Your Heart: Christ's Home

"So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith" (Eph. 3:17 ESV).

Paul prays here that the believers in Ephesus would be strengthened with the power of God (Eph. 3:14-21), and here he prays that Christ would dwell in their hearts.

The Greek word for “dwell” here is katoikeo. It’s more complex than meets the eye. Split that term in half and katoi means to dwell or to reside in. And keo means to be at home—or to be comfortable in a home. Put those two terms together and you have “to dwell comfortably in a home.” Now read it that way: “So that Christ may ‘dwell comfortably in your hearts’ through faith. . .” Makes a huge difference.

This is Paul’s prayer that Christ may dwell comfortably in their hearts but not before they are strengthened with power through the Spirit (Eph. 3:16). Would you say that Christ is not comfortable in the hearts of His people sometimes? Of course. I know that to be true in my case. Often times, in the hearts of His people, Christ goes where He would never choose to go.

Here's the principle: Christ can’t settle down and be at home in our hearts if He’s always up cleaning the place up all the time because it’s such a mess.

But if our “inner beings” are being strengthened with power through the Spirit and we are allowing God to do with us as He pleases and we are giving Him all the room He needs to work in our lives, and we are opening up every door to Him, then Christ will finally be able to settle down and be at home in our hearts.

What places in your heart are you keeping from Christ?






Bro. Brandon