Daniel 2: Part 7: The Spiritual Mind Helps the Natural Mind
In the last verse we saw that if the natural mind dissociates, it will cut itself away from the spiritual mind. Our spiritual mind is within our true self. A type of the true self is seen in Judah (for more on this, see articles on dissociation on this website). Remember, Daniel and his friends (the spiritual mind and its foundational beliefs) were of the children of Judah. During the act of splitting, the true self is pushed down out of our reach making it extremely difficult to find this part of our self again. (In satanic ritual abuse where splitting is purposely done, the original person [true self] is intentionally hidden by cult mind controllers to make sure this person can never find him/her. However, when we allow Jesus to do this ministry, he always finds that original person and nurtures him/her into maturity and wholeness.)
Dissociation may help us feel better for a short time, but we wind up losing our true self and our ability to commune with God in the process. As we obey God and seek him, this true self may appear from time to time, but we are hindered in our walk with God until it is fully restored and the false selves we have created receive ministry.
Dan 2:14 Then Daniel answered with counsel and wisdom to Arioch the captain of the king’s guard, which was gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon:
This verse shows what happens when the natural mind decides to dissociate…Arioch shows up. He appears suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere. All we know about him is that he is the captain of the king’s guard. What is the natural mind’s guard? It should be Jesus, but since our king here is not seeking God’s help with his identity issues and is attempting to solve his problem by his own resources, this part of his mind swings into action. It is probably an unconscious reaction to this person’s pain that the spiritual mind becomes aware of. At any rate, Arioch is ready to cut off (slay in Hebrew) Daniel and his friends from the natural mind.
We established in chapter one of Daniel that the person in whom all this mental action is happening is a Christian living in the end times. In that same chapter we also saw this person’s spirit coming into maturity; however, the king’s problem demonstrates that the soul or natural mind is still immature. Maturity will come when he knows who he is in Christ. This will be seen as a process in the next few chapters of Daniel.
At this point in our story, the natural mind has made the decision to dissociate. He has acted in a way common to many Christians today…he has forgotten to include God in his situation. Instead he has tried to work things out on his own. Sometimes we have to come to desperation before we get serious about our relationship with God. Here the natural mind is finally at that point.
His spirit that has been growing in his relationship with Christ is now going to come to his aid. We see this in verse 15:
Dan 2:15 He answered and said to Arioch the king’s captain, Why is the decree so hasty from the king? Then Arioch made the thing known to Daniel.
In the midst of this crisis, communication is going forth between the spirit and the soul. In the previous verse the spirit was speaking into the soul (natural mind) with wisdom and counsel. The spirit has been in a place of peace and communion with God. He only knows the turmoil in the soul when it is communicated in some way.
The Word “hasty” here in the Hebrew has the primary meaning of “to shear or cut close.” The spirit desires to know why the soul wants to cut him away. The name “Arioch” means “a lion-like man.” Lions tear things apart. That is what will happen in the soul if the natural mind does not listen to the counsel and wisdom of the spiritual mind.
The spiritual mind is now going to help the natural mind find his identity without dissociating. This will be a process taking place throughout the rest of this chapter and future chapters. Finding our identity in Christ is really a lifelong pursuit of coming to know God. As we know God, we find out who we are. There are several things we can learn from verse 16:
Dan 2:16 Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he would show the king the interpretation.
One thing I have noticed is that the two minds dwell in separate places. The spiritual mind can come from its place and minister to the natural mind, but the natural mind never does cross over into the spirit. The king does not enter Daniel’s house. This is because our spirit has been purified and is in communion with God on the other side of the veil. Our natural mind cannot cross over because it is still mingled with our sin nature. Nothing crosses from the natural mind to the spiritual side without first going through the cross. As we go through cross experiences, parts of our natural mind do cross over but only after they are purified. (This is a picture of sanctification that is more fully explained in my book The Four Living Creatures.) In our spirit we are even now sitting in heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Eph. 2:6).
The second thing I notice in this verse 16 of Daniel 2 is that the spiritual mind, although it possesses the wisdom and knowledge of God and is in communion with God, has to ask permission of the natural mind. Our natural mind makes the decisions that govern our lives here on this earth. In our natural mind we must walk by faith and not by sight. We must yield our natural mind to listen to our spiritual mind. The more we take up our cross daily so the flesh in us can die, the more we walk not according to the ways and dictates of this world but according to the Word of God, the more we will have access to our spirit.
The third thing I see in this verse is that the spiritual mind is already beginning to teach the natural mind an important virtue…that of patience. (Daniel asks the king to give him time.) “They that wait upon the Lord will renew their strength and mount up with wings as eagles.” In our natural self, we are impatient and in a hurry. Many young people grow up in affluent families today never knowing what it means to want something and have to wait for it. We want instant everything and our society has tried to give it to us…fast food, fast cars, fast Internet access, etc. We don’t like to wait, but we cannot carry this attitude into the Kingdom. God will always see to it that we learn to wait before we progress into the things of the spirit.
We see also in this verse that our spirit ministers to our natural mind. This is because our spirit is in union with Christ. God speaks to us through our spirit. “The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly” (Prov 20:27). See also 1 Cor. 2:11, “For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.” If the natural mind is going to know his identity, the only way he will find it is by listening to his spirit. In order to hear his spirit, he has to take time to sit quietly before God. This requires patience. As we wait patiently before the Lord, we will begin to hear our spirit “give us the dream and its interpretation.”
To be continued…
