Volume2oftheSpirit,Soul,andBodySeries

ByKennethE.Hagin

Contents

1HowToDevelopYourSpiritNature

2MeditateintheWordofGod

3PracticetheWordofGod

4GiveFirstPlacetotheWordofGod

5ObeytheVoiceofYourSpirit

TheSpirit,Soul,andBodySeries:

Volume1—ManonThreeDimensions

Volume2—TheHumanSpirit

Chapter1

HowToDevelopYourSpiritNature

Science has spent millions of dollars to develop the physicalbody of man. Additional millions have been spent developingman's intellectual processes,whichare apart of his soul.Butweknowso littleandhavedoneso littleaboutdevelopingthespiritofman.

However,man'sspiritcanbeeducatedandimprovedjustashismindcanbeeducatedandimproved.Thespiritcanbetrainedandbuiltupjustasthebodycanbebuiltup.How?ThroughthestudyofGod'sWord.

Wecannotunderstandspiritual thingswithournaturalminds.Ourmindsmustbechanged—renewedbyGod'spower—forustofullyunderstandtheWordofGod.

TheApostlePaulsaid,"Butthenaturalmanreceivethnot[doesnot understand] the things of the Spirit of God: for they arefoolishnessuntohim:neithercanheknowthem,because theyarespirituallydiscerned[understood]"(1Cor.2:14).

TheWord ofGodwas given by the Spirit of God, because "...holymenofGodspakeastheyweremovedbytheHolyGhost"(2Peter1:21).ThisiswhythenaturalmindcannotunderstandGod'sWord.TheBible canonlybeunderstoodwith theheart.Wemustgettherevelationofitinourspirit.

OnceamanisbornagainandbecomesachildofGod,hecanunderstand the Bible and can learn spiritual things. As Paulsaid,hehasbecomeanewcreatureinChristJesus:"Thereforeif anyman be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things arepassedaway;behold,allthingsarebecomenew"(2Cor.5:17).

Thisprocessoftrainingthespirit—ofbuildingitupinspiritualthings—isadailytask:"...thoughouroutwardmanperish,yettheinwardmanisreneweddaybyday"(2Cor.4:16).

Inourpreviousvolumeonthissubject,weestablishedtheTheHumanSpirit

factthatthe"inwardman"istherealman,therealyou.Whenthe body dies, the inward man still lives. Paul, writing to thePhilippians, said, "For to me to live is Christ, and to die isgain"(Phil.1:21).

Thisdoesawaywiththetheorythatwhenamanisdeadthatistheendofhim;heisdeadjustasadogisdead.Therecertainlywouldn'tbeanygaintodyingifmanperishesanddeathistheendofeverything.

It doesawaywith the theoryof "soul sleep,"whichholds thatwhenapersondieshejustfloatsaroundlikeacloudinthesky.Therewouldbenogaininthat.

It also does away with the theory of reincarnation, whichteaches that after death a person can be born again into theworldasacow,afly,ahorse,acat,etc.Thiscouldnotbetrue,becausetherewouldbenogain incomingbackassomelowerformof animal life.Weneed to staywithGod'sWord andnotgetoffintofoolishtheories.

WhydidPaulsaythattodieisgain?Itsurelyisnogaintothoseofuswhohavelostlovedones,butitisgainforthem.Paulwentontosay,"For Iam inastraitbetwixt two,havingadesire todepart,andtobewithChrist;whichisfarbetter:Neverthelesstoabideinthefleshismoreneedfulforyou"(Phil.1:23,24).Thereason Paul said it was gain to diewas because hewould bewithChrist!

Some people think that eternal life is the life they will havewhentheygettoheaven.Eternallife,however,issomethingwehaverightnow!EternallifeisthelifeofGod.ItistheGod-kindoflife.

EternallifeisthenatureofGod,whichcomesintoourspirittorecreateusandmakeusanewcreature;tochangeournature.

Thenwehavewithinus thenatureofGod,which is love: "Bythisshallallmenknowthatyearemydisciples,ifyehavelove

onetoanother"(John13:35).

When we have been born again and have the nature ofGodabidingwithinus,wecandevelopourspirittohigherlevelsofworshipandservicetoGod.

Before going further, let us review what we learned in thepreviousvolumeonthesubjectofthethreefoldnatureofman,whichisspirit,soul,andbody.

Briefly,man'sthreefoldnatureisthis:(1)spirit—thepartofmanwhichdealswiththespiritualrealm;(2)soul—thepartofmanwhich deals with the mental realm: his reasoning andintellectualpowers;(3)body—thepartofmanwhichdealswiththephysicalrealm.

First, it is necessary to differentiate between the three. Paulmade a distinction between them in First Thessalonians 5:23:"...

I pray God your whole SPIRIT and SOUL and BODY bepreservedblamelessuntothecomingofourLordJesusChrist."

Some have mistakenly thought that man's spirit and soul arethesamething.However,theBiblesays,"ForthewordofGodisquick,andpowerful,andsharperthananytwoedgedsword,piercingeventothedividingasunderofSOULandSPIRIT...."

(Heb.4:12). If thespiritand thesoulwereoneand thesame,theycouldnotbedivided.

Manyfinditdifficulttodifferentiatebetweenthespiritandthesoul.Itiseasiertodifferentiatebetweenthebodyandtheothertwo dimensions of man than it is to distinguish between thespirit and the soul. The only authority you can go to tounderstand the difference is the Word of God; primarily theNew Testament. The Old Testament was translated from theHebrew,andonewordhasbeentranslatedas twelvedifferentthings,including:spirit,wind,whirlwind,blast,mildew,breath,etc.

