The Path to Freedom 623
manifestations which made him happy initially but which pained him
ultimately. He had not cooperated actively with God but had instead
passively followed that will which he had taken for granted must be
God’s. Both his happy and painful experiences must have originated
with evil spirits. He consequently now admits how deceived he has
been. The child of God not only must accept the truth but in addition
must admit his condition in the light of that truth. In this way the lie
of the enemy shall be annulled. Thus one’s experience here is to (a)
acknowledge that a believer is open to deception; (b) admit that he
too is subject to duplicity; (c) confess that he is deceived; and next
(d) further inquire as to why he was beguiled.
The Discovery of GroundWe may now infer that ground must have been furnished the evil
spirit. But what is the ground which a believer supplies? Before he
considers what ground he has given, let him first review exactly what
ground is.
The believer ought to realize that besides sin there are other
elements which can afford ground to evil spirits: the acceptance of a
counterfeit, passivity of will, and assent to the enemy’s flashing
thought. For the present we focus our attention on passivity, that is,
on allowing our mind or body to sink into a coma-like state, ceasing
to exercise conscious control over the mind, and inactivating the
proper functions of the will, conscience and memory. Passivity,
though there are various gradations of it, forms the principal ground.
The scope of the enemy’s penetration is determined by the degree of
passivity. As soon as the person becomes aware of an inert
condition—whatever its degree—he must recover that ground at
once. Firmly, intently and persistently he should oppose the enemy’s
attempt to maintain any footing in him, especially in the areas where
he has been deceived. It is indispensable that he know the ground and
recover it.