0:01 Have you ever wondered why even after
0:04 attending church for years, your inner
0:06 struggles remain the same? Why despite
0:08 knowing the word does your heart still
0:11 race with the same worries? This is the
0:13 question that defines our true spiritual
0:15 condition. Perhaps the issue isn't about
0:18 how much you know about God, but how
0:20 much you allow him to know you. Who has
0:22 checked if they are subscribed to this
0:24 channel? If you haven't yet, please
0:26 subscribe so that the Lord can continue
0:28 to reach you with his word. This could
0:30 be the message that transforms your
0:33 spiritual life forever. Watchman knee
0:35 teaches us a fundamental truth that many
0:37 of us overlook. Man is a tripartite
0:41 being, spirit, soul, and body. This
0:43 isn't an abstract concept, but the key
0:45 to understanding why so many Christians
0:47 live defeated lives despite all their
0:50 biblical knowledge. In 1 Thessalonians
0:54 5:23, Paul writes, "May God himself, the
0:56 God of peace, sanctify you through and
0:59 through. May your whole spirit, soul,
1:00 and body be kept blameless at the coming
1:03 of our Lord Jesus Christ." Notice that
1:05 Paul doesn't only mention the body and
1:07 soul as we often think, but adds a third
1:10 dimension, the human spirit. This
1:12 distinction is not merely academic. It
1:14 is the foundation for understanding how
1:17 God operates in our lives and why we so
1:19 often do not feel his presence even when
1:21 we pray fervently. Write in the
1:24 comments, "My spirit longs for more." If
1:25 you feel that there is a deeper
1:28 dimension to the Christian life that you
1:30 have yet to fully experience. The body,
1:33 as Watchman Knee teaches, is our
1:35 awareness of the physical world. Through
1:38 the five senses, sight, hearing, touch,
1:41 taste, and smell, we interact with the
1:44 environment around us. The body is the
1:46 outer vessel, the earthly house
1:49 mentioned in 2 Corinthians 5:1. But how
1:51 many of us allow this more superficial
1:53 dimension to dominate our existence? How
1:55 many Christians live solely in the realm
1:57 of the senses, seeking physical
1:59 experiences and immediate
2:02 gratifications? The soul, in turn, is
2:04 our self-awareness. It is the center of
2:06 our personality where the mind,
2:09 emotions, and will reside. When the
2:11 Bible states that the soul that sins
2:16 shall die in Ezekiel 18 20, it refers to
2:17 this aspect of our nature that can
2:20 choose the path of disobedience. The
2:22 soul is the conscious eye, the place
2:24 where we make decisions, experience
2:26 feelings, and form thoughts. Many
2:29 believers never go beyond this level.
2:31 They possess an intellectual faith,
2:33 religious emotions, and moral decisions.
2:35 But something is still missing. As
2:37 Watchman knee noted in the spiritual
2:40 man, many Christians live as sooulish
2:42 men, not as spiritual men. This is a
2:45 piercing truth that we need to confront.
2:46 Modern Christianity is filled with
2:49 activities for the soul, Bible studies
2:52 for the mind, music for the emotions,
2:54 moral decisions for the will. But where
2:56 is the nourishment for the spirit? The
2:58 human spirit is our consciousness of
3:00 God. It is the deepest place of our
3:03 being created specifically for communion
3:06 with the creator. John 4:24 tells us
3:09 that God is spirit and those who worship
3:12 him must worship in spirit and truth.
3:14 Note that Jesus does not say we should
3:16 worship God with our mind or emotions
3:19 but in spirit. The human spirit contains
3:21 intuition, the ability to perceive
3:24 divine reality directly, communion, the
3:26 means of communication with God, and
3:29 conscience, the inner witness of divine
3:32 will. Before the fall of Adam, the human
3:34 spirit dominated his constitution. There
3:36 was perfect harmony between spirit,
3:38 soul, and body, with the spirit leading,
3:40 the soul expressing, and the body
3:42 executing. Sin inverted this divine
3:45 order. The spirit was suppressed, the
3:46 soul took control, and the body often
3:49 tyrannized over both. Salvation,
3:51 therefore, is not just the forgiveness
3:53 of sins, but the restoration of the
3:55 original divine order. The spirit once
3:57 again in communion with God and
3:59 exercising authority over the soul and
4:02 body. Romans 8:6 powerfully expresses
4:04 this truth. The mind of the flesh is
4:06 death, but the mind of the spirit is
4:08 life and peace. When the soul is in
4:10 charge, we experience spiritual death,
4:13 anxiety, fear, confusion. When the
4:15 spirit revived by the Holy Spirit takes
4:17 control, we experience life and peace
4:19 regardless of our external
4:22 circumstances. Declare below, "Holy
4:24 Spirit, govern my heart." If you want to
4:26 experience this divine restoration in
4:28 your own life, the tragedy for many
4:30 Christians is that they try to live the
4:33 Christian life in the power of the soul.
