I thought of Watchman Nee today...

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In 1981 I bought the book, "The Release of the Spirit." Other than the Bible, it has been the most influential book in my life.

Here is one of my favorite sections (from page 68/69)

The working of the Holy Spirit in our lives has its positive as well as its negative sides—both constructive and destructive phases. After we were born again, we received the indwelling life of the Holy Spirit. But our outward man, however, often deprives Him of His freedom to move and work in our lives. It is like trying to walk in a pair of ill-fitted new shoes. Because our outward is in conflict with our inward man, God must employ whatever means He thinks effective in breaking down any stubborn stronghold over which our inward man has no control.
 
The Holy Spirit does not break the outward man by simply supplying more grace to the inward man. Of course, God wants the inward man to be strong. But His method for diminishing the outward man is by utilizing external means. It would be well nigh impossible for the inward man to accomplish this. Both the inward and the outward are so different in nature that they can scarcely inflict any wounds on each other. The nature of both the outward man and external things are similar; therefore, the former can easily be affected by the latter. External things can strike and bruise the outward man most painfully. So it is the external things that God uses to deal with our outward man.

Today I felt like those "ill-fitting shoes."

chris

To read this entire book: The Release of the Spirit