Guide, empower, protect. Isn’t it wonderful what the Spirit does for us? But let’s get practical. How can we access these blessings? Learning about what the Holy Spirit can do is not what we most want. Experiencing it is!
Are you operating in the Spirit’s power? How can you be sure?
So there’s something you need to know about, called filling with the Holy Spirit. If you are a believer in Christ, you have already received the Holy Spirit. He has come to dwell within you. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that you are operating in His power, guidance, and protection, not to mention His other wonderful qualities. You might be operating more out of your sinful nature. And that’s why, periodically, you need a new filling of the Spirit.
Ephesians 5:18 says (simply enough), “Be filled with the Spirit.” This is an ongoing practice of surrendering to the Holy Spirit. To be filled with the Spirit, you simply have to let go of your resistance and invite Him in.
Sound appealing? If you want to know if you need this filling, then here’s the litmus test: Are you surrendered to the will of God or aren’t you? Be honest. If you aren’t surrendered to God (or aren’t surrendered fully), then you need more of the Spirit. However wonderful your relationship with Him might once have been, you need to be filled with Him anew—now.
The late evangelist, Bill Bright, would refer to what he called “spiritual breathing.” He would encourage people to “breathe out” by confessing their sin and then “breathe in” by asking the Spirit to fill them. It is a way of keeping close to God all the time. Try it. Be filled with the Spirit, and then be filled with the Spirit again and again, as needed, in the days to come.
You will find that the blessings of the Spirit in your life will go from being periodically seen in your life to being normal for you. And thus you will have achieved what you could never have achieved on your own—you’ll be ready for God’s best in marriage as a work of kindly grace by the Spirit. Praise God!
