Strengthened in the Inner Man - All The LORD is near Daily Devotionals for 2024

That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man.
Ephesians 3:16 NKJV

Strengthened in the Inner Man
The Lord Jesus in heaven called Saul of Tarsus just before he arrived at Damascus. He had come there from Jerusalem to arrest the Jewish people who believed in Jesus the Messiah. But Saul himself was arrested, namely, by the Lord Jesus, who called him with a call he could not resist, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” (Acts 9:4). He was brought to a home in the city where he stayed for three days. There he prayed (v. 11). The Lord sent His disciple Ananias who presented the gospel to him, and Saul got saved and, instead of persecuting the believers, he got baptized. Then Saul started to preach the gospel himself. The Lord gave him further instructions, and he became a missionary, visiting many countries. Later he wrote epistles that have several prayers in them; the above one is a beautiful example.

The Lord Jesus ascended to heaven, forty days after His resurrection. Imagine: a Man in heaven! Yes, and He was greeted by God Himself, who gave Him the most honorable place, namely, at His right hand. Having all resources at His disposal and as He had promised, the Lord Jesus sent the Holy Spirit—the Comforter, or Helper—to His disciples, to remain in and with them forever. Today, He is with us to give us the needed power, just as He strengthened His disciples at the beginning. We have failed, the Church has failed, which has consequences in God’s governmental dealings with us. But the Lord is the same, yesterday, today, and forever.

He strengthens “the inner man” and does not “show off” by an imposing force. Rather, as in Elijah’s days, He speaks with “a still small voice” (1 Ki. 19:12). May we be ready to listen to it and be in tune with it, so that our Lord can use us as a voice for Him, until He comes.

-- Alfred E. Bouter