Be Filled With The Spirit

Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. 18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;... Ephesians 5:17,18



Believers understand the free gift of God that we received through Jesus Christ, but He has another gift for you that it would be wise to pursue. It is the gift of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. It is a gift that equips you for the challenges of God's calling in your life. It is a gift that prepares you for the journey. It is a gift that empowers the life of a believer. Yet so many, like the believers that Paul found in Corinth, have not yet received this precious gift. What then should a believer do to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

1. Believe - that it is for you...for all, not just a few or a small group. God wants you to be filled with the Spirit.

Acts 2:39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.

2. Repent and be baptized. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is for the Christian believer. Be sure that you are right with God - born again by repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. Note that it is important to be baptized in water although it is certainly possible to be baptized in the Holy Spirit without water baptism as those at Cornelius' house in Acts 10:47.

Acts 2:38 Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

3. Look with faith to Jesus, He is the baptizer. John the Baptist preached this in Mark 1:8, Luke 3:16, and John 1:33.

Mark 1:8 I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost.

4. Hunger and thrist for the "power from on high" that Christ said He would give you. Let your prayer life be turned to the quest of understanding and receiving in faith "the will of the Lord" spoken of in Ephesians 5:17 and be "filled with the Spirit".

It is a free gift! You can't earn it but instead must believe that Christ wants to fill you with this precious gift.

There are many ways to be receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit, but you must set your mind and heart on Christ. The Holy Spirit comes to glorify Jesus. When your goal in life is the same there is unity and where there is one mind and one spirit it creates fertile ground for the Spirit to work. You might receive the Holy Spirit in church where the Word is preached and an attitude of worship builds your faith. You might receive Him at home during your prayer and worship time. You might receive Him while driving your car or walking and your mind is stayed on Jesus. You might receive Him when a Spirit filled believer lays hands on you. There is no prescription for the place or time, but to the one who has repented and turned their lives over to the Master it is only a matter of believing and seeking.

Pentecost is for you today! It is not a thing of the past or out of the main stream. Pentecost is the normal Christian life. Moving in the power of the Holy Spirit is the way that God intended for us to live our lives. So wait hinders us from receiving this precious and holy gift?