God wants to fill us with new strength. When you make it a habit to strengthen your inner man, your life will be transformed for the better!
>> VICTORIA OSTEEN: YOU KNOW,
IT’S INTERESTING THAT THERE’S
SO MUCH INFORMATION OUT THERE
BOMBARDING US ON HOW TO TAKE
CARE OF OUR PHYSICAL BODIES.
HOW TO EAT RIGHT, WHAT
SUPPLEMENTS TO TAKE, IF YOU
READ ARTICLES, THEY’RE SAYING
YOU NEED TO GET IN THIS MANY
HOURS OF SLEEP, DO YOUR
EXERCISES, JUST SO MANY WAYS,
THESE DAYS, TO TAKE CARE OF
OUR PHYSICAL BODIES, AND THAT
IS SO IMPORTANT.
OUR PHYSICAL BODIES ARE A
TEMPLE TO HOUSE OUR SPIRIT.
IT’S THE TEMPLE OF GOD, SO WE
NEED TO TAKE CARE OF OUR
BODIES THE BEST WE CAN.
YOU KNOW, YOU CAN HAVE,
THOUGH, A VERY STRONG
PHYSICAL APPEARANCE OUTSIDE.
YOU CAN LOOK REALLY GREAT ON
THE OUTSIDE, BUT YOU CAN BE
WEAK AND WEARY ON THE INSIDE.
YOU SEE, WE HAVE AN INNER
MAN, AND THAT INNER MAN IS
THE CORE OF WHO WE REALLY
ARE.
THAT INNER MAN IS HOW WE
RESPOND TO LIFE.
NOT LONG AGO, I HURT MY
SHOULDER SO BAD THAT I
LITERALLY COULDN’T LIFT IT.
IT WAS CRAZY, I COULDN’T
BELIEVE IT WAS HAPPENING TO
ME, BUT MY MUSCLES JUST
WEREN’T FIRING.
SOMETHING I HAD DONE, I JUST
MUST HAVE MOVED A FUNNY WAY,
I DON’T KNOW, BUT MY SHOULDER
WAS HURTING SO BAD.
NOW, YOU ALL, I AM NOT
TELLING YOU ALL MY WOES,
OKAY?
I’M MAKING A POINT.
ABOUT THE TIME MY SHOULDER
STARTED FEELING GOOD, IT TOOK
ABOUT FIVE DAYS FOR MY
SHOULDER TO FEEL GOOD, I GOT
UP THE NEXT MORNING SO
EXCITED, AND MY BACK, MY
LOWER BACK WAS KILLING ME.
I COULD HARDLY EVEN BEND UP.
I THOUGHT, “WHAT IS
HAPPENING TO ME?
I’M FALLING APART,
THIS CAN’T BE.”
SO, I WENT TO THE DOCTOR, I
SAID, “DOCTOR, I MEAN, I
DON’T KNOW WHAT’S GOING ON
WITH ME,” AND I BEGAN TO TELL
HIM WHAT WAS HAPPENING.
HE GAVE ME AN X-RAY, HE
LOOKED ME OVER, CHECKED ME
OVER, AND HE SAID, “YOU KNOW,
I’M GOING TO WRITE YOU A
PRESCRIPTION TO THE PHYSICAL
THERAPIST.”
HE SAID, “IT DOESN’T LOOK
LIKE THAT ANY OF YOUR MUSCLES
ARE TORE, YOUR DISCS SEEM TO
BE FINE, NOTHING’S BULGING,
NOTHING’S HAPPENING, YOU NEED
TO GO TO A PHYSICAL
THERAPIST.”
SO, I WENT TO THE PHYSICAL
THERAPIST, AND I GAVE HIM MY
PAPERWORK, AND I WAS LIKE,
“THIS IS WHAT THE DOCTOR
SAID, LOOK AT IT, AND MAYBE
YOU CAN HELP ME OUT.”
SO, HE WAS READING THE
INSTRUCTIONS THAT THE DOCTOR
GAVE HIM, AND THEN HE BEGAN
TO ASK ME TO DO A FEW
MOVEMENTS, JUST DAILY
MOVEMENTS, THINGS WE DO ALL
THE TIME, REACH TO THE SIDE,
BEND OVER, STRETCH UP, JUST
SOME DIFFERENT THINGS, WALK
BACK, WALK FORTH, THEN HE
LOOKED RIGHT AT ME AND HE
SAID, “VICTORIA,” HE SAID,
“YOUR CORE IS WEAK.”
