ROOTED AND GROUNDED IN LOVE
(week 05/16)
OLUBI JOHNSON
Ephesians 3:14-20 KJV: For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, (15) Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, (16) That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; (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,
Here Paul, by the Holy Spirit, praying for the Ephesian church gives us A ROAD MAP of HOW to be FILLED with ALL the FULNESS OF GOD!
1. Strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man: this is done by daily receiving greater and greater measures life and power into our spirits from God through the Word (2 Pet.1.4).
2. Christ dwelling (permanently not just visiting occasionally!) in our hearts (souls: wills, minds and emotions) by faith: using the blood (Heb.13.20-21), the Word (1 Jn.2.5) and the power of the Holy Spirit (1 Jn.4.12-13) by praying daily with tongues and travail (Gal.4.19, Rom. 8.26) to cause the nature and character of Christ to be PERMANENTLY formed in our souls, from our spirits that are being strengthened from stage 1 above.
3. Rooted and grounded in love: constantly responding to every irritation, anger, fear and worry with the love of God: by washing feet using the blood, Word and the Spirit (at least once every 6 hours and at every opportunity (over 5-6 times daily)) and by this in every temptation with our thoughts and actions. So every irritation, anger, fear and worry will give place to prayer and the love of God so fulfilling
1John 5:16 KJV: If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.
This ‘seeing’ (Jn.5.19, 8.38) is not just with the physical eyes (which it includes) but with the mind in your thoughts, so causing you to be consistently applying the blood and directing with your thoughts the life and power of God (already in the air through your ‘washing feet’ (at least once every 6 hours and at every opportunity (over 5-6 times a day)) to the hearts of men who you ‘see’ sin throughout the course of each day. Practicing this fulfills:
Matthew 18:21-22 KJV: Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Till seven times? (22) Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, until seven times: but, until seventy times seven.
4. As we practice these things, our prayers in the spirit will be united with the prayers for ALL saints (Eph. 6.18) and so give us the power to discern and understand the breadth, length, depth and height of the love of Christ for ALL His saints IRRESPECTIVE of their knowledge! This will enable us to ‘see’, feel and do what God would do to them in EVERY SITUATION AND CIRCUMSTANCE.
5. When this becomes established in us, God will be able to TRUST us with ALL the FULLNESS OF GOD: the power of the Spirit without measure!
