He Has You

I have always had a sense of inadequacy in myself to do ministry. When I minister alongside others, I am always so glad to just sit to the side and be nothing. When I am called to minister on my own, whether by speaking or with writing, I am helpless to do anything of my own power.

This inadequacy has forced me to plead with the Lord that He would help me. In however I serve Him, I fall helplessly before Him and pray for the power of the Holy Spirit to help me. The secret of the power of the Holy Spirit is that it only comes by receiving and not by our attaining.

Holy Spirit power does not come by taking but by receiving. Jesus taught us, “…you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you…” (Acts 1:8).

Jesus did not say take hold of the power, rather He said, “…you shall receive power…” (Acts 1:8).

Some people teach that the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is a one-time occurrence that happens at conversion, and there is nothing more after that. I am so sad when people teach that, as I believe they are teaching only to the level of their own meager experience with the Holy Spirit.

Listen to the Word of God more than those who water it down to match their own experience. Many well-meaning teachers try to limit the Holy Spirit to the detriment of the believer. Whenever in doubt, the Word of God trumps all. Start believing the Word of God more than the word of man.

Many people are so convinced they have received the fullness of the Holy Spirit that they don’t seek anything more, and so they get nothing more. Jesus taught, “…how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask and continue to ask Him!” (Luke 11:13 AMPC).

Peter and John had been filled with the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Later they gathered together with friends and were filled again. ”And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 4:31).

There is an indwelling of the Holy Spirit at our conversion, for it is the Spirit that does the work in the heart of a new believer. But there is a greater filling and an ongoing filling available to those who dare to go after it. We must ask that we might receive. Pray each day for a greater filling of the Holy Spirit and watch what God will do with that.

The greater the yielding to the Holy Spirit, the greater the filling of the Holy Spirit. “And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit…” (Acts 2:4).

Your thirst for the Holy Spirit determines how much you will drink. The Lord Jesus said, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. …this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive…” (John 7:37,39).

I can tell a message given by the power of man. It sounds good but moves little. It is sometimes clever but always shallow. It has gimmicks but no gumption. It stirs the flesh but not the spirit. It impresses man but does not change him. It will draw more laughs than tears.

It makes more friends than saints. It makes people feel comfortable as they are. It takes more effort to prepare than to deliver but delivers less and prepares nothing. It pleases men more than teaches them. It tastes good but nourishes little. It sounds nice but has no power.

It tries to take earth to heaven instead of bringing heaven down to earth. It is born of flesh and has no life of the Spirit. It does not upset the elders or the unsaved, which in some cases are one and the same. It was born out of the tombs of men’s offices and not wrestled for in the prayer closet alone with God.

The problem we have is never God’s limit of giving; rather it is our limit of receiving. “…‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6).

Being filled with the Holy Spirit has more to do with your surrendering than His conquering. “…present your bodies a living sacrifice…” (Romans 12:1).

Oh, what I would give to have more weak and feeble preachers on earth who have no choice but to rely upon our God. You can only give a word of the Lord if the Lord Himself has given a word to you. I learned a long time ago that I cannot do anything of kingdom value in ministry without the Holy Spirit power upon me. The same is true for you.

When you are filled by the Holy Spirit, you are no longer just a man or a woman. Micah the prophet wrote, “But truly I am full of power by the Spirit of the Lord…” (Micah 3:8).

When I would serve in prisons, before going in I would fast and pray, then right before going in I would fall down before God and plead with Him to pour out His Spirit upon me. And pour out He did. I do not say this to promote myself, but to promote the Holy Spirit and what He can do for you. He has never failed me, and friend, He will never fail you.

When you are tapping into the resources of heaven, there will be nothing on earth that can stop you. “My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth” (Psalm 121:2).

It is a wonderful thing when once you realize you do not have to serve Him of your own power. If you want to start a movement, be the movement. Make it your mission to be the one in your circle of influence who inspires others to be filled with the fullness of the Holy Spirit.

Blessings to you,

Paul Balius

All Scripture is quoted from the New King James Version unless otherwise noted. Please use the version you prefer to review the verses shown here. The best version is the one you read. An even better version is the one you live.