The Laws of the Spirit 379
John thunderously asked: “Lord, do you want us to bid fire come
down from heaven and consume them?... And he said, you do not
know what manner of spirit you are of” (Luke 9.54,55 marginal). It is
most essential that we know of what kind of spirit we are. We often
do not perceive that our spirit is prey to the instigation of the enemy.
Everything is wrong if it is wrong. From the experience of these two
disciples we observe that an erring spirit can manifest itself easily
through spoken words. Even so, the words uttered may not reveal
nearly as much as the tone assumed. Sometimes the words are
correct but the tone is wrong. To assure victory we need to watch
even the sound of our speech. Immediately the evil spirit touches our
spirit, our voice loses its softness. A harsh, hard, and shrill utterance
does not spring from the Holy Spirit; it simply exhibits the fact that
the one who speaks has been poisoned already by Satan.
How de we usually speak? Are we able to refer to others without
any tinge of condemnation? Our words may in fact be true but
lurking behind those words of truth could be the spirit of criticism,
condemnation, wrath, or jealousy. Whereas we should speak the truth
in love. If our spirit is pure and gentle, then are we able to voice the
truth. Now should the spirit of condemning be within us, we most
assuredly have sinned. Sin is not only an action; it is also a condition.
What is hidden behind things is what matters the most. How many
times we sin while doing something for God or men, for darkly
hidden away is an unfaithful, unwilling, or grudging spirit.
We must keep our spirit sweet and soft. It must be pure and clean.
Do we consider an erring spirit as sin? Do we know when the enemy
has attacked our spirit—when our spirit is poisoned? Suppose we do
know, are we humble enough to eliminate such sin? The moment we
notice our voice has turned harsh, we must stop instantly. With not
the slightest hesitation we should turn to ourselves and say, “I am
willing to speak with a pure spirit; I am willing to oppose the
enemy.” If we are reluctant to say to our brethren, “I am wrong,”
then our spirit remains engulfed in its sin. God’s children ought to