4:35 They use their minds to understand the
4:38 Bible, their emotions to feel the
4:40 presence of God, and their will to make
4:42 moral decisions. All of this has its
4:44 place, but it is not the foundation of
4:47 the Christian life. As Watchman Knee
4:49 repeatedly emphasized, "True Christian
4:52 life begins when it is no longer I who
4:54 live, but Christ who lives in me."
4:57 Galatians 2:20. This I that must be
5:00 crucified is not just our evident sins,
5:02 but the very life of the soul that wants
5:05 to serve God in its own strength.
5:06 Consider how this truth applies to your
5:09 daily experience. How many times do you
5:11 try to solve spiritual problems with
5:13 natural resources? When facing
5:15 temptation, do you rely on your
5:17 willpower or on the life of Christ in
5:20 your spirit? When seeking guidance, do
5:22 you primarily depend on your reason or
5:24 on the spiritual intuition that comes
5:26 from the Holy Spirit dwelling in your
5:28 human spirit. One of Watchmen kn's
5:30 deepest teachings is the principle of
5:33 the cross. In the normal Christian life,
5:35 he explains that Christ's cross has two
5:37 aspects, substitutionary and
5:39 identificatory. The substitutionary
5:41 aspect deals with what Christ did for
5:44 us, dying for our sins. The
5:46 identificatory aspect deals with what
5:49 Christ did with us, dying to sin. The
5:51 first addresses the guilt of sin. The
5:53 second addresses the power of sin. Many
5:55 Christians understand only the first
5:57 aspect. They know that Christ died for
6:00 their sins, but they do not realize that
6:02 they died with Christ. Romans 6:6
6:05 states, "We know that our old self was
6:07 crucified with him so that the body
6:10 ruled by sin might be done away with,
6:11 that we should no longer be slaves to
6:14 sin. This is an objective reality, not a
6:17 subjective experience. When Christ died,
6:19 you died with him. When Christ rose
6:22 again, you rose with him to new life.
6:23 The Christian life is therefore not
6:26 simply about imitating Christ or trying
6:28 to live according to his principles. It
6:30 is about allowing Christ's life to
6:32 manifest through us. As Watchman knee
6:34 emphasizes, God does not want us to
6:36 produce something for him. He wants to
6:39 be our life. True holiness is not
6:41 self-control but surrender. Not me
6:44 controlling my sinful nature but me
6:46 yielding myself to Christ so that he can
6:48 live his life through me. This truth has
6:51 profound practical implications. When we
6:53 face temptation, our natural response is
6:55 to fight against it. But Paul tells us
6:57 in Romans 7 that this struggle only
7:00 strengthens sin. True victory comes not
7:03 from the struggle, but from surrender,
7:05 recognizing that we are dead to sin and
7:07 alive to God in Christ Jesus. It is not
7:09 by effort, but by faith that we
7:11 experience the liberation that Christ
7:14 has secured for us. The path to a deeper
7:16 life according to Watchman Knee begins
7:17 with revelation and ends with
7:19 experience. First, we need a revelation
7:21 from the Holy Spirit about our true
7:23 condition. We must see that we are
7:25 completely incapable of living the
7:27 Christian life in our own strength. Then
7:30 based on this revelation, we exercise
7:32 faith, not faith in our efforts, but
7:34 faith in Christ's finished work.
7:37 Finally, this faith leads to experience,
7:39 the lived reality of Christ's life
7:41 manifesting through us. Proclaim with
7:44 faith, not I, but Christ. If you are
7:45 ready to abandon your efforts and enter
7:48 into the rest of Christ's life, many
7:50 Christians fail at this crucial point.
