{"id":625,"date":"2017-05-14T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-05-14T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hanoverbaptistchurch.org\/blogpastor\/?p=625"},"modified":"2017-05-13T23:33:11","modified_gmt":"2017-05-14T04:33:11","slug":"what-does-the-bible-say-about-ruling-your-spirit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hanoverbaptistchurch.org\/blogpastor\/2017\/what-does-the-bible-say-about-ruling-your-spirit\/","title":{"rendered":"What does the Bible say about ruling your spirit?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u201cHe who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.\u201d Proverbs\u00a06:32<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Just the sound of the word \u201cspirit\u201d evokes something of the mysterious, mighty, and magical. Spirited discussions, school spirit, a spirited horse, and strength of spirit are expressions that communicate power, vivacity, unpredictability, and even a little bit of the untamable with a healthy helping of the redoubtable. There is a reason why God says He created man and he became a \u201cliving being\u201d such that Solomon could also say, \u201cThe spirit of a man is the lamp of the LORD, searching all the inner depths of his heart\u201d (Proverbs\u00a020:27).<\/p>\n

With the advent of sin, man\u2019s spirited nature became deformed so now all men have a sin nature. Man\u2019s spirit became unruly, unthankful, twisted, and craves to throw off any strictures God communicates to successfully curb innate selfishness and greed. The heart of a rebel lies just beneath the placid appearances of civility. Romans\u00a01 adequately describes the bent of the natural man\u2019s spirit when it is not ruled by fear of God, revealed truth, or spiritual virtue. Someone wisely once said that when man refuses to be ruled by the Ten Commandments of God he will have to be ruled by ten thousand commandments from men. Our \u201cspirited nature\u201d naturally leads to continued alienation from God, without direct intervention from God.<\/p>\n

Solomon observed this and put pen to paper. A cursory reading of Proverbs\u00a016, in light of the advice supplied by verse\u00a032, yields some interesting observations. The \u201cthinking\u201d man is addressed in verses\u00a01 through\u00a03. A man plans, keeping his own counsel (verse\u00a01). God cannot be fooled as He weighs the man\u2019s \u201cspirit\u201d (verse\u00a02). Then the lesson is given: \u201cCommit your works to the LORD and your thoughts will be established\u201d (verse\u00a03).<\/p>\n

In verse\u00a09 the thread is rejoined: \u201cA man\u2019s heart plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps.\u201d Back in verse\u00a05 the LORD explains the reason for His opposition, \u201cEveryone proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD; though they join forces, none will go unpunished.\u201d \u201cJoining forces\u201d is an allusion to \u201cagreement by handshake\u201d to confirm a matter. There is no strength against God because of sheer number; \u201cman at his best is still man at best.\u201d<\/p>\n

Verse 18 is really the central theme to the chapter: \u201cPride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.\u201d Proverbs\u00a021:4 states, \u201cA haughty look, a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked [standards which govern wicked men] are sin.\u201d This is why Solomon later says (Proverbs\u00a016:25), \u201cThere is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.\u201d Unredeemed men are spirited fodder for Solomon\u2019s further admonitions found in Proverbs\u00a016:27ff: \u201cAn ungodly man digs up evil, and it is on his lips like a burning fire. A perverse man sows strife, and a whisperer separates the best of friends. A violent man entices his neighbor, and leads him in a way that is not good. He winks his eye to devise perverse things; he purses his lips and brings about evil.\u201d Man without God is spirited in his pursuit of evil and spiritually dead to any effective pursuit after God (Romans\u00a03:10\u201312).<\/p>\n

King Solomon had plenty of experience adjudicating human nature\u2014the human spirit. In Proverbs\u00a016:10ff, he says, \u201cDivination is on the lips of the king; his mouth must not transgress in judgment\u2026Righteous lips are the delight of kings, and they love him who speaks what is right\u2026How much better to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver. The highway of the upright is to depart from evil; he who keeps his way preserves his soul.\u201d<\/p>\n

The human nature and spirit continues to capture his attention in the rest of the chapter. Verse\u00a022 reads, \u201cUnderstanding is a wellspring of life to him who has it. But the correction of fools is folly.\u201d Verse\u00a026 keys in on the driving force of self and greed in the human spirit: \u201cThe person who labors, labors for himself, for his hungry mouth drives him on.\u201d Ruling one\u2019s spirit is difficult work, even more difficult than leading an army to victory. Verse\u00a032 concludes, \u201cHe who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.\u201d Who does not want to be greater than a conqueror, ruling in the toughest arena on earth?<\/p>\n

To rule the spirit is the challenge of all men. The New Testament uses the words \u201cself-control,\u201d or temperance. Ruling one\u2019s spirit is hard for both unsaved and saved. James\u00a04:1ff challenges church age believers with these words: \u201cWhere do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain.\u201d<\/p>\n

Holy Spirit-enabled self-control operates like King David, Solomon\u2019s father, said, \u201cLORD, my heart is not haughty, nor my eyes lofty\u2026Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with his mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me. O Israel, hope in the LORD from this time forth and forever\u201d (Psalm\u00a0131). May God enable you to rule your spirit by submission to His will. Trust and obey.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cHe who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.\u201d Proverbs\u00a06:32 Just the sound of the word \u201cspirit\u201d evokes something of the mysterious, mighty, and magical. Spirited discussions, school spirit, a spirited horse, and strength of spirit are expressions that communicate power, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hanoverbaptistchurch.org\/blogpastor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/625"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hanoverbaptistchurch.org\/blogpastor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hanoverbaptistchurch.org\/blogpastor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hanoverbaptistchurch.org\/blogpastor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hanoverbaptistchurch.org\/blogpastor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=625"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.hanoverbaptistchurch.org\/blogpastor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/625\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hanoverbaptistchurch.org\/blogpastor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=625"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hanoverbaptistchurch.org\/blogpastor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=625"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hanoverbaptistchurch.org\/blogpastor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=625"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}