SECRET POWER OF THE INNER MAN
TRANSLATION ALERT 35
Secret Power of the Inner Man | Neal Frisby’s Sermon CD #2063 | 01/25/81 AM
The outer man is constantly fading. Do you realize that? You are constantly fading. You are just a shell carrying the real you according to the scriptures. The inner man is constantly working for eternal life. The inner man is not ashamed of the Lord; it is the outer man that kind of dodges the Lord. The outer man dodges the Lord many times, but the inner man does not doubt. The stronger that the inner man becomes and the greater the power he has over you, taking over the flesh, the more faith you have to believe God. There is a struggle, Paul said. Even when you try to do good evil is present. Many times, the outer man tries to pull you one way or the other. But during that struggle, the inner man will pull you out every time, should you turn to the Lord and take hold of Him. So, what makes the difference is the anointing of the Lord. This message is for those that want to go deeper with the Lord. It is for everybody that would like to have miracles and exploits in their lives. It is the secret of getting things from the Lord. It takes a kind of discipline. It also takes a kind of adherence to what He has spoken. But it is simplicity that wins with the Lord. It is also something within you that gets it done. The outer man cannot do it.
The secret power of the inner man: each one of you that is looking at me this morning is looking at me outwardly, but within you there is something that is going on. There is an outer man and there is an inner man. The inner man absorbs these words, the words of the Lord. It absorbs the anointing of the Lord. The anointing on the outer man, sometimes, does not last, but on the inside, it does. Remember the sermon, Daily Contact (CD #783)? That’s another secret with the Lord. Daily contact adds up to a spiritual force and a powerful energy of the spirit. This begins to build up as you praise the Lord with the inner man’s strength and you are rewarded because there is a buildup of power. The inner man will get your prayers answered. If you start getting off the will of God, the inner man will put you right back on track again.
The inner man/inner woman on the inside has power. There is power there. Paul once said, “I die daily.” He meant it this way: in prayer, he died daily. He died out to self and allowed the inner man to begin to move for him and get him out of quite a few problems. Man was created in the image of God. He isn’t just physical. The other image is the spiritual, the inner man of God inside of you. If we were created in the image of God, we were created in the form in which Jesus came. Also, we were made like Him in the inner man, the inner man that worked miracles. A wise man once said, “Find out which direction God is going and then walk with Him in that direction.” I see people today, they find out where God is going and they walk in the opposite direction. That’s not going to work.
Find out which way the Lord is moving whether it is with two or ten thousand and move with Him. Can you say, Amen? Find out which direction God is moving and then walk with Him. Enoch did this and was translated. The bible says there will be a translation at the end of the age before the Battle of Armageddon. If that is the case, you better find out which way God is going and walk with Him; like Enoch, you will be no more. He was taken away and so was Elijah, the prophet. That is the scripture. When you walk like that, you are truly led. Israel was given this opportunity to walk with the Lord many times, but they failed to take advantage of the opportunity. Many times, they wanted to go right back to where they came from, right out of the midst of glory—the Pillar of Fire was over them leading them. They said, “Let us appoint captains to go back to Egypt.” They turned back right in the midst of the glory of God.
I think in the last days, the lukewarm, those in the falling away and others are similar. People want to go back to tradition. They want to go back to lukewarmness. The bible teaches us to go deeper in the word of God, in the faith of God and God will strengthen the inner man for the crises, the predictions and all the future events that have been forecast from here. Practically, all the prophecies have been fulfilled concerning the elect church, but not the ones concerning the great tribulation. But it is such a time as this—according to what we have seen concerning this nation and the world in the future—that the inner man must be strengthened or many are going to fall by the wayside and they will miss the Lord. Remember that; and each day that you seek Him and you contact Him, give a little praise to the Lord and get a hold of Him. The Lord will begin to strengthen something inside. You may not even feel it at first, but gradually it begins to build into a spiritual energy and exploits will begin to take place. People don’t take time. They want it done right now. They want to work miracles right now. Now, it does happen on the platform with the gift of power here. However, in your own life, you may be faced with many problems and you are not able to get here in time. But by building up the inner man every day, it will begin to grow and you will do great things for God.