Ioncepickedupabookdistributedbyoneofthefalsecults.

Onthecoveritsaidthatwhenamanisdead,heisdeadlikeadog. As I read through the book, I found their argumentwasthat the Old Testament speaks of the soul of animals, yetChristianityspeaksofasoulthatwillliveforever.

Bothstatementsarecorrect,buttheyrequireanexplanation.

ItistruethatintheoriginalHebrewtheBibledoesspeakofthesouls of animals. Animals do have souls, because they have

limitedreasoningfaculties,andthesefacultiesareofthesoul.

Animalsalsodisplayaffection,andthis,too,ispartofthesoul.

WhenthespiritofananimalismentionedintheOldTestament,as in Ecclesiastes 3:21, the breath of an animal is meant.Animalsarenotspirits;theyaremerelysoulandbody.

Whenanimalsdie,thatistheend.

Man, however, is a spirit. He has a threefold nature: He is aspirit;hepossessesasoul;andhelivesinabody.Deathisnottheendforman,becauseheisaneternalspirit.

Thebookfromthefalsecultalsoclaimedthatthespiritandthebreathofmanarethesamething.Ifthisweretrue,whenPaulsaid,"ForGod ismywitness,whomIservewithmyspirit. ..."(Rom.1:9),hewassaying,"IserveGodwithmybreath."

Andwhenhesaid,"...ifIprayinanunknowntongue,myspiritprayeth"(1Cor.14:14),hewassaying,"Ipraywithmybreath."Thisdoesn'tmakemuchsense,doesit?

AgainPaul said, "But ye are comeuntomountSion, anduntothecityofthelivingGod...toGodtheJudgeofall,andto thespirits of just men made perfect" (Heb. 12:22,23). If"spirit"means"breath," thenwhatPaulactuallysaidwas,"Wearecomeuntothebreathofjustmenmadeperfect."

Thiswouldmean that Jesusdied tomakeourbreathsperfect!This sounds ridiculous, but ifweassume the twowordsmeanthe same thing, this is the logical pattern we would have tofollow.

Sometimes we hear a preacher announce that "souls" weresaved.However, it isnot thesoul ofman that is savedat thatmoment;itisthespiritofmanthatisbornagain.

Jamesdiscussesthesoulinhisepistle,whichwasnotwrittentosinners,buttobelievers.OverandoveragainJamessays,"Mybelovedbrethren...."

JAMES1:21-25

21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity ofnaughtiness, and receive with meekness the engraftedword,which isable tosaveyoursouls. [Did Jamesmeantosay"whichisabletosaveyourspirits"?No,hemeantjustwhathesaid.]

22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only,deceivingyourownselves.

23Forifanybeaheareroftheword,andnotadoer,heislikeuntoamanbeholdinghisnaturalfaceinaglass:

24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, andstraightwayforgettethwhatmannerofmanhewas.

25Butwhosolookethintotheperfectlawofliberty,andcontinueththerein,hebeingnotaforgetfulhearer,butadoerofthework,thismanshallbeblessedinhisdeed.

Jameswastellingbelieversiftheywanttogettheirsoul(mind)saved,theymustbeadoeroftheWord,notjustaheareronly.

Paul, alsowriting to believers, said, "I beseech you therefore,brethren,bythemerciesofGod,thatyepresentyourbodiesaliving sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is yourreasonableservice.Andbenotconformedtothisworld:butbeyetransformedbytheRENEWINGofyourMIND,thatyemayprove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will ofGod"(Rom.12:1,2).

PaulwassayingwhatJamessaid.Paulsaidtobe"transformedbytherenewingofyourmind,"andJamessaidto"receivewithmeeknesstheengraftedword,whichisabletosaveyoursouls."Both apostles were talking about renewing, restoring, andsavingthemind,orsoul.

Wealsoseethisinthe23rdPsalm:"Herestorethmysoul"(v.3).Thisdoesn'tsay,"Herestoresmyspirit."

Whensomethingisrestored,wetakewhatisalreadythereandredoit.TheHebrewwordtranslated"restore"meansidenticallythesamethingastheGreekwordfor"renew."Todayweusethewords "restore"and"renew" interchangeably.Forexample,anoldpieceoffurniturecanberenewedorrestored.Itissavedbyrenewingorrestoringit.

This iswhatJameswassaying:AsbelieverswhohavebecomenewcreaturesinChristJesus,wearespirituallysaved,andwehavereceivedeternallife.WeshouldthenreceivetheengraftedWord, which will renew, restore, and save our mind, or soul.Thisissomethingbelieversmustdoforthemselves.

How?ThroughtheWord.

Whyisitsoessentialthatthemindberenewed?

EvenifyourspiritisbornagainandhastheHolySpiritabidingwithin, if yourmind isn't renewed (or as James said, the soulsaved)withtheWord,thenthemind(whichhasbeeneducatedthroughthebodyandthephysicalsenses)willsideinwiththebodyagainstyourspirittokeepyouababyChristian.

ImmatureChristiansarecarnal,orbody-ruled,Christians.

PaultoldtheCorinthians,"Foryeareyetcarnal..."(1Cor.3:3).

One translation of this verse reads, "You are body-ruled." Inotherwords,theirbodies,throughtheirunrenewedminds,wereruling their spirits— even though they were new creatures inChrist.Theyneverhaddevelopedspiritually.

