Man is a tripartite being. The spirit, soul, and body make one whole man. In a sense, we are created in the image of God who is also a tripartite being, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. But One whole God, that can't be separated. With that in mind, when someone is born again, it is because they had a dead spirit as a result of the fall. Man's spirit, which is man's organ to commune with God died on the day that Adam ate from the wrong tree first after God had told him, "On the day that you should eat, you shall surely die." So the Holy Spirit indwells man's spirit and quickens his human spirit to life, thus he is "born from above". The Holy Spirit dwells in man's innermost being which is his spirit. If you look at the temple, God dwelled in the innermost sanctuary. Not the Outer Courts or the Holy Place but the Holy of Holies. In someone who is "born of the Spirit", an evil spirit can not go in and dwell in his spirit because that is the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit of God. God desires that man should walk according to the spirit where His Spirit operates so his spirit should be buoyant and free and he should know how to use his spirit and to distinguish the difference between his spirit and his soul, which is his mind or intellect, his will, and his emotion. If man's spirit cooperates with the Holy Spirit then the Holy Spirit will lead him and guide him and empower him for service. The enemy's objective is to prevent a Christian from working, walking, or speaking in the power of the Holy Spirit. If the enemy can keep a Christian from using his spirit where the Holy Spirit dwells he knows that Christian is not much threat against the powers of darkness. They may look real busy in Christian service or prayer or whatever, but if it is not in the power of the Holy Spirit it is useless and a dead work. Therefore no threat to the enemy. So they do all they can to press or suppress a Christian's spirit, but cannot possess his spirit. The Holy Spirit possesses that. They can however attach to the body or the soul and make us live or walk accordingly so the life and power of God is not released from our spirit. They do this by attaching themselves, whispering, teaching, hindering, frustrating, and all sorts of different ways that are too many to name here. And may even counterfeit the Holy Spirit in spiritual gifts, which are still real in our day, to make the believer think that he is spiritual while he is yet carnal and has not yet come to the place where he is walking according to the Spirit to prevent him from truly walking in the Spirit. Thus we need to test and prove the spirits. Spiritual Warfare is inevitable in the Christians life. The Christian who has allowed Jesus Christ to make real to him that he is "seated with Christ in the heavenlies" will encounter the warfare that goes on in the heavenlies where the warfare is. Ephesians shows this. If being seated with Christ in the heavenlies is not the Christians experience he will not encounter this. There is no need for attack. Because that is where the power is, with Christ in the heavenlies. Satan's target is Christ in us. That is what he is after, to destroy the tesimony of the fulness of Christ. I will make a few recommendations in a minute. It's never too late for this, but the first thing a newborn Christian should do is just what Jesus said, "Take up your cross and follow me". The cross is the instrument that the Holy Spirit uses to put to death all that is not of Him. Our own reasoning, intellect, affections, human wisdom, self-will, human strength, etc. All those things are of the flesh and ground for the enemy. The cross is where the powers of darkness are defeated. It has to be made ours in living and vibrant experience. Not just a thought. If it is just a thought and not our real experience we are in danger. God provided all the grace we need to be laid hold of by faith. To have victory over sin, the self-life, Satan, and worldly pleasures. The work has been done, but if we don't respond to it it can never be ours. It is our choice whether or not we lay hold of it by faith and allow God to make it our real experience. If we don't then we trample His grace under foot and that is what the Great Apostasy will produce. The Holy Spirit desires to be our governing force. Actively allowing the Cross of Christ to put those things to death is the only thing that can deliver the Christian from ground of the enemy. It is not anything to be scared of but rather to stand up and take courage. God wants us to take back all ground from the enemy actively. Christ said, "He who loves his life(psuche), which means the soul life, will lose it, and he who loses his life(psuche) for My sake will keep it unto life(zoe) eternal. Which means divine life. That's as thorough as I can be for now, here, but I will recommend a couple books that will help guide whoever has a desire to move into a spiritual life. The first is called, "The Spiritual Man" by Watchman Nee. The other is called "War on the Saints" by Jessie Penn-Lewis and Evan Roberts. I do not recommmend "War on the Saints" to someone without a good foundation because it can cause someone to get a little too introspective but as far as the wiles of the devil it is very good. And does show the way of deliverance. But "The Spiritual Man" does also and is more thorough in guiding towards the spiritual life. One of Satan's big deceptions is making Christians believe it can't happen to them. Those who think that are those who have already been deceived. But God makes provision and will deliver all who want delivered. It only takes a genuine desire for truth in God's light instead of man's opinion or our own reasoning. "He who does the truth comes to the light, that his works might be manifest, that they are wrought in God." Just ask God for light with a willing heart and trust in His love and faithfulness.
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