Intro
My objective for the next two messages is to instruct you on how to care for your spirit. Much is said about caring for your body. We need to eat right and exercise regularly if we want a strong, healthy body. Most of us know something about that, even if we don’t do what we know to do.
But the condition of your spirit is much more important than the condition of your body. And it is something we hear very little about. In his admonition to the church at Rome, Paul told those believers to be affectionate toward one another in brotherly love, “not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord” (Rom. 12:11).i Are you fervent in spirit? Is your spirit strong? In Ephesians 3:16, Paul prayed for believers to be strengthened “in the inner man.” His prayer was that they “be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man.” The innermost part of your being is your spirit. We know from previous studies that God’s life-giving strength normally comes to us by his Spirit into our spirit—into our inner man.ii To do God’s will in this life, we must have a strong spirit. What can a Christian do to maintain strength in his spirit? How do we take care of our spirit?
To maintain anything, we must know what condition it is supposed to be in. To maintain a child’s bedroom, we must know where the toys are supposed to be; we must know the right location for the clothes and shoes; we must know how the covers are to be arranged on the bed. We begin the maintenance process with a vision in our mind of what the room should look like, and we proceed from there.
To maintain an automobile, we need to know what the tire pressure should be. We need to know what the oil condition should be. We need to know what the maximum temperature of the engine is. The reason we have gages on the dashboard is to alert us when any of those factors need attention. In the same way, God has given us ways to monitor the condition of our spirit.
What should be the state of your human spirit? What qualities does God desire in your human spirit? In this message we will process four characteristics of a strong human spirit: Functional, Free, Filled, and Fervent.
I. Your spirit should be FUNCTIONAL.
We learned in previous studies that the spirit in an unbeliever is not functional. That person operates entirely on soul power or natural strength. He is not alive unto God. In his spirit, he is not drawing life and vitality from the Lord. You might say he is living on borrowed time. God has given him biological, natural life. But his spirit is dead in trespasses and sins (Eph. 2:1-5).
The spirit in a Christian is alive. But not every Christian has the same strength in his spirit. If they did, Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians “to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man” would make no sense. If every Christian had the same fervency for God in his spirit, Paul’s admonition to the Roman Christians to be “fervent in spirit” would not be necessary.
Every Christian is alive unto God in his spirit, but not every Christian is walking in the Spirit (Gal. 5:25). We have talked a lot about that. Every Christian has the Holy Spirit joined to his spirit, but not every Christian is filled with the Holy Spirit.iii That is why Paul exhorts the Ephesian Christians to “be filled with the Spirit” (Eph. 5:18).
The human spirit in a Christian is perfect in its nature because it is born of the divine seed (1 Pet. 1:23).iv But that does not mean that it cannot grow in strength and maturity. That does not mean it requires no maintenance. A newborn baby may be born with a complete, healthy body. It has five fingers and five toes. It has a heart that pumps the blood throughout the body. It has a digestive system that can process milk, but that is not yet developed enough to process meat.v Every mother knows that baby requires some maintenance. The point I want you to see is that our human spirit does require some maintenance.
A strong human spirit is actively directing the soul and the body through the soul. This is true in varying degrees among Christians. A spiritual Christian operates this way most of the time. A carnal Christian does so only occasionally (1 Cor. 3:1). When the human spirit is strong and functioning according to God’s plan, guidance is received from the Holy Spirit in the human spirit. Then the human spirit directs the soul to fulfill that guidance. In this way, the will of God is being done.
But if the Christian is simply following his own thinking and not hearing God’s leading in his spirit, then that Christian’s spirit is not functioning as it ought to function. For a Christian who is walking in the flesh, as a practical matter his spirit is nonfunctional. The soul has prominence over the spirit. When the human spirit is strong, it is in communion with God and is leading the soul to do the revealed will of the Father. So, a strong human spirit operates according to God’s design. It is functional, not dormant. It is in communion with God and directs the whole human being in accordance with revelation received from God.
II. A strong spirit is FREE.
It is unencumbered, buoyant, and not weighted down. “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty” (2 Cor. 3:17). The NIV says, “there is freedom.” Romans 8:15 tells us that we “have not received the spirit of bondage” (KJV). When things are right, our spirit is not bound by fear. It is not bound by a sense of guilt or condemnation. It is not bound by legalism.vi When our spirit is strong, we live in the freedom of love and holiness as God’s own dear children. “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed” (John 8:36).