ManyChristians live anddie as spiritual babies.The faith lifealwaysisobscuretothem.Theyneverunderstandfaith.Yetwecannot fully live the Christian life unless we walk by faith,becausetheBiblesaysthatwearetowalkbyfaith,notbysight.

Those who are living in the flesh are living in unbelief, andalwaysareengagedinwarfare.Life isabattleforthem.TheirmindsneverhavebeenrenewedwiththeWordofGod,andtheydon't know that Jesus already has won the battle. They don'tknow the devil is a defeated foe. They still are trying to fighthim in their own power, and some have fought until they aretotallyexhaustedanddepleted.

ButwhenthemindhasbeenrenewedwiththeWordofGod,thespiritthroughtherenewedmindcancontrolthebody.Thesoul(mind)willthentakesideswiththespirit,becauseitknowstheWord. It is renewed with the Word. It will allow the spirit todominate.ThenGod'sSpiritwilldominatethroughman'sspirit.

Chapter2

MeditateintheWordofGod

Aswestatedinthepreviouschapter,itispossibletotrainandeducate the human spirit, just as it is possible to train andeducatethehumanmind,orsoul.

In seminars I have conducted across North America on thesubject "Man on Three Dimensions," I have used a four-partformulatohelpbelieversdeveloptheirspiritlives.

Anyformulawemightusemust,firstofall,bebasedonGod'sWord.Jesussaid,"...Manshallnot livebybreadalone,butbyevery word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" (Matt.4:4).God'sWordis"spiritfood."Itwillbuildupourspirits.

GodisaSpirit.Man,whoismadeinthelikenessandimageofGod,alsoisaspiritcreature.HeisinthesameclassofbeingasGod.Notice,Ididnotsaymanisdivine.Heis,however,abletocommunewithGodbecauseheisaspiritbeing.Manisaspiritwhopossessesasoulandlivesinabody.

At the creation of man, God placed within him a yearning—a

hearthunger—forfellowshipwithHim.ButwhenAdamsinnedintheGardenofEden,hefell,andhisspiritbecameestrangedfromGod.

However, because of this yearning and heart hunger forfellowshipwithhisCreator,man'sspiritneverissatisfiedapartfromGod. This iswhat drives him out into theworld seekingpleasureandmaterialthings:Heistryingtofindsatisfactionforthehearthungerinsidehim.

This hunger has drivenmany, in ignorance, to false cults andhas given birth to many of the religions of the world. But itcannotbe satisfieduntilwebecomeacquaintedwith theLordJesus Christ and receive eternal life. When we become bornagain, we become a child of God and we are restored tofellowshipwithHim.

ThespiritisthepartofmanwhichcontactsGod.

IntheNewBirth,thespiritofmanismadeanewcreature,asweseeinSecondCorinthians5:17,"ThereforeifanymanbeinChrist,heisanewcreature...."Onemoderntranslationofthisversereads,"ThereforeifanymanbeinChrist,thereisanewself."Wearenotthesameoldselfweusedtobe;thereisanewself.

ThisnewmanwehavebecomeinChristJesusshoulddominateour thinking processes and our body. Yet many who are bornagain and even are filled with the Holy Spirit still are babyChristianswhohavenotdevelopedspiritually.

TheCorinthianchurchwaslikethis.TheyhadreceivedtheHolySpirit, and thegiftsof theSpiritwereoperatingamong them.Paul said, "... ye come behind in no gift" (1 Cor. 1:7), yet hereprovedthemforbeingbabyChristians.

Some believe that because certain people operate in spiritualgiftstheyarematureChristians.However,babyChristiansalsocan have spiritual gifts operating in their lives. I have heardmiraculous things come out of the mouths of spiritual babes.But operating spiritual gifts doesn't by itself develop matureChristians; all still must train their human spirit in order togrowupspiritually.*

*Formore teachingon this vital subject, seeRev.KennethE.Hagin'sbookGrowingUp,Spiritually.

Furthermore,thefactthatthesegiftssometimesaremanifestedthroughimmatureChristiansdoesn'tmeanthatthegiftsarenotgenuine. If God had to wait until we were perfect before Hecoulduseus,Henevercoulduseanyofus!(Infact,Hecouldn'thaveusedtheapostles,either,fortheyweren'tperfect.)

Believers are baby Christians as long as their salvationexperienceand their experienceofbeingbaptized in theHolySpirithavenotyetaffectedtheirbodiesandtheirminds.

As we mentioned earlier, the Bible tells us that we ourselvesmust do something with our bodies and our minds: ". ..PRESENTYOURBODIESALIVINGSACRIFICE,holy,Meditatein the Word of God acceptable unto God, which is yourreasonableservice.Andbenotconformedtothisworld:butBEYETRANSFORMEDBYTHERENEWINGOFYOURMIND,thatyemay provewhat is that good, and acceptable, and perfect,willofGod"(Rom.12:1,2).

Whenwe are born ofGod and have the life ofGod in us, theHolySpiritcomesintofillusandtohelpus.HeisourHelper.

HewillhelpuspresentourbodiestoGodasalivingsacrifice.

TheWordofGodwasgiventousbytheHolySpirittodevelopour spirit nature—the new man on the inside. If we want toeducate and train our spirit, the first step in our four-partformulais:MeditateintheWordofGod.

