406 The Spiritual Man
of God he shall unquestionably fail. We must never be independent
of God. The moment our spirit ceases to tremble before Him at that
precise moment it declares its independence from Him. Except we
sense our helplessness we shall never trust in God. A spirit which
trembles before Him shields one from defeat and helps him to truly
apprehend God.
A Lowly Spirit
“It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor than to divide
the spoil with the proud” (Prov.16.19) “He who is lowly in spirit
will obtain honor” (Prov. 29.23). “And also with him who is of a
contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble” (Is.
57.15).Lowliness is not a looking down on one’s self; rather is it a not
looking at one’s self at all. As soon as a believer’s spirit becomes
haughty he is liable to fall. Humility is not only Godward but is
manward as well. A lowly spirit is demonstrated when one associates
with the poor. It is this spirit alone which does not despise any who
are created by God. God’s presence and glory is manifested in the
life of the spiritually humble.
A lowly person is a teachable person, easily entreated and open to
explanation. Many of our spirits are too arrogant: they can teach
others but can never themselves be taught. Many possess a stubborn
spirit: they stick to their opinions even if they realize they are wrong.
Many are too hard in spirit to listen to an explanation for a
misunderstanding. Only the humble have the capacity to bear and
forbear. God needs a lowly man to express His virtue. How can a
proud man hear the voice of the Holy Spirit and then cooperate with
God? No trace of pride should be found in our spirit: tenderness,
delicacy, flexibility—these shall be the norm. A tiny bit of harshness
in the inner man may hinder fellowship with the Lord, for this
certainly is most unlike Him. To walk with the Lord the spirit must
be lowly, forever waiting on Him and offering no resistance to Him.