The Inward Life

Bikers Church Cape Town

The inward life. by Pastor George Lehman Our outward life is what we project on the outside and it reveals what’s going on, on the inside. Philippians 1:6 (Amp) – And I am convinced and sure of this very thing, that He Who began a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ [right up to the time of His return], developing [that good work] and perfecting and bringing it to full completion in you. The outward work will never be weak, small, insignificant or inadequate if the inward work is great. “A man who, as a physical being, is always turned toward the outside, thinking that his happiness lies outside him, finally turns inward and discovers that the source is within him.” - Soren Kierkegaard (We try living our lives from the outside – inward) You don’t have to come out of the spirit realm. This is the great discovery The same closeness, strength, joy, confidence and direction you experience on a Sunday service… …. God intends for you to walk in the rest of the week. The measure of a man is not what he does on Sunday, but rather who he is Monday through Saturday. The devil is waiting to ambush you the moment you leave church. He wants to bring to your mind thoughts of fear, failure, doubt, unbelief and destruction. You got the Monday blues...? Put on your Holy Ghost shoes! We must “Arm ourselves” – as believers we must guard our minds and hearts. The Armour of God is a Spiritual Armour, not a flesh armour. Like an alarm Keypad when you put in the correct code the property is ARMED and no one can break in without the alarm being activated. The code is the word of God! As spiritual creatures the word says: 2 Corinthians 5:5-7 (NIV) – 5 Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. 6 Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. 7 For we live by faith, not by sight. Clearly, we are commanded to live in the Spirit and not in the natural. Romans 8:5 (NIV) – Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. Romans 8:8-9 (NIV) – 8 Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God. 9 You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. We must be conscious of our inner life all the time. It’s the engine room from where we live. Romans 8:14 (NIV) – For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. Romans 8:16 (NIV) – The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Proverbs 20:27 (NIV) – The human spirit is the lamp of the Lord that sheds light on one’s inmost being. Isaiah 60:1 (NIV) – “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. Your inner life is your most valuable possession. As Christians we can expect God to enlighten us and to guide us by the powerful inner working of the spirit. With the inner life we are magnificently equipped to face whatever life throws at us. Ephesians 3:16 (Amp) – May He grant you out of the riches of His glory, to be strengthened and spiritually energized with power through His Spirit in your inner self, [indwelling your innermost being and personality], The Peasants story: The story of John Tauler, the 14th century Dominican monk whose writings so greatly influenced Martin Luther. One day, we are told, Tauler was walking in the city of Strasbourg when he met a peasant. By way of greeting the man, the monk said, “God give you a good day, my friend”. “I thank God I never have a bad day,” answered the peasant. Astonished, Tauler was silent for a moment, then tried again. “God give you a happy life, my friend.” The peasant replied, “I thank God I am never unhappy.” “Never unhappy?” cried Tauler, bewildered. “What do you mean?” “Well,” came the response, “when it is fine I thank God, when it rains I thank God, when I have plenty I thank God, when I am hungry, I thank God, and since God’s will is my will, and whatever pleases Him pleases me, why should I say I am unhappy when I am not?” Tauler looked at him with awe. “Who are you?” he asked. “I am a king” said the peasant. “A king? Where is your kingdom?” The peasant smiled, “In my heart,” he whispered. The problem is many times we seek answers and guidance by some means other than the way God said we should. When we do we get into trouble. Our inner man is always willing but our natural man resists. Jesus warned us: Matthew 26:41 (NIV) – “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Clearly continuous prayer keeps the inner life alive. The advantage of living the inner life in the Spirit is that it keeps us on the right path. Galatians 5:16-17 (NIV) – 16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. You can be absolutely sure of this as the inner life goes, so goes the outward life. Have bulldog inward faith: “The nose of the bulldog is slanted backwards so he can continue to breathe without letting go.” - Winston Churchill One person with commitment, persistence and endurance will accomplish more than a thousand people with interest alone. Hebrews 12:1 (LB) – Since we have such a huge crowd of men of faith watching us from the grandstands, let us strip off anything that slows us down or holds us back, and especially those sins that wrap themselves so tightly around our feet and trip us up; and let us run with patience the particular race that God has set before us. The stronger the inner life, the harder it is to quit!!! 1 Corinthians 15:58 (Amp) – Therefore, my beloved brethren, be firm (steadfast), immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord [always being superior, excelling, doing more than enough in the service of the Lord], knowing and being continually aware that your labor in the Lord is not futile [it is never wasted or to no purpose].