GRACE WITH OUR SPIRIT
Second Timothy 4:22 says, "The Lord Jesus Christ be with thy spirit. Grace be with you." Galatians 6:18 and Philemon 25 both say, "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit." Right now the Lord Jesus Christ Himself is in our spirit, and grace, the full enjoyment of the riches of the Lord, is also in our spirit. We are inwardly strengthened just by saying these words. If you do not believe it, I ask you to try it. As you are about to lose your temper, say, "Grace be with my spirit." This grace will kill your temper. Grace is the life-giving Spirit, the all-inclusive Spirit Himself. Many of us are still very much under the influence of the religion of Christianity. We have heard so many teachings about various things. But I have learned one thing—to be a good eater. Because I have excellent metabolism, I do not gain weight, although I eat very well. My point here is this. Do not tell me to do certain things, for I only need to eat the proper food. Forget those religious teachings about doing this and that. Instead, eat Jesus and enjoy grace. Do not try to deal with your temper. One word is sufficient: "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit." To this, we all must say, "Amen!" If you practice this, you will know wonderful victory. We all need to say—"The grace of the Lord Jesus be with my spirit. Amen."
Two things are very real. The first is grace, and the second is the spirit. There is something in the universe called grace, and there is something within us called the spirit. The Bible says that grace is with our spirit. In the universe, there is grace; and within us, there is the spirit. Hallelujah, this grace is now in our spirit! If this were not such a wonderful matter, why would the Apostle Paul repeat it again and again, saying that grace is with our spirit, or that grace is with us? This is not vain talk or vain words. I was in Christianity for years, but no one ever told me such a thing. Rather, they taught me to honor my parents, and I did my best to do it. No one told me that there is something in the universe called grace and something within me called my spirit. But after many years I learned through experience that grace is with my spirit. This grace that is with our spirit is simply the all-inclusive Spirit. The all-inclusive Spirit has been born into our spirit, and we have been born of Him. This is grace. Now we are one spirit with Him, and He is within us as grace. The supply, the support, and the enjoyment are all with our spirit.
THE REAL CHRISTIAN LIFE
In every chapter of the book of Ephesians there is a verse concerning the spirit. Our spirit is wonderful because it is indwelt by the Spirit and is one with the Spirit. Hence, it is the mingled spirit, our spirit joined to the Spirit. According to Ephesians 1:17, this spirit is the spirit of wisdom and revelation. If we would know the book of Ephesians, we need such a spirit of wisdom and revelation. Ephesians 2:22 indicates that today God’s habitation, the church, is in our spirit, and Ephesians 3:5 says that the revelation of the mystery hidden in God can be revealed to us only in our spirit. Ephesians 4:23 says that we must be renewed in the spirit of our mind. According to this verse, our spirit spreads into our mind and becomes the spirit of our mind. By this spirit we are being renewed. In Ephesians 5:18 we are told to be filled in our spirit. Our physical body may be filled with wine, but we do not desire this kind of filling. Instead, we need to be filled in our spirit with the wonderful, all-inclusive Spirit. Finally, Ephesians 6:18 says that we must pray at every time in spirit. If we put all these verses together, we shall see what the real Christian life is. It is to recognize that our spirit is indwelt by the all-inclusive Spirit. We must restrict ourselves to the spirit and do everything from the spirit. The life-giving Spirit indwells our spirit to be our Christian life.
(The Spirit and the Body, Chapter 9, by Witness Lee)
