Strengthening my inner man

The Prayer of Paul.
"For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family[a] in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."

This has been my anthem here at Youth Works this summer. At the beginning of my time doing ministry again, i found myself doing it entirely out of human effort. i began to do ministry the same exact way that i had done in the past, the exact way that i swore i would never do again. i was doing ministry apart from the presence of God. it wasn't that it was failing, it wasn't that it was even going just OK, but i knew in my heart that I was doing it, not the Lord through me. i will never do ministry again that way. i must be in constant connection with the Father. the Lord then brought me to this passage in the book of Ephesians. Paul was imploring the church of Ephesus to allow God to strengthen their inner man. he was not praying that they would be able to "do" the ministry, he was praying that they would be able to understand the love of Christ and through that love, which was strengthened by the Spirit, God would be able to do more than they could ask or think. It was God doing the strengthening, and God doing the more. the whole thing was God. He started, He sustained, He completed. I desire to do ministry that gives glory to know man. I want to decrease that He may increase. amen and amen
Joshua

This is reality You are coming to reign on the earth, and the increase of Your government will know no end!