Tomakeclearwhatwemeanby"meditate," letus look in thebook of Joshua. When God appointed Joshua to beMoses' successor and lead the children of Israel, He toldJoshua:"Thisbookofthelawshallnotdepartoutofthymouth;but THOU SHALT MEDITATE THEREIN day and night, thatthou mayest observe to do according to all that is writtentherein:forthenthoushaltmakethywayprosperous,andthenthoushalthavegoodsuccess"(Josh.1:8).

Doyouwanttobeprosperous?Godtellsushowinthisverse.He says if His Word fills our hearts to the extent thatwe"meditatethereindayandnight,"wewillfindprosperity.Itgoes without saying that a man filled with God's Word willprosper spiritually. But the point I want to emphasize here isGod'spromiseofphysicalaswellasspiritualprosperity.

Often we pray, "God prosper us." But praying this prayerwithout following God's formula won't work. God's formula isthroughHisWord.

God promised success in this life. Another translation of thisversereads,"...Forthenyoushallbeabletodealwiselyintheaffairsofthislife."

Most of us have made some mistakes in our lives. We haveerred in business matters, perhaps losing money, or wehave spent beyond ourmeans.We haven't dealt wisely in theaffairsofthislife.

However, if we follow God's plan—His instructions for asuccessful life—we needn'tmake thesemistakes.We can dealwisely in the affairs of life. We can become successful andprosperous.Ifwedon't,wehavenoonetoblamebutourselves,forGodhasprovidedthewaywherebywecansucceed.

Goddoesit,butwehaveourparttoplay.Toooftenwethinkwecan ignore God's Word and accomplish the job simply bypraying. We think if we can pray loudly enough and longenough, and get enough people praying, it will work. But itwon't.

Prayer has its place—and I certainly would be the last todisparagetheimportanceofprayer—butifwearenotgoingtodowhatGod'sWordsaystodo,wecanprayforeverforGodtoprosperus,andwecanpersuadeallthepreachersweknowtopray forus,butwhentheyallget throughpraying,wewillbenobetteroffthanwewerewhenwestarted.

Forexample,ifsomeoneweretoaskmehowtogofromTulsatoOklahomaCity,Iwouldtellhimthequickestroutewouldbeto take the turnpike.Then ifhewere toaskhowtoget to theturnpike,Iwouldtellhimexactlyhowtogetthere.

Suppose he requested prayer several times later in a prayermeeting,saying,"Now,BrotherHagintoldmetheotherdaytotake the turnpike to get to Oklahoma City. He also told meexactly how toget to the turnpike.But Iwant youall to praythat I'll get there. I think I'll have to fast a little. Maybe youcouldfastandpraywithmethatI'llgetthere."Weallcouldfastand pray that he would get there, but until he acted on thedirectionsgiventohim,heneverwouldgetthere.

We do the same thing. Instead of paying attention to thedirectionsGodhasgivenusinHisWord,wepray,"Godblessus.Makeusasuccess.Giveusthevictory.Prosperus."IfwewouldevergetquietenoughsoHecouldgetthroughtous,wewouldhear His Spirit within our spirit sending us right back to HisWord.

Jesussaid,"...thewordsthatIspeakuntoyou,theyarespirit,andtheyarelife"(John6:63).Healsosaid,"Heavenandearthshall pass away, but my words shall not pass away"(Matt. 24:35). The Bible tells us that God has magnified HisWordaboveHisName(Ps.138:2).

Therefore,thefirststepindevelopingourspiritistotaketimeto meditate in the Word. The New Testament containsoutstandingteachingregardingdevelopmentofthespiritlife.

Living in this dispensation of grace, we are at an advantage,becausewehaveabettercovenantbaseduponbetterpromises.

IfbelieverslivinginOldTestamenttimescouldmaketheirwayprosperousandhavegoodsuccess,whatcanweexpectwithabetter covenant based on better promises? We should havesuper-prosperityandsuper-success!

Jesus said, "And I will pray the Father, and he shall give youanotherComforter[orHelper,asitreadsintheGreek],thathemayabidewithyouforever;EventheSpiritoftruth;whomtheworldcannotreceive,becauseitseethhimnot,neitherknowethhim:butyeknowhim;forhedwellethwithyou,andshallbeinyou"(John14:16,17).

WhatistheHolySpiritgoingtodowhenHedwellsinyou?

Johnwrote,"Howbeitwhenhe, theSpiritof truth, iscome,hewillguideyou intoall truth: forhe shallnot speakofhimself;butwhatsoeverhe shall hear, that shall he speak: andhewillshew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shallreceiveofmine,andshallshewituntoyou"(John16:13,14).

MostSpirit-filledpeopledon'trealizewhattheyhave,andthusare not walking in the light of their rights and privileges inChrist.Whyhasthespiritualdevelopmenttheyshouldhavehadasa result of the indwellingHolySpirit slippedby them?Thedevilwillkeepusfromgettingthetruthifhecan.Hewilltrytosidetrackusandgetusintosomeotherrealm.

I have heard people testify that they are filled with the HolySpirit, then five minutes later they are down at the altarpraying,"Lord,givemepower."IfyouhavetheHolySpirit,youhave thePowerhousewithin you! Just learn to cooperatewithHim,knowwhatHeisgoingtodoinyou,andlearntolistentoHim.HeisinthereandHewillguideyouintoalltruth.

YoualsoneedtorealizethattheHolySpiritisagentleman.

