Dealing with the Spirit

In this post we want to consider the matter of the dealing with the spirit and the anointing. Brother Witness Lee has a chapter in his book Basic Principles of the Experience of Life where he address our need to have these dealings. In the opening of his sharing on these dealings he states the following.

Christians today speak much about spiritual gifts and power, but even though we love, follow, and serve the Lord with a sincere heart, we can only realize spiritual gifts and spiritual power in a real way through all the above dealings. We can say this with all assurance. If we do not know how to deal with the flesh, if we do not practice dealing with the self, if we neglect our conscience, or if we do not pay the price to deal with the worldly matters with us and in us, then no matter how seeking we are, we can never realize anything in the spiritual realm.

The dealing with the spirit is very deep and fine. We first need to see the difference between our dealing with the conscience and our dealing with the spirit. When we deal with the conscience we are dealing with the feeling of the conscience. When we deal with the spirit we are dealing with the matters that lead to the defilement of the spirit. This is to deal with the passages of the spirit. Our spirit is pure but when our spirit comes forth it has to pass through the soul and body. As it passes through the soul it can become defiled by the self and soul-life and as it passes through the body is can be defiled by our sinful flesh. Our spirit is the deepest part of our being the very center and reality of our human life. So to deal with the spirit is to deal with our motive, desires, intentions, and will. When we have dealt with our spirit there is a pure flow from our spirit to others. The standard of this dealing is also life and peace.