2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of cowardice, but of power and of love and of sobermindedness

2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of cowardice, but of power and of love and of sobermindedness.

The growth of life subdues every part of our soul. The more our soul is subdued, the more life grows, and the more our soul decreases, the more life increases….When we meet a saint, there is no need to measure what has been increased in him; rather, we should observe what has been decreased in him and whether he has been poured out and broken. If there is a decrease of himself, then God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit have surely gained ground in him and have increased in him. Only this is the real growth of life. (Further Talks on the Knowledge of Life, p. 182, by Witness Lee)

When a man has received sufficient dealings of the cross, every part of his soul is subdued. His mind, emotion, and will are all broken and subdued; they do not stand out as before. Whenever he encounters something, he is afraid to use the mind, he is afraid to use the emotion, he is afraid to use the will. The mind does not come first; the spirit comes first. The emotion does not move first; the spirit moves first. The will does not take the lead; the spirit takes the lead. (The Knowledge of Life, p. 183)

After we are attracted by the Lord’s beauty to love Him, we must learn one unique lesson—to be subdued. To take Christ, the living person, as our life requires us to be subdued. Simply to love Jesus is not enough. The Lord’s intention is that we take Him and experience Him as our life. There is no other way except to love Him and be subdued by Him. Then we will be one with Him, having one personality. We will be so soft and submissive to Him. In this picture [in the Song of Songs], the lover of Jesus is exceedingly strong at the beginning, with such a stubborn character. Yet at the end, she is so soft and submissive. This is the lesson that we all must learn in order to really experience Christ as our life. (Life and Building as Portrayed in the Song of Songs, ch. 3)

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