Selected Scripture

  • REV. 19:16 AND HE HAS ON HIS ROBE AND ON HIS THIGH A NAME WRITTEN: "KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS."

Friday, February 2, 2018

The Spirit Filled Life




Intro: When Jesus died and was resurrected, He promised to send the Holy Spirit to comfort and counsel us, and to lead us into all truth. Without the Spirit nothing can be accomplished for God. We must live our lives each day in the power of the Holy Spirit to be overcomers.
  1. We are to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 5:18 (NKJV) And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit. This command is in the present tense which means that the believer is to be constantly filled with the Spirit; he is to keep on being filled. The Holy Spirit is to infill the believer continuously. The Spirit's filling is the personal manifestation of the presence of Christ to the believer who walks obediently day by day . It is a consciousness of His presence, of His leadership—moment by moment. It is living our lives in the power of His Spirit. But the Spirit's filling is not automatic. The responsibility of being filled with the Spirit rests upon the shoulders of the believer. He is filled only as he walks in submission to Christ. We are to pray and believe God for the filling of His Spirit in our own lives and take advantage of this power God has for us. Then we have freedom, ability and power to pray for the outpouring of the Spirit of God on the church, its efforts, on individuals, and on all mankind. When we have once learned to walk with the Father through the filling of the Holy Spirit, then we can most confidently pray for ourselves, our church, families, nation and for others too.
II. We are to be led and guided by the Holy Spirit. [Romans 8:14] (NKJV) For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. Believers not only have the Spirit within, but they are also to be led by the Spirit. When we are being led by the Spirit, only then are we children of God. As the Spirit leads us, He guide us into all truth. John 16:13-14 (NKJV) 13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. 14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. We can not know truth unless the Holy Spirit reveals it to us. The Spirit takes the truth in God's word and reveals the way we should live our lives. God the Father says My way is best for you. He doesn't want us to be led astray or taken advantage of by anyone.
III. We are to walk (live) in the Spirit. [Galatians 5:16- 25]Galatians 5:16-25 (NKJV) 16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Living our lives every day in the Spirit, being led by Him, walking hand in hand with Him, is the only way to overcome sin of all kinds and receive the favor and blessings that God intends for us to have. In Galatians 5:25 it says; If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. When the Holy Spirit leads, believers must follow. Since believers have been made alive by the Holy Spirit, He ought to direct the course of their lives. Unless we actively pursue contact with the Holy Spirit and obey his leading, we will be unable to resist the passions and desires of our flesh listed in verses 19-21.
Evidence of walking in the Spirit is listed in verses 22-24 of Galatians chapter 5. How are you doing?

IV. We are to pray in the Spirit. [Jude 20-21] But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, (v:21) keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
We believers are to build up our lives upon our holy faith. We are to study, meditate, learn, memorize, and live out the Scripture. We are to build upon what we have learned and then continue to build more and more. The only way believers can do this is to study the holy faith, the living Word of God. The believer builds by praying in the Spirit. To pray in the Spirit means that we pray under His guidance and influence, under His energy and power. That we seek and ask His help as we approach the throne of grace. We focus our minds and concentrate upon the Holy Spirit helping us to pray, and depend upon Him to help us. We ask and depend upon the Holy Spirit to cleanse our requests and make sure that what we ask is according to the will of God. We walk in the Spirit day by day and offer unbroken communication to God all day long. We set quiet time aside every day and wrestle in prayer before God for the needs of loved ones and for the needs of God's people and for the world—all in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Conclusion: The Father says He will be found by those who diligently seek Him. God alone can give you and I what we need for each day, in every circumstance and situation. In Him is fullness of life and joy forever more. In Him are the answers to all our problems. May we live our lives in the fullness of the Holy Spirit of God, praying in the Spirit, being led and guided by Him each day.
Invitation: As you focus on what you have read, let the Spirit of God lead you to the decision that you need to make. Has there been a time in your life where you stopped and confessed you sins to Jesus and asked Him to forgive you of those sins and to save you? If you have not now is the time to do that.

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