Every child of God ought to grow. Something is wrong with a child when he/she does not grow. Growth in the spiritual sense means to come to maturity. Would you believe that there are some Christians who do not want to grow? They want to stay a babe in Christ for the rest of their lives. God want let this happen. He will allow some trials to come. He will allow some disappointments to come. He will allow some suffering to come. Things that He knows that will get you on your knees and in His word looking for some answers…things that He knows that will cause you to exercise your faith in God. God’s goal for every Christian – the church- the Body of Christ in the earth – is this, Ephesians 4:13 “… we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ: 14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; 15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ”

The Church is the Body of Christ in the earth, filled with the Holy Spirit of God and Power. Many can say I belong to the Church but how many have learned and know by experience that you are the Church? You are the Body of Christ in the earth, and His Spirit is now in you filling you with the life and power of God. We hold the presence of God in the earth. When God looks at us, He does not see us; God sees His Son. How many have yielded their lives to the Lord Jesus Christ. How many can say that Christ is your life now. How many have it as their purpose to let Christ live and have His way in the earth through them?

If God allows trouble, what can we do to stop it? He has a purpose for allowing every trouble, every disappointment, hurt, pain, trouble, trial, sickness or test to come your way. We must, in spite of all that God allows to happen to us, maintain our faith in God. And our attitude must be – I will trust God. Though He slay me, I will trust Him. If things never go the way that I think they should go, I will trust God.  I will trust Him until my change comes.

Beloved, if the Church wants to see the power of God at work in her midst today; if the Church wants to be used of God for his purpose in creating her; if the Church wants to join God in reconciling and restoring broken, lost lives; not only that, if individually you – as a Christian – want to be stronger in your faith in God; if you want God to use you, if you want your life to count and make a difference in this world today; if we are going to see healing; if we are going to see people saved; if we are going to give a clear witness of what our God can do, then we as a Church and as Christians must turn to God with our whole heart and seek his face.  This is the focus: A people who will come together under the hand of Almighty God and seek his face.  When we do, God will bless us as a Church, He will bless you as individual Christians; And He will bless what we set our hands to do.  In other words, you will pray and see answers to your prayers.

The strength of those who pray and see answers to their prayers is found in their walk with God. Those who walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing walk in the power and strength of God and His word. They have dedicated themselves to obey God no matter the cost. They make sure from day to day that they walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing. Anything less than this robs them of their power and anointing, and leaves them open to the wiles of the enemy. But their strength comes as they completely surrender their lives to the life of God within them. They overcome daily because they are submitted and committed to the word and the Spirit. No matter what their minds are fixed. They want to serve God. They want to be faithful to Him. They seek His face continually and they walk by faith with Him. Your strength is going to come as you turn to God with your whole heart. As you give you all in service to Him, He will give His all in supplying you with what you need to be His witness.

I want to talk to you about “Living From The Inside Out”. Who you are, the power you have, your wisdom, understanding, character and faith is all on the inside of you, at the core of your being. Sad to say, we have never been taught nor challenged to live from the inside out. The world and this society especially have taught people to live by things outside of them. Therefore we have been living, and the majority of times controlled, by things and forces outside of us, and our five senses have helped in the process. Those who make it to the high places in life in Christ Jesus  are those who know how to live from the inside out. No longer are you dominated by what happens on the outside of you. The world and this society no longer have control over your life. You are no longer dependant upon things outside of you. You are free to live and move by the life and power of God within you.

You have within you, through the “recreation process”, the life of God, the Holy Spirit of God, the faith of God, the fruit and gifts of the Spirit, the peace of God, the power of God, the anointing of God, the righteousness of God, the wisdom of God, the Word of God, and the Love of God.  God has established all of these into your born again spirit so that you might live by them. In so doing, the kingdom of heaven is established in the earth, God is glorified, and people can see, through you, an image of God. All of the above are on the inside of you, in your spirit. Living from the inside out has to do with the manifestation of what you have on the inside of you. In other words, now God’s life, God’s Spirit, faith, gifts, fruit, peace, power, anointing, wisdom, righteousness, Word, and Love can be lived out in the earth. How? By the people of God who know how to live from the inside out.

Read these out loud:

I am no longer dominated and controlled by the things I see.

I am no longer dominated and controlled by the things I hear.

I am no longer dominated and controlled by the things I feel.

I am no longer dominated and controlled by the five senses.

I am no longer dominated and controlled by the world around  me.

I am no longer dominated and controlled by the people around me.

From this time forth, I am dominated and controlled by the life of God within me, the Holy Spirit of God within me, the faith, gifts, fruit, peace, power, anointing, wisdom, righteousness, Word, and love of God within me.  I will live from the inside out.

If you take God’s word and put it in your mouth and in your heart, then you will do it. You will do what is in your heart and in your mouth – His word. Do you remember Joshua 1:8?  It reads, “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.” Here, meditation is the key to keeping the word in your mouth. The more you meditate on the word, the more you keep it in your mouth and in your heart, the more you will do the word. The word has to be in you – in your mouth and heart/spirit – before you can do it.