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We all know that man was created with three parts: spirit, soul, and body. The soul is the medium between the spirit and the body. The soul is our personality, our ego. Within the soul, the leading part is the mind. Both the emotion and the will are subordinate to the mind. Man’s going forth and coming in hinge on the mind. Going forth is his expression, and coming in is his reception. Whether we express what is within us or receive what is without, both need to pass through the mind. Thus, the mind not only occupies the leading position in the soul but is also a very significant part of our whole being.
Christians use the word mind as a specific term in relation to biblical truth. When talking about the mind, unbelievers refer to it as the brain or the psyche. The term brain is used in reference to the physical entity, and the term psyche is used in reference to the psychological entity. Worldly education educates the human brain, or psyche. Every kind of knowledge — whether science, philosophy, “ism,” or any theory — deals with the human brain and/or psyche. According to the present educational system, one needs at least twenty years of formal education before he can obtain a bachelor’s degree. It requires twenty years of training to sufficiently develop the human brain to make it useful for human living. By this we can see how important a position it occupies in man.
If the mind needs to be educated for our human living, how much more it needs to be trained for prayer. Unless it has been educated, the mind can neither receive nor discharge the burden of prayer. Whether a person desires to receive or discharge a burden in prayer, a functional mind is necessary. Although prayer issues forth from the spirit, it must pass through the mind. Once the mind becomes improper, there is a problem with prayer. Thus, in order to be a man of prayer, it is imperative that we pay attention to the exercise of our mind.
The Scriptures show that due to the fall of man the human mind has become darkened and numb. Because man sinned, his mind became vain and perverted. Therefore, he does not take heed to the things that he ought but rather to the things that he ought not. Today, concerning the matter of committing sins, man has a very clever mind, but concerning the matter of seeking God and listening to His truths, his mind is very inadequate. This proves that the mind of a sinning one is darkened and perverted. Thus, Romans 12:2 says, “Be transformed by the renewing of the mind.”
At the time of our regeneration our spirit became renewed by the entrance of the Spirit of God into it. Thereafter the Holy Spirit began to spread out from our spirit into the various parts of our soul, especially into our mind. The Holy Spirit shines forth the light from our spirit to enlighten our mind, dispel its darkness, and correct its perverseness. This dispelling of the darkness and correcting of the perverseness are the renewing work of the Holy Spirit in our mind.
In renewing our mind, God not only corrects it and shines into it through the Holy Spirit in our spirit; He also gives us His holy Word, the Bible, outwardly. When we read the Bible, it is not just to touch God and know His heart. It is also that through the Word our darkened mind may be enlightened, our perverted thoughts may be corrected, and our old mentality may be renewed. Alas, sometimes in reading the Word, instead of reading the Word into himself, one reads himself into the Word. Such a one does not have a humble heart to receive instruction and correction from the Word. On the contrary, his intention is to read his own views and ideas into the Word. Thus, he does not allow the Word to renew his mind and loses the real benefit of reading it.
Anyone who desires to read the Word properly should learn to lay aside his views and abandon his ideas. He should come to the Word in a humble manner and without prejudice. If we come to the Word with such an attitude, we can receive the teachings of the Word into us. Once the biblical teachings get into us, the ideas, views, and opinions in our mind will be changed. The Holy Scripture from without corresponds to the Holy Spirit within to enlighten our mind and correct our mentality. This causes our darkened, perverted mind to be renewed.
Therefore, with one who loves the Lord and walks according to the Spirit, the more he reads the Word and is instructed by the Word, the more intelligent and proper his mind becomes. He will become dull in evil things but very alive in spiritual matters. Only a mind that has been thus renewed can cooperate with the spirit of prayer to pray.
A mind that has been renewed should be very clean and bright. Such a mind is also surely transparent. Sometimes it is impossible to talk with certain brothers or sisters concerning spiritual things because their mind is neither clear nor bright. Rather, it is all mixed up just like paste. A person with such a mentality is unable to discern between the head or tail of anything. To him, there is not much difference between eight and nine, nor is there much difference between nine and ten. How can someone like this pray? If his mind is confused, surely he will not be able to pray with clarity.
