Release of the Spirit - Ch. 8: What Impression do We Give?

In chapter 8 Watchman Nee teaches that what most impacts others about us is that which emanates or comes forth from within us: "What others sense in us is our most outstanding feature. If our mind has never been dealt with and is undisciplined, naturally we shall use our mind to contact people, and they will be struck by its forcefulness...Whatever our strongest characteristic is, it will stand out and impress others. We may be able to control our speech or action, but we are unable to restrain that which expresses our nature."

Nee illustrates this with the story of Elisha and how the Shunammite woman perceived that he was a holy man of God without hearing him preach or perform any miracles. He merely entered her house and ate with her and her husband.

He goes on to say that even though we may be good at giving spiritual teaching and preaching, if our natural life (strong points of our nature) haven't been dealt with by the Spirit, there is no spiritual impartation for the hearers. God will go to great lengths to break us in the area of our strength, and it can take years for His truth to become alive and real (though we may have heard it long before that).

This realization of what He is doing comes through His discipline as we have seen, and also through enlightenment when His light breaks through and we "see" as He sees. "The flesh, as we know, lives hidden in darkness...Once His light reveals the flesh to us we tremble, not daring to move...Pride seen in the light of revelation differs completely from the pride that we talk glibly about...Whatever is revealed 'in the light' is slain by it...light both reveals and slays.

"In that hour of unveiling, even noble deeds performed in His name and in love to Him will somehow lose their luster...What you considered as wholly for God now appears to be riddled with self. Self seems to permeate every vestige of your being, robbing God of glory."

How well I (Nita) remember such a time in my own life as a young servant of the Lord when I was around 30 years old. I was zealous for Him and wholehearted in wanting to serve Him fully. And yet at a critical point in my walk with Him as I sought His face during a 3-day fast, He wonderfully shed His light on me and showed me in an instant how I was filled with desire for glory and praise from humans in the ministry. Though I had not seen it before this, when the light came, I knew instantly that He was correct, and deep repentance was my response. And with the repentance and forgiveness came a sense that I was not to finish the 3 days of fasting (I was halfway through it), because He had accomplished what He wanted to do. The experience also affected how I walked out my service for Him after that because I had a holy fear of what I had seen in myself.

"At first He alone knows us, for we are always bare and naked before Him. But once God has disclosed to us the thoughts and intents of our heart, we are then laid bare before ourselves. How shall we ever lift up our head again?...Though we used to think we were better than others, now we know what we really are...

Chapter 8 concludes with Nee's contrasting between God's discipline and His enlightenment. His discipline is a slower process, repeated over and over again until the issue is finally dealt with. Enlightenment happens very quickly. God uses both to break the outward shell of our natural strengths. Most often His discipline comes to us through humans. Unfortunately, many of God's people don't recognize what God is doing through the hand of humans, and we can prolong the process by not recognizing the good hand of God in it (Psalm 66:10-12).

"When the (human) spirit is released, it supplies the needs of the world. No work is more important or thorough than this, and nothing can take its place. The Lord is not so much concerned with your teachings or sermons as He is with the impression you give...Do you impress people with yourself or with the Lord? Do you let people touch your teaching or your Lord?...Do not forget that every contact you make with another, there is something that comes out of you. It is either yourself or God flowing forth..."

Praise You, Lord, for Your loving and faithful and relentless work in our lives. Continue Your dealings with us so that what comes out from us to others is the pure life of Jesus...Amen.