that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man,

During his prime, the heavy weight boxing champion Mike Tyson was nearly invincible in the ring. Tyson whipped the likes of formidable opponents such as Larry Holmes to earn his championship belt with relative ease. Tyson had out-of-the-ring problems which caught up to him and eventually cost him the championship belt. A rematch was arranged between Tyson and Evander Holyfield to regain the belt he lost to Holyfield just seven months earlier. The match did not begin well for Tyson. Sensing he was going to lose to Holyfield again, Tyson became angry. The fight ended in a rather bizarre manner in the third round. Tyson embraced Holyfield in a strategy to ward off a few blows. Suddenly, as Tyson embraced Holyfield, he turned his head and bit a chunk out of Holyfield’s ear. The match ended immediately, and Holyfield declared the winner by default. Mike Tyson’s boxing career ended in a rather embarrassing manner. Tyson fell from household name to household joke. Mike Tyson possessed incredible physical power but little strength of character.

Paul writes to the Ephesian church to teach the purpose of the Church of Christ. Paul was not dealing with doctrinal error, as he had done in other epistles. Paul’s letter to the church of Ephesus is simply encouragement. Paul focuses the attention of the Ephesian Christians upon the extent of God’s love. The book of Ephesians could be summarized with the word exceeding, and Paul’s describes God’s love as exceeding. Chapter three ends with a prayer that Paul prays for the church at Ephesus. The essence of Paul’s prayer is something which ought to encourage you. You have all of the power to do exactly what God has told you to do.

Paul calls upon God to provide for us an inner strength which is beyond the farthest throw of man’s imagination. We all have heard the stories of martyrs. We know the gory and painful deaths these Christians experienced for the cause of Christ. How were these Christians able to experience such torture and agony without renouncing Christ? The answer can only be that they were given an inner strength of character.

When you were saved, you were given a new character. That character is not like the weak and timid character of our flesh; the new character is powerful. It is more powerful than we can imagine. The word translated power in our text is the word dunamis. Our English word dynamite comes from this Greek word. Dynamite is incredibly powerful, and you and I have a power in us that is infinitely powerful. That power is provided by the Holy Spirit.

What are your thoughts on this verse?

Who makes the change in the believer’s character at the moment of salvation?

What characteristics are changed in the believer?

What kind of power does the believer have?