558 The Spiritual Man
spirit opposes what men call reasoning; however, to the person
whose rational power has been renewed such reasoning works
together with his spirit, thus his guidance seems perfectly logical to
his reasoning. But the rationality of the person whose inner man has
not yet attained this lofty position frequently will withstand the
leading of the spirit.
We have observed in Ephesians 1 how the spirit aids the mind.
Upon receiving revelation from God the believer’s spirit enlightens
the intellect. The mind of a spiritual man does not rely upon natural
life; it depends instead on the enlightening of the spirit’s light. It
lapses into darkness otherwise. A renewed mentality needs to be
directed by the light of the spirit. This explains why a person may
find his thoughts confused and his whole being dissipated if his inner
man is blocked by evil spirits. The brain of a spiritual man is
sustained by the spirit. Should the latter fall under siege, its power
cannot reach directly to the brain and so the mind immediately loses
some control. The preservation of these two elements in their proper
relationship requires an alertness lest our spirit be besieged by the
evil spirits and cause our mind to relinquish its normal functioning.
A believer’s mind is the outlet of the Holy Spirit. How does He
Who dwells in man’s spirit express Himself? He is not satisfied with
man only believing that He is present in the human spirit. His aim is
to manifest Himself through man that others too may possess Him.
There are a thousand and one things for which the Holy Spirit
requires the cooperation of man. It is not enough for Him to dwell in
man’s spirit, He desires additionally to express Himself through it.
What expresses man’s spirit is the mind. Should it be obstructed, the
spirit shall be deprived of its means of expression, and then God’s
Spirit cannot flow from man’s inner being to other people. We need
the mind, moreover, to read the meaning of our intuitive knowledge,
thus opening the way for God to communicate His thought through
us. If our mentality is narrow and foolish the Holy Spirit finds
Himself unable to fellowship with us in the way He desires.