Ways To Care For The Inner Man

Last week we highlighted the importance of the inner man to our lives as believers in Christ. There is an unseen part of your being that actually directs and determines almost everything you do externally. This is your inner man, the real you. I must reiterate again that we must pay careful attention to the inner man because many situations or circumstances in life pressurize us internally and could be so distressing that they weaken the inner man. A weak inner man will cause doubt, disillusionment, fear, anxiety, sin, frustration, emotional and spiritual imbalance. If you are experiencing any of these things listed, it is a pointer to the fact that your inner man is weakened and needs to be strengthened.

This week, I’m sharing 3 main scriptural ways in which we can care for the inner man. These are:

1. Prayer: In Ephesians 3:16, we find Paul praying for the Ephesians to be strengthened in the inner man. Jude verse 20 also says “But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost” KJV. See also 1^st Corinthians 14:4.

The phrase ‘building up’ in Jude verse 20 above is from the field of construction. A building is constructed through the process of laying one brick on top of the other till the whole edifice is completed. Such is the picture of the process that goes on in the inward man as we pray. There is an active strengthening of the inward man when we pray. We are built up internally as we engage in communication and communion with the Father of Spirits. James 5:16 talks about the powerful effects of the prayers of the righteous and this, to me is one of the effects of prayers in the life of the believer in Christ. Spend time in prayers communing with God.

2. God’s word: Consider the following verses of the Scriptures:

 “…Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” Matthew 4:4 KJV

“As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby” 1^st Peter 2:2 KJV

Both of the verses above teach us that the nutritional sustenance for the believer in Christ is the word of God. We need to recognize that God’s word is meant to be the staple diet of the inner man. Many of us plan our meals and are much disciplined with our diets. We ought to even give more earnest attention to ensuring that we take in God’s word to feed our inner man.

In Acts 20:32, Paul while encouraging the elders of the Ephesian church said “I commend you to God and to the word of His grace which is able to build you up…” God’s word contains the right blend of nutrients for your inner man. Read and meditate on the word of God daily.

3. Avoiding negative influences: I have come to notice that many of us believers allow too many negative influences weaken us. We often forget the injunction in this verse of Scripture:

“Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life” Proverbs 4:23 KJV

1^st Peter 2:11 also warns us about things that wage war against our souls. There are different things that have negative influences on the inner man. For some of us, it is a devotion to entertainment that draws our hearts away and weakens the inner man. Other common negative influences include exposure to wrong teachings, sensual images and lewd musical lyrics.

1^st Corinthians 6:12 and 1^st Corinthians 10:23 both teach us that not everything is beneficial for us. This is applicable to the health of the inner man. If you are sincere with yourself, you would have noticed the different things that actually weaken your inner man. Just as you would avoid things that could be dangerous to your outward man, I implore you to also avoid negative influences on your inner man.

This week I pray for you that 2^nd Corinthians 4:16 will be your personal experience: that even though your outer physical body may be getting older and weaker, your inner man will be renewed day by day. Amen.