454 The Spiritual Man
people to commit all matters into His hand and not defend
themselves. How we like to speak on our own behalf! How awful
for us to be misunderstood! It diminishes one’s glory and deflates
one’s self-esteem. The self in man cannot remain silent when an
unjustified fault is leveled at him. He cannot accept what is given
him by God nor can he stay for God to justify him. He believes
God’s justification will come too late; he demands the Lord to justify
him at once so that everybody may behold his rightenousness in no
uncertain terms. All this is but the ferment of soulish desire. Were
the believer willing to humble himself beneath the mighty hand of
God at the instance of misunderstanding, he would discover that God
wishes to use this occasion to equip him to deny his self more
deeply; that is, to deny once again his soulish desire. This constitutes
the Christian’s practical cross. Each time he accepts a cross he
experiences once more its crucifixion. Should he follow his natural
concern and rush to defend himself, he shall find the power of self
more formidable to subdue on the next occasion.
Before’s one natural desire is dealt with he inevitably will pour
out his heart to someone in the hour of suffering, discomfort, or
despondency. His emotion has been aroused within and he longs to
confide his trouble to someone so as to release the miserable pressure
upon his breast and thus relieve his burden. Man’s soulish inclination
is to inform people about his distress as though their very knowledge
of it will lessen it. By such action the individual is attempting to
derive sympathy and comfort from other people. He yearns intently
for this condolence and commiseration for these afford him a certain
pleasurable feeling. He does not know how to be satisfied with God
knowing his problems: he cannot commit his burdens to the Lord
alone, quietly letting Him lead him to deeper death through these
circumstances. He seeks man’s comfort rather than God Himself. His
self life is greedy for what man can give him but despises the
ordering of God. Believers should perceive that their soul life will
never be lost through man’s sympathy and comfort—these but
nourish that life. The spirit life commences with God and finds in