The Daily Exercise of a Believer—Exercising the Mingled Spirit to Breathe in the Lord
“Exercise yourself unto godliness.” (1 Tim. 4:7)
“…Godliness is Christ lived out of us to be the manifestation of God…Today this very Christ is the Spirit dwelling in our spirit (2 Cor. 3:17; Rom. 8:9-10; 2 Tim. 4:22). Hence to exercise ourselves unto godliness is to exercise our spirit to live Christ in our daily life.”—footnote 4, on 1 Tim. 4:7, Recovery Version.
Having come to the wonderful realization that “Christ lives in me” (Gal. 2:20)—that He, the resurrected Christ, as the life-giving Spirit lives in my spirit, it is my earnest desire to live in one spirit with Him (1 Cor. 6:17). Since His Spirit is now joined to my spirit, these two spirits becoming one mingled spirit, it is possible to walk according to this Spirit. The Apostle Paul said,
“As therefore you have received the Christ, Jesus the Lord, walk in Him.” (Col. 2:6)
“To walk according to this Spirit (Rom. 8:4; Gal. 5:16) is the central and crucial point in the New Testament.”—footnote 2, Col. 2:6, Recovery Version
It is my desire that through this post this central and crucial point, would become the subjective reality of every person that reads my blog. In order to enter into this experience, I strongly encourage you to try calling on the name of the Lord Jesus from deep within and see if you don’t have such a sweet sense of His Spirit, witnessing with your spirit.
The Lord’s loving seeker in the Song of Songs expressed this sentiment very well when she said,
“Your name is like ointment poured forth.” (S.S. 1:3)
The fulfillment of such a word was also promised by the Lord Jesus Himself when He said,
“ But the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name…” (John 14:26)
Hence, when we call on the name of the Son [the Lord Jesus] we get the Spirit (1 Cor. 12:3).
The actual fulfillment of this promise was proclaimed by the Apostle Paul when he said,
“No one can say, Jesus is Lord! Except in the Holy Spirit.” (1 Cor. 12:3)
M.E. Barber, a missionary to China, in the early part of last century, expressed the reality of this experience in the second stanza of her hymn “Glorious Mighty Name of Jesus by saying:
Blessed Jesus! Mighty Savior!
In Thy Name is all I need;
Just to breathe the Name of Jesus,
Is to drink of Life indeed.
Dear seeker of Christ, if you want to touch the Spirit with your spirit, that is, to enjoy this mingled spirit that you as a child of God possess, I commend to you my practice of spiritual, deep breathing. Every day, especially in the early morning. I like to begin the day by deeply breathing the name of Jesus by saying, “Lord Jesus! Lord Jesus, I love you! O Lord, fill me today!”
The prophet Jeremiah surely practiced this secret for he said,
“I called upon Your name, O Jehovah, / From the lowest pit. / You have heard my voice; do not hide you’re your ear at my breathing, at my cry. / You drew near in the day that I called upon You; / You said, Do not fear.” (Lam. 3:55-56)
As believers, we should no longer remain silent if we want to enjoy the benefits of deep spiritual breathing. Rather we need cry out as the prophet, even from the lowest pit of our situation and self.
In order for us to enjoy Christ, as the life-giving Spirit living in us, we need to live by Him, moment by moment by exercising to turn to and stay in our mingled spirit. Simply practice to call on Him, breathe His name during every activity of your day. I’m learning to practice this in all the mundane things of my human life—whether cleaning the kitchen, taking a shower or driving the car.
Although calling on the Lord’s name, of itself, is simply a practice of the Lord’s seekers, and not the central line of the Bible, I hope that it will help you like it has helped me, to realize and enjoy the reality of Christ’s indwelling in your mingled spirit. In this way you may be helped to more fully know this wonderful indwelling Christ who is fully in the central line of the Bible.
If you enjoyed this post and would like a more complete presentation of what I’ve shared, you’ll enjoy reading a booklet entitled, A Simple Way to Touch the Lord by Witness Lee. You can find it online at ministrybooks.org under the tab “Additional Titles by Witness Lee.” You can also get a free copy in the mail by going to the bfa.org website and clicking on the “Free Literature” tab. The content of the booklet composes the second chapter in Volume Two of Basic Elements of the Christian Life.
May the Lord richly bless you with the enjoyment of Himself as the indwelling Christ, by this simple practice of breathing His name to touch Him as the Spirit with your spirit.
About Tom Smith
Hi. My name is Tom Smith. I'm the writer behind Holding to Truth in Love, and I love the Lord Jesus and His life-giving Word. Please feel free to send me an e-mail through the contact page if you have any questions. I hope you'd take a moment to subscribe to the Holding to Truth blog. Then you'll be sure not to miss a post. Thanks!
Great post. I’m encouraged to call on His name this morning and let the Spirit witness with my spirit. Thanks Tom.
Oh Beloved pnuematic wonder One You are sooo breathable!!
thanks for the fresh air my brother!