Spirit is not stupidity, but it is the divine wisdom that will always end up in paths of blessings and honor for you. On the contrary walking in the flesh will always be contrary to God. Dear friend, let the Holy Spirit back you up and be your guide, always.