Please read the examples of prayer in the Bible. You will find that none of those who prayed spoke silly words. Hannah, the mother of Samuel, is a good example. Following the birth of Samuel, she went before God to offer her thanksgiving. It is unlikely that Hannah had much education, because there was no girls’ school among the Israelites at that time. However, when you read her utterance in prayer, you can sense that she had not only a shining spirit but also a sober mind. Since her mind was as clear as a glass window, the Spirit of God could directly utter words of prayer through her spirit in a clear way.
In the New Testament there was another mother, Mary, the mother of the Lord Jesus. Being of a humble background, she was not highly educated. Her prayer, however, demonstrates that her mind was also very sober and her thinking was not at all confused. Confused prayers are the products of confused minds. Because of God’s mercy, He may answer many nonsensical prayers. Nevertheless, one should not be content with praying silly prayers, thinking that one way or the other God will always listen. This attitude is wrong. All those who know prayer realize that many times when we go before God to pray, it is like handling diplomatic affairs or defending a case in court. A lawyer knows that when defending his client, his mind must be clear, and his words must be sober. A sober speech is based on his ability to understand as well as to speak forth clearly. Thus, in order to be a man of prayer, we need a mind that is renewed and sober. The renewing of the mind is the work of the Holy Spirit through the Word. But in order to have a sober mind, we ourselves need to be responsible to exercise it.
Our mind should not only be sober but should also be able to concentrate well. I believe many brothers and sisters have realized that the biggest problem in our prayer is a desultory mind, a mind which does not easily concentrate but always drifts about. When some brothers and sisters kneel down to pray, in less than five minutes their mind begins to travel around the world. One moment they think of the United States, then their thoughts move on to Great Britain, and later they think of Hong Kong. Their mind cannot be focused, and their thoughts fly everywhere and go every place.
I believe we have all had this experience. The reason we are unable to pray is that our thoughts continually drift. We cannot either collect or direct them. It is very strange that this does not happen while we read the Bible or talk with people. However, for some unexplainable reason, whenever we pray, it seems that a telegraph inside keeps transmitting messages until we become disabled in prayer. This is what is referred to as being scatterbrained. We may not be aware of having a mind that is not sober, but we are very clear concerning what it means to be scatterbrained. Once our thoughts become scattered, we cannot pray. Thus, in order to pray, we must have a proper concentration.
To gain a proper concentration requires regular exercise. The way to properly exercise your mind is to control your thinking, not allowing your thoughts to run wild. Some people are too loose and free in their thinking. Such a person indulges his mind, exercising no control or restriction over it whatsoever. The mind of such a one is like a wild horse running loose without a bridle. Not only is that person unable to pray, but he is also unable to read the Bible. Learn to control your mind, and do not allow it to fall into fanciful thinking. Always restrict your mind to not think beyond its proper limit but think only of the things that pertain to your duty or responsibility. For example, if you are going to visit a friend today, you need to exercise your mind a little to consider which way to go, the means of transportation, the best time to go, what to do there, and when to come back. Because this kind of thinking pertains to your responsibility, it is proper. But sometimes you allow yourself to think of things about which you should not be thinking. At such a time, you need to restrict yourself. At times you may find yourself unable to restrict your thoughts. Then I would suggest that you perform some chores or read a book. Whenever you discover that your mind is running wild, try your best to keep yourself busy. The more you let it go, the more wild your mind becomes. Such indulgence makes you unable to pray.
Also, many times thoughts that are not our own may come into our mind. These are darts shot from outside. These darting thoughts also distract our mind and disturb our prayer. Hence, we must learn to refuse them. Even though they may return after you refuse them, do not receive them. Sometimes, the more you refuse those darting thoughts, the fiercer they become. This is like mischievous children knocking at your door. The more you tell them not to knock, the louder they knock. At that time you can stop refusing them and just ignore them. In the same way, by refusing and ignoring those thoughts, they too will just go away.
In summary, to properly concentrate we need to practice the control of our thinking and refuse the darting thoughts. After such practice, our mind will spontaneously be directed in a proper way; then when we again kneel down to pray, our mind will respond to our direction and will be able to concentrate.
