You were my strength when I was weak

You were my voice when I couldn't speak

You were my eyes when I couldn't see

You saw the best there was in me

Lifted me up when I couldn't reach

You gave me faith 'cause you believed

I'm everything I am

Because you loved me (“Because You Loved Me”, Celine Dion, 1996)

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Thomas, Martha, Peter, Nicodemus, the sinful woman, and many others took the difficult step of exposing their truest selves to Jesus. This can seem like an obstacle too great to overcome. Believe that God will leap into action when you cry for help. (Note: depending on how he wants you to grow, you may have to put in more energy than just a polite request.)

 

In my dire straits, I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears. The earth trembled and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains shook. (Psalm 18:6-19)

 

For this reason, I kneel before the father, from whom all family in heaven and on Earth is named, so that, out of the riches of his glory, he may give you power to be strengthened through his Spirit in your inner being, to settle Christ at home in your hearts through faith, rooted and established in love, so that you have full strength together with all the saints to take hold of the width, length, height, and depth and to know the knowledge-surpassing love of Christ so that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. (Ephesian 3:14-19)

 

He has given us a series of steps that will always work to fill us with him. But you can't skip steps. My life changed when I decided to start praying to hear the Holy Spirit and follow his direction without second-guessing. Before that, I had tried to understand Jesus's love and be filled with God, but for years I hadn't consistently listened to the Holy Spirit because I had been scared. I had totally missed making Jesus at home in my heart because I had been intimidated by him. So I had struggled to be rooted in love and hadn’t had the strength to take hold of anything, saints or no. It was like building a house without a strong foundation. Even a good roof didn’t hold when the earthquake came.

 

Being filled with the fullness of God is not something that we just wait for. In Greek, the verbs are all active not passive voice. Several start with the prefix "kata-" an intensifier that indicates effort and attention to detail. You don't just set up the throne room in your heart and hope that someday Jesus will move in. The Greek word is "katoikeo" which means "to settle someone as a permanent resident." Jesus will come if you open the door, but you may have to strap him down with the seatbelt of faith, depending on what kind of a day you're having. Do whatever it takes to make the Son of God a permanent resident!