The arrows of deliverance (2 Kings 13, 14-20)

The Power of the Inner Man

By Helen Jesze, 2016

“But [there is] a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding,”

Job 32, 8 KJV

“ This is the reason why we never collapse. The outward man does indeed suffer wear and tear, but every day the inward man receives fresh strength,”

2 Corinthians 4, 16 Phillips

Terrible news had reached the palace. Jehoash, King of Israel, hurried to the prophet’s house to find out if it was true that the man of God, Elisha, was sick and about to die. Jehoash was desperate for the prophet to give him a Word from God, and went weeping into the prophet’s bedroom.

Elisha, the man who had carried an even greater anointing than his mentor, Elijah; Elisha, who had done miracles and in whose body was so much power of the Holy Spirit that even after he was buried, a dead body which was thrown into his tomb would come alive! How could it be that this voice would soon be silenced?!

Elisha did have a Word from the Lord for the king, with a graphic illustration how he would win future victories over the raiding Syrian armies, through the help of Jehovah – Almighty God. As I read this recently, I was struck by the fact that although Elisha was dying, he was still able to hear from God. Yet it should not have been surprising, for although his body was wasting away, his spirit-being, his inner man was well and in tune with the Spirit of God. Too often we think of our body, what we should wear, how it feels, how we should feed and take care of it, but we forget about, neglect or might not even be aware of our spirit-man.

The real “YOU”

We might look at a person and think, ”O, that’s John” or “ Sally”, recognising what they look like. But in fact, we are not able to see the real ‘John’ or ‘Sally’ – they are hidden from our sight. We only see the body or outer house that John or Sally’s spirit-man lives in.

If we have given our life to the Lord Jesus Christ, and have been born- again by his Spirit, then our inner man, our spirit, has been made alive and is in contact with God. Even if a person is unconscious, meaning his mind is not working or functioning, that spirit-man can still hear from God. We saw this illustrated so clearly in the life of a friend.

George, my husband, was setting up our book-table in a church where he had been invited to preach. He was surprised to see that another man had also arrived to preach. It seemed the pastor had double-booked two different preachers for the same night, so they shared the evening ministry! Lyn, the wife of the other preacher had been seeing our books in various languages before the meeting, and offered to translate one of them into Spanish, for she came from Honduras; this was her mother-tongue.

We were very pleased about this but as the weeks went by and we had heard nothing, George rang her. Lyn’s daughter answered the phone and said that her mother was in hospital. There had been a car-accident; her father had been killed and Lyn was severely injured. Her brain was swollen, she had multiple fractures, she was almost blind and was unconscious most of the time. The doctors gave little hope that she would ever be normal or able to walk again.

From out of the coma

This was terrible news, but I am writing about the power of that inner man, that spirit-man. Lyn did come back to consciousness and then she heard what had been happening while she was in the coma. She was told that she had been praying and talking to different nurses, who had been tending to her, telling them they needed Jesus.

When the Ward-Sister came to her, Lyn had said that God had told her she used to be a Christian, but she was now a backslider, and told the Sister various things from her life, through the Gifts of the Spirit. The Sister burst into tears, for it was all true! Lyn’s body was so damaged and she was in a coma, yet her spirit was alive and well, hearing from God!

After Lyn came out of the coma, a large group of doctors and psychiatrists sat round her bed and asked her questions, for they had never seen a case like hers! They asked, “What was the first thing you remember after you gained consciousness?” She replied, “I heard God speak to me”. They busily wrote that down in their notebooks, and their other questions clearly showed they thought she was mad. There was even talk of putting her into a mental asylum. Fortunately this never happened.

Sight restored

Lyn came out of hospital and was determined to translate our book for us, although we had said she should take her time and get well. She instructed her daughter to sit her in front of the computer, and she should start to read from the book, then she would translate it into Spanish. At this time Lyn could only see dots on the screen, no letters. But she did this every day, in faith, until after a few days, suddenly she could see the words. God had restored her sight! It was a long time of healing and restoration, but Lyn entered into a very fruitful time of international ministry, where many people’s lives were healed and changed.

So let’s be encouraged today that our spirit-man is alive and well inside us! Let’s feed him daily with the Word of God, so he will grow strong. Some Christians give their spirits just a cold snack from the Word now and again, and wonder why they are weak or cannot hear from God. Are we just feeding our spirit on baby milk, when we should be on a meat diet!

This is also a reminder for us that God can use anyone to speak to us. In an age (also in the Christian world) when often only the young, the beautiful, the educated, the talented, the strong people are noticed or given opportunity, I believe we often miss out on important things God wants to speak to us about. Ignoring experience or the anointing on someone’s life just because their outward man does not fit our criterior or modern thinking, can cause us to lose out.

While I was writing this, I looked to see if there were any emails, and one was from a close friend, a modern-day ‘Elisha’ from Asia, who now lives and ministers in areas in Hungary, which have not yet been reached with the Gospel! I want to share some of this as it fits perfectly with our subject today.

Strong in the Lord

“Praise the Lord. All glory to his holy name. Thursday evening 8 brothers and sisters were baptised in O. God is using me for his kingdom. This is really God. My strength is not enough. Many of you know both of my kidneys have failed. Three days a week I go for dialysis and many tests. Eyes problem, teeth problem. Sometimes 5 days a week in hospital, but praise God for our brother Paul, who said: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

In another church in A. 3 people were baptised. Pastor Kelton from England visited me four times in one year, with his friends. He picked me up from the hospital on three days, and we went to three churches. God SAVED 7 people. The doctor let me out for 7 hours. I am weak but He who lives in me is stronger. 100 km I drove and had to stop three times, but I did not give up and I will never give up. This is his work and I will work for his kingdom till my last breath. Please keep praying for me and tell your prayer group also. Greetings and blessings, Pastor Elisha”

What courage we see from this dear Brother in Christ! He has discovered the strength God gives to that ‘inner man’. So this week, if you are struggling in some way and people or satan tell you it’s no use, there’s no place for you, your time is over – and all the other lies and discouragements that are thrown at us –

GOD WILL GIVE YOU MIGHTY VICTORIES, as you nourish that spirit-man within you and let God do his work through you!

Prayer: Father God, you are the Almighty One. I bring every shortcoming, every weakness I struggle with, and thank you that you are the Greater One who lives in me. Strengthen my inner man. Cause it to grow strong and stand up within me, doing exploits for you! Charge me with the power of your Holy Spirit right now!

Give me the humility to accept Words which you send to me through a servant of yours which others might despise, or take no notice of, for YOU ARE LORD and can choose whomsoever you will to fulfil your purposes! Praise be to your Holy Name, O most High God! Amen.