Fall 1989
Cultivating Our Spiritual Sensitivity
Wade E Taylor

"And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul" Genesis 2:7.

The word "life" in the original text is plural. Thus life was breathed into man on two different levels - natural and supernatural. A means to relate to each of these realms of life was provided through sense perception. Man was created with five physical senses, along with five spiritual senses. These spiritual senses are the counterpart of, and just as real as, his physical senses of taste, touch, smell, hearing, and sight. This sense perception enabled man to function within either the natural or the spiritual realm.

There is within God a desire to be "wanted." Therefore, He placed before Adam and Eve a special test to determine if they desired to remain dependent upon Him, or if they would choose to become independent, making their own decisions.

"And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die" Genesis 2:16-17.

The sense perception that He had placed within them provided the means for this test. "And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat" Genesis 3:6. Although this tree appealed to every aspect of their physical sense perception, the Lord had said "Thou shalt not eat of it."

Adam and Eve disobeyed the Lord; their eyes were opened and they became "as gods, knowing good and evil" Gen 3:5b. As part of the resultant judgment of death, their spiritual senses ceased to function. Man had been created perfect, but now he became incomplete. Natural or fallen man is not evolving into a higher form, rather he is degenerating. Only in redemption is there an upward turn, when man's spiritual senses are regenerated and again function in their intended purpose.

An unsaved person relates to the earth realm through physical sense perception alone. Along with this, one who is blood washed and redeemed is able to relate to the supernatural through regenerated spiritual senses. "Whatever is born of the physical is physical, and whatever is born of the Spirit is spiritual" John 3:6 Williams.

It is possible for us to develop an increased sensitivity within our physical senses. For example, a person who seeks to open a locked safe can refine the sensitivity in his fingers until he is able to feel the tumblers fall into place. A musician cultivates his fingers to play a musical instrument, such as a piano. The individual must choose to enhance these potential abilities. This also applies to our spiritual senses.

"The first man was made of the dust of the earth; the second Man is from heaven. Now those who are made of dust are just like him who was first made of dust, and those who are heavenly are like Him who is from heaven, and as we have reflected the likeness of him who was made of dust, let us also reflect the likeness of the Man from heaven" I Cor 15:47-49 Williams.

As our new-born spiritual senses mature, we become increasingly sensitive to the "quickening" presence of the Holy Spirit. As our spiritual sensitivity improves, it becomes easier for us to move "upward" into a higher realm of spiritual understanding and experience. Parallel to this, it becomes easier for us to resist the influence of our physical senses that tend to pull us "downward."

Every emotion that was within Adam and Eve desired the tree of self- knowledge. We also have this problem and must decide if we will choose self- gratification, by allowing our physical senses to control us; or if we will choose spiritual-satisfaction and fulfillment, by responding to our spiritual senses. If we choose according to our physical sense perception, our spiritual senses become dulled, while our physical senses gain in their control over our lives.

Isaiah 53 gives a prophetic description of our Lord Jesus Christ. This description also pictures the tree of life, which is a pre-figure of His being. By changing one word, a view of this tree is wonderfully set before us. "For (it) shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: (it) hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see (it), there is no beauty that we should desire (it)" Isa 53:2.

The attractiveness of "The Tree of Life" is inward and spiritual. Outwardly it is not attractive to our physical senses. "There is no beauty that we should desire it." Its true beauty can only be known through our spiritual senses. As we look at this tree through the eye of faith, our Lord Jesus Christ will be revealed in all of His glory. Also, a "true" friend will be there saying, "Thou mayest freely eat" Gen 2:16b. We must rise above all that we see through our physical senses and believe what the Lord tells us.

The attractiveness of "The tree of the knowledge of good and evil" is outward and physical. "And the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise" Gen 3:6. By responding to this tree that was filled with stimulating luscious fruit, Eve "tuned out" the spiritual senses that would have enabled her to recognize the danger. Her physical senses could not warn her that partaking would result in spiritual death. Also, a "seeming" friend was there provoking doubt, saying, "Hath God said?" Left to themselves, our physical senses will respond favorably to the enemy of our spiritual life.