One who knows how to pray can usually quietly rest his mind. Not only is he able to concentrate with his mind, but he can also quiet his thinking. It is just like the rest sign in music. A pianist coming to a rest sign first pauses and then goes on. It is also similar to the term selah in the Psalms, which designates a certain time of silence. Sometimes our prayer before God needs to come to a halt. We need to train and control our mind to such an extent that we can think, pause, concentrate, and obey at will. Thus, we can be a man of prayer.
The stillness of the mind is not only a pause in the mind’s activities but also includes resting one’s mind. One whose thinking never ceases uses his mind to excess and will experience a very difficult time in prayer because his mind cannot be still. Many times we are unable to pray before going to bed at night. This is also due to the fact that our mind has hardly stopped during the day and is exhausted. The spirit desires to pray, but the mind is tired and cannot be used. This is very damaging to prayer. Thus, in order to pray, it is necessary that you frequently still your mind. You not only need to refrain from foolish thinking and vain imaginings, but sometimes you need to stop even the proper use of the mind. Always reserve a portion of your mental capacity for the purpose of prayer. If the mind is not properly controlled, there will be a problem in prayer.
With regard to the control of the mind, both concentration and rest are negative aspects. The positive aspect of exercising the mind is to set the mind on spiritual things. It is not easy to stop our mind. Psychologists tell us that even in our sleep our mind does not rest. Therefore, we need to place more stress on the positive aspect of exercising our mind. In addition to performing the normal duties, during leisure times one should use his mind to think concerning the spiritual things. This is minding the things of the Spirit (Rom. 8:5). When the mind is unoccupied, you need to set it upon spiritual things.
Of course, even while setting the mind on spiritual things, we must refrain from fanciful thinking. Formerly, there was a sister in northern China who always imagined herself to be Madame Guyon. She always sat there, closed her eyes, and engaged in vain imaginations. Yet she thought she was fellowshipping with the Lord. She said, “I wish to renew the marriage vow between the Lord and me.” She also said, “I would choose the cross, not any easiness.” In such a way she engaged herself in fanciful thinking. This departs from the normal way of minding spiritual things. In order to set the mind on spiritual things in a normal way, you need to think in the proper way. For example, you may think of the Word, consider the beauty of the Lord or His works, or reflect on how the Spirit leads within us. We need to think on these spiritual things.
Some brothers inquired of me why they are short of utterance in ministering the Word. I always like to answer in this way: “It is because, ordinarily, you never consider the spiritual things. Either you think about the flood in the middle part of Taiwan, or you remember that spinach used to sell at a yen per pound but has now gone up to three yens. You are continually thinking about these earthly things. Because you have been thinking about these things, when you give a message, you are short of utterance. If you still would not adequately restrict your thinking, I am afraid that one day the words spinach is selling at three yen per pound will slip out of your mouth while you are ministering the Word. Because you think only of these things and do not mind the spiritual things, your mind becomes very dull. So it is with prayer. When some people speak a humorous word or a satirical and mocking word, their two lips are very sharp, but if you want them to pray, their mind becomes inoperative.”
I wish to tell you, brothers and sisters, that utterance in ministering the Word is a deposit being built up daily by minding the spiritual things. Whenever you have some leisure time, consider the things of the Spirit such as: what is the dealing of the flesh? what is the dealing of the self? what is the difference between the dealing of the self and the dealing of the flesh? and why does the Bible sometimes say that our old man has been crucified and other times say that our flesh has been crucified? If you think on these things, you will become well versed and skillful within. When the time for ministering the Word comes, spontaneously you will have the inner, instant utterance because for a long time you have been building up spiritual riches that you can use at any time. Hence, train your mind so that it is always set on spiritual things.