The children of Israel did not take advantage of the opportunity; they went the opposite way from the Lord, but Joshua and Caleb went in the right direction with the Lord. Two million people wanted to go in the other direction, but Joshua and Caleb wanted to go in the right direction. You see; it was the minority and not the majority that was right. We found out that, all that generation perished in the wilderness, but Joshua and Caleb took over a new generation and they crossed over to the Promised Land. Today, we see people preaching but it is not all the word of God. Today, we see different cults and systems with massive crowds and millions of people are deceived, and are being deceived. You listen to the word of God and strengthen the inner man. That is the way you are led by the power of God. Do you know this? Jesus rejoices when the inner man begins to be strengthened. He wants His people to believe for wonders. He does not want them to be pulled down with worry, oppression and fear. There is a way to get rid of that. There is a way for the inner man to drive all those things out of there. Jesus wants you to use that power and He just loves to see his people defeat the devil. When Jesus calls you and you are converted by His power, He wants to hear the inner man. But many times, all He hears is the outer man and what the outer man is doing in the physical world out there. There is a spiritual world and we must hold on to the spiritual world. So, He rejoices when He sees His children in prayer working in the inner man.
Let’s read Ephesians 3: 16-21 and Ephesians 4: 23:
“That he would grant you according to the riches of his glory to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man” (v. 16). So, are you strengthened by His Spirit in the inner man? We will show you how to do that and how to intensify it.
“That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love” (v. 17). You’ve got to have faith. There is also love. All these things mean something.
“May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height” (v. 18). All of those things that you will be able to comprehend with all of the saints, all the things that belong to God.
“And to know the love of God, which passeth all knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God” (v. 19). There is that inner man of power. Jesus was filled with all the fullness of God’s Spirit.
“Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us” (v. 20). The inner man will get you above all that we are able to ask for, but the secret preceding this very word was given you by God and you are able to ask and receive above what you can comprehend by the power of God.
“Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all the ages, world without end” (v. 21). There is great power with the Lord.
“And be renewed in the spirit of your mind” (Ephesians 4: 23). Be renewed in the spirit of your mind. That’s what you come to church for; you come in here and even in your home, you build up power by praising the Lord, listening to cassettes, reading the word of God and you begin to renew your mind. That is by praising the Lord. It will drive out the old mind that is tearing you down and all the conflicts. You see; part of your mind can just reach out and break down the things that are tearing you down–things that are deep seated in your heart.
“And that you put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness” (Ephesians 4: 24). Get rid of the old man, put on the new man. There is a challenge, but you can do it. You can only do it with the inner man and that is where Jesus is. He works with the inner man. He does not work with the outer man. Satan tries to work with the outer man. He tries to get in there and block the inner man. This may seem strange to some of you, but the bible strengthened, is able to help you receive says that the inner man above all and anything you can ask for.
We can just look at the scriptures concerning the apostles and the prophets and you will find how many of them used the inner man. What was the secret of Daniel’s power? The answer is that prayer was a business with him and thanksgiving was a business with him. He did not just seek God when the crisis arose—crises happened a lot in his life—but when they came, he always knew what to do because he had already done his seeking. Three times a day he met with God and he gave thanks. It was a daily habit with him and nothing, not even the king, was allowed to interrupt him during that time. He would open up that window—we all know the story—and pray toward Jerusalem to get the children of Israel out of captivity. At different times, Daniels’ life was in great jeopardy, yours may be too. Once, he was condemned to perish with the wise men of Babylon. Another time he was thrown into the lions’ den. On each occasion, his life was miraculously preserved. It was a business with him when he met with God–that business of thanksgiving.
