394 The Spiritual Man
Now this is just the moment when we should apply the principle
of the mind supporting the spirit. But how? When the spirit is
sleeping, our mind must come in to do the work of the spirit. And
before long we shall see the latter itself joining in the work. The
mind and the spirit are closely knit: they are to help each other. Many
times the spirit senses something which the mind is made to
understand, and then action is taken; while on other occasions the
spirit is unmoved and needs to be aroused by the activity of the
believer’s mind. If the spirit is inactive the mind can induce it to
move. And once moved, the believer should follow it. Such
inducement of the spirit by the mind is what we here term as the
principle or law of the mind aiding the spirit. There is a principle in
spiritual life which holds that in the beginning we should exercise
our spiritual sense to apprehend God-given knowledge, but that
afterwards we must keep and use this knowledge by means of the
mind. For example, you notice a great need somewhere. According
to the knowledge you have received from God, you realize you
should pray and petition Him for supply. But at the time you see the
need your spirit does not feel at all like praying. What should you
do? You should pray with your mind instead of waiting for the spirit
to move. Every need is a call to prayer. Although at the start you
pray despite silence in your spirit, as you pray on you will soon be
conscious of something rising within you. It signifies your spirit has
joined in at last in this work of prayer.
Occasionally our inner man is so oppressed by Satan or so
disturbed by the natural life that we can hardly discern it. It has sunk
so low that it seems to have lost its consciousness. We continue to
feel the presence of our soul and body, but the spirit appears to be
absent. If we should wait for it to stir before we pray, we shall
probably never do so, nor shall it regain its freedom. What we must
do is pray with what the mind remembers to be the truth we once
received and in that prayer resist the power of darkness. If ever we
do not sense the spirit we should pray with our mind. Such mental
activity eventually will incite our spirit to move.