HE SAID, “YOU NEED TO BUILD
UP YOUR INNER CORE MUSCLES.”
HE SAID, “YOU KNOW, WHEN WE
GO THROUGH THE DAY, WE FEEL
LIKE THAT, YOU KNOW, OUR
EXTREMITIES DO ALL THE WORK.
SO, WE’LL GRAB SOMETHING, WE
REACT TO SOMETHING,” AND HE
SAID, “BUT REALLY, IF YOU
HAVE A STRONG CORE, IT
ENGAGES YOUR CORE FIRST, AND
THEN YOUR CORE HELPS YOUR
BODY MOVE WITHOUT INJURY,”
AND HE SAID, “IF YOU DON’T
ENGAGE AND START WORKING ON
THIS CORE,” HE SAID, “THESE
INJURIES COULD BECOME MORE
FREQUENT AND THEY COULD GET
WORSE WITH TIME.”
DO YOU KNOW THAT’S HOW OUR
INNER MAN WORKS?
SEE, OUR INNER MAN IS THE
CORE OF WHO WE ARE, IT’S OUR
IDENTITY.
OUR INNER MAN CONTROLS OUR
ATTITUDES AND IT REGULATES
OUR THOUGHTS.
SEE, WHEN WE HAVE A STRONG
INNER MAN, IT ENGAGES THE
REST OF OUR LIFE AND HELPS
OUR LIFE BECOME EASIER.
IN FACT, THE INJURIES THAT WE
SUFFER SOMETIME IS BECAUSE
WE’RE NOT ENGAGING OUR
SPIRITUAL MAN.
WE’RE SAYING THINGS WE
SHOULDN’T, WE’RE IN STRIFE
WITH OUR SPOUSE, WE’RE
PUSHING OUR CHILDREN AWAY,
WE’RE NOT LIKING OUR JOB, SO
IT’S NOT HELPING US ANY,
BECAUSE, SEE, OUR EXTREMITIES
ARE DOING IT, IT’S CALLED THE
FLESH.
WE NEED TO ENGAGE THIS INNER
CORE, THIS SPIRITUAL MAN, SO
THAT WE CAN QUIT HAVING THESE
UNNECESSARY INJURIES.
WE DO NOT WANT THEM TO BE
FREQUENT IN OUR LIFE.
WE WANT TO TAKE THIS COMMAND
CENTER, THIS SPIRIT MAN, AND
WE WANT TO WALK IN A POSTURE
OF FAITH.
WE WANT TO WALK IN A POSTURE
OF SELF-DISCIPLINE, OF
CONFIDENCE.
SEE, THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT
HAPPENS WHEN YOU ENGAGE YOUR
CORE MUSCLES.
HE SAID IT HELPS YOU POSTURE
YOURSELF, IT HELPS YOU FIND
THE STRENGTH TO MOVE
THROUGHOUT YOUR DAY.
MY PHYSICAL THERAPIST SAID IF
YOU WILL DO THESE EXERCISES
I’M ABOUT TO GIVE YOU AND
SHOW YOU, THEN THIS WILL HELP
YOU TREMENDOUSLY.
HE SHOWED ME HOW TO DO THE
PLANK, ALL DIFFERENT WAYS TO
DO THE PLANK.
HE SHOWED ME A FEW OTHER
EXERCISES, AND HE SAID NOW DO
THOSE EXERCISES AND THEY’LL
HELP YOU.
YOU SEE, IF I DO THESE
EXERCISES, IF I MAKE A HABIT
OF DOING THEM, IF I FIND
SPACE IN MY DAY TO DO THEM,
AND TAKE TIME TO DO THEM,
THEY WILL HELP ME.
BUT IF I DON’T, IT’S GOING TO
STAY THE SAME.
I’M GOING TO STAY WEAK IN MY
CORE.
YOU SEE, PAUL PRAYED FOR THE
EPHESIANS IN CHAPTER 3:16,
AND HE PRAYED THIS, HE PRAYED
THAT THEY WOULD BE
STRENGTHENED WITH GOD’S POWER
THROUGH HIS SPIRIT IN THEIR
INNER MAN.