When a Christian gives himself to the lusts and desires of the flesh, his spirit is restricted by the fleshly activity. We cannot walk in the Spirit and in the flesh at the same time. Galatians 5:17 warns us: “The flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another.” If we, by choice of will, give ourselves to the lusts and desires of the flesh, then our spirit cannot function as it should. The commitment to a fleshly lifestyle has limited its activity. A strong human spirit is actively communing with God, actively hearing the voice of God, and actively directing the soul for the execution of the God’s will. It is not weighted down with burdens.
There are two kinds of burdens we must deal with in our spirit. One is burdens from the Lord. The other is counterfeit burdens from Satan. Burdens from the Lord are normal directives from the Holy Spirit. It may be a burden to pray. It may be a burden to give financially or to visit a sick person. It may be a burden to deliver a word from the Lord. The book of Malachi begins with these words: “The burden of the word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi.”vii God had given Malachi a message to deliver to Israel. It weighed on his spirit until he delivered it. Often when I preach, I feel the weight of a message on my spirit. That weight is not lifted until I deliver that word.
Have you ever had a burden on your spirit to pray for something? Sometimes it begins with a sense of that weight on your spirit, and you don’t even know the subject of the prayer until you start praying. Sometimes we do know the subject up front. But the load of that burden does not come off our spirit until we pray through that assignment. Romans 8:26-27 says, “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27 Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.” In those situations, the ability to pray in tongues is very advantageous.viii When I have a burden from the Lord on my spirit that is not clear to my mind, I usually begin by yielding to the Spirit praying in tongues. I may not understand the burden, but the Holy Spirit certainly does, and he will help my infirmities. As I am praying, revelation concerning the burden often comes.
A burden from the Lord may manifest in my spirit as righteous indignation against evil. This can be a powerful thing in spiritual warfare. Every burden from the Lord is a call to action. That God-directed action is most often a call to prayer in which we get greater clarity for further action. But the only thing that discharges a burden from the Lord is obedience to the burden whatever that may be. No substitutes. Obedience only.
In Acts 17 Paul was waiting in Athens for Timothy and Silas to meet him there. But he received a burden from the Lord while he waited. Acts 17:16 says, “Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him when he saw that the city was given over to idols.” He observed the worship going to idols that should be offered to the living God. He saw the deception and the need for truth, and “his spirit was provoked within him.”ix Some commentaries say he was emotionally upset. But the stirring was not just in his soul. In his innermost being, he was provoked. He was disturbed in his spirit.
What did Paul do about that? The next verse begins with the word, “Therefore.” “Therefore he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with the Gentile worshipers, and in the marketplace daily with those who happened to be there.” This burden was discharged by confronting the idolators with the truth. Burdens from God carry an assignment with them. When the assignment is fulfilled, the weight lifts off the person’s spirit.
When God puts a burden on your spirit, it will feel heavy. But it will lift when the assignment is accomplished. A preacher who does not have a burden from the Lord is probably just dispensing information to the minds of his hearers. The one who preaches out of a burden from the Lord will be much more effective. We resolve burdens from the Lord through obedient action.
The other kind of weight we may have on our spirit is a counterfeit burden from Satan. It may be an accusation or condemnation from him (Rev. 12:10). It may be a fiery dart of depression from an evil spirit. Often when Satan sends a counterfeit burden against a believer, he also sends deception to the mind trying to persuade the person this burden is from the Lord.x If we don’t discern its source, we will deal with it ineffectively.
What are we to do with a counterfeit burden from Satan? We must discern it and resist it. The Holy Spirit will help us with the discernment if we will look to him for that. He may also use other believers to help us see what is going on. Once we discover Satan as the source, we must resist the depression. We must resist the condemnation with the word of God. We must stir ourselves for battle. Asking the Lord to remove it and passively waiting for an answer is not enough. We must resist with the strength God gives us to resist. James 4:7: “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” In spiritual warfare, our submission to God is the most important thing. However, resisting the adversary is also necessary.
