Excerpt from "Release of the Spirit - The Breaking of the Outward Man" by Watchman Nee

From Chapter VI "Brokenness and Discipline"

Publisher New Wine Ministries, UK. First British edition 1968. Copyright

Copied with permission

 

 

We receive grace through meetings, through messages, through prayers, and so forth.  But surely the greatest means of grace which we cannot afford to neglect is the discipline of the Holy Spirit.  Nothing can be compared with this means of grace - not prayer, Bible readings, meetings, messages, meditation, or praise.  Among all the God-given means of grace, it would seem this is the most important.

 

Tracing this means of grace can show us how far we have gone with the Lord.  What we experience daily, at home or school or factory or on the road, is ordered by the Holy Spirit for our highest benefit.  If we are not profited by this greatest means of grace, we suffer terrible loss.  None of the other means can replace it, precious though they all are.  Messages feed us, prayer restores us, God's Word refreshes us, and helping others releases our spirit.  But should our outward man remain strong, we give all who contact us the impression of being mixed and impure.  People will recognize our zeal but also out mixed motives, our love toward the Lord but also our love for ourself.  They feel we are a precious brother, yet a difficult one, for our outward man has not been broken.  Let us not forget, though we are built up through messages, prayer, and the Bible; the greatest means of edification is the discipline of the Holy Spirit.

 

Henceforth there must be on our part a complete consecration so that we submit to what the Holy Spirit orders.  Such submission brings blessing to us.  If, instead, we quarrel with God and follow our own inclinations, we shall miss the way.  Once we realize that all of God's orderings are for our highest profit, even things troublesome to us, and are willing to accept these as disciplinary measures from Him, we shall see how the Holy Spirit will make use of all things in dealing with us.

 

Dealings of Various Kinds

 

Whatever the things to which you are bound, God will deal with them one after another.  Not even such trivialities as clothing, eating or drinking can escape the careful hand of the Holy Spirit.  He will not neglect one area in your life.  You may even be ignorant of your affinity for a certain thing, but He knows and will deal with it most thoroughly.  Until the day comes when all these things are destroyed, you do not know perfect liberty.  In these dealings you can finally recognize the thoroughness of the Holy Spirit.  Things long forgotten are brought to mind by the Lord.  God's works are perfect, and nothing less than perfection can satisfy Him.  He cannot stop short.   .   .

 

Watchman Nee

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In Christ

Abigail