Inner State!

Inner State!

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

Romans 12:12 NIV

The external is the focus for the natural man. He derives pain and pleasure from the things he thinks he can control. He defines success by ephemeral and physical things such as bank account balances, circle of influence, net worth and other similar matters. He really cannot define what success looks like, but yet man keeps running, seeking after the thrill that he thinks he can get from something in his hands. Life has shown that riches and wealth do not actually buy you sleep or peace. For the natural man, nothing is ever enough. He lives for the chase, no matter what he already has. How then can a man have that which is really important? How does he know when he has it and when he does not? 

One thing must be made very clear from the start: the inner state determines the outer. It is the inner presence that defines the outer punch and impact. The world does not have the answer, and that is why it will provide 'viable' alternatives, because there can be no vacuum. Someone or something has to fill that space in a man's heart. If God does, there is an inner peace that will shine out. If it is not God, then there is an outer storm that no amount of makeup or activity can hide. That is why mere activity is not the true measure of inner peace. A man can be quite active but using that to cover up the lack of peace. Who lives in you? What is the state of your inner man? 

Today's extract makes it clear that the inner is quite important. Check out these attributes mentioned in the verse above: joyful, patient, and faithful. None of these can be defined by physical measures. You can't define the breath and length of joy, but you cannot miss it when it is there. You cannot put a monetary price on patience, but you can break through any wall or barrier simply by having and exercising it. No amount of money can buy you faithfulness and consistency, but when you find someone who is faithful and committed to a thing, you have found someone to be trusted. Am I that kind of person, who has his inner man sorted out, or am I still struggling for relevance and direction? 

Those inner attributes will always have physical manifestations. The man with joy views all situations with hope; the man with patience can bear affliction even if it hurts and the man who is faithful is seen to be a man of prayer, given to a daily relationship with God. So, you see the physical manifestations, but they flow from the inner condition of that man. They do not happen or form overnight; they take time to form, by constant use and by daily dependence on the source of the inner conditions. 

The man who has settled his inner man has joy, no matter what the exernal state dictates. The man who has learnt patience from his walk with God looks ahead to tough times, knowing that they don't last as long as God does. The man who has settled his heart on God can worry less and pray more, sure that God has his back, no matter what else is happening around him. He can look forward to eternity even while making impact down here on earth, because he knows that the one in whom he has put his hope is able to keep to the end. Do not labour to impress a man like yourself; seek the inner presence of God. When you have him, you have all you need for life and Godliness. If you don't have him, it does not matter what else you have. Who do you have? Does God know and have all of your heart? God's time of favour is here.