Quotes from Watchman Nee

To be penitent, to feel sorry for sin, to shed tears, to even make decisions does not bring in salvation. Confession, decision, and many other religious acts can never be and are not to be construed as new birth. Rational judgment, intelligent understanding, mental acceptance, or the pursuit of the good, the beautiful, and the true are merely soulical activities if the spirit is not reached and stirred.

It is so easy to become more attached to the gifts of God than to the Giver—and even, I should add, to the work of God than to God Himself.

The Christian life from start to finish is based upon this principle of utter dependence upon the Lord Jesus.

A Christian ought to realize what the weights laid on his spirit are. If he encounters it in the morning and does not deal with it at once, he experiences defeat the whole day long.

With complete consecration comes perfect peace.

A born-again person ought to possess unspeakable peace in the spirit.

Were our spirits hardy we would be able to meet the most disturbing situation with peace and rest.

We must have a spirit of power towards the enemy, a spirit of love towards men, and a spirit of self-control towards ourselves.

God is not seeking a display of my Christ-likeness , but a manifestation of His Christ.

Our bread is not only the Word of God, our meat is not only to do His will, our bread is also...the difficulties that are in our way.

If you would test the character of anything, you only need to enquire whether that thing leads you to God or away from God.

God will answer all our questions in one way and one way only. Namely, by showing us more of his Son.

People who are lazy, careless, doubtful-minded or arrogant need not expect God to reveal His secret or covenant to them.

Separation to God, separation from the world, is the first principle of Christian living.

And it is through conflict that God induces the believer to seek and to grasp total triumph in Christ.

The child of God ought to confess his weakness that he does not know how to pray, and petition the Holy Spirit to teach him.

A person who wholly follows the Lord is one who believes that the promises of God are trustworthy, that He is with His people, and that they are well able to overcome.

The right attitude is this: that I have my own will, yet I will the will of God.

Now is the hour we should humbly prostrate ourselves before God, willing to be convicted afresh of our sins by the Holy Spirit.

For God to reveal His Son in us is not the result of research or searching; it is entirely a matter of mercy and revelation. It is an inward seeing, an inner knowing.

If one's conscience is willing to confess whatever sins have been committed, including the sin of unbelief, it will be sorrowful in a godly way, earnestly desiring the mercy of God.

So we can say, reverently, that God never gave us the Law to keep: he gave us the Law to break! He well knew that we could not keep it.

If you perform your part, God will fulfill His. And once you put off specifically, you should just as thoroughly believe that God will renew your mind, despite the fact you know not how.

How true it is that without the guidance of the Holy Spirit intellect not only is undependable but also extremely dangerous, because it often confuses the issue of right and wrong.