Prayer is not just praying. The bible says the prayer of faith. In order to have that faith operate when you pray, it must be in the worship tone. It must be worship and prayer. Then you go into praising the Lord and the inner man will strengthen you each time. In tragedy and whatever happened, Daniel pulled out of it. The Spirit of God was upon him. He was admired by kings and even the queen, and whenever an emergency arose, they turned to him (Daniel 5: 9-12). They knew that he had the inner man. He had that spiritual power. He was cast in the lions’ den but they could not eat him. The inner man was so powerful in him. They just fell back from him. How many of you believe that? Today, that inner man needs to be strengthened.
People come here and say, “How do I get a miracle?” You can get it on the platform, but how do you strengthen your own life? When you talk about strengthening the inner man, they go in the opposite direction. See; there is a price to be paid if you want great things from God. Anybody can just flow with the stream, but it takes some determination to go up against it. Can you praise the Lord? The rewards are more than what you can stand if you learn the secret of the power of the inner man of God. Daniel’s faith moved a kingdom to acknowledge the name of the true God. Finally, Nebuchadnezzar could just bow his head and acknowledge the true God because of the great prayers of Daniel.
In the bible, Moses used the inner man and two million came out of Egypt. Also, he moved them in the desert in the Pillar of Fire and the Pillar of Cloud. The Captain of the Host appeared to Joshua and in the inner man, Joshua said, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Elijah, the prophet, operated in the inner man until absolutely, the dead was raised and absolutely, the miracle of the oil and meal occurred. He was able to cause it not to rain and he was able to cause it to rain because of the power of the inner man. It was so powerful that when he fled from Jezebel, when they were about to take his life after he had called fire from heaven and destroyed the Baal prophets—he was in the wilderness under a juniper tree—he has strengthened the inner man so powerfully and he had sought God in such a way that although he was exhausted—but inside of him, he had built up such a force, he was so intensified in the inner man—the bible said he went to sleep and the next morning, in the power of faith, unconscious faith inside of him, brought down an angel of the Lord. When he woke up, the angel was cooking for him and he took care of him. Can you say praise the Lord? In his crisis, when he didn’t know where to turn, that inner man was so powerful that unconsciously, it operated with the Lord. I tell you, it pays to be stored up. Can you say, Amen?
If you want to store anything, store up this treasure in your earthen vessel—the light of the Lord. It comes simply by giving thanksgiving to the Lord, praising the Lord and acting upon His word. Never doubt His word. You can doubt yourself. You can doubt man and you can doubt any kind of cult or dogma, but never doubt God’s word. You hold to that word; the inner man will be strengthened and you can go against anything that confronts you, and God will give you miracles. How many of you can say, praise the Lord? So, we see this dependence on the Lord: Paul was a perfect example. Jesus, Himself, was the same way. Jesus Christ was a perfect example of what the church should do pertaining to the inner man. Paul said, “It is not I but Christ” (Galatians 2: 20). “It is not I that is standing here, but it is an inner power that is working all this work.” It is not by the power of man or the operation of man, but it is the operation of the power of the Holy Spirit. He had the inner man.
The inner man works as you praise the Lord and give thanksgiving. Delight yourself in the Lord Jesus and you will be able to see the light, the power of God. There is a spiritual world, another dimension, just like this physical world. The spiritual world created the physical world. The bible says you cannot see what created this physical world unless the Lord reveals it to you. The unseen made the seen. The glory of God is all around us. It is everywhere, but you have to have spiritual eyes. He doesn’t show it to everybody, but there is a spiritual dimension. Some of the prophets got into it. Some of them saw the glory of the Lord. Some of the disciples saw the glory of the Lord. It is real; the inner man, the power of the Lord. It is the anointing of the treasure of life—the faith in the word of God. You store it through daily contact. Delight yourself in the Lord and the anointing will take you where you want to go. Remember this; there is leadership and power in the Lord.
