1 00:00:02,720 --> 00:00:13,440 Speaker 1: Life Audio. Hello, and thank you for listening to your 2 00:00:13,520 --> 00:00:17,279 Speaker 1: Daily Bible Verse, the podcast that examined one verse each 3 00:00:17,360 --> 00:00:20,080 Speaker 1: day to learn more about God and his will for us. 4 00:00:20,520 --> 00:00:24,000 Speaker 1: I'm your host, Jessicavin Rokel, and after the short word 5 00:00:24,040 --> 00:00:28,320 Speaker 1: from our sponsor, we'll dive into today's Bible verse, Ephesians 6 00:00:28,440 --> 00:00:44,520 Speaker 1: chapter three, verse sixteen. Today's Bible verses Ephesians chapter three, 7 00:00:44,640 --> 00:00:48,440 Speaker 1: verse sixteen. I pray that out of his glorious riches, 8 00:00:48,520 --> 00:00:51,159 Speaker 1: he may strengthen you with power through His spirit in 9 00:00:51,200 --> 00:00:55,360 Speaker 1: your inner being. I have to tell you, I rarely 10 00:00:55,400 --> 00:00:57,720 Speaker 1: think about what holds a bridge steady. When I drive 11 00:00:57,760 --> 00:01:01,280 Speaker 1: over one. I noticed the view stretches to the left 12 00:01:01,320 --> 00:01:03,920 Speaker 1: or the right, or I even notice how tall it 13 00:01:03,960 --> 00:01:06,560 Speaker 1: is or how close to the surface of the water 14 00:01:07,000 --> 00:01:10,960 Speaker 1: it is, and sometimes wonder if I can feel it 15 00:01:11,120 --> 00:01:15,200 Speaker 1: swaying in the wind. In truth, it's what's hidden that 16 00:01:15,240 --> 00:01:17,759 Speaker 1: makes it strong enough to carry the weight of cars 17 00:01:17,800 --> 00:01:22,440 Speaker 1: and trucks. There's a carefully designed framework, tension cables and 18 00:01:22,480 --> 00:01:27,640 Speaker 1: steel beams which bear enormous loads. Our lives can look 19 00:01:27,680 --> 00:01:30,480 Speaker 1: a little like a bridge from the outside. We move 20 00:01:30,520 --> 00:01:33,640 Speaker 1: forward with the next step, even though disappointments, a packed 21 00:01:33,680 --> 00:01:38,080 Speaker 1: schedule and worries press heavy on our hearts. Outward confidence 22 00:01:38,240 --> 00:01:43,080 Speaker 1: and sheer determination don't keep us from collapsing. There's something 23 00:01:43,160 --> 00:01:47,280 Speaker 1: deeper at work. In Ephesians chapter three, verse sixteen, the 24 00:01:47,319 --> 00:01:50,720 Speaker 1: apostle Paul prays for God to strengthen the churchgoers with 25 00:01:51,080 --> 00:01:54,760 Speaker 1: power through His spirit. In your inner being, you see truth. 26 00:01:54,880 --> 00:01:58,400 Speaker 1: Strength begins in the quiet moments where God builds endurance 27 00:01:58,440 --> 00:02:02,600 Speaker 1: and faith within our hearts. Being strengthened in our inner 28 00:02:02,640 --> 00:02:06,520 Speaker 1: being is to have our spirits filled with the energy 29 00:02:06,640 --> 00:02:11,520 Speaker 1: of God's life. It's aligning our souls increasingly under the 30 00:02:11,560 --> 00:02:16,000 Speaker 1: Holy Spirit's influence and direction. Our soul is the part 31 00:02:16,000 --> 00:02:19,880 Speaker 1: of us from which our motives, desires, feelings, thoughts, and 32 00:02:19,919 --> 00:02:24,360 Speaker 1: purposes flow. When we allow the Spirit's influence and direction, 33 00:02:24,880 --> 00:02:28,080 Speaker 1: we allow God to show his power through us in 34 00:02:28,080 --> 00:02:32,400 Speaker 1: greater ways. Paul points to four aspects of this kind 35 00:02:32,520 --> 00:02:38,200 Speaker 1: of spiritual strengthening. First, that Christ may establish his presence 36 00:02:38,240 --> 00:02:41,360 Speaker 1: in our hearts. We must know Him and be known 37 00:02:41,440 --> 00:02:45,400 Speaker 1: by Him to be strengthened internally. This is being rooted 38 00:02:45,520 --> 00:02:50,120 Speaker 1: in Jesus's love for us. Second, that we might be 39 00:02:50,160 --> 00:02:54,519 Speaker 1: grounded in sincere love for God and others difficult people 40 00:02:54,639 --> 00:02:57,359 Speaker 1: can be hard to love, but loving others through the 41 00:02:57,400 --> 00:03:02,320 Speaker 1: strength God gives us makes it possible. Third, that we 42 00:03:02,400 --> 00:03:06,160 Speaker 1: may comprehend His love. Many of us carry wounds from 43 00:03:06,160 --> 00:03:10,560 Speaker 1: our earthly mothers and fathers, or we remember harsh words 44 00:03:10,600 --> 00:03:13,760 Speaker 1: from a teacher or other influential person in our life. 45 00:03:14,200 --> 00:03:17,519 Speaker 1: These hurts can stand as a thick brick wall between 46 00:03:17,600 --> 00:03:21,640 Speaker 1: us and God's love. My book Reframing Rejection, how looking 47 00:03:21,680 --> 00:03:25,120 Speaker 1: through a different lens changes everything is a great resource 48 00:03:25,160 --> 00:03:29,320 Speaker 1: to help you tear