7:52 They want to experience abundant life
7:54 without going through the cross. They
7:56 desire the power of Christ without the
7:59 death of self. As Watchman Ni observed,
8:01 the resurrected life of Christ can only
8:03 be released through death. We cannot
8:05 experience the fullness of Christ's life
8:07 while holding on to our own. Unless a
8:09 grain of wheat falls to the ground and
8:12 dies, it remains alone. But if it dies,
8:16 it produces much grain. John 12:24.
8:18 Consider how this truth applies to your
8:21 daily struggles. That anxiety that won't
8:23 let go. That habit you can't seem to
8:25 overcome. That relationship that remains
8:27 difficult. Perhaps the problem isn't
8:29 that you aren't trying hard enough.
8:31 Maybe the issue is that you are trying
8:33 too hard. Christian victory does not
8:35 come from trying more intensely, but
8:37 from trusting more completely. One of
8:39 the most powerful examples that watchman
8:42 knee uses in his teachings is the
8:44 difference between trying and trusting.
8:46 Imagine a person trying to lift a heavy
8:49 stone. They exert themselves, sweat, and
8:51 may manage to raise it a few inches
8:54 before giving up exhausted. Now imagine
8:56 the same person trusting a powerful
8:58 machine to lift the stone. They simply
9:00 press a button and the stone is lifted
9:02 effortlessly. This illustrates the
9:03 difference between living by the
9:06 strength of the soul and living by the
9:09 power of the spirit. In Romans 7, Paul
9:11 describes his experience of trying to
9:12 live the Christian life through his own
9:15 efforts. For I do not do the good I
9:17 want, but the evil I do not want is what
9:20 I keep on doing. This is the universal
9:21 experience of all who attempt to
9:24 overcome sin by sheer willpower. But in
9:27 Romans 8, Paul describes liberation. For
9:29 the law of the spirit of life in Christ
9:32 Jesus has set me free from the law of
9:34 sin and death. Victory does not come
9:36 from human effort but through the
9:38 operation of a higher law, the law of
9:41 the spirit of life. Watchman knee uses
9:43 another enlightening analogy, the
9:45 difference between rowing a boat and
9:47 sailing. Rowing represents our attempt
9:50 to make spiritual progress through human
9:52 effort. Sailing represents our
9:54 dependence on the wind of the spirit.
9:56 Both can move the boat forward. But one
9:59 relies on human effort and quickly leads
10:01 to exhaustion while the other depends on
10:03 divine power and brings rest even while
10:06 in motion. Perhaps you are tired of
10:08 rowing. Maybe your arms ache from trying
10:09 to live the Christian life in your own
10:12 strength. Today God is inviting you to
10:14 let go of the oars and hoist the sail of
10:17 faith. As Hebrews 4:11 says, "Let us
10:19 strive to enter that rest."
10:22 Paradoxically, our ultimate effort is to
10:24 enter into the rest of faith. The
10:26 practical path to a deeper spiritual
10:29 life according to watchman knee involves
10:32 three crucial steps. Know, reckon, and
10:34 present. First, we need to know our
10:36 position in Christ that we have been
10:38 crucified, buried, and raised with him.
10:39 This knowledge is not merely
10:41 intellectual, but a spiritual revelation
10:44 that transforms our understanding of who
10:46 we are. Secondly, we must reckon this
10:49 reality is true in our daily experience.
10:52 When temptation comes, we see ourselves
10:55 as dead to sin. When fear arises, we
10:57 consider ourselves raised with Christ.
10:59 Thirdly, we present ourselves to God as
11:01 instruments of righteousness, available
11:04 for his will and purpose. This process
11:06 is neither automatic nor instantaneous.
