Strength from the inner man
“For this reason I kneel before the Father from whom the whole 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 (man) so that Christ may dwell in your heart through faith. And I pray that you being rooted and established in love…” (NIV) Ephesians 3:14-17
If we can survive as Christians in this world without conforming to it then God expects that we be strengthened in our inner being. He wants us to be energized by the ability he placed in our human spirit when we gave ourselves to Him through baptism. It is in our inner being that we need strength because our character as Christians is built in our inner being.
The inner being needs to be strengthened in the face of challenges with the strength that comes from the Holy Ghost so that we can boldly and confidently do what is right and acceptable in the sight of God and refuse to do evil which the world presents us. When our inner being is weak, we are unable to control the outward man from doing evil. This is why most of us find it difficult to pray even when we want to. Bible studies as well as going to church becomes difficult for us. We have become Sunday worshippers only, but God through His word encourages us not to forsake the assemblies of one another. This is because God understand and knows the benefit of Fellowship in these difficult and perilous times of this world.
What can we do to strengthen the inner being? The letter to the Ephesian church explains that strength comes through the Word of God and prayer. Thus faith comes from God through His word (Rom 1:5, 8). The constant studying and meditation of God’s Word stirs up the inner man and it becomes easy for us to overcome adverse situations in this world. These are important Christian virtues we need to cultivate if we want to overcome the world according to the promises of God.
…Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts…Heb. 3:7-8 because strengthening our inner man is a building of strong spiritual character (through His word) that can stand the test of time regardless of the situation that comes our way.