“For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” – (Ephesians 3:14-19 NIV)
“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:41 NIV)
The Holy Spirit mysteriously abides in the “inner being” of all followers of Jesus. When we become sensitive to His Spirit he can reveal and impart his life and heart, to our minds and change our desires. When we press into God or seek his face through the indwelling Holy Spirit, we can be guided by the truth of His Word, and prayer. Our internal conflicts can only be resolved by God’s indwelling Spirit. The spirit of a person that has experienced new-birth, desires to do the will of God, in his or her inner being.
When we come under the power of temptation we must learn to rely on the Holy Spirit. We can only be renewed daily, by the Spirit who is – “Christ in you, the hope of Glory.” The renewal of our inner being is crucial in our battle with, the world, the flesh, and the devil.
The un-renewed Christian mind falls back into old sin patterns and is conformed to the surrounding culture, to one degree or another. We can stand strong in the Lord, by trusting in the finished work of Christ, and by the renewal of our spirits by the Holy Spirit. Without day and night meditation on the Word, and on things above, we drift into sin and deception. (Ps.1) And we become unfruitful and ineffective in what God is calling us to do.
Our thinking directs our actions and behavior. So, right thinking is critical as we walk out our lives before God. Our thought lives must be dominated by truth so that we can experience “soul prosperity”. When our souls (thought life) are dominated by and filled with, the Word and the Spirit, we will experience incremental change, if we don’t give up.
Praying for the renewal of the inner man needs to become part of our prayer lives daily. Praying the prayers of the Apostle Paul will help in the process of discovering all that God has given us in Christ Jesus. These are God-breathed prayers, that if prayed consistently over a long period, will bear fruit.
The love of Christ surpasses our understanding. This kind of spiritual comprehension is revelatory. It supernaturally touches both our mind and emotions. God’s love fills us with unspeakable joy.
Recently, I was pondering on the possibility that many Christians today are avoiding God. And, that we often seek to hide from Him behind our religious activities.
I was reflecting on the endless Bible studies and sermons that speak to our intellect, more than to our hearts. All of these activities are important, but the goal of spiritual knowledge is to come to know God more intimately.
The Scripture was meant to teach us Biblical doctrine and to renew our minds. But, it takes both the Word of God and the Holy Spirit to bring about spiritual transformation in our lives.
God has given us the Holy Spirit, but it’s our responsibility to learn to fellowship with Him.
I see two major drifts in certain spiritual movements, that troubles me. One group focuses on a demonstration of the power of God. And that’s a good thing, as long we allow the Holy Spirit to deal with our character flaws. Also, a more intellectual movement that seeks to study Biblical theology, at the expense of God’s presence. There are exceptions in the body of Christ to both of these groups.
It’s not sufficient to know what the Apostle Paul knew, without experiencing God as he did. Our study of Biblical doctrine will only come alive as we seek to experience God for ourselves.
I thought the quote below by A.W. Tozer concerning Paul summed up my point well. It speaks of those who study truth but neglect to seek God’s presence.
“For them, the truth becomes a veil to hide the face of God; for Paul, it was a door into His very Presence. Paul’s spirit was that of the loving explorer. He was a prospector among the hills of God searching for the gold of personal spiritual acquaintance. Many today stand by Paul’s doctrine who will not follow him in his passionate yearning for divine reality. Can these be said to be Pauline in any but the most nominal sense?” (1)
(1) Tozer, A. W.. Keys to the Deeper Life. Pioneer Library. Kindle Edition.
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