Being Filled With the Holy Spirit

What does it mean to walk daily in the power of the Holy Spirit?

Reflect

• What words would you use to describe your current experience as a Christian?
• Do you desire more?

Satisfied?

Jesus promised that God’s Holy Spirit would satisfy the thirst, or deepest longings, of all who believe in Jesus Christ. However, many Christians do not understand the Holy Spirit or how to experience Him in their daily lives. The following four points will help you better understand the Holy Spirit and what it means to be filled (directed and empowered) by the Holy Spirit daily and moment by moment.

The Divine Gift—God has given us His Spirit so that we can experience intimacy with Him and enjoy all He has for us. The Holy Spirit is the source of our deepest satisfaction.

What do the following verses say about the Holy Spirit?

John 14:16

I will pray to the Father, and he will give you another Counselor, that he may be with you forever:

1 Corinthians 2:12

But we received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is from God, that we might know the things that were freely given to us by God.

The Holy Spirit is...

1. God’s permanent presence with us. (John 14:16)
2. What enables us to understand and experience all God has given us. (1 Cor. 2:12)
3. The Present Danger—We cannot experience intimacy with God and enjoy all He has for us if we fail to depend on His Spirit.
4. People who trust in their own efforts and strength to live the Christian life will experience failure and frustration, as will those who live to please themselves rather than God.

Galatians 3:3

Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now completed in the flesh?

What is Paul's response to the Galatians who are trying to live by their own strength? (i.e. in the flesh)

Galatians 5:17

For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, that you may not do the things that you desire.

Is it possible live both for selfish desires (i.e. the flesh) and godly desires (i.e. the Spirit)? Which desires do you think gives ultimate satisfaction and joy?

The Bible tells us...

1. We cannot live the Christian life in our own strength. (Gal. 3:3)
2. We cannot enjoy all God desires for us if we live by our self-centered desires. (Gal. 5:17)

Which circle best represents your life currently?

A Christian is a sinner saved by grace. It is possible to be saved and live a self-centered life again. This is what it means resist or quench the Holy Spirit. A self-centered or "carnal" Christian is living for their glory and not for God's glory. A genuine believer in Christ will still go to Heaven but their life on earth will reap the destructive consequences of their disobedience and selfishness. It is not a good way to live!

The Intimate Journey—By walking in the Spirit we increasingly experience intimacy with God and enjoy all He has for us.

Walking in the Spirit moment by moment is a lifestyle. It is learning to depend upon the Holy Spirit for His abundant resources as a way of life.

Galatians 5:16

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you won’t fulfill the lust of the flesh.

How does walking in the Spirit relate to fulfilling the lust of the flesh? Which do you think honors and pleases God?

Galatians 5:22-23

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

How would describe the outcome/results of walking in the Spirit? (i.e. fruits of the Spirit)

The Bible tells us...

1. As we walk in the Spirit, we have the ability to live a life pleasing to God. (Gal. 5:16)
2. As we walk in the Spirit, we experience intimacy with God and all He has for us. (Gal. 5:22-23)
3. The Empowering Presence—We are filled with the Spirit by faith, enabling us to experience intimacy with God and enjoy all He has for us.

Ephesians 3:16-17

That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, that you may be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner person, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, to the end that you, being rooted and grounded in love

It is through what that we experience Christ's strength and power through the Holy Spirit?

Ephesians 5:18

Don’t be drunken with wine, in which is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit

What are the two commands that God gives us in Ephesians 5:18?

1 John 5:14

This is the boldness which we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he listens to us.

It is God's will be filled with the Holy Spirit, so according to 1 John 5:14, what must we do?

The Bible tells us...

1. By faith, we experience God’s power through the Holy Spirit. (Eph. 3:16-17)
2. By faith claim the fullness of the Spirit according to His command and promise (Eph. 5:18, 1 John 5:14)

Application

Spiritual Breathing: is a powerful word picture which can help you experience moment-by-moment dependence upon the Spirit. Just like physical breathing, we must practice spiritual breathing daily and even moment by moment.

• Exhale: Confess your sin to God the moment you become aware of it, turn away your sin, and trust that God forgives because of your faith in Jesus and Him dying on the cross for your sin.
• Inhale: Surrender control of your life to Christ, and rely upon the Holy Spirit to fill you with His presence and power by faith

Discussion

1. Are you ready now to daily surrender control of your life to Jesus?
2. Are you ready now to daily confess your sins to God?
3. Do you sincerely desire to daily be directed and empowered (i.e. filled) by the Holy Spirit?

Final Thoughts

Try praying something like this daily every morning. Pray it throughout the day when you find yourself drifting away from God's Will and/or living in your own strength.

Lord,I surrender my life to you. Your Will be done and not my own. Forgive me for... I pray that you fill me with the Holy Spirit and empower me to serve you and live my life for your glory alone.In Jesus Name, Amen.