Looking Within When going through a time of lack or infirmity, it can be most helpful to receive needed provision from someone else or the physical assistance of a medical facility. Outside help like this can make all the difference in getting through a difficult time. Yet there can also be an opportunity to develop resources and capabilities from within that provide a way beyond the present trial. When help can be drawn from a source already resident on the inside, the availability of outside resources no longer has to be the determining factor. That simple adjustment—from dependence on what is available outwardly to drawing upon what is available inwardly—can affect not only the present circumstance, but also the independence, confidence, and freedom with which life is lived going forward. An encounter with God can come with supernatural provision and healing, but there is something far greater than continually looking outward and hoping for His intervention. In Christ, He has already provided something much greater. In receiving Christ, we receive not only the necessities of life, but Life Himself, and He comes to live within us as the Source of all that is good. Rather than continually looking outward to receive promises that are already ours, there is a necessary adjustment of our focus—from outward to inward. As our ever-present Resident within, Christ has already become our supply, and in Him we have received all we need for life and godliness. As new creations in Him, we are already complete. Now, the salvation provided for every aspect of life is ready to be brought from the inside out by faith. With the revelation of Christ within comes a powerful and blessed hope, making way for His goodness to be manifested in ways that bring glory to His name. Rather than trying to believe for something distant or beyond our reach, there is an assurance that everything we need is already ours in Him. From this place of confidence, words can be spoken and actions taken in faith that give expression to the life within. Instead of lack or infirmity determining what is possible, the life of Christ within is given place to rise up, prevail, and bring His provision and wholeness into outward manifestation. Notes God’s Secret Plan in Christ Colossians 1:26-27 (TPT) 26 There is a divine mystery—a secret surprise that has been concealed from the world for generations, but now it’s being revealed, unfolded and manifested for every holy believer to experience. 27 Living within you is the Christ who floods you with the expectation of glory! This mystery of Christ, embedded within us, becomes a heavenly treasure chest of hope filled with the riches of glory for his people, and God wants everyone to know it! It’s there already 2 Peter 1:3 (TPT) 3 Everything we could ever need for life and complete devotion to God has already been deposited in us by his divine power. For all this was lavished upon us through the rich experience of knowing him who has called us by name and invited us to come to him through a glorious manifestation of his goodness. From resident and active power - infinitely more Ephesians 3:20 (NLT) 20 Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Already conquered enemies - He’s greater inside 1 John 4:4 (TPT) 4 Little children, you can be certain that you belong to God and have conquered them, for the One who is living in you is far greater than the one who is in the world. How to draw from the inside. Our bodies - containers/carriers of glorious power 2 Corinthians 4:7 (TLB) 7 But this precious treasure—this light and power that now shine within us—is held in a perishable container, that is, in our weak bodies. Everyone can see that the glorious power within must be from God and is not our own. Knowing Him by the Spirit on the inside John 14:16 (TPT) 16 (16-17) And I will ask the Father and he will give you another Savior, the Holy Spirit of Truth, who will be to you a friend just like me—and he will never leave you. The world won’t receive him because they can’t see him or know him. But you will know him intimately, because he will make his home in you and will live inside you. Beholding Him releases His nature. 2 Corinthians 3:18 (TLB) 18 But we Christians have no veil over our faces; we can be mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord. And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him. Revelation within releases power Ephesians 3:16-17 (TPT) 16 And I pray that he would unveil within you the unlimited riches of his glory and favor until supernatural strength floods your innermost being with his divine might and explosive power. 17 Then, by constantly using your faith, the life of Christ will be released deep inside you, and the resting place of his love will become the very source and root of your life. God inside is always working on our passions and ability Philippians 2:13 (TLB) 13 For God is at work within you, helping you want to obey him, and then helping you do what he wants. Our partnership with His life inside - by His promises 2 Peter 1:4 (TPT) 4 As a result of this, he has given you magnificent promises that are beyond all price, so that through the power of these tremendous promises you can experience partnership with the divine nature, by which you have escaped the corrupt desires that are of the world. Overview While receiving help and healing from outside sources can be a blessing, there is a more reliable and longlasting option in looking within - learning to fish rather than asking for one. In Christ, we’ve been given everything we could ever need for life and godliness, not somewhere beyond us, but living right on the inside. In the discovery of this incredible Resource, the looking for solutions is shifted from outside to inside. The One who is living on the inside is greater than any opposition or enemy, and is able to do way more than what we could ever ask or think. We have been given His Spirit to help us in knowing Him and accessing all that is already ours in Him. By beholding Him in worship, the perception of who we are is changed from the world’s limited identity to Christ Himself in unlimited capacity and ability. Not only is He working in us to change our hopes and desires, but He is also equipping with power to fulfill His heart’s passion. In communion with Him, there is a promise that will grant access to this divine nature and its influence over every aspect of life. As Christ in us becomes the only hope for all that God’s glory brings, this revelation becomes the unbridled proclamation to those yet looking to the world for their hope. Prayer Father, How great is Your love and compassion in providing not just what I need, but its Source as a continuous residence on the inside. I love this revelation of Christ in me and the release of its power through my heart and life. Be glorified and draw men to Yourself as this life produces all that Your nature has promised. I continue to look to You on the inside as the Author and Finisher of my faith, ever present and working with ability way beyond what I ask or think. Draw those around me to this revelation as Christ is clearly seen in me. In Jesus’ Name - Amen Declarations The very life of God is in me now with way more than what I could ever need for life and godliness. My look is shifted completely from outside sources for provision and healing to the promise of life on the inside. My hope is securely anchored in this revelation of Christ in me and God’s glory that will be revealed through me. In beholding and fellowshiping with Him, I am reflecting His nature to those who will be drawn to what they see.