In order for us as believers in Christ to live according to the principle of life, we need to follow the inner sense of life; we need to pray ourselves into the sense of life and walk under its guiding and controlling every moment.
At best, the people in the world walk by the principle of good and evil, choosing to do good and always rejecting evil; this is the highest standard of living of the unbelievers, which is the principle of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
As Christians, however, we cannot live in this way, even though it sounds good that we reject evil and do what is good; we have another life in us, the divine life, and we need to live according to the sense of life within us.
On one hand, we need to come to the Lord in His word and eat Him, partake of Him, breathe Him in, and drink Him, as we take His living word by means of all prayer and petition.
As we do this, the divine life in us grows and is being manifested. On the other hand, we should not behave according to any outward standard of right and wrong or good and evil; our Christian living should be according to the principle of life, that is, we need to follow the inner sense of life.
The Lord Jesus as a living person has come into us, and His life in us is always living, moving, working, and operating.
Even though we may not see it or feel it, the divine life in us is constantly working, operating, and seeking to grow and be manifested.
But if we don’t pay attention to it, life will wilt and stagnate in its growth.
The more we exercise our spirit to call on the name of the Lord, fellowship with Him, open to Him about all the things in our daily life, and pray over His word, taking His word by means of all prayer and petition, the more the divine life in us grows and expands in us.
The Lord lives in our spirit, for the Spirit witnesses with our spirit that we are children of God (Rom. 8:16).
From our spirit, He wants to spread into our mind, emotion, and will, and He wants to make His home in our heart.
How can He spread? He doesn’t force His way into our inner parts; He is a great God and also a great gentleman, not coercing us into doing things but waiting for our consent. He simply draws us with His beauty and constrains us with His love.
As we live our Christian life by turning to our spirit and learning to live by the spirit, the divine life in us grows and spreads from our spirit into all the inner parts of our being.
May we learn to live according to the spirit and follow the inner sense of life in our spirit in all the aspects and details of our daily life!
To Live according to the Principle of Life, we need to Follow the Inner Sense of Life
How can we live according to the principle of life as seen in the tree of life? For us to live according to the principle of life, we need to follow the inner sense of life.
This sense of life is something mysterious yet very real. It is an abstract, invisible, and mysterious sense of the divine life in our spirit; the sense of life is subjective, personal, and practical.
When we set our mind on our spirit, we sense life and peace (Rom. 8:6), but when the mind is set on the flesh, we sense death.
On the negative side, the sense of life is the feeling of death; when we have such a feeling of death, we need to follow the inner sense of life and turn to our spirit.
The sense of life, on the negative side, is the feeling of death, which includes a sense of uneasiness, dissatisfaction, emptiness, oldness, dryness, discord, restlessness, bondage, and anxiety.
![For the law of the Spirit of life has freed me in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and of death...And if the Spirit of the One who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who indwells you. Rom. 8:2, 11 For it is God who operates in you both the willing and the working for [His] good pleasure. Phil. 2:13](https://i0.wp.com/www.agodman.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/For-the-law-of-the-Spirit-of-life-has-freed-me-in-Christ-Jesus-from-the-law-of-sin-and-of-death-4-683x1024.jpg?resize=450%2C675&ssl=1 "For the law of the Spirit of life has freed me in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and of death...And if the Spirit of the One who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who indwells you. Rom. 8:2, 11 For it is God who operates in you both the willing and the working for [His] good pleasure. Phil. 2:13")
When we have such an inner sense, we need to realize that this is the negative aspect of the sense of life and therefore we should turn to our spirit to enjoy life!
The people in the world are anxious about what they eat and drink, but we should not be anxious but rather, trust in the Lord, for He knows what we need.
The anxiety for the daily necessities is something of the sense of death – whenever we feel anxious, we need to cast all our cares upon the Lord and turn to Him so that He may bear our burdens and we would enjoy more of His life.
Anxiety is an indication of death; when we sense anxiety, we need to be warned that this leads to death, and we should simply turn to our spirit, where the Lord as life is.
