Friday, February 8, 2019

PT-8 "The Spirit's Power" (Eph. 3:14-16)


SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 2/8/2019 9:58 AM



My Worship Time                                                                     Focus:  PT-8 “The Spirit’s Power”



Bible Reading & Meditation                                              Reference:  Ephesians 3:14-16



            Message of the verses:  14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15  from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, 16  that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man,”



            In our last SD I promised to quote the ending from John MacArthur’s rather long commentary on this subject.  I have mentioned the importance of this section as I remarked on the fact that the first two and a half chapters of Ephesians were written to mostly show us, who are believes what we have in Christ, and not Paul prays that what he explained in theses first two and a half chapters to become a part of the believers walk with the Lord.  We have to understand what Paul first writes which we took a bit over three months to go over, and now as we study this wonderful pray of Paul we can pray ourselves that God will make this prayer true in our lives.



            “When the ‘inner man’ is feed regularly on the Word of God and seeks the Spirits will in all the decisions of life, the believer can be sure he will be ‘strengthened with power through His Spirit.’  Spiritual power is not the mark of a special class of Christian but is the mark of every Christian who submits to God’s Word and Spirit.  Like physical growth and strength, spiritual growth and strength do not come overnight.  As we discipline our minds and spirits to study God’s Word, understand it, and live by it, we are nourished and strengthened.  Every bit of spiritual food and every bit of spiritual exercise add to our strength and endurance.



            “Spiritual growth can be defined as the decreasing frequency of sin. The more we exercise our spiritual muscles, yielding to the Spirit’s control of our lives, the less sin is present.  Where the strength of God increases, sin necessarily decreases.  The nearer we come to God, the further we go from sin.



            “As that occurs, what happens to the outer man matters less and less.  Paul could tell the Corinthians,



8 We are hard-pressed on all sides, but we are never frustrated; we are puzzled, but never in despair. 9 We are persecuted, but are never deserted: we may be knocked down but we are never knocked out! 10 Every day we experience something of the death of Jesus, so that we may also show the power of the life of Jesus in these bodies of ours. 11 Yes, we who are living are always being exposed to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus may be plainly seen in our mortal lives. 12 We are always facing physical death, so that you may know spiritual life…16 This is the reason why we never lose heart. The outward man does indeed suffer wear and tear, but every day the inward man receives fresh strength (2 Cor. 4:8-12, 16 Phillips).’”



            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  What I have been publishing in my other blog seems to me, that it goes along with what this section is about as they both are about spiritual growth. 5 Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, 6 and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, 7 and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love (2 Peter 1:5-7).”



My Steps of Faith for Today:  Give myself to the Lord today to be used of Him as He sees fit.



Verse that goes along with yesterday’s quote:  “Whoever has no rule over his own spirit is like a city broken down, without walls (Proverbs 25:28).”



2/8/2019 10:21 AM

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