Hewillnotcomeinifwedon'twantoraskHimto.Hewillnottakeover.HecanhelpusonlyaswerespondtoHim.ThepowerofGodispassiveuntilfaithisexercisedOftenbeforegoingouttoministerIsaytomyself,GreaterisHethatisinmethanhethatisintheworld.TheGreaterOneisinme.

When Ihave todoa job forwhich I feel inadequate, I remindmyselfthattheHolySpirit iswithinme.Ithink,Greater isHethatis inme.Heisgreaterthanthedevilthat is intheworld.Heisgreaterthanthehatredthatisintheworld.TheGreaterOneisinme.

When I say that, I notice His power rising up in me, givingilluminationtomymindanddirectiontomyspirit.Iamabletoemergeaconquerorandwalkrightoverthetopofthedevilandall his cohorts. I learned early that theGreaterOne is inme,

andgreaterisHethatisinmethanhethatisintheworld.

So let us take time tomeditate in theWord; especially in theNewCovenant,orNewTestament.Itwillhelpdevelopourspiritnature.

Chapter3

PracticetheWordofGod

The second point in our four-point plan for developing thehumanspiritis:PracticetheWord.

In the last chapter we saw the importance of meditating inGod's Word. Once we have God's Word firmly abiding in ourheartsandminds,itisequallyimportantthatweputittouse.

Jameswrote,"Butbeyedoersoftheword,andnothearersonly...."(James1:22).

Earlier we referred to the passage in James which says,"...receivewithmeeknesstheengraftedword,which isabletosaveyoursouls.Butbeyedoersof theword,andnothearersonly...

For if any be a hearer of theword, and not a doer, he is likeunto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For hebeholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightwayforgettethwhatmannerofmanhewas"(James1:21-24).

JamessaidthatoncewereceivetheWord,weshouldactonit;weshouldputitintopractice.WecanmeditateonGod'sWordandcometoknowwhatitsays,butuntilweputitintopractice,itwilldousnogood.

WhenGodtoldJoshuatomeditateintheWord"dayandnight,"Hewentontosay"thatthoumayestobservetoDO...."Inotherwords,afterreadingandmeditatingontheWord,doit!

AdoeroftheWordisonewhopracticestheWord.Wehavetoomanyhearersandnotenoughpracticers.PeopleheartheWordand nod their heads in agreement, saying, "Amen, brother,that'sthetruth"—buttheydon'tgooutandpracticeit.YettheWordcan'taffectourlivesuntilweapplyitinourlives.

Howdoesone"practicetheWord"?WhatdidJamesmeanwhenhesaidweweretobedoersoftheWord?DidhemeanweweretokeeptheTenCommandments?

No, that isn't what he was talking about. Actually, the TenCommandments were given for spiritually dead people; theyarenotforspirituallyalivepeople.

"Then we aren't supposed to keep the TenCommandments?"someonewillask.

Under theNewCovenant (orNewTestament)we have anewcommandment. Jesus said, "A new commandment I giveuntoyou,Thatyeloveoneanother;asIhavelovedyou,thatyealsoloveoneanother"(John13:34).

When we obey this new commandment of love, it takes theplaceof all theother commandments.Because ifwehave theloveofGodinourhearts,wewillnotstealfromourfellowman;wewillnotmurderourbrother;wewillnothate.Lovegives,itdoesnotsteal.GodsolovedusthatHegaveHisSontodieforusthatwemightlive.

JamesalsosaidthatapersonwhoisaheareroftheWordbutnot a doer deceives or deludes himself. There are many self-deludedpeopleintheworld.Thedevildidn'tdeceiveordeludethem;theydeceivedordeludedthemselves!

When James said we were to be a doer of the Word, he wastellingus topractice thisWordofGod; toput it intoaction inourdailylives.WearetowalkinthelightoftheNewCovenant.

IlearnedthisprinciplewhenIwasabedfastteenager50yearsago.ButIhadtroublepracticingitatfirst,becauseIhadbeenachronicworrierallmylife.

When I read the Scripture, "... Take no thought for your life,whatyeshalleat,orwhatyeshalldrink;noryetforyourbody,whatyeshallputon...foryourheavenlyFatherknoweththatyehave need of all these things" (Matt. 6:25,32), there was afootnote in my Bible which referred me to Philippians 4:6. Itreads, "Be careful for nothing. ..." Another translation of thisreads,"Donotbeanxiousaboutanything."Inotherwords,don'tworryaboutanything.PlaceeverythinginGod'shands.

I said, "Lord, how can I live like that? I can't live withoutworrying!" My mother and grandmother were championworriers, and they had taught me to worry. I was nearlydeadwithhearttrouble,andIhadjustaboutworriedmyselftherestofthewayintothegrave.

Another footnote in my Bible referred me to First Peter5:7,"Castingallyourcareuponhim;forhecarethforyou."

GodhadtoldmeinHisWordwhattodo,soIdidit.IpracticedHisWord.Ibegantocastallmyworries,mycares,uponHim.

Then I read where James said, "My brethren, count it all joywhen ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that thetryingofyourfaithworkethpatience"(James1:2,3).TheGreek

word which is translated here as "temptations" means "tests"or"trials."

Jamesdidn'tsaytocountitalljoywheneverythingisgoingwell—whenwehavemoney in our pockets—whenourbills are allpaidandourchildrenareallwell.Hesaidtocountitjoywhenwe meet tests and trials along the way. Why? Because out oftribulationcomesvictory.

Areyoucountingyourtrialsajoy?Youshould.Tryit.

You'llfinditmakesallthedifferenceintheworld.