It’s not about making sure that we are secure for the future and thus calm our anxiety; it’s a matter of turning to our spirit, where the tree of life is.
On the positive side, the sense of life is the feeling of life and peace, with a consciousness of strength, satisfaction, rest, brightness, and comfort (Isa. 40:31). Amen!
Whenever we sense that we are weak, empty, uneasy, restless, depressed, dried up, darkened, and in pain within, we need to follow the inner sense of life and simply turn to our spirit, where the tree of life is.
The negative function of the sense of life works as a warning to keep us turning and receiving life.
The positive side of the sense of life gives us a consciousness of many positive things such as strength, satisfaction, peace, rest, release, liveliness, watering, brightness, and comfort.
Instead of being weak, we are strong, and instead of being empty, we are filled and satisfied. Instead of feeling uneasy and restless, we have peace and rest.
Instead of feeling depressed, we have release and liveliness. Amen!
When we have such feelings within, we need to realize that this is the working of the sense of life, and we need to follow the inner sense of life.
When we live in our natural life, we have the sense of death; when we have such a sense, this should warn us and cause us to turn to our spirit.
By default, we have lived so much in our natural life that many times we are “past feeling”; however, the more we turn to the Lord in our spirit, the keener the sense of life will be.
The sense of life within causes us to have the feeling of death or the feeling of life, depending on whether we live in spirit or in the natural man.
The sense of life guides us and governs us, and this sense controls and directs us.
Our Christian life should be according to the principle of life, and we can live in such a way as we follow the inner sense of life in our spirit.
May we not focus merely on teachings about doing this or that, and may we not pay attention merely to morality and good behaviour.
Rather, may we care for the inner sense of life in our spirit and may we learn to live in spirit so that this sense of life would be keener.
As those seeking after Christ as our life, we must take care of the inner sense of life.
Whenever we don’t have the positive sensations of strength, satisfaction, rest and peace, we need to realize that we’re not living in the divine life, and so we should turn!
This is not just a doctrine or an outward practice; this is a daily living, a living according to the inner sense of life.
Whenever we don’t have the positive sense of being watered, lively, comforted, and released inwardly, we should call on the name of the Lord and turn to our spirit, for the tree of life is in our spirit.
Lord Jesus, we want to live according to the principle of life today. We want to follow the inner sense of life by turning to our spirit again and again. May we heed the warning from the sense of life whenever we live in the natural life, and may we turn to our spirit, where the tree of life is! Amen, Lord, we turn to You again and again. Keep us turning to You as we feel the sense of death with its sensations of uneasiness, emptiness, discord, restlessness, and anxiety. Oh Lord, our spirit! We set our mind on our spirit! We want to take care of the sense of life and enjoy satisfaction, rest, peace, release, liveliness, watering, brightness, and comfort! Amen, Lord, keep us in our spirit today!
Praying Ourselves into the Sense of Life and Living According to the Spirit, Following the Sense of Life
The source of the sense of life in our spirit is not our mind with its thoughts or our emotion with its feelings; it is the divine life (Eph. 4:18-19), the law of life (Rom. 8:2), the Holy Spirit (v. 11; 1 John 2:27), Christ abiding in us (John 15:4-5), and God operating in us (Phil. 2:13).
The source of the sense of life is the divine life; this sense is of the divine life in our spirit, and the more we grow in life, the keener is this sense.
The sense of life has its source in the law of life, which is the highest law of the highest life; this law works out all the things of this life, and it conforms us to the image of Christ.
The source of the sense of life is the Holy Spirit witnessing with our spirit, groaning in us to intercede for us with prayers which cannot be uttered, and operating in us constantly.
![But a soulish man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him and he is not able to know [them] because they are discerned spiritually. But the spiritual man discerns all things, but he himself is discerned by no one. 1 Cor. 2:14-15](https://i0.wp.com/www.agodman.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/But-a-soulish-man-does-not-receive-the-things-of-the-Spirit-of-God-for-they-are-foolishness-to-him-2-683x1024.jpg?resize=450%2C675&ssl=1 "But a soulish man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him and he is not able to know [them] because they are discerned spiritually. But the spiritual man discerns all things, but he himself is discerned by no one. 1 Cor. 2:14-15")
The Christ who abides in us is the source of the sense of life, and so is God operating in us all things according to His good pleasure.