I want to read this before I go on: “We can undertake—and you can, too—anything we desire. There is a momentous task ahead for the church. The world right now, in the crisis we are living in, is getting into a place that the Lord wants us to strengthen the inner man because a great outpouring, a greater revival is coming here.” All the power we need is made available, but it is available only to those who day by day keep in contact with the Lord. Some people say, “I wonder why I can’t do more for God.” Well, if you contact the table (to eat) about once a day or once a week, you look at yourself and the outer man begins to fade, doesn’t it? Very soon, the outer man gets lean and you become skinny. Finally, if you don’t come to the table at all, you just die. If you don’t go and feed from God’s word and power and you begin to skip around that, the inner man will begin to cry out, “I am getting smaller.” You leave God out of the picture, you will just starve and you become just as it is said, “Some men/women are dead, yet, walking around.” That is what the scripture says that they become lukewarm and the Lord spews them out of His mouth. The inner man becomes a place of leanness and that leanness is in the soul.
So, you can starve that soul to where you cannot believe for anything. You are dissatisfied. Your mind and all the things around you are ten times that much. Every little thing is a mountain to you. All those things can really get a hold of you. But if you feed the inner man, there will be so much power in there. I am not saying that you will not be tested or have trials for the bible says, “…think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange things happened unto you” (1 Peter 4: 12). Those trials, many times, are working to bring about something for you. I am not saying you won’t be tried. Oh, with that inner man, it is just like a bullet-proof vest! It will just bounce off the trials and it will take you right on through. But when your inner man is not strengthened, you suffer more and it is harder for you to get through those trials. Jesus said it this way, “Give us this day our daily bread.” He was talking about spiritual things, but also He would supply the other daily bread. Seek ye first the kingdom of God and all these things shall be added to you.
Jesus did not ask us to pray for a year’s supply, a month’s supply or even a week’s supply. He wants you to learn that He wants daily contact with you. He will meet your need as you follow Him each day. When the manna fell, they wanted to store it up. But he told them not to, but to gather it each day except for the sixth day when they had to store up for the Sabbath. He did not allow them to store it up and when they did, it went rotten on them. He wanted to teach them daily guidance. He wanted them to depend on Him; not once a month or once a year, or during a crisis. He wanted to teach them to depend on Him each day. I know that for the carnal man, this sermon won’t go anywhere. Jesus led them into the wilderness for three days. There was no food. He got the outer man out of there; he was going to teach them something. He was going to reward them. He took a couple of loaves and a few fish, and He fed 5,000 of them. They could not figure it out. It was the power of God, the inner man working there. They even gathered up baskets of fragments. God is great.
That means that, today, He will do these things for you in the inner man. Whatever a miracle takes, He would perform it for you. He wants us daily to feel the strength of His presence and His sustaining power. God’s plan includes a daily dependence on Him. Without Him, we can do nothing. The quicker people find that out, the better. If we are to be successful and accomplish His will in our lives, we cannot allow a single day to pass without a vital communion with God. Man cannot live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. So, remember this each time you strengthen the outer man—men are so careful to partake of the natural food, but they are not so careful of the inner man which also needs a daily replenishing. Just as the body feels the effect of not eating food, so the spirit suffers when it fails to feed on the bread of life.
When God created us, He made us spirit, soul and body. He created us in His image—a physical man and spiritual man. He made us in such a way that when the outside man is fed, it grows physically, the same thing with the inner man. You must strengthen that inner man with the bread of life, the word of God. It will build a spiritual energy. People are depleted. They cannot build the inner man up because they do not have daily contact with God. By praising the Lord and thanking the Lord, you can do great things in the Lord. At the end of the age, God is leading His people. He says, “Come out of her, come out of Babylon, false systems and cults that are way out of the word of God.” He said, “Come out of her, my people.” How did He call them out? By the outer man or by man? No, He called them out by the Spirit of God and by the inner man, and the power of God that is in God’s people. He is calling them out to do great exploits. At the end of the age, the Pillar of Cloud and the inner man will lead His people. God’s plan for guidance of His people is beautifully declared in the story of how He led the children of Israel. As long as they followed the presence of God that was in the Cloud and the tabernacle, He would lead them in the proper way. When they did not want to follow the Cloud, they really got into trouble. Now, today, the Cloud is the word of God. That is our Cloud. But he can appear and does appear in glory. When the Cloud moved forward, they went forward. They didn’t run ahead of the Cloud. It would not do them any good.