Within our whole being, the supreme part is the spirit; the spirit is the master of our whole being. Although the spirit should subject itself to the Lord’s ruling, it still stands in the chief position in the whole being. The spirit dominates the soul, and through the soul it dominates the body; thus, the mind must yield itself to the control of the spirit. One must always exercise so that the spirit may direct his mind. Of course, we admit that this is not an easy thing to do. It is not easy to focus our mind, and it is even harder for our spirit to rule our mind, for some have never learned how to exercise their spirit or how to use their spiritual sense, the consciousness of the spirit. Not only are the unbelievers like this, but Christians are also. All those who do not know how to exercise their spirit have a dominating mind. If your mind dominates your spirit, you cannot pray. Only when you always allow the spirit to have the preeminence, ruling and controlling the mind, can the mind really be useful in spiritual things. Often we exhort people to pray, yet it is of no avail. There are numerous reasons that a person is unable to pray, but the chief reason is that the mind is not standing in the proper position. The mind has surpassed the spirit, and having upset the order, has risen from the position of a slave to become the master.
Let us give an illustration of how to practice allowing the spirit to rule the mind. Suppose someone comes to see you. While listening to his talking, use your spirit to sense before exercising your mind to think. Wait until there is the consciousness in your spirit; then allow the spirit to direct the mind to comprehend and express that consciousness. This is what is meant by letting the spirit be lord, ruling the mind. But commonly, when we talk with others, we put our spirit aside, letting it remain inoperative, and we allow our mind to go into full function. If in our daily life the mind climbs too high while the spirit descends too low, when prayer time comes, it will not be easy for the spirit to rise again. Hence, in our daily living, we need to practice continually not allowing the mind to dominate the spirit but rather allowing the spirit to rule and direct the mind. Thus, we will be able to pray well.
Romans 8:6 says that our mind may be of the flesh or of the spirit. The mind of the flesh refers to the mind standing on the side of the flesh and being ruled by the flesh. The mind of the spirit refers to the mind standing on the side of the spirit, cooperating with the spirit, being ruled by the spirit, and minding the spiritual things. Romans 8:5-6 says, “Those who are according to the flesh mind the things of the flesh; but those who are according to the spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the spirit is life and peace.” In verse 5 the word mind is used as a verb. In verse 6, concerning the same thing, it is used as a noun, that is, the mind of the spirit. When your mind is ruled by the spirit, submits to the spirit, and always minds the things of the spirit, the mind is spiritual and becomes the mind of the spirit. Only the mind set on the spirit can cause you to touch life and have peace within. A mind of prayer is one that minds the spirit, cooperates with the spirit, submits itself to the ruling of the spirit, and is set on the spirit. Only such a mind can pray competently and properly.
Ephesians 4:23 says, “Be renewed in the spirit of your mind.” The spirit of the mind denotes the presence of the spirit in the mind. The spirit has entered into the mind. Formerly, the spirit was the spirit and the mind was the mind, but now the spirit and the mind have joined and are mingled as one. Not only has the spirit been renewed, and not only has the mind been renewed, but the spirit and the mind have been mingled together and are completely renewed. This is the meaning of Ephesians 4:23. In other words, there is a mind that can never be separated from the spirit. It is not only a mind of the spirit, submitting itself to the rule of the spirit, being directed by the spirit, and minding the things of the spirit, but it has the element of the spirit within and is mingled with the spirit. When it thinks, the spirit is in its thinking. The elements of the spirit are found in its every movement. When a person reaches this stage, he is rather deep in the Lord. His spirit has spread to his soul, his soul is under the control of the spirit, and the mind of the soul has the elements of the spirit within. Such a one is surely able to pray.
I believe that the brothers and sisters will have a better understanding if I add a few more words. In reading the prayers in the Bible, you can sense that the spirit is there. At the same time, you can sense that the thinking of the mind is there. You can sense the presence of the spirit in such a mind. For example, if you read Daniel’s prayer of confession in Daniel 9, you can see that the words are full of clear thoughts proceeding from a sober mind. At the same time, they are full of the spirit, because the spirit and the mind are mingled together, and the mind is filled with the elements of the spirit. This is the mind of the spirit. We need such a mind in order to pray. Many times when the brothers and sisters are praying, they have only the thoughts but not the spirit. At other times, when they have a considerable amount of the elements of the spirit, their thinking is poor, incoherent, and inadequate. This proves that they have not been renewed in the spirit of their mind.
