ABLE TO COMPREHEND
Monday – December 12, 2016
Greetings from The Three Minute Word publication and Eastern Gate Ministries International in the name of Jesus for the glory of our God. It is Monday and an exciting week of studying the Scripture and incorporating it into our thinking and lexicon to advance the Kingdom of God and bring the kingdoms of this world to ruin. God is good.
Ephesians 3:17-21 (KJV)
17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.
20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
21 Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
Boy, this book of Ephesians is quite something. Even if we read the preceding passage and don’t really understand all that it is saying you just know that your spirit man is rejoicing and you can feel that excitement. The Word of God is a very serious document and it is imperative that we take it very seriously. However, once we do and start to walk it out “it is joy unspeakable and full of glory”.
1 Peter 1:8 (KJV)
8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:
Last week I spent time on Ephesians 3:17 concerning Christ dwelling in our hearts by faith simultaneous with being rooted and grounded in love. The English word ‘hearts’ is the Greek word transliterated as ‘kardia’. The kardia is that part of our spirit man that is the middle man, the decision maker. When information is received whether it is from the physical or spirit realm it is presented here. I have pictured this as the front door and atrium area to our mind and spirit. It is here that we make the decision of whether the information is important or useful to us and to keep or reject it. At times this may be instantaneous but at other times this decision may play out over some period of time. As we meditate on the information we expand the root system (rooted and grounded) determining whether or not we are developing faith concerning the information. Keep in mind this may be faith in God or faith in something else. If we are giving prominence to the circumstances of life that is giving them a higher place than the Word of God then we will be have no or little root system concerning faith in God and will be uprooted in the slightest wind. I think with this presentation of a different perspective, the next time we read the parable of the sower we will see this in action.
Remember that the Apostle Paul is known as the Apostle to the Gentiles and he has just explained to Jew and Gentile alike the wonderful mystery of Christ that has been unfolded to him. This brought Paul to pray that the Ephesians and those who would listen down through the centuries be granted with their acceptance and understanding of this knowledge a strengthening of the inner man by the Spirit of God (Ephesians 3:16). He wants Christ to dwell in our hearts (kardia). The Holy Spirit is our main Teacher and thus at salvation He is resident with our spirit, not as a possessor like demons but at our invitation as an enabler. We must have the full confident expectation that the Holy Spirit is there coaching our ‘kardia’ (heart) which is the essential partnership of faith (believing God) and hope (confident expectation of the performance of the Word of God). Then we think, speak, and do in accordance with our faith and hope. Remember hope is the target of faith (that which we confidently expect) and the product of faith (faith producing hope). One must have faith before you can have the confident expectation of it coming to pass. Next is the fuel of faith which is love. All things that are rooted and grounded in our lives whether they are good or bad got that way by practice and focus. As I told a group recently, if you feed the dog the dog becomes yours. In this same way we must practice love. Bible love is considerably different than love as this world currently defines and practices it. Love of God is manifest by our obedience to the Word of God and when we are, God in turn is obedient to the Word of God and manifests in our lives.
John 14:21 (KJV)
21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
The Apostle Paul tells us that when we allow Christ into our heart by faith, rooted and grounded in love that we will be able to comprehend His love. The word ‘comprehend’ of Ephesians 3:18 means to take eagerly, to seize, and to possess. We are to take possession of this knowledge with great eagerness, it is ours.
By: Dr. David Wood, Author, Bible Teacher, and Prophetic Voice
