"All the days of my hard service I will wait for my renewal to come:" (Job 14:14).
"So you by the help of your God, return, hold fast to love and justice, and wait continually for your God" (Hosea 12:6).
"Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!" (Psalm 27:14).
This is how to be filled with the Holy Spirit 101--a primer and very elementary for those who haven't been around the block theologically. You don't catch the Spirit like you catch a cold or by just hanging around well-meaning and Spirit-filled believers (though this may be a contributing factor). Sometimes it may seem like someone has "more" of the Spirit because of his personality or charisma--be leery of this kind of stereotyping and be on guard! The first order of the day: (fellowship) Go where the Spirit is! (For most people this is church.) May we all join the apostle John: "I was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day."
There is a common misconception pertaining to the filling. Whenever you are led by the Spirit to do something, you are simultaneously filled to the necessary measure (He gives the Spirit without measure)--they go hand-in-hand, i.e., they can be distinguished, but not separated. Being led by the Spirit is another way of saying that you are controlled by the Spirit and not yourself--Jesus is on the throne of your life and you are lifting Him up in service. The filling is not for your own benefit, but for the building up or edifying of the body of Christ at large. Everyone's personal experience varies and no one can define what it is for another. "For as many as are led by the Spirit of Christ, these are sons of God."
It is a simple matter to enter into His divine presence via the ministry of the Holy Spirit in order to gain entree or access into that heavenly dimension where the throne of God resides. It sounds like a surreal experience, but it is for real. We "Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise!" (Cf. Psalm 100:4, ESV). The power of praise is the route of holiness to have an audience with the Heavenly Father, in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, in the power of the Holy Spirit. Attitude is often the inhibiting factor in our experiential holiness and lifestyle. We choose to have an attitude of gratitude and to thank God for what He has done and will do and to praise Him for who He is.
The Spirit affects different people in different ways and we are to welcome the diversity and even celebrate it. Some people are highly contemplative and find pleasure and meaning in adoration of spiritual ideas and doctrines, some people are highly intellectually inclined and find pleasure in using their minds and figuring things out or studying, while others may be caregivers and are given to lending a hand and meeting a need, that others may not even see. Note that above all we are not to compare ourselves with ourselves, but be faithful to our own calling and gifting (cf. 2 Cor. 10:12). Bear in mind that some people are stoical and some are rather demonstrative and free-spirited in expressing themselves--but there will be feeling--and there's no one-size-fits-all approach to spirituality--don't judge!
Don't get into the trap of gift-projection (thinking everyone should be like you), or gift-envy (thinking you need to be like someone else or have their gift). There is no personality profile to look for (except you may be accused of being inebriated or euphoric--"...the prophet is a fool, the man of the spirit is mad," says Hosea 9:7, ESV), you must be ready to accept whatever God throws your way and whom He puts in your path.
Every believer has a different experience with the Holy Spirit and may have private M.O.s to get excited in the Lord. For me, intense Bible reading always puts me in the mood because God really speaks to me and this instigates prayer response and dialog. For some, I hear they listen to praise or worship music or Christian radio and get lifted in the Spirit via this medium. The best channel of blessing, in my opinion, is a variation or combo of methodologies and not to be too dependent on anyone. But, if it works for you I won't knock it! The goal is to get filled and to be equipped for service.
Elisha prayed for twice the Spirit of Elijah and he got it, but that is not normative. The way it works is that we are all filled with the Spirit upon salvation and this is subject to the grieving that we do by sinning, and when we get out of fellowship we need to rebound back by confessing any known sin or sins, i.e., keep short accounts with God and walk in the Spirit or what Brother Lawrence wrote about in a famous book called The Practice of the Presence of God. It isn't how much of the Spirit you have--it's how much of you the Spirit has! Like John the Baptist said: "He must increase, I must decrease." The way up is down!
Before filling comes emptying and this is done by examining ourselves and judging ourselves so that we not be judged--leave no sin unjudged or unconfessed is good counsel, and agree with God or say the same thing as the Bible says (the literal meaning of confessing or call a spade a spade!). Newsflash: We all are filled upon salvation, but remember your first love and the love and relationship you first had with Christ--many brothers have left their first love. God's power can change your personality as well as your character and God won't give up until He sees Himself in you (a work in progress). So don't hold out on God, He has bought you with a price and owns you.