The normal condition of a strong spirit is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Romans 14:7 describes the kingdom of God with those terms. God will send burdens, but they are quickly discharged when their purpose is fulfilled. Counterfeit burdens from our enemy are resolved by discernment and resistance. Burdens from God are resolved by obedience. If my spirit is burdened with an assignment from God to ask another Christian to forgive me for an inappropriate action, that burden will not lift just because I prayed and asked forgiveness from the Lord. I must fully do what God requires. When I fulfill the will of God on the matter, my spirit will return to a peaceful, buoyant state.
Although there will be temporary burdens from the Lord, the normal state of one’s spirit is tranquil, joyous, peaceful, resting in God’s love and grace. When a believer’s spirit is dominant over the soul, that person is rejoicing and confident, regardless external circumstance.xi So, believer’s spirit should be functional and free.
III. A strong human spirit is FILLED with God and his love, bearing the fruit of the Spirit described in Galatians 5:22-23.
Ephesians 5:18 commands Christians: “And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit.” The Greek word translated “be filled” is in the present tense. It is an ongoing activity. Have you been filled with the Spirit? Well and good, but you must be refilled again and again. The flow of God’s spiritual power is an ongoing necessity.
That’s why Jesus instructs his followers in John 15:4: “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.” Just as the branch gets its life from the vine, likewise we must stay connected in communion with Christ for our spirit to be strong and energized.
After he tells us to be filled with the Spirit, Paul gives some practical instruction on how to do that in the verses that follow. Ephesians 5:18-21: “. . . be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, 20 giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another in the fear of God.”
The Spirit-filled life is characterized by worship and mutual submission among believers. Conflict among believers grieves the Holy Spirit and is contrary to the filling of the Spirit.xii When we are submitted one to another, we can receive refreshing in the Spirit from one another. It is the mutual submission that positions us to receive God’s grace from one another’s gifts.xiii
Worship is essential to staying filled with the Spirit. That is one reason we dedicate almost half of our services to worshipping God—singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. We sing the words with our physical bodies. But it all comes from the heart: “making melody in your heart to the Lord.” It’s not enough to just sing words of a song, our hearts must be in it. In not enough to just make melody in our hearts, we are to sing and declare the words of the songs in the congregation.
A key to it all is genuine gratitude toward the Lord; “giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Your level of thankfulness is a good gage of your spiritual condition. Israel in the wilderness complained instead of giving thanks. As God’s people, we have more to be thankful for than we have time to declare. Spirit-filled people are worshipers in spirit and truth.xiv They continually give thanks for God’s goodness.xv And they are submitted to “one another in the fear of God.”xvi
So, a strong spirit is filled with God’s presence. That is necessary if the human spirit is to be empowered enough to overcome the flesh and fulfilled the Father’s will. “And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit.” Drunkenness is a fleshly substitute for being filled with the Spirit. Do not indulge in substitutes. Be filled with the Spirit.
A regenerated spirit is a godly spirit whether filled or not. However, that regenerated spirit fails to fulfill its function without that ongoing filling of the Holy Spirit. Have you ever seen the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade? A highlight of that event is the hot air balloons in the shape of cartoon characters like Donald Duck and Snoopy. When those balloons are full, they are magnificent and able to fulfill their intended function. Without the air in them, they are still balloons. But they do not do what they are designed to do. The spirit of a Christian is a regenerated spirit even if that Christian is not staying full of God. But that person’s spirit cannot fulfill its intended purpose without staying filled with the Spirit. The normal condition of the believer’s spirit is that he is filled with the Holy Spirit. Our human spirit is to be functional, free, and filled with the Holy Spirit.
IV. Our inner spirit is FERVENT toward God and his will.
When Jesus threw out the money changers, the disciples remembered the prophecy concerning him that said, “Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up” (John 2:17). The NLT says, “Passion for God's house burns within me.” Jesus was fervent in spirit. You and I are to be fervent in our spirit as well. Romans 12:11 admonishes believers to be “fervent in spirit.”
Our spirit is not to be deflated and weak. The believer’s spirit is not to be limp and passive. Our spirit is to be on fire for God. It is erroneous to think a submissive spirit is a passive spirit. Our spirit is to be submitted to the Holy Spirit. Our human spirit draws its strength and direction from the Holy Spirit. But we are assertive to fulfill that direction so that God is glorified.
