Mansfield mirror. (Mansfield, Wright County, Mo.) 1908-1957, 1915-10-21

ly this blessing of power. That Is.
every Christian may have this power
if he desires it and makes 1t possible
for God to give it to him. For God
never purposes for us to nave any
thing. that he does not make 1t pos
sible for us to possess it. To do otn'
erwise would be to tease and tantalize
US, and God never does that. When ne
eXhorts us to "be strong in the Lord'
and in the power of his might" he
makes it possible for US, II we make 1t
possible for him, to be strengthened
with might by his spirit in the inner
man.
The expression Inner man" I'M
doubtedly means the soul-the inner
self-as distinguished from the Wis
ible material body which 1t animates.
Peter calls the inner man. the hidden
man of the heart" Il Peter 3:4). And
Paul in another place speaks of 1t as
the inward man." contrasting it with
"the outward man." which, he says.
perishes daily I'll Cor. 4:16).
1t is very evident from this that the
strength which may be ours Is not
physical power, nor even mental pow
err which many strive to attain, but in.
ner spiritual strength. 1t is strength
of Christian character and nobility Of
soul.
The one possessing this inner
strength is fortified against tempta-
ton. 1t was, this strength that en-.
abled Joseph to maintain the integrity
of his character in the face of the
temptation of Potiphar's wife and
prompted him to reply to her evil
suggestion: "How then, can l do this
great wickedness and sin against
God?"
1t is the strength, which when pos
sessed, makes one mighty in holy
service. Paul without it, would never
have been the mighty apostle; and
without 1t Peter would have remained
the vacillating cowardly disciple.
, Without it there would have been no
Martin Luther, no John Knox, no
Charley Wesley, no William Carey,
no Charles Spurgeon, no Dwight L.
Moody. These men were what they
were and did what they did, because
they were strengthened with might by
his spirit in the inner man
Again, this petition teaches us that
God is the one who imparts this inner
strength through his holy spirit. The
petition is, that he would grant us to
be strengthened with might by his
spirit" So while in another place we
| ora ayhnrtaJ tn s.hn cfrnnO " tha 7 ovid
and in the power of his might" we
learn here that the strength by which
we are to be made strong comes from
God. He is the one who empowers
us. Yet, IL we are to be strengthened
by God, we must place ourselves be-
fore God in such a way that he can
give to us the strength of the Lord.
We of ourselves are impotent. but
God has made every provision for i'm
potent people to be people Of power.
He Is able and waits only our willing.
ness for him to impart unto us his
strength.
The laws that govern the imparting
to us of his strength are the laws that
govern the reception into our lives of
the holy spirit in power. 1t is the
holy spirit who Is spoken Of in the
word as the spirit Of might" He 1t Is
then, who must have his place of
power in us IL we are to be strength.
ened with might in the inner man.
The early church was commanded to
tarry in Jerusalem for the power nee
essary for service, and on the day Of
P~entecost while they tarried the
power came, when the holy spirit de-
scended upon them. Ever since that
day THE spirit of might" has been
in the earth ready to take his place
of power in every believers life.
Ready and willing is he to empower
the people of God, but ready and will
ing only as we recognize him
as the power we need to make
US strong, ready and willing IL
we will surrender ourselves to
God, and by faith receive the holy
spirit to be in us what he desires to
be, the spirit of might" Then there
will be fulfilled in our lives the
apostles prayer which, while primari-
ly for the Ephesiap Christians, is also
for us that we might be strengthened
with might in the inner man..