Spiritual Plumbing Problem

Sometimes we get stuck. Distressed, dissatisfied and disappointed in our faith, we try and try and then … nothing. We can’t break through. We don’t give up in minutes or hours or days. We lose heart over months and years. The conversations go round and round in our head, “Is the problem ... me? It sure looks that way. Maybe it’s my faith. Maybe I have been sold a bill of goods. This is sure not what I was promised.” We look for the answer, and it’s confusing because the questions that we want answers to are loaded with shame, blame and emotion. We don’t want to blame God, but it’s clear that all is not well. Who knows what is wrong, but our faith just does not seem to be working.

Often, when we are stuck there are no simple answers. We pray and pray, but to no avail. It's heartbreaking at times. We pray for release from some hidden shame in our life. Maybe it's an anger issue, an addiction, some sort of lostness in life, and we feel like God hears. But the problem remains. Why doesn't He seem to release us from this? Is it because he can't or because he doesn't want to?

What we have is a plumbing problem. The Holy Spirit resides in our spirit. Our spirits are healthy and whole because of his presence. We can worship and we can pray. We feel his presence in our lives. However, our souls - our mind, heart, emotions, desires, will, habits, personality - are damaged and sick, maybe even lifeless. What is the cause of this disconnect?

Consider a pipe, a conduit, that runs between our spirit and our soul. A pipe can be blocked. Likewise it is possible that something can form a clog which prevents the flow of living water that is meant to reach our souls and bring life and transformation and health to who we are. This is the case when our flesh has dominion in our lives. It clogs the flow of the life-giving Spirit of God.

I have a dear friend who used to manage a hotel not far away from where I live. One day a family came to stay as guests in his hotel. Shortly after they arrived, the main plumbing pipe on their floor became blocked. No water could drain away. It affected a whole floor of the hotel. It became evident that this was no small problem and soon a plumber was called. My friend showed me pictures of the incredible extent that the plumber had to go to, to locate the blockage and clear it. Hallway floors and walls were jackhammered away. Tiles were removed. There was rubble everywhere.

Exposing the problem can get extreme for us as well.  That blockage between our soul and spirit needs to be brought into the light of day before it can be dealt with. And because it's a spiritual problem, we need something spiritual with which to operate on it.

For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)

The word of God is one of the spiritual weapons we have at our disposal. It cuts deep, right at the division between our soul and our spirit, to where the blockage lies. When God's word has done it's work, the blockage is exposed and it can finally be dealt with. And it needs to be dealt with. Exposure is not enough on its own. We need that blockage firstly brought to light and then destroyed. Then our thoughts and the intentions of our heart, in our soul can be judged or rectified. When we are able to penetrate deep enough and get to the root of the problem that is blocking our soul transformation, then those intended changes can take place.

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete. (2 Corinthians 10:3-6)

When we use spiritual weapons, we can both expose and destroy these strongholds that clog up the stream of living water that should be flowing into our souls. Why do we get stuck? Could it be because we are trying to sort out spiritual stagnation or “stuckness” using physical means? Do we really believe that resolutions, accountability, reasoning, sedatives or stimulants, nice words or a multitude of other approaches, can bring freedom to the flow of spiritual health to our souls? They bring, at best, transient relief or transient success. At worst, they leave us in guilt and failure. In fact, these only add to the works of the flesh. They are physical, but the blockage is spiritual, and only with our spiritual weapons can we both expose and destroy those things that are holding back what the Spirit wants to do within us.

In Jeremiah 31 and Hebrews 8 we learn that fundamental to the New Covenant is the Holy Spirit. He will write his law on our hearts. Our heart is the seat of our emotions. When he is done, he will paint heaven on our hearts. We will long for his will to be done in our lives and the lives of others. We will adore him, and want to live for him. Our hearts will be full and overflowing. Our emotions join with our mind and will to make up our heart. When the Spirit is done, he will have captivated our emotions, transformed our mind, bent our will to his, and written his law on our hearts.

Let's look at an example. The Holy Spirit dwells within our spirit. As he does so, he testifies with our spirit that we are children of God. He gives us a spirit of adoption and this spirit of adoption eventually is the means whereby we cry out, "Abba! Father!"

For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “ Abba! Father!” The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God. (Romans 8:14-16)

But as we read elsewhere it is apparent that this spirit of sonship must reach our hearts in order for us to have this response. When our hearts are touched, we have an emotional response. We love the Father and cry out his name.

Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son [spirit of adoption or sonship] into our hearts, crying, “ Abba! Father!” (Galatians 4:6)

I always thought that Christ lived in my heart. He lived there, and he wrote His law there simply by dwelling in my heart. Now I understand that he dwells in my spirit, and from there writes his law on my heart. That is a process that requires a clear channel. We all want that to happen. But are we willing to turn to spiritual solutions to clear the way for the life-giving Spirit to do his work?