Are we missing it?

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us" Ephesians 3:20

This is a verse that many Christians stand on when they need faith, trust and inspiration during times of trial. Most of us think, "More than I could ask or imagine....AWESOME, I'll sign up for that!" However, I wonder if we aren't missing the main portion of the verse: "According to His power that is AT WORK WITHIN US."

Most of us know that, as we are made in the image of God, and God is a trinity (Father, Son, Spirit), we are also made of three parts Spirit, Soul, and Body. Our Spirits are redeemed by God when we are saved and God sends His Holy Spirit to reside with ours and give us guidance, wisdom and power to walk through daily life, fulfilling our purpose. Soul is the combination of our mind, will, and emotions, and the body is our physical body which houses our Spirit and Soul.

The Soul and Body, unfortunately, have a tendency to cause us quite a lot of trouble. Because, unlike our Spirit, which is made new instantly, Soul and Body are changed by God over time. It's a process of God ordering our circumstances to break our Soul and Body. It sounds harsh, to use the word "break", but it's a process of discipline. God the Father disciplines his children, just like an earthly parent disciplines their children so that they can learn and grow. The problematic point is receiving this discipline for what it is, an act of love. The world fuels our Soul and Body on a daily basis. Every thing around us screams at us to follow our emotions, logic, or will, and we can become so focused on body, everything from eating disorders to addictions can torment us. It's a constant tug-of-war between God and the world around us. God knows that he must order our circumstances to break down these things so that our Spirit can come forth and lead.

I wonder if we forget that in order for us to be in a place to recieve Gods amazing blessings and plans for us, Gods power has to not only be inside us, but it has to be able to flow forth freely from us. It doesn't matter if we house the power of God inside us, if our Soul or Body is calling the shots, and our spirit is trapped inside, we aren't going to be in a place to receive more than we can ask or imagine from God.

Imagine a cardboard box covering a lightbulb. Obviously it would be impossible to tell whether the light was on or off, unless there was a hole or break in the cardboard for the light to seep through. Now if we took that same box and then proceeded to punch holes all over it and tear it, the more damage we inflicted on the box, the more the light would shine through. But essentially, until the box is destroyed, they light can never flow forth in a pure and unhindered way.

I feel like this is where most of us are in our spiritual walk. The light flows forth from us in some areas, while in others, we are still hindered by our own will or logic that seems to always step in. Even when we have heard from the Lord, so often our own logic or strong will can cause us to take matters into our own hands or be disobedient.

What if we really submitted to the Lord EVERY DAY, saying "My choices are wrong, my logic is wrong, my will is wrong, I submit myself to Your discipline and I receive it. Have mercy on me Lord that I may truly trust in You alone." This is when God can finally work effectively in us to destroy our flesh so that His power, that is already inside of us, can flow forth into our lives and put us in the place to receive things that we can't imagine.

I know that I personally am not there yet, and I've got quite a long way to go. But I can look back over the past few years, at the tests and trials I've been through, and I can see where God was ordering my circumstances to strengthen my spirit in different areas. I can see the part of me that was lead in Spirit and I can see all of the failures of disobedience or self-reliance caused by my Soul or Body. But I know that only God can change and mold me, and that as I submit to Him and his discipline that only then am I in the position for His power to really come forth inside me and work in my life, and that by KEEPING this posture of submission that's when God will begin to bless me beyond what I can imagine, and I can imagine a lot...

Currently Reading: The Release of the Spirit by Watchman Nee