VI. Knowing the Human Spirit

The Sense of the Human Spirit

If we would know our human spirit, we must know the sense of the spirit. Our spirit, though invisible and mysterious, can be known by the sense it gives to us. Just as the unseen electricity is known by its effects and expressions, we know our spirit by the sense of the spirit. Romans 8:6 says, “For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the spirit is life and peace.” The mind, the leading part of our soul, can either take sides with the flesh or cooperate with the spirit. When the mind takes sides with the flesh, the resulting sense is death. But when the mind stands with the spirit, the resulting sense is life and peace. By sensing either death or life and peace, we can begin to distinguish our flesh from our spirit.

Discerning the Sense of Life and Peace from the Sense of Death

What do we experience when we sense life and peace from our spirit? Firstly, the sense of life includes many precious items. With the sense of life there is the sense of satisfaction, inward strengthening, refreshment, watering, enlightenment, and anointing. When we sense these items deep within, that is the sense of life, and this sense, proves that we are setting our mind on the spirit and walking by the spirit.

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Next, the sense of peace refers to inward peace, not to peace in our outward circumstances. This sense of peace also includes many items. With the sense of peace there is the sense of ease and comfort within as well as harmony, rest, joy and liberty. These sensations within us also prove that we are walking according to the spirit.

Finally, the sense of death results whenever we take sides with the flesh. This sense includes dissatisfaction, emptiness, dryness, darkness, and depression, which are in clear opposition to the sense of life. Other aspects of the sense of death include strife, discomfort, restlessness, pain, bondage and grief, which are also contrary to the sense of peace.

The standard of our Christian life must be absolutely according to the spirit and not according to any other measure. No matter how good, how right, how scriptural, how holy a course of action may seem to be without the sense of life and peace in our spirit we are acting in the fallen self, in the flesh. Our Christian life should be conducted according to the spirit, and we know this spirit by the inner sense it gives us. (Witness Lee, Our Human Spirit 65-68)

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