“And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment.”
Mark 12:30 NKJV
Last week we talked about loving God wholeheartedly. This week we want to focus on what it means to love God with our inner man — the soul.
“Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.” 3 John 2 NKJV
Most of the things going on around you are a result of what is happening within you. Some things are, without question, unrelated and due to situations beyond your control. However, more times than not, the health of your life is directly related to the health of your soul.
If your outer circumstance is constantly in a state of turmoil, it could be a sign that your soul isn’t functioning properly.
The condition of the soul all hinges on one primary key—habitation. It’s all about us being in Christ and Christ in us. Have you prepared your inner man for Christ’s dwelling?
Why We Were Created
Loving God with the entirety of our inner man shouldn’t be a laborious task. Actually, it should be quiet natural. It is the reason we were created. Yet, when we fill ourselves with everything but the One we were created to house, we’re like a car trying to run on water rather than gas. It doesn’t work!
Is your life in a mess? If so, could it be that you aren’t letting God occupy your inner man as He should?
In the last book of the Bible, Jesus is speaking to a group of people who should have created a habitation for Him to call home. Instead, we find Him rebuking them for their lukewarm condition. Apparently, they got this way because they quit making room for Him. How do I know this? Because in this chapter, Jesus is standing outside knocking, asking them to let Him in.
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” Revelation 3:20 NKJV
Think about this — in John’s telling of the gospel, he records the disciples locked up in a room and Jesus just showing up in their midst (See John 20:19-23). No knocking. No asking for an invite. He just shows up. It’s a pretty wild comparison between this and what happens in Revelation 3 with the church of Laodicea.
Are you like the disciples in John 20 or like the Laodiceans in Revelation 3?
Use your imagination with me for a minute. Let’s say I called an inspector to come take a look at my house. As a visitor, when he arrives he’s going to come up to my door and knock before coming in. Now let’s pretend my wife pulls up and comes to the door. She lives here. Can you imagine how absurd it would be if she stood there knocking, seeking permission to come in?
Visitation or Habitation?
I believe the soul of every Christian falls into one of two categories. The soul is either a place of visitation, which requires a knock, or it’s a place of habitation, where Christ can come right in.
If your soul loves Him entirely, He won’t have to knock. He’s not a visitor. Have you allowed your inner man to become a habitation that He can call home?
Caleb and Ali live in East Tennessee where they serve at The Lift Church. With boldness and conviction, their deepest desire is to see the church revived and the world awakened. Learn more about The Lift by visiting theliftchurch.tv.
