Insolomonsporch's Blog

Day Eleven

Dealing with Hard Days

“He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, he who rules his [own] spirit than he who takes a city.” Prov 16:32

The idea of ruling our own spirit is initially foreign to us.  Even as believers we don’t often know what this means.  It is saying that as an act of your will (your soul), you are choosing to allow the Lord and His Life to rule in your regenerated spirit.  Your re-awakened spirit is then allowed to ascend to a place of rule over your soul and your physical body.  This ascended life is in charge.  Thus, the Kingdom of God actually begins to rule over your heart and mind in Christ Jesus, and works through the agency of the Holy Spirit in your own spirit.

The Proverbs Scripture is providing a comparison of strengths.  It is revealing that a person ruled by their spirit (and by extension the Holy Spirit) is much greater in strength than the one who possesses massive physical force.  Why is this?  Natural strength is good, but it can only take you so far.  You might even conquer a city with it, but that is unsubstantial compared to your own heart and mind being ruled over by the Kingdom of God.  It is there, in that place of service and submission under the rule of the spirit that miracles can occur!  It is there – with the very life of Jesus ruling in us – that we can do greater works for the Kingdom!  This is why we are also instructed that physical conditioning is of some value, but the training and disciplining of our spiritual life is of much greater profit! (1Tim 4:8)

However, this place of greater works is also a place of complete dependence on the Holy Spirit and His leading in us.  It is a place of obedience to the word of God, and to the authority of Jesus Christ!  For this reason, the enemy (Satan) tries with great effort and strategy to derail this kind of spiritual growth.  The capacity that we have as well-ruled spirits to do great works for the Kingdom drives the enemy to fight tooth and nail to sabotage this kind of life.  He brings every difficulty he can to make our days hard and our heart weary in well-doing.  His goal is to keep us on the run and caught up in our fleshly lives and thinking so that we lose the position of abiding in the spirit and having it rule over us.

When you embark on this path of life in the spirit, the enemy will target you.  When you approach increasing maturity in it – the enemy will try and pull out every stop.  It may look like he is winning.  But do not believe it!  Continue on in the spirit, and leave no room to indulge the flesh whatsoever!  Do not look at yourself, but continue to see only the face of Christ!  The enemy will learn that his tactics are only helping to perfect you in Christ’s likeness.  As you submit to God, and resist every tactic of the enemy, he will flee from you.  Be-loved.