The function of the sense of life is to make us know whether we’re living in the natural life or in the divine life and whether we are living in the flesh or in the Spirit (1 Cor. 2:14-15; Rom. 8:8-9; Gal. 5:16-17).
The sense of life operates in us to make us aware of where we are – whether we’re living in the natural life or by the divine life.
Sometimes we are just naturally good, kind, and gentle; at such times, the inner sense of life gives us a feeling of death and uneasiness.
We need to follow the inner sense of life with its sensations and simply turn to our spirit, setting our mind on our spirit.
The sense of life should govern us, control us, and direct our path.
This is something that has been lost in Christianity today; most Christians live according to the principle of right and wrong, good and evil, but not many live according to the principle of life by taking heed to the sense of life.
The Lord is recovering us today to His original intention, to the divine revelation in God’s word; He is primarily recovering the matter of life and the sense of life.
The Lord’s recovery is a recovery of life; the ministry of the age is to impart life into us and to help us know God in the way of life, experience Him as life, and live by the divine life.
We need to care for the sense of life, experience life, and know life; we need to have a drastic change in our concept from merely living according to knowledge to living by the sense of life.
Our growth in the divine life depends on how we deal with the inner sense of life (Eph. 4:15; Col. 2:19; 1 Cor. 3:6-7).
We need to grow up into Christ, the Head, in all things; in small things and big things, we need to grow up into Him.
The sense of life is what directs us and guides us, and the more we follow the inner sense of life, the more we are clear concerning things, and we can be one with the Lord in our daily living.
May we be those who pray ourselves into the sense of life and live under its controlling, guiding, and directing element day by day (Rom. 8:6; 1 John 2:27).
The way to live by the sense of life is not by thinking about it or choosing the right thing; it is by many short and living prayers to open to the Lord and contact Him.
In the morning, in our time with Him, we need to open up to Him and pray, and throughout the day, whenever we have some time, we should pray short and living prayers to breathe Him in and contact Him.
Again and again, as we pray and open to Him, the sense of life becomes more acute, and we will have the feeling of life or death in us.
The more we walk according to the spirit and follow the inner sense of life, the more we will live according to the principle of life (Rom. 8:4, 6).
The sense of life leads us to walk according to the spirit, and as we walk according to the spirit, we live according to the principle of life.
May we open to the Lord concerning this and ask Him to fully transfer us out of knowledge into life, out of just living by a standard of right and wrong to the principle of life.
And may we have many short prayers with Him, telling Him with all our heart,
Lord Jesus, guide us into the sense of life. We don’t want to cast off all feelings and live like an unbeliever in the church life. We want to care for the sense of life in our spirit. We love You, Lord. We open to You. Grow in us today. Direct us and guide us by the inner sense of life. Rekindle our love for You. Grant us the inner feeling of whether we are in life or in death. Amen, Lord, we don’t want to live by our natural life: we turn to you right now! Recover us to enjoy You as life, partake of You as life, and experience You as life. We open to Your inner operation. We say Amen to the sense of life within. Amen, Lord, we love You!
References and Hymns on this Topic
- Sources of inspiration: the Word of God, my enjoyment in the ministry, a sharing by the brothers in the message, and portions from, Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1979, vol. 1, “Basic Lessons on Life,” lsn. 11, as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Taking the Way of Enjoying Christ as the Tree of Life (2022 Memorial Day Weekend Conference), week 2, entitled, The Two Trees and the Two Principles of Living.
- Further reading on this topic:
– Lesson on, The Sense of life – the feeling of death, the feeling of life and peace, and the function of the sense of life. Read the lesson here.
– A portion on, The Sense of life, via, Basic Principles of the Experience of Life, Chapter 4, by Witness Lee.
– Following the sense of life, a portion from, The Path of Our Growth in Life, Chapter 1, by Witness Lee.