IfoundittruewhenIstartedcountingitjoyeventhoughIwasan invalid. We can thank God for every hard place. We canthankGodforeverytestandtrial.

ThisiswhatJamesistalkingaboutwhenhesaidtobeadoerofthe Word. And this is something we must do for ourselves. IcannotbeadoeroftheWordforyou;IcanonlybeadoeroftheWord forme, althoughwe can assist one another temporarilywithourfaithandprayers.

IamsogladGodhassomethingbetterforusthananoccasionalblessing.Thisfaithlifeisanentirewayoflife.

We have seen that to develop our spirit life, we begin bymeditatingintheWord;thenwepracticetheWordinourdailylives.Thiswilldeveloptheinnerman.Thentheinnermanwilldominatetheouterman.

Worry from the outside cannot dominateuswhenourmind isrenewedwiththeWordofGod.

Chapter4

GiveFirstPlacetotheWordofGod

ThetwopointswehavegiventhusfarforcultivatingthespiritofmanarecenteredontheWord.Jesussaid,"...Manshallnotlivebybreadalone,butbyeveryword thatproceedethoutofthemouthofGod"(Matt.4:4).OnanotheroccasionHesaid,"...

thewords that I speakunto you, theyare spirit, and theyarelife"(John6:63).

The Bible also tells us, "For all flesh is as grass, and all theglory ofmanas the flower of grass. Thegrasswithereth, andthe flower thereof falleth away: But the word of the Lordendurethforever...."(1Peter1:24,25).

The Bible says concerning Jesus that He is the "surety of abettertestament"(Heb.7:22).TheNewTestamentisthebetter

covenant.Jesusisthesuretyofthisbettercovenant.Thismeansthat Jesus stands behind every word from Matthew throughRevelationtomakeitgood.

Jeremiah1:12says,"...IwillhastenmyWordtoperformit."

Anothertranslationsays,"Iwatchovermywordtoperformit."

In other words, the Lord watches over His Word to do it; tomake it good. If we don't act on God's Word—if we don'tpracticeGod'sWord—Hedoesn'thaveanythingtomakegoodinourlives.Hedoesn'thaveanythingtowatchoverorhastentofulfillifwearenotactingonHisWordandbeingadoerofHisWord.ButifwewillstandbyGod'sWord,Hewillstandbyus.

Thus, our spiritual development hinges on the Word of God,becausetheWordhasbeengiventobuildourspiritnature.

The third point, then, in this four-point formula is: Give theWordfirstplaceinyourlife.

As we have pointed out in a previous chapter, we first mustmeditateintheWordofGod.Wewouldn'tbeabletopracticeorbe a doer of the Word if we didn't know it. The Worddoesn'tbecomerealtousuntilweknowwhatitsaysandactonit.

Next, we should put God's Word first in our lives. We canbecome so Word-conscious that no matter what happens—nomatterwhatwemayface—thefirstthingwethinkis:WhatdoesGod'sWordsay?

Too few Christians are like that, however. When emergenciesarise, most react from a natural standpoint because theyhaven't soaked their spiritwith theWordofGod; theyhaven'tbuiltGod'sWordintotheirspirit.Therefore,somethingnaturalcomestotheirmind,andtheyrushtodosomethingotherthanwhatGod'sWordsays.

We can feed upon God's Word until it becomes a part of ourinwardnature,andinanysituationoremergency,thefirstthingwethinkof iswhatGod'sWordsays.TheWordwill riseup inus,givingilluminationtoourmindsanddirectiontoourspirits.

Christiansoften try togetadvice fromotherpeople insteadoflisteningtowhatGodhassaidaboutthesubject.Ifpeople—

evenpreachers—cannotadviseyoufromtheWordofGod,theiradviceisverypoor.Sometimeswecangetintorealtroublebyfollowing the well-intentioned advice of fellow Christians whoarenotcarefullyattunedtoGod'sWord.Ididonce,andalmostdied.

After having pastored churches for a number of years, I feltcalled of the Lord into a field ministry. This was the Lord'schoice,notmine.Iwouldratherhavegoneonpastoring.

Therearerewardsinpastoringwhichafieldministrydoesnotoffer, including a certain amount of security. More important,ourchildrenweresmall,andIwouldhavelikedtohavestayedathomewithmyfamily.ButIsensedGodspeakingtomyspirit,andIfinallyobeyedandwentoutontheevangelisticfield.

Whenwesetout todosomethingGodhascalledustodo,weneedn'tthinkthatthingsarealwaysgoingtorunsmoothly.

Furthermore, we can't judge if we are in the will of Godbywhetherornotthingsaregoingwell.

If that were the case—if circumstances alone determined thewillofGod—thenPaulneverwasinthewillofGodandmissedGodfrombeginningtoend!

No,thedevil isthegodofthisworld,andwewillhavehimtocontendwithwhenwemakeadecisiontogoonwithGod.

Aftersevenmonthsontheevangelisticfield—monthsofmeetingthe devil at every turn and facing severe financial battles—Idecided to return to pastoring. (Notice I said "I decided,"not"theLorddecided.")

A rather large, prosperous church in East Texas called me tocome preach for them and consider being their pastor. Theypaid their pastor between $750 and $1100 amonth—and thiswasin1949,whenmoneywasworthmorethanit isnow!Thechurchalsofurnishedaparsonage.

