In the natural realm, the more you give away, the less that will remain. In the spiritual realm, the more you give away, the more you will have. Heaven is not limited by natural laws, and neither is the Holy Spirit who dwells in you.
Scarcity is a natural problem, whereas abundance is a spiritual reality. “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:8 NKJV).
There are some whom God has chosen to use to impart the Holy Spirit to others. They are not given some special power that they possess; instead, the extraordinary power of God possesses them that they might be used for the glory of God.
You can only impart to another what is already inside of you. “For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established” (Romans 1:11 NKJV).
Imparting the Holy Spirit may be something God uses someone to do on an ongoing basis as part of their ministry. Or it may be that God will use a person to do this only once or from time to time, as needed for His purposes and to advance His plans.
We are but utensils in the Hands of God, and we argue about whether we are a spoon or a fork. “There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all” (1 Corinthians 12:4-6 NKJV).
For you to be used in such a way does not require that you possess a degree or some special training, but only that you yourself are filled with the Spirit of God. Also, you must be humble enough to be used by God to His glory for what He does through you.
The more selfless you are, the more that God can fill you. “…understand what the will of the Lord is… be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:17-18 NKJV).
Many profess that the Holy Spirit is automatically imparted to you when you accept the free gift of salvation from the Lord Jesus Christ. It very well may happen at the same time, but the Bible teaches that it does not always happen that way.
You may have had your “on the road to Damascus” experience with Jesus Christ, but have you had your “Ananias” experience with being filled with the Holy Spirit? “And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, ‘Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit’” (Acts 9:17 NKJV).
The problem in our churches is that we embrace the doctrines of man more than the doctrines of God as given in His Word and taught by the Holy Spirit. People will argue for whatever position they hold, and will not spend two minutes being taught by the Holy Spirit.
Some of the worst interpretations of God’s Word occur by the intellect of man, void of the Spirit of God. “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you” (John 16:13-14 NIV).
We need to stop putting God into our organized, man-made doctrinal boxes for how He might operate in our lives and those around us. We must not assume that because God did something one way with us, He must then follow the same pattern with everyone else.
The more you try to fit God into a box, the less you know about Him. King Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, wrote this: “Then I saw all the work of God, that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun. For though a man labors to discover it, yet he will not find it; moreover, though a wise man attempts to know it, he will not be able to find it” (Ecclesiastes 8:17 NKJV).
A common way to impart the Holy Spirit or a spiritual gift to someone is to lay your hands on them. When we are filled with the Spirit of God, and He is moving within us and through us, it will be through our arms and our hands that He will flow onto another person.
You’ll never reach your potential on your own. “…Paul…came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples he said to them, ‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?’ So they said to him, ‘We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.’ And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied” (Acts 19:1,2,6 NKJV).
Never think that the power is in your hands, but only that your hands are the conduit through which the power of the Holy Spirit may flow. This pouring out onto another is not something you can buy or deserve, but only something given to you by the decision of God.
The Holy Spirit is not for sale and should never be used to your glory. “The Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them, for they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John laid their hands upon these believers, and they received the Holy Spirit. When Simon saw that the Spirit was given when the apostles laid their hands on people, he offered them money to buy this power. ‘Let me have this power, too,’ he exclaimed, ‘so that when I lay my hands on people, they will receive the Holy Spirit!’ But Peter replied, ‘May your money be destroyed with you for thinking God’s gift can be bought!’” (Acts 8:16-20 NLT).
If God does not use you to impart the Holy Spirit, never think that it is because of some inadequacy in yourself. You may be filled with the Spirit of God and be useful in a hundred other ways. Let God decide how He may use you.
Only the Lord is qualified to assign kingdom roles. “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers” (Ephesians 4:11 NKJV).
Another way to impart the Holy Spirit is to breathe the Spirit onto someone else. Jesus did this with His disciples, and then later He told us we would do even greater things than He did. It’s not that we are greater, but only that He is working through many of us who let Him.
There is an outpouring that must take place. And there must be a receiving of that outpouring. “So Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.’ And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit’” (John 20:21-22 NKJV).
I remember one time when the Lord imparted the Holy Spirit through my breath, and someone told me only Jesus can do that. Then the person I breathed on received the Holy Spirit. When the Lord instructs us on what to do and how to do it, we must simply obey Him.
You cannot be led by the Spirit holding onto the expectations of man. “…I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood” (Galatians 1:16 NKJV).
An impartation may come with a one-on-one ministry experience. Or it may come to many people through the ministering of one or more people. It can come from the Lord Jesus Himself as you draw near to Him in your secret place. Let God choose how.
Theology should be your foundation, not your walls. Never limit God by what you know, and He will show things you never knew. “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know” (Jeremiah 33:3 NKJV).
Jesus never told us exactly how the Holy Spirit would always be given; instead, He told us to ask the Father to receive the Holy Spirit. If you have not yet been filled with the Spirit of God, ask Him to do that now. Keep asking until He does, and then don’t debate with Him about the person or the method He may choose to use to impart His Spirit into you.
You cannot be spiritual without the Spirit. Jesus taught, “If you then, evil as you are, know how to give good gifts [gifts that are to their advantage] to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask and continue to ask Him!” (Luke 11:13 AMPC).
God’s blessings to you always,
Paul Balius