Once there is consciousness in the spirit, it is necessary for the mind to interpret it. The consciousness in the spirit is usually very fine. Therefore, in order that the mind might be able to interpret it, it is necessary that one pay attention to the foregoing eight items: (1) to be renewed, (2) sober, (3) concentrating, (4) still, (5) minding the things of the spirit, (6) ruled by the spirit, (7) having a mind of the spirit, and (8) filling the mind with the elements of the spirit. At this point the mind can understand the spiritual burden and interpret the spiritual sense.
For example, in a prayer meeting, you have a burden to pray, yet you are not clear how to pray. This means you do not know the meaning of that particular burden, and there are not enough elements of the spirit in your mind. But if at this particular time your mind is spiritual, having been trained, immediately you can comprehend and express the burden adequately. The same principle applies to the ministry of the Word. I may have a burden to speak a word to the brothers and sisters, but it requires the cooperation of and the interpretation by the mind in order to find out the meaning of the particular burden and sense in the spirit.
All good prayers come about by first having the consciousness and burden in the spirit. We must have a very sharp mind that is capable of fully expressing that spiritual consciousness with very fine words and rich thoughts. Some brothers and sisters are full of feeling within and rich in spiritual sense, yet their mind cannot interpret. All they can do is shout a great deal and weep or laugh. They have the feeling and the burden, but their mind is inadequate.
Around 1947 the meetings in Shanghai had begun to undergo a revival. During a bread-breaking meeting on one Lord’s Day afternoon, a brother who was a native of southern Fukien was inspired and prayed with his native tongue to express the inspiration within. While listening, although I was not able to understand too well, I could tell that even in his native dialect he could not adequately express the inspiration within. So he simply turned red, his body shook, and his eyes shed tears. The whole congregation was aware that he had the feelings, but unfortunately, due to the lack of the cooperation of the mind, he did not have the appropriate words to express them. If his mind had been trained, and he could have spoken either Mandarin or Shanghainese, using rich words to pour out all the feeling within, I believe that the whole meeting would have exploded. However, it was regrettable that because his untrained mind could not interpret what was within him, it could not explode to the outside. Therefore, brothers, if we wish to pray properly, we need to exercise so that our mind will be able to match and interpret the feelings in our spirit. This is essential.
The mind must not only be able to interpret the consciousness in the spirit, but it also needs to have the words to express that consciousness. This is the matter of utterance. Those who have acted as interpreters know that this is not easy. To be able to comprehend and express the consciousness in the spirit immediately is not easy. Sometimes we have understood what is in our spirit, but we were unable to express it. At another time we have expressed it, yet others could not understand it. The proper understanding and expression require exercise. Paul asked the saints to pray on his behalf that utterance would be given to him (Eph. 6:19). The utterance Paul was referring to was not a fluency or eloquence of speech in ordinary conversation but the ability to express the feelings that were within him. Such utterance is related to the mind.
There are some brothers whose minds have been trained in this way. When they pray with several others, they are not only able to express the feelings within themselves but also the feelings within everyone else. Hence, when they pray, once the words come forth, everyone feels released, for the prayer of such a one has released everyone’s spirit. But if someone who has not been trained in his mind prays, the more he prays, the more others are uncomfortable and even smothered within. They feel most miserable. The more he prays, the more the spirits of others are frustrated; for his mind, not having been trained, is unable to find a suitable expression. Therefore, if you wish to pray well, it is absolutely necessary that you train your mind. Train yourself so that your mind can comprehend the consciousness in the spirit and find the right utterance to express it instantly.
When you have all the above points, you can pray with your mind. First Corinthians 14:15 calls this praying “with the understanding” (KJV). The word understanding there has the same root as the word mind. The understanding is the mind. To pray with the spirit refers to speaking in tongues, which does not need to pass through the mind. But the apostle Paul says that in the church that kind of prayer is not as valuable as praying with the understanding, for the former cannot be understood by others, but the latter can. Therefore, in order to have prayers that can utter and express the feelings within — the prayers of the mind — your mind must be trained in the above points. The prayer of the mind is not only expressed from the mind, but even more it comes forth from the spirit, passing through the interpretation of the mind, and then is uttered as prayer.
