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 being. Gen. 2:7
Then Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you. And when He had said this He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. John 20:21,22
The very life of God was given to us as He breathed upon us— first when He created us from the dust, and again, when He caused us to be born anew of His Spirit.
Men are want to throw this phrase, “born again,” around in such a manner that it tends to lose its true significance. There is a time when we are conceived of the Spirit, when His seed brings us forth and we become a new creation, alive in the womb, until we arrive at the state where we can truly be born. Until this time we remain an unborn fetus, awaiting the time of the new birth. It is possible for us to be aborted before ever we reach this maturity and perhaps remain in this state of immaturity until the Lord receives us unto Himself—saved but never having known what it is to be born of the Spirit. Conception is one thing—birth another.
Nicodemus found this to be a great mystery. Jesus told him that the wind blows where it wishes, and you can hear the sound of it but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. And then He went on to say, “So is everyone that is born of the Spirit.”
Flesh is flesh and Spirit is spirit. God breathed upon man and he became a living soul, Jesus breathed upon men that they might become living spirits. As He did so, He told them to receive. This involves a breathing in of that which was breathed out.
It is this breathing process that not only gives but sustains the spirit life; whether it be done consciously or unconsciously. There is a technique that will be of much assistance in continuously receiving this Spirit life—a catalyst so to speak.
Breathing is an integral and necessary part of man. He must breathe in order to live. He can, as he breathes the air into his lungs, see ,with the eye of faith, the Spirit surging through him, quickening every part of his being. This Spirit life is not like a battery—He does not lie there stagnant within. It is a moving force, ever flowing like a mighty river as He, the Spirit of God moves in and through the Spirit-filled believer. We are told to be filled with the Spirit—this indicates that we have a part in this continual filling of our being with the precious Spirit of God.
Granted it takes constant attention in the beginning to establish this connection between breathing air into the lungs and Spirit into the inner being. But once established, the believer will find the process to be of inestimable assistance in living continually in, and being led constantly by, this wonderful Spirit of the Living God. May the Lord make His ways clear to us by the spirit of revelation. Amen!