The Lord said, “Don’t move until I move. Don’t go backwards, either. Just move when I move.” You have to learn patience. The inner man is not ashamed of the Lord. The children of Israel had fear. They did not want to go forward because of their fear of the giants. It is the same today. Many people are not going to cross into the Promised Land, which is heaven in the translation, because of the fear of moving forward with God. Don’t allow satan to trick you like that. I know that you need a little bit of caution in your body to keep you from danger. But when you have the kind of fear that keeps you from God that is wrong. One time, the children of Israel got tired of tarrying and waiting on the Lord. Then the Lord came down and told Moses that the people did not have patience and that He would keep them in the wilderness for 40 years. Only move when the Lord moves. Can you say, Amen?
We are at the midnight hour. There were the wise virgins and the foolish virgins. The wise at the midnight cry moved when God moved. The children of Israel moved when the Cloud moved. If the Cloud was not taken up, they did not move; for the Cloud was upon the tabernacle by day and Pillar of Fire was on it at night. In the daytime, the Fire was in the Cloud, but they could only see the Cloud. When it started to get dark, the fire in the cloud would start to look like an amber fire, but it was still covered by cloud. After looking at the cloud many days, the children of Israel got tired of it. They said they just wanted to move and so many of them did not go in. They did not have the inner man. We are supposed to have activities, witnessing and things like that; but the major things, God does those things Himself. He brings the revival that Joel spoke about.
One of these days, there will be a translation. Crises are coming that will cause the whole world to do things that they don’t want to do. Appreciate this nation for the freedom to preach the gospel. Forces are working to take away this freedom. We will have freedom for a while, but things will take place at the end of the age. The bible says it will almost deceive the very elect. Of course, a mark is given and a world dictator will rise. It will come. And so, a cloud was upon the tabernacle by day and fire was upon it by night in the sight of all Israel. In this great revival that God is leading—the inner man, as long as he stays in daily contact with God—you’ll see great exploits from the Lord and you’ll absolutely see the power of God give us a great outpouring under the Cloud of the Lord. It is a sad thing and very solemn too to know that when Israel refused to follow the Cloud; that particular generation was not permitted to enter the Promised Land because they rebelled. They didn’t want to strengthen anything but the outer man. In fact, they kept crying for food and they ate so much until they became gluttons. The inner man was going lean on them at that time.
The lesson is clear. Those things were written for our admonition (1Corinthians 10:11). When we see the common tragedy of Christians who are no longer going forward in their Christian experience, we know that in some way, they have either rejected or ignored divine guidance in their lives. Let’s go forward! Continue! Preach the gospel like this; going forward in the same gospel that Jesus Christ preached, in the same gospel that Paul preached, in the same Cloud and in the same Fire that God gave the children of Israel. Let us move forward in the same power. He will make the major move(s). Let us activate it in praising Him and strengthening the inner man and when He calls upon us, we will be ready. So today, it sums it up like this: don’t just run to God when things happen in a crisis, build up! Get that spiritual energy in you! Then when you have to need it, it would be there for you. Those who wish to have their prayers answered must be willing at all cost to follow the leading of Jesus in their daily lives. Do as the word of God says by the power of the word and He will bring you right through.
By strengthening the inner man, you will be able to do great exploits with God. Your life and your outside character will take on youth. I am not saying that it will roll the clock back 100 years, but if you get it right, it will cause you to beam and your countenance will light up. God will strengthen the outside body too. You may be tested, but as you strengthen the inner man, the outside body too will become strengthened and it will become healthier. Remember that He said that the word of God in your heart will bring health to all that keep them (Proverbs 4: 22). Can you say, praise the Lord? Divine health comes right out of strengthening the inner man and the anointing that is in there. You know that the bible says that where Christ was, the power of the Lord was present to heal (Luke 5: 17). The bible said it and I believe that the Cloud of the Lord was following the children of Israel where that major prophet of God was (Moses). I believe that at the end of age, you may not be able to see the Cloud of Glory or the Glory of God, but you can count on one thing, you get that inner man strengthened and the anointing is going to work for you.