No believer is a Rock or Island like Christ, and we all need each other's fellowship and encouragement. Barnabas was called a "son of encouragement!" We can lift each other up when we are strong and someone is weak and needs us. Look for opportunities to minister to one another and edify and encourage each other! No amount of hanging around the right crowd will save you or give you the filling of the Spirit (you must already be saved and in fellowship with God), you must individually make reconciliation with God and settle all accounts, leaving no rock "un-turned."
God promises to give the Spirit to all who ask sincerely because He is a good Father who delights in giving to His children anything that is good. Do we ask for a filling? Basically, fillings are for doing God's will and some specific calling or anointing. God commands us to continually and constantly (cf, Eph. 5:18) to be filled with the Spirit--through the manifestation of it will vary according to the need of God's ministry.
There are signs to look for: joy, love, peace, and patience come to mind--look for the fruit of the Spirit comes alive in your life and in your brothers as the witness of salvation--no fruit, no salvation! We are commanded in 2 Cor. 13:5 to examine ourselves [not each other]. Mind your own business! Consecrate and offer yourself to the Lord to do His bidding and will, whatever the cross to bear! Surely, you must have a passion that is the desire of your heart--"Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you," says James 4:8. To be filled we must be willing to do God's will and submit to it in relinquishment and surrender. The most ideal prayer is what Jesus prayed at Gethsemane: Thy will be done.
Focus on this: Wherever two or three are gathered together in Christ's name, He is present spiritually, so it helps to be around other Christians and not live like a hermit or recluse--we need each other and are all part of His body. Fellowship with God the Father and Jesus Christ as well as our brethren are all part of the bonus and fringe benefit of being saved. Just as the Godhead is expressed in a tripersonality, or in three persons, so the filling of the Spirit has expressed in the complete body of Christ--no one person is the embodiment or personification of the Spirit-filled believer. This is why the church is an organism, not an organization--all the members work intricately together to the same end of glorifying Christ. In sum: In God's economy, emptying comes before filling and confession before forgiveness and restoration. Soli Deo Gloria!
"So you by the help of your God, return, hold fast to love and justice, and wait continually for your God" (Hosea 12:6).
"Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!" (Psalm 27:14).
This is how to be filled with the Holy Spirit 101--a primer and very elementary for those who haven't been around the block theologically. You don't catch the Spirit like you catch a cold or by just hanging around well-meaning and Spirit-filled believers (though this may be a contributing factor). Sometimes it may seem like someone has "more" of the Spirit because of his personality or charisma--be leery of this kind of stereotyping and be on guard! The first order of the day: (fellowship) Go where the Spirit is! (For most people this is church.) May we all join the apostle John: "I was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day."
There is a common misconception pertaining to the filling. Whenever you are led by the Spirit to do something, you are simultaneously filled to the necessary measure (He gives the Spirit without measure)--they go hand-in-hand, i.e., they can be distinguished, but not separated. Being led by the Spirit is another way of saying that you are controlled by the Spirit and not yourself--Jesus is on the throne of your life and you are lifting Him up in service. The filling is not for your own benefit, but for the building up or edifying of the body of Christ at large. Everyone's personal experience varies and no one can define what it is for another. "For as many as are led by the Spirit of Christ, these are sons of God."
It is a simple matter to enter into His divine presence via the ministry of the Holy Spirit in order to gain entree or access into that heavenly dimension where the throne of God resides. It sounds like a surreal experience, but it is for real. We "Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise!" (Cf. Psalm 100:4, ESV). The power of praise is the route of holiness to have an audience with the Heavenly Father, in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, in the power of the Holy Spirit. Attitude is often the inhibiting factor in our experiential holiness and lifestyle. We choose to have an attitude of gratitude and to thank God for what He has done and will do and to praise Him for who He is.
The Spirit affects different people in different ways and we are to welcome the diversity and even celebrate it. Some people are highly contemplative and find pleasure and meaning in adoration of spiritual ideas and doctrines, some people are highly intellectually inclined and find pleasure in using their minds and figuring things out or studying, while others may be caregivers and are given to lending a hand and meeting a need, that others may not even see. Note that above all we are not to compare ourselves with ourselves, but be faithful to our own calling and gifting (cf. 2 Cor. 10:12). Bear in mind that some people are stoical and some are rather demonstrative and free-spirited in expressing themselves--but there will be feeling--and there's no one-size-fits-all approach to spirituality--don't judge!
