Strengthen Your Grasp
What if one year from now you could look back and realize that the active verbs in Paul’s prayer for you in Ephesians 3:16-19 had come true in your life?
I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Ephesians 3:14-19 NIV
- strengthened
- spiritually energized
- deeply rooted
- securely grounded
- fully capable of comprehending (grasping)
- knowing through personal experience
- completely filled and flooded by God Himself
Wow, bring it on, you might say!
But, like most truths in the Bible, God has a part and you have a part.
God’s Part
It’s ALREADY done and available for you!
Paul is praying that we would be enabled to grasp everything that God ALREADY has available for us. The entire book of Ephesians is about the spiritual blessings, riches, victory, and strength we have because we are God’s children.
Your Part
It’s not enough to just know about God’s riches – it’s about grasping!
Paul understood that the more we are able to grasp the unlimited riches God has for us, the more we would grow in grace, mature in faith, and walk strong
Able to Grasp
Paul prays that we will have the power and be strong to apprehend and grasp the love of Christ. (Ephesians 3:18 AMP)
To be able to grasp means that we are empowered to discover and we can lay our hands on what God has for us and by faith make it a vital part of our lives.
I want you to get your hands on your wealth, and realize how vast it is, and start to use it.
Warren W. Wiersbe
Fully Grasping Truth
Let me give you an example of someone being able to more fully grasp the truth.
Acts 10 tells the story of Peter finally seeing clearly, apprehending, and grasping the truth that everyone is welcome to come to God through the grace of our Lord
By the end of the story Peter is able to say in verse 34:
- I now realize how true it is (NIV)
- I now know for certain (TPT)
- I see very clearly (NLT)
Peter thought God was crazy when he first received the vision on the rooftop as he was praying.
A tablecloth descended from heaven holding all kinds of food (four-footed animals, reptiles, and wild birds) that he would NEVER eat and God instructs him to prepare the food to be eaten.
Never Lord, I couldn’t do that!
But the God replies: what I has cleansed no longer consider unholy.
God repeated the vision three times to be sure that Peter got the message clearly.
Peter is stunned and now there are more instructions: Don’t hesitate to go with the three men from the house of Cornelius.
Are you kidding! There are social boundaries when associating with Gentiles. But he knew the Holy Spirit was leading him and revealing something new.
So, he was obedient.
When he arrives at Cornelius’ house, he finds it filled with people waiting anxiously to hear the Good News of hope and peace. As Peter tells the story of salvation the Holy Spirit falls on each of them.
New believers – and they are Gentiles!
I most certainly understand now (Peter exclaims) that God is not one to show partiality, but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him.
Acts 10:34-35
Strengthening Your Grasp
Peter was able to apprehend and grasp the greater revelation of truth that salvation is for everyone because he followed where God led him and obeyed even when it didn’t make sense.
Here are four ways you can move from just knowing to grasping and experiencing a greater revelation:
- Ask the Lord to reveal more and more and to expand your capacity to receive.
Do you want more empowerment and revelation? Begin to pray Ephesians 3:14-21 over your life. Pray it as a proclamation of what God has already done.
- Trust the Holy Spirit’s work in you.
One of the roles of the Holy Spirit is to teach you and lead you into all truth. (John 14:26). We have received the Spirit of God so that we might come to understand and experience all that grace has lavished upon us. (1 Corinthians 2:12)
- Resist the urge to cram and rush.
The Holy Spirit’s leading and teaching includes you experiencing – and that takes time. You may be praying for more of Him, more fullness, and he will respond by pointing something out in your life saying; I want that. Surrender that. Yield to me! Or he may lead you through a trial teaching you about the dimensions of his love right in the middle of your mess. Don’t hurry the lesson and revelation.
- Respond with obedience.
James 1:22-25 teaches us that hearing the Word must be followed with obedience. If we don’t, there is no benefit in our lives – no growth, no revelation. But when we do obey, we are strengthened by the truth and live in God’s rich blessings.
I can hardly wait to hear what God does in your life over the next year as you grasp everything He has for you!
