16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.
In order for God to inhabit us, we must be strengthened. Plastic bags from grocery stores are great. They have so many purposes. I use them as trash can liners in our bathrooms. Just grab the bag, and away goes the trash. But they don't work for carrying heavy or sharp objects. They just rip and break spilling their contents. They are not strong enough. Hefty, Hefty, Hefty. Imagine the Creator of the universe trying to live in a plastic bag. There is no way it is strong enough to hold Him. Our hearts are weak and worn out with sin. God must strengthen us or His presence will destroy us. I am not of course talking about a literal breaking, like a trash bag, but about our ability to stay in contact with this Holy God without the destruction of our person. If we try to stand on our own merits in God's presence, we will fail. If we fully recognize His grace, we can stand. When we are weak, then we are strong. It is His strength that makes us strong. The more we yield to His will and way, the weaker we get in ourselves, and the stronger He becomes in us. When we are expressing our own strength, He cannot enter and strengthen us. One must become weak, and He won't force Himself into the position of strength. We must yield to His strength.
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