YOU SEE, PAUL TALKED A LOT
ABOUT THE OUTER MAN AND THE
INNER MAN IN HIS WRITINGS.
THE INNER MAN IS STRENGTHENED
BY GOD THROUGH THE SPIRIT.
YOU SEE, WE HAVE GOT TO MAKE
TIME, WE HAVE GOT TO FIND
ROOM IN OUR BUSY LIVES TO LET
THE SPIRIT OF GOD MINISTER
LIFE TO US, TO BE TOUCHED BY
THE WORD OF GOD AND THE VERY
PRESENCE OF ALMIGHTY GOD,
BECAUSE THAT’S WHAT
STRENGTHENS OUR INNER MAN.
WE CANNOT NEGLECT THIS INNER
MAN.
WE DON’T WANT TO LOOK FINE ON
THE OUTSIDE BUT BE WEAK,
UNDISCIPLINED, WEARY, OUR
SOUL ON THE INSIDE.
YOU SEE, SO I WANT TO
ENCOURAGE US AND CHALLENGE US
TODAY TO FIND THAT PERSONAL
RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD ON A
DAILY BASIS.
MAKE IT A HABIT TO RENEW AND
STRENGTHEN YOUR INNER MAN,
BECAUSE THAT’S HOW IT’S GOING
TO HAPPEN, AND IF WE DON’T,
WE’RE GOING TO STAY THE SAME.
YOU SEE, WE NEED TO READ THE
WORD OF GOD.
WE NEED TO DECIDE THAT GOD’S
WORD IS THE LIVING, BREATHING
WORD OF GOD, AND MIXED WITH
HIS SPIRIT, IT FEEDS OUR
INNER MAN.
YOU SEE, JOEL’S DAD USED TO
SAY IT LIKE THIS, HE USED TO
SAY, “SOME PEOPLE FEED THEIR
PHYSICAL BODIES THREE HOT
MEALS A DAY, BUT THEY FEED
THEIR INNER MAN ONE COLD
SNACK A WEAK.”
INNER MAN IS GOING TO MAKE
YOU STRONG.
THAT’S WHERE WE’RE GOING TO
GET OUR STRENGTH.
I LOVE WHAT IT SAYS IN JOHN
1:1, IT SAYS, “IN THE
BEGINNING,” BEFORE IT ALL
BEGAN, “WAS THE WORD, AND THE
WORD WAS WITH GOD, AND THE
WORD WAS GOD.”
WHEN YOU SPEND TIME OPENING
YOUR BIBLE AND GETTING IN THE
WORD, YOU’RE SPENDING TIME
WITH GOD.
ASK HIM, ASK HIM TO SPEAK TO
YOU THROUGH HIS WORD.
ASK HIM TO DEVELOP THIS
RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM.
SAY “GOD, I WANT TO HAVE A
PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH
THIS INVISIBLE GOD,” BECAUSE
HE MAY BE INVISIBLE, BUT HIS
RICH BLESSINGS ARE QUITE
VISIBLE IN OUR LIFE.
THEY WILL MANIFEST IN
STRENGTH AND POWER.
SO, MY ENCOURAGEMENT TO YOU
TODAY IS GET SOME SCRIPTURES,
PUT THEM ON YOUR MIRROR, PUT
THEM ON YOUR REFRIGERATOR,
MEDITATE ON THE WORD OF GOD.
GET IT IN YOU WHEN YOU DON’T
NEED IT SO IT’LL COME OUT OF
YOU WHEN YOU DO NEED IT.
LISTEN, BUILD YOUR PERSONAL
RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD.
I KNOW THAT HE LOVES YOU AND
HE’S A GREAT FATHER.
HE’S NOT LOOKING AT WHAT
YOU’RE DOING WRONG, HE’S
LOOKING AT WHAT YOU’RE DOING
RIGHT.
HE DOESN’T WANT TO CONDEMN
YOU, THAT’S NOT HIS JOB, HIS
JOB IS TO CONVINCE YOU HOW
SPECIAL YOU ARE TO HIM
THROUGH HIS LOVE.
I BELIEVE WHEN WE STRENGTHEN
OUR INNER MAN, WE’LL FIND
THAT RENEWED VITALITY AND
WE’LL FIND THAT POWER OF GOD
IN OUR SOUL, AMEN?