“For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, that ye may be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inward man;” Ephesians 3:14-16 (ASV)
I can’t remember a time when I didn’t know about God and Jesus. I don’t know where I learned about them. I don’t remember going to Sunday school, except when my paternal grandmother came to visit, until I was a teenager and my brother and I decided to go to different churches that we could walk to. I don’t remember asking God into my heart or making a confession for Him to be my savior, it is possible that it happened and I just don’t remember, but I doubt it. I do know one thing, from as young as I can remember, I talked to God and He talked back to me.
The reason I don’t think I said the sinner’s prayer as a child is because of how powerful the feeling was when I made that decision at the age of 38 at a Mario Murrillo Crusade. It was an overwhelming and emotional event that swept over and through me like something that I have never felt before. Peace, rest, knowledge, release, fire and a feeling that every trial that I had been through, and was currently going through, was all completely taken away and resolved. The burden was no longer mine, but that of a big God who had all of the answers and was giving me the way to resolve the problem and deal with any lingering challenges through peace. It was so different from the stress, fear and worry of all the years before.
My relationship was strong with God, but it didn’t become the strong force that it is today until after I received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. That day, that receiving, completely changed my life and opened my mind, body and soul to a whole new spiritual realm that I cannot explain to another; it is truly something that must be experienced. Scripture came to life. The confusion of the King James Language was gone and the words easy to read and understand. Bible study was a joy and I spent most of my waking hours in the Bible and in study books, helping me understand how the Old Testament and the New Testament came together. Types and Shadows. The history of the Old Testament and how the lives of the Patriarchs became the basis and foundation of the life of Jesus, the Disciples, and Apostles that followed Him.
The Inward Man. The place where the Spirit dwells, once we invite Him in. It is also the place where free will rests. It is a holding ground of potential, and it is a place where only we can open up to outside influences, both good and bad. I suspect that my Inward Man was protected by the many prayers of my grandmother, aunts and uncles during the time when I didn’t know any better. It was the place that called to my brother and I to look for a place to worship and seek God. It was a fallow ground that needed to be prepared for my decision to be a pastor and share the gospel.
Many do not make the same decision that I did, they fill their Inner Man with self-love, greed, addictions, and occultic activities, those become their soul foundation. Their chosen Inward Man pulls them into things that keep them from peace, rest and true love. I suspect that there are times, as we grow up, that we all fill our Inward Man with things that should not be there, things that we need to release. The wonderful thing about our Inward Man, is that we have the ability to cleanse what should not be there and refill it with the things God meant for us to have. We can, if we will.
The Apostle Paul’s prayer of this scripture is that we would make the choice to follow the Father, cleansing out any poor choices that we have made in the past, and receive the “riches of glory” through the acceptance of the Holy Spirit into our lives, strengthening our Inward Man. What a powerful prayer that so many have received and walked in. I cannot explain the difference of having the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. I comes with signs and wonders. It comes with miracles and answered prayers. It comes with peace, joy and understanding. It comes with a little bit of Jesus living inside of us. It comes with Love!
** A Journey Through Ephesians – Chapter 3, Part 6
By Linda J. Humes
Written 5-18-2016
Linda J. Humes 