11:08 It is a journey of faith that requires
11:10 patience and perseverance. There will be
11:13 failures and setbacks, moments of
11:15 clarity and periods of confusion. But as
11:18 we persist on this path, we gradually
11:20 experience more of the reality that is
11:22 already ours in Christ. As 2 Corinthians
11:26 3:18 says, "And we all with unveiled
11:28 faces contemplating the glory of the
11:30 Lord are being transformed into the same
11:33 image from glory to glory by the spirit
11:36 of the Lord." Leave a comment. Today I
11:38 choose to live by the spirit. If this
11:40 message has touched your heart and you
11:42 are determined to apply it, one of the
11:44 greatest barriers to experiencing this
11:47 deeper spiritual life is what watchman
11:50 knee refers to as the natural mind. The
11:52 natural mind cannot understand the
11:55 things of the spirit. As 1 Corinthians
11:57 2:14 states, "The person without the
12:00 spirit does not accept the things that
12:02 come from the spirit of God, but
12:04 considers them foolishness and cannot
12:06 understand them because they are
12:08 spiritually discerned." Our minds need
12:11 to be renewed by the Holy Spirit so that
12:12 we can discern and follow God's
12:15 direction. This renewal of the mind is
12:16 not an intellectual process, but a
12:19 spiritual one. It's not about acquiring
12:21 more biblical knowledge, but about
12:23 allowing the Holy Spirit to transform
12:27 the way we think. Romans 12:2 urges us.
12:28 Do not conform to the pattern of this
12:30 world, but be transformed by the
12:33 renewing of your mind, so that you may
12:35 test and approve what God's will is, his
12:38 good, pleasing, and perfect will. A
12:40 renewed mind is characterized by several
12:42 distinct attributes. First, it is a mind
12:45 that thinks from Christ, not from self.
12:47 Second, it is a mind that seeks things
12:50 above, not things on the earth. Third,
12:52 it is a mind that spiritually discerns,
12:55 distinguishing between soul and spirit,
12:57 between what is merely good and what is
12:59 truly of God. Fourth, it is a mind in
13:01 harmony with the spirit, not at war with
13:03 it. Fifth, it is a mind under the
13:06 lordship of Christ, taking every thought
13:08 captive to the obedience of Christ. How
13:10 can we develop such a mind? Watchman
13:12 knee suggests several spiritual
13:15 practices. First, we should feed our
13:17 minds with the word of God. Not just
13:19 reading it, but meditating on it until
13:22 it penetrates our inner being. Second,
13:24 we should practice inner silence,
13:25 learning to quiet our thoughts to hear
13:28 the voice of the spirit. Third, we must
13:30 exercise spiritual discernment,
13:33 constantly asking, "Does this come from
13:35 the soul or the spirit? Is this my
13:38 thought or the mind of Christ?" Fourth,
13:40 we should entrust every decision, big or
13:42 small, to the leadership of the Holy
13:44 Spirit. The result of this renewal of
13:47 the mind is a new spiritual sensitivity.
13:49 We become able to discern God's will not
13:51 only in major decisions but in every
13:54 aspect of daily life. We develop what
13:57 watchman knee calls intuitive knowledge.
13:59 The ability to perceive God's direction
14:01 directly through the spirit without
14:04 primarily relying on rational analysis.
14:06 This spiritual sensitivity is not
14:08 reserved for superch Christians or
14:10 spiritual leaders. It is the birthright
14:12 of every child of God. John 10:27
14:15 assures us, "My sheep hear my voice, and
14:18 I know them, and they follow me." If you
14:20 are a sheep of Christ, you have the
14:22 innate ability to hear and recognize his
14:24 voice. The problem is not that God
14:26 doesn't speak, but that we often tune
14:29 into the wrong channels. Another crucial
14:31 aspect of spiritual life according to
14:34 Watchman Knee is what he calls the way
14:36 of the cross. This is not an abstract
14:39 concept, but a practical reality we face
14:41 every day. The cross was not just a
14:43 historical event. It is a continuous
14:46 principle in the Christian life. In Luke 9:23,
14:47 9:23,
14:49 Jesus says, "If anyone would come after
14:51 me, let him deny himself and take up his
14:54 cross daily and follow me." Note that
14:55 Jesus speaks of taking up the cross
14:58 daily, not just once. What does it mean
15:01 to take up the cross daily? It means
15:03 accepting the limitations, difficulties
15:05 and sufferings that God allows in our
15:07 lives as instruments to break our own
15:09 will and strengthen our dependence on
15:12 him. These crosses can take many forms.
