In this way we do not limit our work by our natural strength, nor are we in perpetual anxiety over our body. If anything is God's will, we dare to obey even if it is risky according to man's wisdom. He is our strength; we should just wait for His commissioning. We ourselves have no strength to bear anything, but our eyes are upon Him. We have nothing to rely upon; we go on in victory only because of Him. We all are much too strong. We do not know how to stop trusting in our own strength or how to depend on Him without reservation. His strength can only be made manifest in our weakness. The more we have nothing to depend upon (referring to our attitude), the more His strength is manifested. Our strength can never co-work with the Lord. If we want to help God's strength with our own, the result will be nothing but failure and shame.

Since the Lord requires dependence on Him, this kind of experience should be not only for those who are naturally weak but also for those who are naturally strong. Some believers may think that they do not need to pursue this kind of experience until they begin to be weak, because their bodies are strong. This is a mistake; both our natural strength and natural weakness need God's life. Whatever we receive in the old creation is not satisfactory to God. If a believer has been deeply taught by God, he will lay aside his own strength to receive God's strength, even if his body is so strong that he seemingly has no need to seek for God's life. This does not mean that he exercises his will to choose to be weak; rather, it means that he does not believe in his strength, just as he does not believe in his ability. This kind of consecration saves him from boasting according to his fleshly strength—a common ill of the Lord's workers today. He dares not act beyond what the Lord has commanded. He is like those who are naturally weak, who without the Lord's strengthening dare not do anything. He dares not overwork, carelessly eat, or freely expose himself to danger as those who are naturally weak dare not do.

In this kind of life it is crucial for the "self" to be restricted by the Holy Spirit. Otherwise, one is destined to fail. Some believers would love to pursue this life, but they cannot completely stop their own work. They still disregard God's will and do things independently. As a result people may admire them for a short time, but the strength of their body will not sustain them for long. God's life is not the servant of our own will. He will not supply strength for us to do work He has not authorized. If we work apart from Him, we will see God's life leak away and find ourselves once again bearing the work with our own poor body. In order to live by God, we must not do anything freely according to our own will; we must begin a work only after we definitely know that it is God's will. If we are obedient we will see that His life is indeed for us; if not, He will never give us His strength in order for us to disobey Him.