A Stranger Within
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Chapter 8: Intimacy through Brokenness Those who know their God will seek Him through the intimacy of brokenness. You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. (Psalm 51:16–17 NIV) A broken and contrite spirit is a heart totally in subjection to the Spirit of God, expressing regretful, sorrowful repentance for sins or offenses. The heart is made up of the spirit and soul. For the word of God is quick, and powerful and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12 NIV) Spirit (pneuma): This is the real you, the place where new birth takes place, the spiritual Holiest of Holies. Soul (psyche): This is not the real you; this is the seat of personality, mind, will, and emotions, the way you are in temperament, characteristics, and traits, the way you think and operate. My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh. Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. (Proverbs 4:20–23 KJV) Keep in this verse means to preserve or protect. Why do we need to keep our hearts? Anytime our affections, passions, and desires are divided, we lose the potential to release the life that comes out of our hearts to change things. Only the Word can divide the spirit and soul and reveal our core. When our hearts are divided, we will have dual interests, desires, and affections. Religious tradition tries to change our behavior and attitudes without changing our nature, and religion changes only conduct, not nature. Within Christians’ spirits is the power of God to bring healing and deliverance. It doesn’t matter what circumstances they face; this power within can alter and change them. A divided heart hinders the flow of God’s life (zoe) in you. God’s life is the only force that will change behavior. If you’re wondering why zoe is not flowing from you, check your heart. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering; For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord. A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways. (James 1:5–8 KJV) The term double-minded in the Greek means twice-soulish, a split personality, a divided heart. A divided heart occurs when our spirits reach out in faith but our souls reach out in unbelief, when our spirits’ affections are on things above but our soulish affections are on things of the earth. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and I will give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments and do them. (Ezekiel 36:26–27 KJV) There are two “hearts” in this passage. Stony hearts are those in the soulish realm, the domain of mind, will, and emotions. This realm contains our behaviors or personalities and are prideful, hard, rebellious, self-willed, arrogant, boastful, and unmanageable. Hearts of flesh are in the spirit realm. When we are born again, our spirits are immediately saved and our hearts become flexible, pliable, sensitive, gentle, easy to work with, and under control. The life of God is in the spirit, but it will not be manifest unless it passes through the soul. The spirit man desires the things of God, while the soul seeks to preserve itself and to desire the things of the world. Our struggle begins here. God wants to bring union through the process of agreement. “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” (Amos 3:3 KJV). Jesus is our example of a united heart. His spirit and soul were so harmonized that He constantly released the zoe life of God. Everywhere He went, the sick were healed, the dead were raised, devils were cast out, and lepers were cleansed. He spoke words of wisdom and knowledge and met every need presented to Him by releasing zoe. Out of His united heart came the forces of life. Our hearts should be as unified as Jesus’ was so the life-giving force of God will flow out of us and change every situation we encounter. God works in our lives through division and brokenness. During the division stage, God’s Word, being quick and powerful, separates the spirit and soul for clarification so we can recognize the difference between our spirits and our souls. God cannot accomplish much through any of us who have not allowed the Word to make that distinction, those of us who want to be strong in their own intellects, natural abilities, and talents. Brokenness is the tempering and taming of the soul so that it is no longer hard but pliable and flexible. It will become cooperative, sensitive, and submissive to the Spirit of God.
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Do you know me, or am I a stranger within?
When the Lord asked me this question, it changed my life forever. I heard Christians say there was nothing like intimacy with the Lord. I didn’t understand what that meant. I asked spiritually mature Christians to instruct me in the ways of Lord so that I might know Him. They consistently said pray, study the Word, be obedient to the Word, and live a sanctified life. Thus began my pursuit of intimacy with the Lord. I made mistakes during my pursuit; I tried to know Christ through other Christians—big mistake. I decided to pray and study the Word daily, obey His commands, and live a holy life. Out of that obedience came a longing to know Christ and to make Him known to others. God has a place within us where we are to meet with Him daily through His Word and prayer. Humanity has tried to fill that place with drugs, alcohol, porn, women, men, etc.—failing to realize the Lord created that special place just for Himself.
The road to knowing the Lord is a journey that must be traveled alone. This book can help you find keys and principles to assist you.
Stranger Within seeks to help those who want to look like Jesus, who want to walk in the truth of God’s Word, and who want minister in the power of God’s Spirit.
About the Author
Paulette Riddlesprigger is an administrative pastor at Mount Zion Assemblies. She was a chaplain with the Fresno Police Department for five years. Paulette teaches Boot Camp, a discipleship training program that teaches biblical, prophetic spiritual warfare tactics and principles. Her aim is to train leaders that emanate spiritual maturity and authority.