Don't get into the trap of gift-projection (thinking everyone should be like you), or gift-envy (thinking you need to be like someone else or have their gift). There is no personality profile to look for (except you may be accused of being inebriated or euphoric--"...the prophet is a fool, the man of the spirit is mad," says Hosea 9:7, ESV), you must be ready to accept whatever God throws your way and whom He puts in your path.
Every believer has a different experience with the Holy Spirit and may have private M.O.s to get excited in the Lord. For me, intense Bible reading always puts me in the mood because God really speaks to me and this instigates prayer response and dialog. For some, I hear they listen to praise or worship music or Christian radio and get lifted in the Spirit via this medium. The best channel of blessing, in my opinion, is a variation or combo of methodologies and not to be too dependent on anyone. But, if it works for you I won't knock it! The goal is to get filled and to be equipped for service.
Elisha prayed for twice the Spirit of Elijah and he got it, but that is not normative. The way it works is that we are all filled with the Spirit upon salvation and this is subject to the grieving that we do by sinning, and when we get out of fellowship we need to rebound back by confessing any known sin or sins, i.e., keep short accounts with God and walk in the Spirit or what Brother Lawrence wrote about in a famous book called The Practice of the Presence of God. It isn't how much of the Spirit you have--it's how much of you the Spirit has! Like John the Baptist said: "He must increase, I must decrease." The way up is down!
Before filling comes emptying and this is done by examining ourselves and judging ourselves so that we not be judged--leave no sin unjudged or unconfessed is good counsel, and agree with God or say the same thing as the Bible says (the literal meaning of confessing or call a spade a spade!). Newsflash: We all are filled upon salvation, but remember your first love and the love and relationship you first had with Christ--many brothers have left their first love. God's power can change your personality as well as your character and God won't give up until He sees Himself in you (a work in progress). So don't hold out on God, He has bought you with a price and owns you.
No believer is a Rock or Island like Christ, and we all need each other's fellowship and encouragement. Barnabas was called a "son of encouragement!" We can lift each other up when we are strong and someone is weak and needs us. Look for opportunities to minister to one another and edify and encourage each other! No amount of hanging around the right crowd will save you or give you the filling of the Spirit (you must already be saved and in fellowship with God), you must individually make reconciliation with God and settle all accounts, leaving no rock "un-turned."
God promises to give the Spirit to all who ask sincerely because He is a good Father who delights in giving to His children anything that is good. Do we ask for a filling? Basically, fillings are for doing God's will and some specific calling or anointing. God commands us to continually and constantly (cf, Eph. 5:18) to be filled with the Spirit--through the manifestation of it will vary according to the need of God's ministry.
There are signs to look for: joy, love, peace, and patience come to mind--look for the fruit of the Spirit comes alive in your life and in your brothers as the witness of salvation--no fruit, no salvation! We are commanded in 2 Cor. 13:5 to examine ourselves [not each other]. Mind your own business! Consecrate and offer yourself to the Lord to do His bidding and will, whatever the cross to bear! Surely, you must have a passion that is the desire of your heart--"Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you," says James 4:8. To be filled we must be willing to do God's will and submit to it in relinquishment and surrender. The most ideal prayer is what Jesus prayed at Gethsemane: Thy will be done.
Focus on this: Wherever two or three are gathered together in Christ's name, He is present spiritually, so it helps to be around other Christians and not live like a hermit or recluse--we need each other and are all part of His body. Fellowship with God the Father and Jesus Christ as well as our brethren are all part of the bonus and fringe benefit of being saved. Just as the Godhead is expressed in a tripersonality, or in three persons, so the filling of the Spirit has expressed in the complete body of Christ--no one person is the embodiment or personification of the Spirit-filled believer. This is why the church is an organism, not an organization--all the members work intricately together to the same end of glorifying Christ. In sum: In God's economy, emptying comes before filling and confession before forgiveness and restoration. Soli Deo Gloria!
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