of the Spirit | Diet 15

 THE LIMITED STRENGTH OF THE OUTWARD MAN

Our human strength is limited. If a brother can only carry fifty pounds, and you want him to take an additional ten, he simply cannot do it. He is a limited person, unable to do unlimited work. The fifty pounds he is already carrying is "the thing in hand". As the physical strength of our outermost man is limited, so it is with the strength of our outward man(soul). 

Many, not realizing this principle, carelessly spend the strength of their outward man. If, for example, one lavished all his love upon his parents, he would have no strength left for loving his brothers, not to mention others. In thus exhausting his (soul) strength, there is nothing left to direct to others. 

So it is with our mental strength. If one's attention is focused on a certain matter, and he exhausts all his time in thinking about it, he will have no strength to think of other matters. In His word, God has explained our problem: "The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and of death" (Rom. 8:2). But why is this law of the Spirit of life ineffectual in certain people' Again we read: "The righteous requirement of the law should be fulfilled in us who walk . . . according to Spirit" (Rom. 8:4). In other words, the law of the Spirit of life works effectively only for those who are spiritual, that is, those who mind the things of the Spirit. Who are these? Those who do not mind the things of the flesh. The word "mind" in verse 5 can also be translated "to be intent upon, to be attentive to." For instance, a mother is going out and she leaves her baby in the care of a friend. To take care of the baby means to be attentive to him. When you are entrusted with the care of a baby, you dare not be distracted to do other things. Similarly, only those who are not intent on carnal things can be attentive to spiritual things. Those who are intent upon spiritual things come under the force of the law of the Holy Spirit. Our mental strength is limited. If we exhaust it on the things of the flesh, we shall find ourselves mentally inadequate for the things of the Spirit. 

We realize, then, that just as our physical strength is limited, so is it with the soul strength of our outward man. As long as we have "things in hand" we cannot do God's work. According to the number of things in hand, strength for serving God decreases or increases. Hence the thing in hand becomes indeed a hindrance, and no small one. Again, one may have many things in hand emotionally: such as varied and conflicting likes or dislikes, inclinations or expectations. All these pull with a magnetic attraction. With so many things in hand, when God asks a person for his affection he cannot respond, for he has already used up all his emotion. If he has exhausted a two-day supply of emotional resources, it will be that long before he can adequately feel and speak again. Thus when emotion is wasted on lesser things it cannot be used unrestrictedly for God. 

Then there is someone manifesting an iron will, a strong personality whose volitional powers seem unlimited. Yet in the things of God he seems unable to make up his mind; how often the strongest person will waver in his decisions before God. Why is this? Before we answer let us consider another who is full of ideas. Though he never seems at a loss conceiving new schemes, when it comes to discerning the will of God in spiritual things he is utterly void of light. Why is this so? 

While the outward man is so weighed down with the things in hand and is so exhausted, there is little strength left for any spiritual exercise. It is needful, then, to see the limited strength of the outer man. Even though it is broken there must be a wisdom in using this strength. How necessary, then, to have "empty hands"!

May the Lord deliver us from every thing in the hand draining our strength, and reducing our usefulness for God in Jesus name. Amen!

Author: Watchman Nee

Compiled and edited by: Peter O. Olutoyese