Indwells

“He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who indwells you.”  Romans 8:11

Indwells – Once I realize that the life I experience is not my life but rather His making life in me, another wonderful truth becomes obvious.  If I can just get out of my own way, God’s life will take over.  God makes life in me so that He can occupy the house.

“Indwell” is made up of the words that mean, “to be in the house” (enoikeo).  Inhabit.  Take up residence.  Occupy.  The best part of this thought is that God takes over the place of residence.  I am not asked to clean up everything so that I can entertain Him as a guest.  I am asked to step aside and let Him put His life into my house.

I need hear this over and over.  So many times I struggle with the thought, “God, I want to live Your way but I just can’t seem to make it happen.  I try and try, but I just can’t clean up enough to make my house what I know You want.  My repair work just doesn’t measure up.”  And God says to me, “I am the One Who makes life for you.  My life is sufficient to do all the inhabiting necessary.  Just move out of the way and let Me take over.  You don’t have to do this on your own.  In fact, you can’t.  But I can.”

His Spirit is my life.  That means His Spirit is my power to be.  It’s not me plus the Spirit.  It is the Spirit, beginning to end.  My struggles are not coming from His indwelling.  They are coming from my insistence on getting in His way.  As soon as I step aside, His life permeates my entire house.  And then I can truly live.

Spring-cleaning with God is not sprucing up the inside of the house.  It is throwing wide open the doors and windows and saying, “God, indwell me and take over.  My cleaning business is useless without You.  So go ahead.  Make this residence a house of the Lord.”