“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)
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of wisdom and revelation. The Spirit’s ministry is supernatural. And He gives us an understanding that we cannot obtain by our study and natural effort, alone.
“The power for which Paul prays is mediated through God’s Spirit” in our inner being.(1)
That’s where all spiritual transformation takes place. This ultimately results in a change in our outward behavior. As believers, we must ask God to reveal himself to us, so that as the NIV translates it: “you may know him better.”
We first come to know him through our initial salvation experience, but that’s only the beginning of our spiritual journey. The knowledge of God is a never-ending process for those who pursue him. And, God desires for us to know the depth of his love, wisdom, and power in ever-increasing ways.
He’s a holy but very personal God.
Intimacy with God will produce spiritual fruit in our lives if we won't give up.
The apostle Paul prayed, “…my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you!” - Galatians 4:19 ESV. His prayer is that we will grow more into the likeness of Christ.
Like a good Shepard, Paul cared deeply for the spiritual maturity of his sheep.
We have been set apart by God as his holy people so that our behavior will be in harmony with his will for our lives.
We are His inheritance.
And his will is that we will become more like Jesus (over time) through the transformation of our character. Paul’s prayer is that Jesus would take up residence in our hearts. That he would live in our hearts ungrieved. Jesus never leave us forsake us. Sin hurts our communion with Jesus.
The theological word for this is sanctification. We have been set apart. But, growth in Christ doesn't happen apart from our pursuit of God. As followers of Jesus, we are God’s inheritance. And we have his resurrection power living inside of us.
We must ask (pray) for an understanding of the “immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might,” which is what God has given us in Christ. For the most part, the full extent of this power is untapped in our lives.
We overcome the evil impulses of the world, the flesh, and the Devil by allowing the resurrection power of the indwelling Holy Spirit to dominate our thinking.
As we discover God’s power in us, we are more effective in ministry. Without personal contact with the Holy One - spiritual growth is not possible.
The Ephesians understood that the spiritual atmosphere was evil and they were up against dark powers – that controlled unbelievers.
Those same dark forces still operate in our world today. The early Church understood that they were fighting a spiritual battle.
But, sadly many in the modern Church don’t have even a basic understanding of spiritual warfare. Paul was reassuring Christians that all these evil entities are under Christ’s feet.
But we still have to resist this present darkness through prayer.
Pray for yourself and others for greater understanding of the resurrection power that God has given us.
And this is imparted to people of prayer.
So let’s keep asking.
(1) Praying With Paul, D.A.Carson, page 161
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