We have seen that we need to cooperate with the Lord to deal with our spirit, that is, to deal with the passages of our spirit. Also, we have seen that, according to the Bible, we need to be poor in spirit and pure in heart, and we need to have a steadfast spirit, a willing spirit, and a repenting spirit.
The Bible speaks a lot concerning what kind of a spirit we should have. In several places we see that the Bible speaks of a meek spirit (1 Pet. 3:4) and a broken spirit (Isa. 57:15).
We need to have a meek and quiet spirit, and we need to have a broken spirit – a contrite spirit, a humble spirit, an inner being who is not whole but broken and dealt with by the Lord.
We need to have such a spirit so that God would dwell with us. The greatest blessing for our Christian life is to have God’s presence and His smile. God loves to dwell with those who have a broken and contrite spirit, and He is looking for such a people into whom He can enter.
The purpose of dealing with the spirit and with the passages of the spirit is so that God may dwell with us, be with us, and enter into us to be our everything.
The goal of dealing with the spirit is simply so that we may become the house of God, His dwelling place, His expression on earth, the corporate Emmanuel – God with us!
Having a Meek and Quiet Spirit
In Gal. 6:1 Paul tells us that we need to restore a fallen brother in a spirit of meekness. In 1 Pet. 3:4 we see that the hidden man of the heart is a meek and quiet spirit – and this can be applied not only to the sisters but also to the brothers. In 1 Cor. 4:21 Paul asked the Corinthian believers whether he should come to them with a rod or with a spirit of meekness.
Also, in Matt. 5:5 the Lord Jesus says, Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. What does it mean to be meek? Moses was called “the meekest person on the earth” because he never fought for his own right but withstood opposition willingly.
To be meek means not to resist the world’s opposition, even though you may correct in “fighting for your rights”. In the world we are taught to fight, strive, struggle, defeat others, and be on top so that we may gain possessions and positions. When someone is not meek, he always tries to get something, he wants to be on top, and he always puts others down.
But the Lord promises the earth to those who are meek. We shouldn’t fight for ourselves, but rather suffer the opposition willingly. Let the Lord come in and reward to each one in His own time and in His own way.
Also, we need to have a quiet spirit – we are too noisy, we have a lot of things to say, we have so many opinions and feelings about this or that situation, and we express a lot of things. We need to have a calm spirit, and we will then be pure.
Lord, we want to be those who are meek and have a quiet spirit. Purify our intentions, our feelings, our emotions, and even our desire to fight back. Make us those who don’t fight for their right but rather wait on You and are meek. Lord, make us meek even as You are meek. We want to have a meek and quiet spirit so that we may inherit the earth and be pure.
Having a Contrite and Lowly Spirit
In two distinct verses in Isaiah we see that God desires to dwell with a particular kind of man – those who have a contrite and lowly spirit.
God is exalted, He inhabits eternity, His name is Holy, and He dwells in the high and holy place. Yet He also dwells with the contrite and lowly of spirit, so that He may revive the spirit of the lowly and revive the heart of the contrite (Isa. 57:15).
The place of God’s rest, the house He delights to live in, is a man who is poor and of a contrite spirit, who trembles at His word (Isa. 66:1-2). The almighty God who created the heavens and the earth, and He reigns in the whole universe forever and ever – this One is pleased to dwell with the man who has a lowly spirit and a contrite heart.
If we are willing and diligent to deal with the passages of our spirit, we will become lowly in spirit and we will have a contrite heart.
We will be afraid to offend God, and we will walk in a proper fear of God. We will check with Him all the time about everything, and He will be pleased to dwell with us and be in us.
Lord Jesus, save us from being whole, complete, or proud. May we be willing to repent, willing to confess, willing to deal with anything that would cause us to lose Your presence. Lord, we treasure Your presence and Your indwelling. Give us a contrite spirit which is humble and broken, and a repenting spirit. Lord, we want to be Your dwelling place, Your habitation, the place of Your rest.
The Goal: the Mutual Dwelling Place of God and Man
The goal of all our dealings with the passages of the spirit is so that God would dwell with us and be in us. God’s desire is to have a dwelling place – a group of people into whom He can enter and dwell.
He wants to mingle Himself with man and build Himself into man so that God and man, man and God, can be a mutual abode to each other (see John 14:2, 20, 23; 15:4; 1 John 4:13). This is what we are created for, and this is what we as human beings live for – to be one with God, dwell in and with God, and have God dwell in us and with us.
But for this to take place, we need to deal with all kinds of impurities and defilement in our being. We need to deal with the passages of our spirit so that God would be pleased to dwell with us.
In the Old Testament we see how much God desired to dwell with His people Israel, and in the New Testament we see and we are the church, God’s house, His habitation, His dwelling place in spirit (Eph. 2:22; 1 Tim. 3:15).
Eventually, we will become the New Jerusalem, the enlargement and the consummation of the mutual dwelling place of God and man for eternity. In the New Jerusalem we will take God as our dwelling place, and God will dwell in and with man for eternity (see Rev. 21:3, 22). Praise the Lord!
Lord Jesus, we want to be those dealing with the passages of the spirit so that You may be pleased to dwell with us. Gain Your dwelling place, Your habitation, with and in us. Lord Jesus, in so many saints all over the earth, gain a proper spirit in which You can dwell! Gain Your habitation, Your dwelling place! Mingle Yourself more with us, and make us Your house.
References and Further Reading
- This sharing is inspired from brother James Lee’s speaking in this message and portions in, Basic Lessons on Life (lsn. 19), as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, ITERO spring 2013 “The Experience, Growth, and Ministry of Life for the Body“, week 4 entitled, Growing in Life by Dealing with the Spirit.
- Buy this morning revival book online via Living Stream Ministry.
- Further reading:
# Isa. 66:1, footnote 1 (Recovery Version);
# Eph. 2:22 note 4; 1 Tim. 3:15 note 2; Heb. 3:6 and note; Rev. 21:3, 22 and footnotes. - Hymns on this topic:
# I beseech you brothers as a pris’ner in the Lord, / To walk worthily of your calling, / The calling with which you were called, / With all lowliness and meekness, / With long-suffering, / Bearing one another in love, / Being diligent to keep the oneness of the Spirit / In the uniting bond of peace.
# O Hope of every contrite heart, / O Joy of all the meek, / To those who fall, how kind Thou art! / How good to those who seek!
# God with man completely blended, / Mystery of godliness. / God in glory, full, resplendent, / Man, His dwelling, doth express. / ’Tis a vessel universal / All God’s fulness to express; / All His beauty manifesting, / Mingled with His holiness. - Pictures source: instagrams by me here and here.
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