We are meant to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and we are meant to be changed by the Holy Spirit. Our spiritual experience is not to be for our entertainment but for the purposes of God. The Holy Spirit in you will result in the practical outflowing of the Holy Spirit through you.
Some people spend a lifetime striving to become what God can do for them in a single day. “Then the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man” (1 Samuel 10:6 NKJV).
When I teach on what the Holy Spirit can do in the life of a believer, it is from my own experience that I draw from. The Holy Spirit did in me what I was unable to do on my own. This did not come by my own strength, but by my surrender to the Holy Spirit in my life.
You can’t be filled with the Spirit of God and continue as you were before. “For the mind-set of the flesh is death, but the mind-set controlled by the Spirit finds life and peace” (Romans 8:6 TPT).
Whatever it is in you that needs to be changed, the Holy Spirit can do it. God sent the Holy Spirit to change you, and this change takes no effort but only your cooperation. We are to have a communion with the Holy Spirit such that our lives are moved by His life in us.
Don’t try to get back to where you were, but to where the Lord is taking you. “Stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture around you, but be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit through a total reformation of how you think. This will empower you to discern God’s will as you live a beautiful life, satisfying and perfect in his eyes.” (Romans 12:2 TPT).
You know what it takes to have a relationship with a person. You know you must spend time with them, learn about them, listen to them, talk to them, cherish your time with them. Do that with the Holy Spirit. Spirituality is not mystical but practical in words and adoration.
Whenever we’re not strong in a spiritual gift, it’s because we’re not weak before God. “As you yield freely and fully to the dynamic life and power of the Holy Spirit, you will abandon the cravings of your self-life” (Galatians 5:16 TPT).
You can be filled with the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Your job is to be the good ground from which the fruit might grow from. The Holy Spirit produces the fruit, and the fruit is always in relationship between you and others. The fruit is the practical application of the Spirit of God through the life of a believer.
Jesus never said you would discern others by their gifts but by their fruits. “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control…” (Galatians 5:22-23 NLT).
The Holy Spirit in us is never to promote us but to change us that God would get the glory. We are not given the gifts of the Holy Spirit to gain attention from men but to turn the attention of man towards God. Never seek the gifts but the Giver, and you will be a blessing to the kingdom.
Spiritual gifts are not for you, but to be through you. “Even so you, since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, let it be for the edification of the church that you seek to excel” (1 Corinthians 14:12 NKJV).
The Holy Spirit in you will change the lives around you. God does not reign in you to leave you sitting on the bench. You have a purpose and a meaning, and it is up to you to listen to where the Lord is leading you. Don’t squander your life on things that do not matter. Live for God, and you will truly live.
You can accomplish more in one day filled with the Holy Spirit than a lifetime full of yourself. “Barnabas was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and strong in faith. And many people were brought to the Lord” (Acts 11:24 NLT).
Blessings to you,
Paul Balius
The book I recently published called The Promise of the Holy Spirit spoke to the eternal plan and promise of God that the Holy Spirit would fill us and change us. If you have not had a chance to preview it yet, please search for my name on Amazon and you can find it there. I get no profit from the book on man’s terms, but I am hopeful that it might profit a few for the kingdom.
Thank you for sharing this outstanding message and one well-anchored in Scripture. Have a blessed Sunday!
Thank you so much Darryl! It is my hope that people will live out their faith in practical ways that serve the kingdom of God.
Great points as usual, Paul. I would however suggest that cooperation does require effort and the gift of tongues is for our own spirit edification alone unless translation occurs.
Thank you, Tanis. Very true that cooperating is a form of effort. This article did not address speaking in tongues, though I am aware many teach what you have written. I have not written much on this topic.