Friday, February 15, 2019

Inner man

1 Thessalonians 5: 23,24

23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify[g] you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.



Spirit, Soul, body

Soul - mind, emotions, decision.

Spirit - connected to God by Holy Spirit.

When God made Adam - He made the body. But that body did not have any life. It was just body. But when God breathed into nostrils of Adam the breath of life.
man became a living being.

Genesis 2:7

And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.

When a baby is born, the doctors make the baby breathe by using some suction tools.
The first breath a baby breathes is from the oxygen that is in the air.

But when Adam was made, for him to become alive, a living being God has to breathe into his nostrils.

The very first breath of Adam was not the oxygen of the air, but it was the very breath of God.

So now Adam is a living being.

Adam - Has a body, soul and Spirit.


So we have Outer man and Inner man.

Outer man is what is the flesh. what is being revealed.

Outward man
Inward man

Outward man - Is the flesh that you see.
Everything you see outside - physical body , stature, height, look, dressing, 
your wealth, your grandeur, your talents - all your outer man.

Inward man - is your Spirit.

When Samuel was to choose the next king of Israel and he saw the eldest of Jesse and thought surely he was the next king, God said, Samuel that is Outer man.

1 Samuel 16:7
But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have [a]refused him. For[b] the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Gods choosing of a man for a purpose is never based on outer man.
Not his abilities, not his wealth, not his grandeur, not his looks. God does not see as man sees . For man sees outside, but God sees looks at the inner man.

Man always sees at the outer man, even for godly purposes. for example, Samuel came to anoint. anointing is a godly act, but still Samuel being the prophet for many years still sees the outer man.
but God tells Samuel, no outer man, go to the inner man.

That is why when Saul sins when he disobeyed Gods command

The Lord has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.”

God was looking ( sought) for Himself a man after His own heart.
God did not say, the physical requirements of the man is this. He should this much height, weight.
But with God , inner man matters.



Revival through the renewal of inner man.
Encouragement 


Many times we take encouragement from the outerman.
Oh my son is studying well. Oh i have this much bank balance, so no need to worry for another 6 months.
Oh my health is good , so am fine.
Oh my family is well settled, so this is good.

The encouragement that we take is most of the times is from outward man.
But Paul says the encouragement we take should not be from the outer man, it should be from the inner man.


2 Corinthians 4:16
16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. 17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, 18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Do not lose heart - Do not be discouraged - by outward man perishing.
Paul was in chains for the gospel sake. and he was persecuted frequently, severely for sharing the gospel.


and during this time he says even though the outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.

His body is decaying outside for sake of Christ.

2 Corinthians 11
Are they ministers of Christ?—I speak as a fool—I am more: in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. 24 From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; 26 in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, inperils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; 27 in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness— 28 besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches. 29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to stumble, and I do not burn with indignation?


see the body in sleeplesness, hunger, thirst, fastings, cold, nakedness, prison, almost death, beaten with rods, stripes.


The encouragement for Paul is not about body, the encouragement for him from the Inward man that is renewed day by day.

How is it with us.

Are you encouraged because your inward man is getting renewed.
Wow, this year iam really strenghted in God by the Word that has come.
I am so joyful this time, because there are revelations coming to through His Word.
I am really overjoyed because my children are walking in truth.
What is the root of your encouragement.


Is it inner man or outer man?


Coming to the battles.

Very frequently , we do the battles of the outer man.
We rarely do the battles of Daniel, battles of the apostles, of the Church.

If someone upsets us, we try to make it even.
Or we take revenge by not talking to them or interfering with them.

We do the fight with flesh and blood.

1 Samuel 25: 10,11

10 Then Nabal answered David’s servants, and said, “Who is David, and who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants nowadays who break away each one from his master. 11 Shall I then take my bread and my water and my [c]meat that I have killed for my shearers, and give it to men when I do not know where they are from?”
12 So David’s young men turned on their heels and went back; and they came and told him all these words. 13 Then David said to his men, “Every man gird on his sword.” 

After hearing nabal's response, David was ready to fight the battle of the outer man.
Every man gird on his sword.

David usually does not do these kind of battles.

Then Abigail comes and says

23 Now when Abigail saw David, she dismounted quickly from the donkey, fell on her face before David, and bowed down to the ground. 24 So she fell at his feet and said: “On me, my lord, on me let this iniquity be! And please let your maidservant [f]speak in your ears, and hear the words of your maidservant. 25 Please, let not my lord [g]regard this scoundrel Nabal. For as his name is, so is he: [h]Nabal is his name, and folly is with him! But I, your maidservant, did not see the young men of my lord whom you sent. 2


Do not regard this nabal.

Because my lord fights the battles of the Lord.

What battles do you fight every day.
David was not a normal man, he does not fight with flesh and blood, if he fights with flesh and blood he would have killed Saul long time back.
But He fights the battles of the Lord. As led by the Spirit of God, as led by God he fights. he does not fight the battles of flesh and blood.


28 Please forgive the trespass of your maidservant. For the Lord will certainly make for my lord an enduring house, because my lord fights the battles of the Lordand evil is not found in you throughout your days.
Fight the battles of God



So how does this inner man gets strengthened.


Ephesians 3:14

14 For this reason I bow my knees to the Father [f]of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man,



Only through the Holy Spirit we get the strengthened in the inner man.


He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself - Strengthens Himself.

Word - How does David get strengthened in the inner man

But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he [b]meditates day and night.

Romans 7:22
 22 For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. 


Those who worship God should worship in Truth and Spirit.


When this strength is revealed, wherever we go that will be blessed.
Jesus, wherever He goes  they are blessed.


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