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“The spirit of man is the lamp of Jehovah, / Searching all the innermost parts of the inner being”—Prov. 20:27:
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Man’s spirit is God’s lamp within man—Matt. 25:1:
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The light shining within man’s regenerated spirit is God Himself—1 John 1:5.
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Just as a lamp contains light and expresses it, man’s spirit was created to contain God and express Him.
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In order for the divine light to shine into man’s inward parts, God’s Spirit as the oil must soak (mingle with) man’s spirit as the wick and “burn” together with man’s spirit—Rom. 8:16; 12:11.
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If we respond to the spirit’s shining, we will walk according to the spirit—8:4.
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The Spirit of God is also a lamp, with a sevenfold intensity to His shining—Rev. 4:5:
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Our regenerated spirit is a lamp indwelt by the Spirit of God, who is also a lamp.
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Man’s spirit and God’s spirit are both lamps, together enlightening the inward parts—Prov. 20:27; Rev. 4:5.
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The spirit wants to enlighten every part of our soul.
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When we exercise our spirit to pray properly, there is a lamp shining—Eph. 6:18; 1:17-18; 5:8-9:
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As we pray, our spirit functions as a shining lamp, searching all the parts of our soul—Prov. 20:27.
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The more we exercise our spirit in prayer, the more we are enlightened—2 Cor. 4:6:
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The lamp may shine on our thoughts, emotions, and will.
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Our inward parts will be thoroughly searched by the Lord—Psa. 139:23-24.
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After such a time of prayer, we will feel bright and transparent, filled with God—Eph. 5:8-9.
Morning Nourishment
Prov. 20:27 The spirit of man is the lamp of Jehovah, searching all the innermost parts of the inner being.Rev. 4:5 …And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.
Man’s spirit is the lamp of Jehovah, searching all the innermost parts of the inner being (Prov. 20:27). The Spirit of God is also God’s lamp (Rev. 4:5); in fact, there is a sevenfold intensity to His shining. This is the meaning of the seven lamps of fire… which are the seven Spirits of God. Man’s spirit and God’s Spirit are both lamps, together enlightening the inward parts. (CWWL, 1979, vol. 1, “Life Messages, Volume 2,” p. 424)
Today’s Reading
There are some people who live according to the flesh. Their only concern is the pleasure of the moment.Others live according to their soul. They are elated when things go well for them but depressed when their circumstances are not favorable. Sometimes they are pleasant toward their associates, but other times they are critical or even hateful.
There are others who also live according to their soul but are highly regarded by those who know them. Rather than being changeable like the weather, they act rationally and think ahead as to what course of action they will take. Their behavior is controlled by their thoughts.
These three kinds of people include almost everyone. There are very few who live according to the spirit. You were in one of these three categories until one day when you heard the gospel. The Spirit of God touched your conscience, which is part of the spirit. Your spirit was activated, leading you to repent and confess your sins. Your spirit is now a lamp indwelt by the Spirit of God, who is also a lamp. The spirit wants to enlighten every part of your soul. By responding to the spirit’s shining, you will be walking “according to the spirit” (Rom. 8:4).
Sometimes when God wants to shine in us, we will not open to Him. This is why, after we have been praying for a while, we sometimes have nothing more to say. When we use our spirit to pray, it functions as a shining lamp, searching all the parts of our soul. It may shine on our thoughts, but we refuse to have the Lord probe there….The spirit may shine on our emotions, especially the sisters’, but we close up, sometimes even weeping, begging the Lord not to touch that area. The same thing may happen with our will, especially the brothers’; if we close our will, the spirit cannot fulfill its function of shining.
When we pray properly, using our spirit, there is a lamp shining. If we sense it shining on our thoughts, we can say, “Lord, I open my mind to You. Shine in me. Expose my thoughts.” In His light we confess our sins. When He shines on our emotions, we can open and confess what He reveals to be wrong. Then He will shine on our will, and we can open this room also to Him. As we open all these chambers one by one, the spirit will shine, and we will confess our sins….The more we [keep praying], the more we are enlightened. Our inward parts will all be thoroughly searched by the Lord. After such a time of prayer, we will feel bright and transparent, filled with God. This is one aspect of the lamp—our spirit shining within.
The other aspect is that of the seven Spirits. The Spirit of God today is the seven lamps shining on us in an intensified way. Many of us have experienced this intensified shining, far stronger than a simple prick of the conscience, condemning a wrong thought or wrong motive. What did not bother us in the past we can no longer do. If we open our mouth to tell a joke, the seven Spirits shine, and our sentence is cut off in midair. If we begin to make some critical comments about a certain sister, the seven Spirits shine, and our words fail. Even when we are off just a little, the Spirit is there as the light shining. (CWWL, 1979, vol. 1, “Life Messages, Volume 2,” pp. 424-425)
Further Reading: CWWL, 1979, vol. 1, “Life Messages, Volume 2,” ch. 75; CWWL, 1986, vol. 3, “The Revelation and Vision of God,” ch. 1