From the natural standpoint, it was an attractive offer. I hadpreachedinthischurchbefore.Ilikedthepeopleandtheylikedme. They believed in the moving of the Spirit with themanifestationof thegiftsof theSpirit in theirmidst.Miracleswereacommonoccurrence.

IfGodhad ledme in thisdirection, therewasnothingIwouldhave liked better than to pastor this church. Without evenconsideringGod'swishes, I thought, I'mgoing toaccept theirinvitationandatleastgopreachforthem.

Soonafterwards,IhadaSundayfreeandmywifeandIdrovetoaneighboringchurch.WearrivedintimeforSundaySchool.As I sat in the class, I was struck by how much the lessonappliedtome.

The subject was Moses and how he had disobeyed God bystrikingtherockwhenGodhadtoldhimtospeaktotherock.

The teacher also brought out how the children of Israel hadbecome discouraged because of difficulties along the way. IsquirmedinmyseatasIthoughtofhowmuchthisseemedtofitmycircumstances.

SuddenlymyheartstoppedbeatingandIfellfrommychairtothefloor!Thenmyheartstartedbeatingerraticallywitharapidpulse—itwasrunninglikeatriphammer.Itseemedtomeasifitwereracingtwohundredorthreehundredbeatsaminute.

Itwasgoingsofasttherewasnowaytotimeit.

Someministerswhowerepresent feltmypulseandsaid, "Wecannotdistinguishabeat—allwecanfeelisaflutter."

Ibecameascoldasiceallovermybody.IhadbeendeadtwicewhenIsufferedwithhearttroubleattheageof16,soIknewwhendeathcameovermethistime.

Theycarriedmetotheparsonageandsummonedmywifefromthewomen'sSundaySchoolclass.Assoonasshecameintotheroomshekneltbesidemybedandwept,saying,"Ifeelthisisallmyfault."

Thenshe toldmeshehadbeengrumblingandcomplaining tothe Lord about my long absences from home. She never hadmentionedawordofittome,however.Shesaidonedayasshewaswashingdishesshehadheardavoicesaying,"Icouldtakehimawaywherehecouldnevercomeback."Shewasstartled,butdismisseditasherimaginationplayingtricksonher.

Kneelingbeside thebedsheprayedthisprayerofsubmission:"Lord,ifYouwilljustsparemyhusband,Idon'tcarehowlonghe is gone orwhere he goes in yourwill. I will not complainaboutitagain."

Then the Lord showed me where I had missed it, too. WheneachofushadmadeanewconsecrationtotheLordtodoHiswill,whateveritmightbe,Iwasinstantlyhealed.Ijumpedoutofthatbedcompletelywell.

HowdidIgetintothatpredicament?InsteadoflisteningtoGodand putting His Word first, I had asked the advice of variouspastors. All they could give me was natural advice. They hadsaid, "Your first obligation is to your family. You have smallchildren,andyoushouldbehomewiththem.Youshouldn'tbeoutonthefield."

Onepreacherafteranothertoldmethat,soItooktheiradvice.I tried todowhat theysuggested—what Iwantedtodo in thenatural—and I nearly died. I finally learned that a man canfulfillhisobligationtohisfamilyandstillobeyGod.

Ephesians 4:11 says, "Andhe gave some, apostles; and some,prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors andteachers. "Obviously,Goddidn't call only pastors towork forHim, yetmanypeople act as if theministry of a pastor is theonlyministryof importance. If itwere,whydidGodput theseotherministrygiftsintheChurch?Didn'tHeintendforthemtofunctionandbesupported?

WecanfinddirectioninGod'sWord.IfwewilllistentotheHolySpirit,HewillopentheWordofGodanddirectus.Wealreadyhavedirection fromGod'sWord formanyof theaffairsof life;weonlyneedtoactonit.

Areyoufacingsomeprobleminyourlife?FindoutwhatGod'sWordhastosayaboutit.MeditateontheWord.Thenpracticeit.Putthatpromiseintoaction.PutGod'sWordfirst—

notcircumstances,not thewell-meaningadviceof friendsandlovedones,notyourownpersonalfeelingsordesires.

Makeitahabittoaskyourselfregardingsituationsthatariseinyourlife,"WhatdoesGod'sWordhavetosayaboutthis?"

BecomesoWord-conscious thatyouautomaticallycheckeverythoughtanddeedagainsttheWordtomakesureyouareinHiswill. We will find the answer for every situation of life in theWordofGod.

OnepromiseintheWordsays,"...greater ishethat is inyou,thanhethatis intheworld" (1John4:4).Nomatterwhatyoumayface,Hewhoisinyouisgreaterthanyourproblem.

Believing this, you can face life fearlessly with the spirit of aconqueror,nomatterwhatthecircumstances.

If you gripe, complain, fuss, and fret, you're not going to getanswers.(Thatmaybethereasonyouranswerhasn'tcomeyet—

perhaps you are fretting about it.) The Bible tells us to"becarefulfornothing";or,asTheAmplifiedBiblesays,"Donotfretaboutanything"(Phil.4:6).

Are you fretting about anything? Are you anxious aboutanything?WeworryandfretaboutthingsandthenwonderwhyGod doesn't do something about them. The reason is becausewewon't letHim!Weareholding onto theproblemourselvesinstead of turning it over to Him. Hewants to do somethingaboutit,butHecan'taslongaswehangontoit.

Chapter5

ObeytheVoiceofYourSpirit

The fourth point in the development of our spirits is this:Instantlyobey thevoiceofyourspirit.Remember,God speaksto our spirit; He doesn't speak to our head or reasoningfaculties.