15:14 A difficult relationship, fragile
15:17 health, financial limitations, a
15:20 persistent weakness. What matters is not
15:22 the specific form but our response to
15:25 it. The natural response of the soul is
15:27 to rebel against these limitations, to
15:29 seek to escape them or at least to
15:32 complain about them. But the spiritual
15:34 response is to accept them as coming
15:36 from the hand of a loving father who
15:38 knows exactly what we need for our
15:40 spiritual growth. As Watchman Knee
15:42 points out, God is more interested in
15:44 forming Christ in us than in making us
15:46 comfortable. This acceptance is not
15:49 passivity or fatalism. It is an active
15:52 surrender that says not my will but
15:54 yours be done. It is a conscious
15:57 cooperation with the work of the Holy
15:59 Spirit in our lives. It is to recognize
16:02 like Paul that when I am weak then I am
16:06 strong. 2 Corinthians 12:10. Because in
16:08 our weakness the power of Christ is
16:10 perfected. The way of the cross
16:12 inevitably leads to the experience of
16:15 resurrection. As Jesus taught, "Unless a
16:17 grain of wheat falls to the ground and
16:20 dies, it remains alone. But if it dies,
16:23 it bears much fruit." John 12:24. Death
16:25 always precedes life in the divine
16:28 economy. The cross always precedes the
16:30 crown. The descent always precedes the
16:33 ascent. This is the pattern established
16:35 by Christ and replicated in each of his
16:38 followers. The fruit of this resurrected
16:40 life lived from the spirit is
16:42 multifaceted. First, we experience a new
16:44 freedom. Not the freedom to do what we
16:46 want, but the freedom to do what we
16:48 must, the freedom to live according to
16:51 the purpose for which we were created.
16:54 Second, we experience a new peace, not
16:56 the absence of external conflicts, but
16:58 the presence of inner harmony even
17:01 amidst life storms. Third, we experience
17:03 a new power, not to fulfill our
17:05 ambitions, but to accomplish the will of
17:08 God, whether it is easy or difficult.
17:10 Perhaps the most distinctive mark of
17:12 spiritual life is what watchman knee
17:15 calls the rest of faith. This is not a
17:17 rest of inactivity but a rest in
17:19 activity. It is working from rest not
17:22 for rest. It is living in the reality
17:23 that the work has already been
17:25 accomplished in Christ and that our
17:27 responsibility is not to produce it but
17:31 to manifest it. Hebrews 4:9-10
17:34 describes this rest. There remains then
17:36 a Sabbath rest for the people of God.
17:39 For anyone who enters God's rest also
17:41 rests from their works, just as God did
17:43 from his. This rest does not mean that
17:45 we stop working, but rather that we
17:48 cease to rely on our own strength and
17:50 begin to work in the power of God. As
17:53 Jesus said, "Very truly I tell you,
17:55 whoever believes in me will do the works
17:57 I have been doing, and they will do even
17:59 greater things than these because I'm
18:02 going to the Father." John 14:12. Have
18:04 you experienced this rest of faith? Have
18:06 you encountered the paradox of being
18:08 extremely active without feeling anxious
18:11 or overwhelmed? Have you felt the
18:13 difference between working for God and
18:15 allowing God to work through you? This
18:17 is the secret to truly victorious
18:20 Christian living. Not less work, but
18:22 work of a different quality, not less
18:24 responsibility, but a new capacity to
18:26 fulfill it. If you've made it this far,
18:28 I want to thank you for taking the time
18:30 to read this message. I hope that
18:33 watchman kn's teachings on spirit, soul,
18:35 and body have enlightened your
18:36 understanding and strengthened your
18:39 faith. If this message has touched your
18:41 heart, please leave a comment saying,
18:43 "This truth set me free so I know that
18:45 you received this message." Don't forget
18:47 to like this video if it has brought
18:49 clarity to your spiritual life. Your
18:51 interaction helps spread this message to
18:53 others who also need to hear these
18:55 transformative truths. If you're not
18:57 already subscribed to the channel, click
18:59 the subscribe button to receive more
19:01 content that will strengthen your faith
19:04 and deepen your relationship with God.
19:05 And before you go, I have a video here
19:07 on the side that perfectly complements
19:10 what we talked about today, diving even
19:12 deeper into Watchman Knees's teachings
19:15 on living in the spirit. Click on it and
19:17 continue this journey of spiritual
19:19 discovery with me. May the Lord richly
19:20 bless your life as you apply these
19:23 truths, allowing the spirit, not the
19:25 soul, to govern your being. In Christ,
19:27 you already have everything you need to