In Ephesians 3:16 Paul prayed that those believers would “be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man.” Our spirit should be energized by the Holy Spirit, vibrant and alert, ready and poised to do the will of God. Later in Ephesians 6:10 Paul wrote, “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.” Your spirit must be active and strong to overcome the flesh and direct the soul. Your spirit must be strong to overcome evil spirits and advance the kingdom of God over their opposition.
As I said earlier, not every Christian’s spirit is of equal strength. A Christian’s spirit that is filled with God and strengthened “in the Lord and in the power of His might” is stronger than a Christian who is walking in the flesh and neglecting the care of his spirit. In spiritual warfare, evil spirits recognize the strength of your spirit in the Lord. If you are strong in spirit, you can resist them, and they will flee.
Conclusion
Our goal is to maintain a strong, vibrant spirit so that we can fulfill God’s will for our life. We have seen that our spirit should be:
I. FUNCTIONAL: It functions the way God designed it to function It is the faculty for communion with God. Out of that communion comes revelation and direction into one’s spirit. The human spirit then directs the soul to act in accordance with God’s direction. Submitted to the person’s spirit, his soul executes the will of God through the body. A strong human spirit functions in that way.
II. FREE: The believer’s spirit is to be free of encumbrances and unresolved burdens. God burdens the spirit with assignments. Those burdens are released when the person fulfills them through obedient action. Sometimes Satan tries to weigh down the human spirit with a counterfeit burden. Obedience to that only makes matters worse. The way that burden is lifted is by discerning its source and resisting it in the power of God’s might.
III. FILLED: A strong spirit is filled with the Holy Spirit. Rather than finding our joy in the things of this world, we receive the righteousness, peace, and joy of the Holy Spirit. We drink of the living water of grace and are continually refreshed. Through a lifestyle of thanksgiving, prayer, worship, and fellowship with other believers, we enjoy ongoing renewal. We are filled with the Spirit on an ongoing basis.
IV. FERVENT: A strong spirt is submitted to God, but it is not passive. When the will of the Father is revealed, the human spirit is energized, passionate, and zealous to see that will accomplished. Our inner spirit is to be strong in the Lord and the power of his might—by the
grace of God, stronger than the flesh that opposes it and stronger than evil spirits that contend with it.
May God give each of us a strong spirit to do his good pleasure.
ENDNOTES:
i All Scripture quotes are from the New King James Version unless indicated otherwise.
ii It is possible that Paul is referring to all the immaterial make-up of the believer (spirit and soul). But that would certainly include one’s spirit. Knowing the way God works as taught in previous studies, it is appropriate to identify the “inner man” with the human spirit. Cf. Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary in Biblesoft electronic database.
iii 1 Cor. 6:17. Technically it would be better to say: Every Christians’ spirit is joined to the Holy Spirit. But both statements are true.
iv I am using the adjective “strong” rather than “healthy” when referring to a believer’s spirit because it is inappropriate to refer to a regenerated spirit as unhealthy. It is better to think in terms of strong versus weak or Spirit-filled versus needing to be filled (Eph. 5:18).
v Cf. 1 Cor. 3:1-2; 1 Pet. 2:2.
vi These conditions can exist when the soul is operating in dominance over a weak spirit. The regenerated spirit is restrained by the thoughts prevailing in the mind.
vii “The prophet Malachi calls his message a ‘burden’ (oracle) (see comments on Zch 9:1a) conveying urgency, constraint, or compulsion. Malachi’s message is the word of the LORD and he must proclaim it” (emphasis Rydenik’s). Michael Rydelnik in Rydelnik and Vanlaningham, eds., The Moody Bible Commentary (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2014) 1441.
viii Cf. 1 Cor. 14:2.
ix Cf. John 11:33.
x In this study, we are attempting to isolate the activity of the human spirit for learning purposes. However, we must keep in mind that the spirit, soul, and body of an individual are an integrated whole. The operations of God and of Satan involve the whole being.
xi Cf. Phil. 4:4.
xii Cf. Eph. 4:30-32.
xiii Cf. Eph. 4:16.
xiv Cf. John 4:24.
xv Cf. Ps. 92:1; Col. 3:15; 1 Thess. 5:18.
xvi Their submission is not driven by the fear of man but by a reverential respect toward God.