– The inner sense being related to life, a portion from, Practical Lessons on the Experience of Life, Chapter 5, by Witness Lee. - Hymns on this topic:
– There is a certain sense of life / With life of every kind; / And in th’ eternal life in us / It is a sense divine. / The higher any life may be, / The better is its sense; / The life divine the highest is / And has the highest sense. (Hymns #738)
– Th’ anointing’s here! It teaches us in everything; / The sense of life we always have within. / Obey this sense, and you will know what you must do, / And live by Life—Yes, clear in everything. (Hymns #1118)
– This living law is moving now / In all of our experience, / To regulate us from within / And check us by our inner sense. / How deep its regulation is / Within the inmost part of us, / A living consciousness to give, / And God Himself impart to us. (Hymns #736)
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If we are living in the natural life, the sense is of death and is entirely on the negative side… If we are living in the divine life, the sense is of life and is entirely on the positive side. Then we have the feeling of life and peace with all of its positive points. The sense of life makes us know whether we are living in the natural life or in the divine life. The sense of life guides us, governs us, controls us, and directs us. This truth has been altogether lost in today’s Christianity. Most of the teachings of today’s Christianity are focused on morality and good behavior. They do not care for this inner sense of life functioning to make us know whether we are living in the natural life or in the divine life. Since we are seeking after Christ as our life, we must take care of this sense of life. If we do not have the positive sensations of strength, satisfaction, peace, rest, release, liveliness, watering, brightness, comfort, etc., we must realize that we are not living in the divine life; it must be that we are living in the natural life. Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1979, vol. 1, “Basic Lessons on Life,” p. 546
We need to pray ourselves into the sense of life and live under its controlling, guiding, and directing element day by day.
The inner sense of life gives us a feeling of whether we live in the natural life or the divine life; when we have the sense of death, we should simply TURN to our spirit!
We do not live according to morality & good behaviour. We have the sense of life, the strongest & highest life in the universe.
The mind set on the spirit brings strength, satisfaction, peace, rest, release, liveliness, watering, brightness & comfort. If we feel weak, depressed, in inner pain, etc, we know that we are in death.
We must treasure the sense of life and pray ourselves into life.
This is the only way we can rule over sin & death, and doing “good” without the presence of the Lord.
The word in Romans 8:6 indicates that the sense of life involves a sensation, a feeling. If what we do is according to our natural man or our flesh then the feelings of weakness, emptiness, dryness, restlessness, darkness indicate death.
However, if with us there is strength, satisfaction, watering, brightness and comfort then when have the sense of life and peace because our mind is set on the spirit.
Amen brother. For the mind set on the spirit is life and peace! Been very busy this week at work …but enjoying the lord in my inner man … knowing there’s this sense of life always living …
amen Brother , we Christians have the highest life , the divine life with the strongest and highest, strongest and keenest feeling, this life will give us the sense of life which is satisfaction, peace ,watering and joy and also gives sus the sense of death which gives unsatisfaction unrest ,dryness and the key is what we set our mind on, if we set our mind to the natural life we will sense death but if we set our mind on the Spirit we will sense life and peace may be those who set our mind on the Spirit
Aaaaameeen! O Lord, the sense of life!
Oh a life has its feeling and the divine life is the strongest and the highest life, so it has the strongest keenest feeling!
Amen brother, the sense of life makes us know whether we are living in the natural life or in the divine life.
Amen Lord, guide us into the sense of life!
Ameenn.
Praise and thank the Lord for the sense of His life in us. His life in us has the richest, strongest, and keenest feeling. Such a feeling guides, leads, governs, and controls us. It causes us to know where we are – either on the line of life or on the line of the knowledge of good and evil; whether we are in life or in death; whether we are living by the natural life or by the divine life.
May we know and realise our spirit and care for there sense of life. Amen.
AMEN
“In our response to the Lord’s charge, we all should be occupied by the Lord Jesus in the work of preaching the gospel, feeding the new believers, and taking care of others for the building up of the Lord’s house, the church as the Body of Christ…” (John 21:15-17).