Note 7 at Eph. 3:17: Christ indwells every believer at the moment of salvation (Rom. 8:9). So why then is Paul praying that Christ would dwell in their hearts by faith? The answer lies in the fact that our heart is comprised of our soul and our spirit (see note 3 at Mt. 12:34, p. 188).

The instant a person makes Jesus his Lord (see note 9 at Rom. 10:9, p. 815), the Father sends forth the Spirit of His Son (Gal. 4:6) into our hearts (i.e. spirits; see note 9 at 2 Cor. 5:17, p. 1005). But we have to believe with all our heart (spirit and soul) to see or feel the results in our bodies. Therefore, Paul is praying that the presence of Christ, which is already a reality in our spirit, will become a reality to our soul (through the renewing of the mind-see note 9 at Rom. 12:2, p. 826). This is a matter of faith (see note 8 at this verse, below).

Note 8 at Eph. 3:17: Most people would like this prayer much better if Paul had not put in this little phrase "by faith." The truth is, most Christians don't like doing anything "by faith." They would rather have Christ in their heart by feeling than by faith. There is a difference.

Faith will sometimes produce feelings, but feelings are not faith. If the average Christian doesn't feel the presence of the Lord, he doesn't believe He's REALLY there. This is illustrated in some of the silly prayers we pray, like: "Lord we ask that You would be with us today," or "We ask You to go with us throughout this week." What prayers of unbelief! The Lord promised that He would never leave us or forsake us (Heb. 13:5). So, any prayer that assumes His absence and asks Him to come or remain is wrong.

This all goes back to feelings. We know that He promised He would never leave us but we don't FEEL His presence at times. Paul was praying that instead of being dominated by feelings, we would renew our minds and perceive by faith, not feeling, that Christ was in our soul.

Note 9 at Eph. 3:17: Paul isn't describing just a casual acquaintance with God's love. He is speaking of an intimate understanding and experiential knowledge of the depths of God's love. Just as a tree's roots provide stability and nourishment for the tree, so also our revelation of God's love is the foundation on which everything else we receive from God is built.