For our spirit to gain dominion over the soul and the body and be a channel for the life of the Spirit to be imparted to others, there must be the Holy Spirits strengthening of our spirit.
Paul prays for believers in Ephesians 3: 14 For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man (spirit).
Paul asks God to strengthen by His Spirit their “inner man.”
Therefore, the prayer is that the believer’s spirit may be strengthened by God’s Spirit.
From this we may understand that the spirits of some saints are weak while those of others are strong.
Whether their spirit is strong or weak depends upon whether they have received The Holy Spirit’s strengthening.
Since those at Ephesus had been sealed already with the Holy Spirit, the Apostle’s prayer for them must be concerned with a gift other than His indwelling.
Ephesus 1: 13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.
It is possible for us to possess a weak spirit although having God indwelling us.
To be filled with might in the inner man is the urgent need of every Christian. However, unless they know how weak their spirit is they will not ask for the strengthening of the Holy Spirit.
Often the children of God cannot rise to answer the Lord’s call to service because, though their physical condition is good, their feelings are low, cold, and reluctant. Or even when their emotions are quite high, passionate, and willing, they find themselves unable to serve the Lord because now the body reacts lazily.
Such experiences reveal the weakness of the spirit in its dominion over feeling and the physical body.
The disciples found themselves in precisely that situation in the Garden of Gethsemane: “the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matt. 26:41). Willingness by itself is not sufficient; the spirit also must be strong. If it is powerful, it can overcome the infirmity of the flesh.
Why do believers sometimes find themselves negligent and failing in soul winning?
Lack of power in their spirit is the explanation. The same holds true of environment. How easily are we affected by the misperception of people in the world.
If our spirits were triumphant we would be able to meet the most disturbing situation with peace and rest.
Prayer is the primary test of the inner man’s strength. A strong spirit is capable of praying much and praying with all perseverance until the answer comes.
A weak spirit grows weary and fainthearted in the maintenance of praying.
A vigorous spirit can move forward in the midst of adverse environment or feeling, but a weak one is ineffective to stand against opposition.
Great is the need for power in the spirit for spiritual warfare with the enemy. Only those who have might in the inner man (spirit) understand how to exercise their spiritual strength in resisting the enemy.
For the inner man to be strengthened with power through the Holy Spirit, the believer must release their responsibility. They need to yield specifically to the Lord, forsake every doubtful aspect in their life, be willing to obey fully God’s will, and believe through prayer that He will flood their spirit with His power.
Without delay God will answer the expectation of their heart, once all obstacles on their part are removed.
Believers do not need to wait for the Holy Spirit’s filling, because He has descended already. What they need is to fulfill the condition for His filling.
Should they be faithful in believing and obeying, then within a very short time the power of the Holy Spirit will flood their spirit and strengthen their inner man for walking in the Spirit and for co-laboring with the Lord.
Some may receive His filling immediately upon once surrendering themselves to the Lord, for they have met the conditions for such filling.
This invasion of God’s power in us, this infilling of His Spirit, happens in the human spirit.
It is the inner (spirit) and not the outer man (soul and body) which is activated by His power and then becomes strong.
This is most important to recognize, for it helps us to exercise simple faith in our desire for the filling of the Holy Spirit.
Galatians 3: 14 that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
The conditions for the filling of the Spirit must be achieved, and the attitude of believers must be firm. God will fulfill His promise.
Like the body, the spirit has its functions and consciousness. Prior to the mighty inflow of the Holy Spirit’s power into their spirit, believers scarcely can detect the spirit’s senses; but afterwards all nine of the senses of our spirit we can become aware of.
As the inner man is energized, its intuitive power is increased. Believers can sense all of the spirits senses and feel and experience them.
The effect of having the spirit filled with God’s power is to enforce its full control over the soul and the body. Every thought, desire, sensation and intent is now governed by the spirit.
The soul can no longer act independently: it becomes instead the spirit’s steward.
Also, through the believer’s spirit the Holy Spirit can impart God’s life to a thirsty and dying world.
However, this filling of the Holy Spirit differs from the baptism with the Holy Spirit, because the continues filling of the Spirit is for the purpose of walking in the Spirit and co-laboring with the Lord.