Don’t go out of here anymore and say, “I don’t know how to work it.” God is showing you step by step in these faith sermons. He is absolutely leading you and he is building faith in your heart right now. He is building you up and building that inner man. That is what is going to count when it comes to a showdown. Drink in the anointing. For those who let the inner man take possession of their being—greater is He that is in you—just let the inside one be bigger than the outside one and you will be in a good condition. Amen. You may have your struggles and tests in all of this, but remember that you can build up that spiritual energy. There is a Presence that is just dynamic power. People won’t take the time. Three times a day, Daniel prayed and praised the Lord. Yes, you say, “It was easy.” It was not easy. He had one test after another. He arose above all these things. He was respected by kings and queens. They knew that God was him.
As the age ends, you will learn how to operate the anointing and the Presence that is in this building. It is not me and it is not man. It is the Presence that comes from the word that is being preached in this building. That is the only way it will come. It cannot come out of some kind of man’s doctrine, cults or dogma. It must come out of the word of God and by faith that rises in the heart. That faith creates an atmosphere; He lives in the praises of his people. When you are praising the Lord, you will pray and that prayer must be in worship. When you get through praying, you believe by praising and thanking Him. You have to be thankful to the Lord and this energy will begin to grow. Remember when you are feeding yourself; don’t forget to feed the spiritual man. Can you say, Amen? That is exactly right. That’s a beautiful picture. He created man that way to show him that there are two sides to him. If you don’t feed yourself, you get lean and die. If you don’t feed the inner man, he will die on you. You must keep that salvation and water of life that is within you. Then it gets so powerful—the translation faith, the faith that comes from God—that you can operate the gifts of power in your heart.
There are many gifts in the bible, the gift of miracles, healing and so forth. There is also a real gift of faith. The gift of faith can operate even when a person does not carry that gift as a special gift. The elect body of God, at special times in their lives—sometimes, they may be sitting at home or in the assembly—you may be going through something for a long time and you just can’t see a way out, but you have trusted the Lord. All of a sudden (if you get it right), that inner man works for you and the gift of faith will explode in there! How many of you know that? You may not carry it every day; the gift of faith is potent. Sometimes, the gift of power will work in your life, though you cannot carry it all the time. There are other times that a healing will take place even though you don’t carry the gift of healing. A miracle will take place even though you don’t carry the gift of miracles. But that gift of faith will absolutely work in your life from time to time, not very often, may be. But when you learn to operate the presence and the power that is preached here this morning in the inner man, that faith will reach on out. You will get things from the Lord. How many of you believe it?
Do you believe that God is going to give the church a great outpouring? How can He give the church a great outpouring unless I set a foundation and unless the Lord prepares it? The Lord gives the ones that have been coming here to me and I build them up in the word of faith and in the power of the Lord. I keep telling them what is coming in the future and the Lord begins to guide them where the church is going. The Lord keeps building them up in faith and power. Do you know that at the proper time great exploits will take place and when the outpouring comes, you will be prepared? When it comes, you have not seen such a sweeping rain of power in your life. The bible says, “I am the Lord and I shall restore.” That means all the apostolic power in the Old Testament, the New Testament and the coming Testament, if there will be one. Amen in heaven and Amen.
A little heaven is coming down on the earth at the end of the age. The bible says seek ye first the kingdom of God (and the inner man), and all these things will be added to you. How many of you can praise the Lord this morning? There it is; renew your mind, strengthen the inner man and you will be able to believe for more than you can carry away. Jesus is wonderful! In this cassette, wherever it goes, remember the inner man each time you take care of the outer man and praise the Lord. Thank God each day. When you rise in the morning, thank the Lord, at noontime, thank the Lord and in the evening, thank the Lord. You will begin to build up the faith and the power of the Lord Jesus Christ. I feel you are strengthened this morning. I believe your faith is strengthened this morning.
Secret Power of the Inner Man | Neal Frisby’s Sermon CD #2063 | 01/25/81 AM