Quotes from Watchman Nee

Neither our psychology nor that of the unbelievers can impart life to them. Unless the Holy Spirit Himself performs the work, all is vain.

The knowledge of Christ which is produced by man's own cleverness and wisdom is not a rock that can stand firm.

This is a fact. But Satan does not attack just prayer; he also attacks the praise of God's children. The ultimate goal of Satan is to stop all praises to God. Prayer is a warfare, but praise is a victory. Prayer signifies spiritual warfare, but praise signifies spiritual victory. Whenever we praise, Satan flees. Therefore, Satan hates our praising the most. He will use all his strength to stop our praising.

The idea of waste only comes into our Christianity when we underestimate the worth of our Lord.

Here is invariably a spiritual fact: Our spirit is released according to the degree of our brokenness.

How pitiful it must be when the flesh gains dominion. Sin has slain the spirit:

He who has ascended the cross and refuses to drink the vinegar mingled with gall is the one who knows the Lord. Many go up to the cross rather reluctantly, still thinking of drinking vinegar mingled with gall to alleviate their pain. All who say—"The cup which the Father has given me, shall I not drink it?"—will not drink the cup of vinegar mingled with gall.

The electric bulb cannot give light without electricity. Likewise, you cannot change yourself if today you are cut off from Christ. If there be any change or difference in you, it is not because you yourself have changed, for all is in Christ. Such is the way of God's salvation.[2]

Only those who are subject to authority can be authority.

How many of us dare not use our time or money or talents as we would, because we realise they are the Lord's, not ours?

Only those who sit can stand. Our power for standing, as for walking, lies in our having first been made to sit together with Christ. The Christian's walk and warfare alike derive their strength from his position there. If he is not sitting before God he cannot hope to stand before the enemy.

The operation of His life in us is in a true sense spontaneous, that is to say, it is without effort of ours. The all-important rule is not to "try," but to "trust," not to depend upon our own strength, but upon His. For it is the flow of life which reveals what we truly are "in Christ." It is from the Fountain of Life that the sweet water issues.