According to human reason, the tree of knowledge should have been made ugly and the tree of life beautiful. However, the Lord had a purpose in making them as He did. If the tree of knowledge had been made to look like "a root out of a dry ground" and the tree of life had appeared to be desirable, it would be easy for us to obey the Lord. But what would the Lord have?

The Lord is seeking after a people who willingly CHOOSE to serve Him. Therefore, He has not made it easy. When every physical sense within me is seeking to pull me in the wrong direction and I say, "I am not going that way," then the Lord has gained one who has truly chosen to know and obey Him. This is what is meant by "taking up" my cross. I am to "crucify" whatever my physical sense perception presents to me as being desirable, but is contrary to His Word and purpose for my life.

The Lord is looking for a people who will choose Him; not "because of" but rather, "in spite of." If I choose HIS BEST (The tree of life), when the thing that is APPEALING and ATTRACTIVE (The tree of the knowledge of good and evil) is before me, I am making an eternal choice that will enable me to become an overcomer. I must accept the fact that my reward may not be a present reality. Rather, at this time, it may appear to be as a root out of a dry ground. Its substance is to be found in the HOPE of the coming resurrection.

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal" John 12:24-25. We must believe this and choose with our spiritual senses, rather than yield to our physical senses. In making their choice, Adam and Eve had the full potential of both realms before them, but lost out by choosing that which "appeared" to provide a present satisfaction.

Because God gave Adam a choice, there had to be a penalty should he choose wrongly. "But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die," Gen 2:17. Did this mean that the Lord intended a funeral, should Adam choose wrongly? No, after his failure he still lived and was able to communicate with God.

"And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself" Genesis 3:8-10.

A person outside of redemption is able to talk with God. Our relationship to God is not quantitative, rather it is qualitative. God can talk to anyone; He talked to a donkey that in turn talked to the prophet. Adam said, "I hid because I was naked." Artists draw pictures of a naked man and woman hiding behind a bush, embarrassed because they did not have clothes. Adam lost far more than clothes. He died in relation to his spiritual being. He lost the "shekinah" or anointing that made it possible for him to stand, without fear, in the presence of the Lord. Along with this, he lost his spirit senses that enabled him to commune with the Lord. There is a vast difference between talking to God (quantitative) and communing with God (qualitative).

Because of the loss of his "shekinah" covering, Adam hid. The Lord knew this, but still came to walk with Adam. We can meet with God in the realm of our soul life. After being saved, we are to transcend this and again develop our regenerated spiritual senses that will allow us to come back into the original realm of intimate communion with the Lord.

The Lord slew an animal and covered Adam and Eve with the skin. This was the beginning of redemption. Adam was brought back into the possibility of relationship. "Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them" Gen 3:21. Now they had a substitutionary covering in the place of "Shekinah."

"So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life" Gen 3:24. The Shekinah that had been a covering upon Adam was now external, separate from him and became to him a hostile flaming sword.

Adam was driven from the garden to till the soil. He had been given a substitutionary covering, but was still separated from the manifest presence of the Lord. Many are satisfied with worshiping God on the basis of this substitutionary covering alone. These substitute a liturgical form for the manifest presence of the Lord, rather than seek a way though what seems to them to be a hostile flaming sword. Their sins have been forgiven and covered, but they pull back in fear from the possibility of a further spiritual experience, not fully realizing that the "veil" has been rent, making a way of entrance.
When we come in faith to this external flaming sword, it becomes to us a "Baptism in the Holy Ghost and Fire." Our spirit being, along with its attendant spiritual senses, is "quickened" as we receive this Baptism in the Holy Spirit. We come alive spiritually and begin to recognize and experience the supernatural. That which had been but "type and shadow" now becomes to us an unveiled reality.

"As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: If so be YE HAVE TASTED that the Lord is gracious" I Peter 2:2-3.

A vital part of our growing into spiritual maturity is the re-development of our spiritual senses. We were not born with these, they have been dead since the transgression of Adam. Only in a new birth experience are they re-created. Following this, through the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, they are quickened and released within us in their full potential. Now we will be able to "taste" that the Lord has been gracious to us.

Whenever we come into the presence of anointed worship or ministry, this newly gained sensitivity to the supernatural will enable us to understand the deeper things of the Word and of the Spirit. Now the purpose for which Jesus came can find its full outworking, through a more abundant spiritual experience.

"I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly" John 10:10b.