The first item to maintain life is light. The second item to maintain life is air or breathing. The more we remain in the soul, the more we will be choked, the more we will sense the shortage of air. On the other hand, when we turn ourself to the spirit, right away we sense the freshness of air. Through my experiences, I have learned one vital lesson: to turn to the spirit. We all must learn not to take care of so many outward things, but we must learn to turn to the spirit all the time. We need to forget about our environment. Whenever we are in spirit, we often have the sense that we are not on earth. Everything is so fresh and new in our spirit. This freshness and newness is Christ as our air. We Christians think, consider, and worry too much. Many times we will not turn to the spirit until we are forced to. If our business runs well, we do not turn to the Lord. Therefore, we often need troubles, trials, and painful sufferings, things we cannot get through, to force us to give up and turn back to the Lord. We must learn to be willing to turn to our spirit. Even if we could get through in some area outside of the spirit, we should still come back to the spirit. When we turn to our spirit, we sense the fresh air within us; we are refreshed, strengthened, and uplifted.
When we read the Bible, it is a good practice to read a little bit, maybe half a verse, and then say a little word to the Lord. Usually, however, our habit is just to read. When we merely read, we are often occupied in the mentality. We should not only use our mind, but also exercise our spirit to contact the Lord. We may read half of John 1:1, “In the beginning was the Word....” Then we could tell the Lord, “O Lord, praise You. You are the Word. In the beginning, You were there.” The best way to read the Bible is not merely to read, solely exercising our mind, but to read a little and then say something to the Lord. We need to learn when reading to exercise our spirit by praying and not to exercise our mind too much. To pray is the best way to exercise our spirit. In the morning while we are dressing or washing, we can say something to the Lord from our spirit. We must learn at all times to turn ourselves to the Lord.
The third item for the maintenance of life is the experience of Christ as our living water. Physically, we can live without eating longer than we can live without drinking. Thus, following light and air, we need water. If we keep ourselves in the spirit, we will sense that we are being watered. Many times we are dry within because we are in the soul. If we would turn to the spirit, we would sense water instead of dryness. In our spirit is the living water ready to water us all the time. When we pray, we need to follow the inner flow of life to utter something to the Lord. If the inner feeling or sense causes us to repent, we should say something according to the inner sense of life, and not according to mere knowledge. Perhaps you would say, “Lord, I am sinful.” To say something according to this inner sense is to follow the flow. That flow is the springing up of the living water within us (John 4:14; 7:38). When the living water springs up and flows out of us, the first one to be watered is us. We are watered, and then we will water others. The secret is to keep ourselves in the spirit all the time.
Many may know the doctrines, teachings, and sayings of the Gospel of John, but few have found the secret of how to get into the enjoyment of the things revealed there. If we are going to enjoy Christ as the living water, we must come back to the spirit. Many who have experienced the so-called gifts of the Spirit have said that they were watered through the practice of the gifts. But strictly speaking, these gifts are without, whereas the living water is within. The living water springs up from within our innermost being. We must learn to turn within. We should not pay attention to the outward teachings, forms, and gifts. Rather, we should turn and pay our full attention to the spirit within.
The all-inclusive Christ dwelling in our spirit is a heavenly mystery within us which no one can exhaust (Col. 1:26-28; 2:2). The more we turn ourselves to the spirit and remain there to contact the Lord, the more we will sense that He is the exhaustless One. As we turn to our spirit, we sense a flowing and springing up within which waters us, and spontaneously we will water others. Whoever contacts us will be watered by this living outflow. This is the way to enjoy Christ as the living water. This is not doctrine. Our need is to practice to turn ourselves back to the spirit and remain there with the Lord. Then we will enjoy Christ as the living water.
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