Proverbs20:27tellsus,"Thespiritofmanisthecandleof theLord. ..." God informs our spirit, and our spirit passes theinformationontoourmind.

Thehumanspirithasavoice.Wecallitguidance,intuition,theinwardvoice,orconscience.Theconscienceofanunsavedmanisanunsafeguide,becauseifhehashadany"religious"

training,heoftenwillbedominatedbyit.Andifhehasn't,hisconsciencewillpermithimtodomanythingsthatarewrong.

On theotherhand, if aman isbornagain,his spirithasbeenmadenew,withthelifeandnatureofGodinit.Ifhisborn-againspiritthenhastheprivilegeoffeedingandmeditatingonGod'sWord—ifthepersonpracticesGod'sWord,puttingitfirstinhislife—thenhis conscience, thevoiceofhis spirit,willbea safeguideandwillbecomethevoiceofGodspeakingtohim.

I believe ifwewalk in fellowshipwithGod throughHisWordandprayer,andifwetrainourspiritthroughtheWordtoobeythevoiceofourspirit instantly,afterawhilewecanknowthewillofGodeveninminordetailsoflife.

Jesus said, "And I will pray the Father, and he shall give youanotherComforter, thathemayabidewithyou forever;EventheSpiritof truth;whomtheworldcannot receive,because itseeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye knowhim; for hedwellethwith you, and shall be in you" (John 14:16,17). ThenHesaid,"Howbeitwhenhe,theSpiritoftruth,iscome,hewillguideyouintoalltruth...."(John16:13).

IdonotbelieveJesuswasreferringhereonlytotherevelationthatwastobegiventotheApostlePaulconcerningGod'sgreatplanofredemption.IbelieveitalsomeanstheSpiritofGodwillguideeachofusintheaffairsoflife.

Weshouldbeginourdaywith theconsciousness thatwehavethe Holy Spirit as a Guide in us. We were not left withoutguidance or direction. Jesus said of the Holy Spirit, "He willguide you into all truth ... he will shew you things to come"(v.13).

By this Jesus did not mean that the Spirit of God would onlyshow the apostles future events which they recorded in theepistlesandthebookofRevelation.

Certainly that was a part of it, but I believe this verse alsomeansthattheSpiritofGodwillshowusthingstocomeinourpersonallives.Hewillshowusthesethingsinthefuturesowecanbereadyforthem;wewon'tbecaughtunawares.

Healsowillshowussomethingswecanchange.Forexample,God,throughHisSpirit, toldtheprophetIsaiahtosaytoKingHezekiah, "...Set thinehouse inorder; for thoushaltdie,andnot live" (2 Kings 20:1). Under those circumstances—the waythingswerethen—Hezekiahwasgoingtodie.

ButafterIsaiahleftHezekiah'sbedchamber,thekingturnedhisfacetothewall,wept,repented,andprayed.BeforeIsaiahgotoutofthecourtyard,GodtoldhimtoreturntoHezekiahwithafurtherpropheticmessage,saying,"...ThussaiththeLord,theGodofDavidthyfather,Ihaveheardthyprayer,Ihaveseenthytears:behold,Iwillhealthee...Iwilladduntothydaysfifteenyears..."(2Kings20:5,6).

Wecan seehere thatGod sometimeswill showus things thatcanbechangedbychangingourattitudesorbyprayer.Hemayshowus things about ourselves or our lovedones that canbechanged.However,therearesomethingswecannotchange.

Theywillcomeinthefuture,andwecanbepreparedforthem.

IappreciatesomuchthiswonderfulGuide,theHolySpirit,whoisdwellinginourspirittoguideusandshowusthingstocome.

SinceIwasfilledwiththeSpiritmanyyearsago,nodeathhasoccurred inmy family that I haven't knownabout—sometimesasfarastwoyearsinadvance.(Whenweknowinadvancethatour lovedonesaregoingtodie,wecandoagreatdealtogetthemreadyand tomake thenecessarypreparations.) Insomeinstances, Ihavebeenabletoreversethesituation,andthoserelativesarestillalivetoday;otherwise,theywouldbedead.

BecauseofthisworkoftheHolySpiritinourlives,wearenotleftaloneinthisworld.Jesus,speakingtoHisdisciples,said,"...It isexpedientforyouthatIgoaway:for ifIgonotaway, theComforterwillnotcomeuntoyou...."(John16:7).

Jesuspromised, "And Iwill pray theFather, and he shallgiveyou another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive,because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye knowhim; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will notleaveyoucomfortless...."(John14:16-18).

The Amplified Bible reads, "I will not leave you orphans—comfortless, desolate, bereaved, forlorn, helpless—I willcome[back]toyou."

Wedonotneed to feel likeorphans in thisworld.There isnoneedforustobedesolateorforlorn.WecanknowthestrengthofGod'sSpirit inourspirit.Wecanhave thepowerofGod inourlives.WecanriseuplikeastrongmananddotheworksofGod.

Asweputtheenemytoflight,thepowersofdarknesswillfleebefore us. Even the devil will run from us. When he sees uscoming,hewillfleeintheotherdirection,becauseweareGod'smanofpower.

GetthrilledwiththeWordofGod.Walkinthelightofit.Claimwhat theWord promises and youwill reap its benefits.Whenyou become a doer of the Word, not a hearer only, you willbecomearecipientofalltheprovisionsGodhasmadeforyouinHisWord.

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