That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love (Ephesians 3:17). Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong (Ephesians 3:17-NLT).
The word dwell in the above verse is from the Greek word katoikeo, a compound word from the Greek word kata which means down, and from oikeo which means to occupy a house. Katoikeo means to settle down and live permanently somewhere, making that place your home.
When Jesus comes to live within us in the person of the Holy Spirit, He comes with the idea of never leaving! He brings not just His suitcase, but all of His possessions! His residence is not temporary.
Your home becomes His home. When someone comes to live with you, your house becomes available to them. They can use all the parts of your house; the living room, the laundry room, the kitchen, the bathroom.
When Jesus comes in the person of the Holy Spirit to live in our spirit, He wants total access to all areas of our heart life. He wants no locked doors that keep Him out of this room or that room. The idea of course is that He wants full access to all of our thoughts, our motives, our plans, our hurts and pains, and all our desires. He doesn’t want to just be a temporary guest. He wants to come in and help us rearrange the furniture, and make our house a home that He and the Father can feel comfortable living in.
Jesus comes to live in us and has all the needed cleaning equipment with Him. He’s ready to dust and clean and polish and shine the different areas of life that have become soiled with the dirt of the world.
Give Jesus the key to every room in your heart today. Give Him the things that trouble you most; the sin the easily snares you; the bruised relationships that have built walls of self-protection around you; the fears, the guilt, and the worry.
He’s a permanent resident in your house, your life. Allow Him to bring His cleansing presence in. He’s never harsh. He will be congenial and easy. He wants to take weights of life from you, and replace them with His peace.
It starts by us humbling ourselves under God’s mighty hand, and then allowing Jesus through His word to speak to the different areas of life. Little by little, He will make our house, our life, His home.