Chapter 4 -

Don't be passive!

 

 

 

We have already discussed some of the issues connected with guidance coming from the wrong source. We have mentioned that one can drift into trouble when we do not test voices, dreams and prophecies.

   Another way we can drift into trouble and start receiving the wrong kind of guidance is by pursuing a state of mental or physical passivity. A person can drift under the influence of the wrong kinds of spirits if he pursues this mindless state and does not know how the real guidance of God takes place. We are going to look at the passive state of our mind and body in separate sections, and consider the consequences of passivity:

 

Passivity of mind. It is possible that a person can drift into the wrong kind of guidance by, for example, allowing his mind to become passive while seeking the baptism of the Holy Spirit or waiting for the Holy Spirit to speak to him. A person may think that he must empty his mind and suppress his conscience and be in a passive "condition of death" so the Holy Spirit can enter and effect change. Some have even stayed awake for days when they have pursued the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Some have fasted, or repeated a sentence thousands of times to get the gift of speaking in tongues until their mind has finally become confused, exhausted, and empty. They have thought that this kind of a vacuous condition and their "weakness" is a precondition for God to act. (If you get the gift of speaking in tongues in the above-mentioned way, it is probably not God's gift but an imitation of it.)

   However, it is good to understand that acting to create the previously described state of passiveness, turning inward, perpetuating inner silence, giving up one's self-consciousness and mind to create a “condition of death," (perhaps by misusing Gal 2:20) or wrongly becoming “weak” are never actions that follow the will of God. He does not want our passiveness or our empty mind, but wants us to constantly be in full strength; he wants our mind, soul and body to be active. We must be careful not to wear ourselves out by staying awake too long or fasting excessively. We must take good care of our body so that we do not burden it too much.

   In addition, it is good to know that an empty mind and a passive physical state are among the most important prerequisites for evil spirits to function. The wrong kind of anointment always requires passivity. That is why mediums, spirit healers, and the users of a crystal ball, for example, try to achieve this state of passivity through Oriental meditation, breathing and concentration exercises, visualization or other comparable methods; they lead people to fall under the influence of evil spirits.

 

Passiveness of body. Another view is that a person must be like a passive machine so God can flow through him. A person must be passive so God can use him and affect him. People have thought that a person must give his body "to the Holy Spirit" and that God will then move him, affect his or her desires and even speak through him. It has also been thought that the Holy Spirit will come and occupy a person in such a way that he cannot control himself or know what to do.

   However, this view is also wrong. God never displaces our personality or walks over us. Neither does He move people around like passive pawns in a chess game. Such activity is commonly found among, for example, mediums and automatic writers who are occupied by strange spirits who speak and write through them. God always wants a person’s soul and body to be fully functioning and in his own control. And if a person is filled with the Holy Spirit, it is not a matter of his being passive, but the person himself is wanting, loving, speaking, making decisions, testing everything, praying to God who is in Heaven, and speaking in tongues. Often when the Holy Spirit affects people, it is difficult to see what is from Him and what comes from the person himself.

   This is well illustrated by the excellent examples of Jessie Penn-Lewis. She describes how a person might easily sink into the wrong kind of passivity by waiting for God to start to move him and work in him:

 

Below, we will list some of the misconceptions and wrong conclusions that lead a believer into a passive state of mind:

   (1) "Christ lives in me", so I no longer live myself.

   (2) "Christ lives in me", meaning that I have lost my personality because Christ in person lives in me (a wrong conclusion from Gal 2:20).

   (3) "God acts in me", so I do not need to do anything, only surrender and obey (Phil 2:13).

   (4) "God wants for me", meaning that I cannot use my own will at all.

   (5) "God alone is the judge", meaning that I cannot use my own judgment.

   (6) "I have the mind of Christ", meaning that I cannot have any opinions of my own (1 Cor 2:16).

   (7) "God speaks to me", and so I cannot "think" or "make conclusions", only "obey" what He says.

   (8) "I am waiting for God" and "I cannot go anywhere before He moves me”.

   (9) "God reveals His will in a revelation to me", and so I do not need to decide or use my intelligence and conscience.

   (10) "I have been crucified with Christ", therefore "I am dead," and I have to "practice" death, which I imagine to be the passiveness of my feelings and thoughts. (24)

 

What are the results of passivity? This kind of passivity always results in changes, which are not good in the long term. Whenever a person pursues mental and physical passivity, he is exposed to evil spirits who can bring about negative changes.

   Such things as being prevented from praying and reading the Bible, forming a distorted view of God (often that He is threatening, as found in the lives of many trance preachers), falling into sin because of the command of voices, an increase of compulsive behavior, gaps in consciousness and memory, constant awareness of the spiritual world, distorted gifts and sensing things in one's body can be possible.

   Jessie Penn-Lewis describes these in her book "War on the saints." She writes about how evil spirits can give these problems and imitate the presence of God. These may be things like shivers, touches, “glow” in different parts of the body, experiencing cold, shudders, pains that seem to be like participating in the sufferings of Christ, or "a breath of air" that a person can deem the presence of God that he has longed for. These experiences, which can very easily be regarded as a sign of "God occupying the body," usually arise from being passive and praying to someone other than God and Christ who are in Heaven.

   Another possible effect of passivity of the mind and body can be unnecessary and unexplainable suffering leading nowhere. In addition to the evil spirits causing common anxiety, pressure, a heavy feeling, and a feeling of an iron band binding you, they can also cause unnecessary suffering, which will only harden a person and will not lead him to a renewed relationship with God. These can be, for example, "vicarious suffering on behalf of others," and "participating in the sufferings of Christ", which are in fact only attacks from the spiritual world.

   Other signs of these sort of imposed sufferings are hostile harshness, fear of God, and feeling a slavish kind of fear that drives a person to do all kinds of things that go against his will and understanding. If you experience these kinds of things, you should know that they are not from God and that you can be freed from them. This can be done by turning to Christ who is in Heaven and resisting the devil in the name of Jesus.

   Jessie Penn-Lewis writes about this. She writes that this kind of suffering that comes from the evil spiritual world does not generally lead to anything good, and does not result in spiritual growth:

 

Suffering caused by evil spirits can be distinguished from suffering that comes from the real following of Christ in that it does in no way result in victory or spiritual growth. Suffering caused by evil spirits is completely purposeless. On the other hand, God does not do anything without a clear goal. He does not enjoy causing suffering only because of suffering, but the devil does. Suffering caused by evil spirits is often sudden and hostile and the person has no inner assurance of the Spirit that his sufferings are from God. A sharp-eyed observer can easily recognize that they come from evil spirits, just as a skilful doctor can distinguish a physical illness from a mental one.

   Suffering caused by evil spirits can be (1) spiritual, causing sudden pain or repulsive and painful "feelings" in one's spirit; (2) mental, such as a sudden lack of understanding, confusion, chaos, and terror, and intensely strong pains resembling pricks of a knife in the heart or other internal organs, or (3) physical, feeling pain in other parts of the body.

   The origins of this kind of suffering can be traced back to the time when the believer, believing to have given his life completely to God, took the "way of the cross" and voluntarily accepted sufferings he believed to be given by God. He unconsciously made space for the enemy when he accepted sufferings, that he thought were being given by God; in fact they came from evil spirits. This is one of the misunderstandings that lead to God’s being perceived as a malicious God. Deceitful spirits do their best to raise a rebellion against God through their own actions. (25)