down that wall. Paul reminds us 49 00:03:29,880 --> 00:03:33,000 Speaker 1: to take inner strength that's given to us from God 50 00:03:33,080 --> 00:03:36,720 Speaker 1: to overcome any unloved feelings we might encounter this side 51 00:03:36,720 --> 00:03:40,480 Speaker 1: of heaven. Fourth, that we may be filled with all 52 00:03:40,520 --> 00:03:43,920 Speaker 1: the presence of God through the Holy Spirit. He can 53 00:03:44,040 --> 00:03:46,800 Speaker 1: fill and saturate our lives in such a way that 54 00:03:47,200 --> 00:03:51,040 Speaker 1: we reflect from our innermost being the character and honor 55 00:03:51,280 --> 00:03:54,720 Speaker 1: of our Lord Jesus Christ. The fourth chapter of Ephesians, 56 00:03:54,840 --> 00:03:59,200 Speaker 1: Verses thirteen through twenty four refer to us the importance 57 00:03:59,240 --> 00:04:03,200 Speaker 1: of attaining unity, knowledge, and maturity so that we grow up. 58 00:04:03,920 --> 00:04:07,119 Speaker 1: It's up to us, but with God's help, we can 59 00:04:07,200 --> 00:04:11,280 Speaker 1: put off our old corrupt and easily deceived selves so 60 00:04:11,320 --> 00:04:14,720 Speaker 1: that we don't feel the pressure of more to dos. 61 00:04:15,360 --> 00:04:20,000 Speaker 1: Let's remember these powerful words from scripture. My God will 62 00:04:20,000 --> 00:04:22,360 Speaker 1: meet all your needs according to the riches in Jesus. 63 00:04:22,480 --> 00:04:25,920 Speaker 1: That's from Philippians, chapter four, verse nineteen. And then there's 64 00:04:25,960 --> 00:04:28,920 Speaker 1: this one. The Lord is the strength of his people 65 00:04:29,000 --> 00:04:33,320 Speaker 1: Psalm twenty eight to eight. Isaiah forty twenty nine states 66 00:04:33,360 --> 00:04:35,960 Speaker 1: that he gives strength to the weary and increases the 67 00:04:36,000 --> 00:04:39,839 Speaker 1: power of the week. One of my many favorites is 68 00:04:39,880 --> 00:04:44,120 Speaker 1: from Tewod Corinthians twelve nine, where Paul writes his power 69 00:04:44,240 --> 00:04:48,560 Speaker 1: is made perfect in our weakness, and another favorite says, 70 00:04:48,600 --> 00:04:51,840 Speaker 1: being strengthened with all power so you may have great 71 00:04:51,960 --> 00:04:57,120 Speaker 1: endurance and patience is from Colossians chapter one. We both 72 00:04:57,200 --> 00:05:04,000 Speaker 1: know life requires strength of heart. We face challenges great 73 00:05:04,040 --> 00:05:08,040 Speaker 1: and small, where we need inner fortitude to help us 74 00:05:08,040 --> 00:05:11,880 Speaker 1: through them. God longs to make us strong with his 75 00:05:12,120 --> 00:05:16,520 Speaker 1: power so that we can make decisions which honor him. 76 00:05:17,720 --> 00:05:21,279 Speaker 1: We need spiritual strength to let Christ dwell within us, 77 00:05:21,320 --> 00:05:26,200 Speaker 1: because there is something inside that actually resists the influence 78 00:05:26,240 --> 00:05:30,159 Speaker 1: of the indwelling of Jesus in our hearts. This resistance 79 00:05:30,200 --> 00:05:32,880 Speaker 1: can be conquered as the spirit of God gives us 80 00:05:33,000 --> 00:05:37,080 Speaker 1: victory in faith. Because we have boldness in God, we 81 00:05:37,160 --> 00:05:40,800 Speaker 1: have access to Him and we have confidence that he's 82 00:05:40,880 --> 00:05:43,160 Speaker 1: going to meet us, he's going to help us, and 83 00:05:43,240 --> 00:05:45,600 Speaker 1: he's going to show off his strength where we are weak. 84 00:05:46,720 --> 00:05:51,200 Speaker 1: Here's a simple place to begin. Start your mornings with 85 00:05:51,320 --> 00:05:55,160 Speaker 1: a gratitude prayer. It sets your heart for the day 86 00:05:55,400 --> 00:05:59,080 Speaker 1: and reminds you of where your strength comes from. Let's pray, 87 00:06:00,120 --> 00:06:03,719 Speaker 1: Heavenly Father, thank you so much that you just don't 88 00:06:03,760 --> 00:06:06,320 Speaker 1: call us to live for you and then just say, Okay, 89 00:06:06,320 --> 00:06:08,920 Speaker 1: figure it out on your own. No. Lord, you give 90 00:06:09,000 --> 00:06:12,240 Speaker 1: us the tools, you give us the strength, you give 91 00:06:12,320 --> 00:06:15,960 Speaker 1: us the ability. All you require from us is to say, here, 92 00:06:16,000 --> 00:06:19,640 Speaker 1: I am Lord, use me today. Lord, Thank you for 93 00:06:19,680 --> 00:06:22,760 Speaker 1: the strength that you've given us to face our hard things. 94 00:06:23,279 --> 00:06:26,679 Speaker 1: Thank you for the strength that flows within us. Lord, 95 00:06:26,720 --> 00:06:29,720 Speaker 1: we praise you for who you are and what you're 96 00:06:29,760 --> 00:06:32,080 Speaker 1: able to do in our lives. In Jesus name, we 97 00:06:32,160 --> 00:06:33,200 Speaker 1: pray Amen.