SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 2/24/2017
10:55 PM
My Worship Time Focus:
PT-3 “Strong in Heart”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Colossians
2:2a
Message of the
verses: “that their hearts may be
encouraged,”
We begin this evening by looking at Ephesians 3:16 which
says “that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power
through His Spirit in the inner man,” and this verse shows us what is
the means of having a strong mind. MacArthur that “The Spirit strengthens the
hearts of those who yield their lives to His control. One of His names is Helper (cf. John 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7). Helper in
the Greek is the noun form of parakaleo
and could be translated ‘Strengthener’ in those passages. True inner strength comes only from being
filled with the Spirit.”
Saul experienced this strengthening after his conversion
as we read in Acts 9:22 “But Saul kept increasing in strength and confounding
the Jews who lived at Damascus by proving that this Jesus is the Christ.” As Paul continued in living the Christians
life after becoming a believer he continued to be strengthened by the Holy
Spirit, and eventually he could say in 2 Cor. 4:8-9 “8 we are afflicted in
every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down,
but not destroyed;” and so as we look at these two verses we can see that Paul
had been strengthened by the Spirit enough to be able to endure those things
that are written here.
We have mentioned that it is the Spirit who is the divine
strengthener, but the Spirit can use people to help strengthen other believers
who are in need of being strengthened.
Jesus told Peter in Luke 22:32 “but I have prayed for you, that your
faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your
brothers."” Jesus had just told
Peter that he was going to deny that he even knew Him, and yet even though this
would probably be the lowest part of Peter’s walk with the Lord, the Lord tells
him that He was praying for him and after he had turned back to the Lord, the
Lord wanted him to strengthen his brothers.
MacArthur concludes this section by writing “Strong
hearts result in a powerful Christian life.
When believers are strengthened by the Spirit, Christ will dwell in
their hearts, they will be rooted and grounded in love, they will know the love
of Christ and be filled with all the fullness of God (Eph. 3:16-19). The Christ, through them, will do ‘exceeding
abundantly beyond all [they can] ask or think’ (Eph. 3:20).”
2/24/2017 11:16 PM
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