In our previous study, we considered how to discern the difference between a genuine stumbling block in our spiritual lives, something that consistently hinders our growth in Christ, and ongoing struggles that are the result of resisting what the Spirit of God is working into our lives for our freedom.
Over the years, it has become clear that there is a difference between not knowing how to break free of something, and not doing the things our heavenly Father gives us for getting there. In some cases, the issue is not that we can’t, but that we won’t.
A similar difficulty comes alongside this by identifying whether someone’s struggles in their walk with God are simply because they have decided that they do not want God going any deeper in their lives than they have already experienced. Since God’s work transforms us from the inside out, these efforts to keep him to the outside means we are working against his work, so to speak.
Join us in this next home church video as we consider the differences between trying to hold God’s work back to the surface issues of our lives, and opening up our hearts to experience all he would do if we surrendered full access to every part of our inner being.
We didn’t get time to apply these beautiful words of Paul’s prayer, but they make a good introduction to the video nonetheless:
For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.[1]
Notice that Paul prayed for believers to experience the Holy Spirit in our “inner being”, in order that we could experience Jesus dwelling “in our hearts” through faith. And he prayed for such an experience of both comprehending and knowing the love of Jesus Christ that we “may be filled with all the fullness of God.”
With God seeking our ultimate good in the innermost parts of our lives, let’s be sure that we are not resisting anything they are doing to not only work there, but lead us to join them where they are working.
© 2018 Monte Vigh ~ Box 517, Merritt, BC, V1K 1B8 ~ in2freedom@gmail.com
Unless otherwise noted, Scriptures are from the English Standard Version (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.)
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