The Principle of Mind Aiding the Spirit 401
mind, it can express what it could not express at the first. We can
secure whatever we need in the spirit if we ponder and pray with the
mind. This will cause us to be filled again in our spirit.
Another point needs to be observed. In spiritual conflict spirit
struggles against spirit. But all the powers of man’s entire being
should join his spirit in wrestling against the enemy. Of these the
mind is the most important. The spirit and the mind join forces in
battle. Should the former become oppressed and begin to lose its
power to resist, the latter must carry the fight forward on its behalf.
As the mind contends and resists in prayer the spirit is thereby
replenished and once more rises to the occasion.
The Condition of the MindInferior though it be to the spirit, the mind nonetheless can assist
it. Besides bolstering a weak spirit, it should be able to read and
search out the spirit’s thought as well. How necessary, therefore, that
the mind be kept in its normal state. just as the movements of the
spirit have their laws, so the activity of the mind is governed by its
particular laws. The mind that can work freely is one which is light
and lively. If it be expanded too far, like overstretching a bow, it
shall sacrifice its effectiveness to work. The enemy well knows how
we need our mind to attend the spirit so that we may walk by the
spirit. Thus he frequently induces us to overuse it that it may be
rendered unfit to function normally and hence be powerless to
reinforce the spirit in time of weakness.
Our mind is much more than an organ of assistance to the spirit; it
also is the place where we obtain light. The Spirit of God dispenses
light to the mind through the spirit. If the mind is overexerted it
relinquishes the power of receiving His light. The enemy understands
that if our mind is darkened our whole being enters into darkness; he
consequently strives with all his effort to provoke us to think so very
much that we are unable to work quietly. To walk after the spirit a