How To
Release The Holy Spirit
Into Your Life
(Ephesians 5:18-21 NKJV) And do
not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,
{19} speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing
and making melody in your heart to the Lord, {20} giving thanks always for all
things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, {21} submitting
to one another in the fear of God.
(Luke 11:11-13 NKJV) "If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? {12} "Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? {13} "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!"
(Matthew 3:11-12 NKJV) "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. {12} "His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."
(Acts 2:33 NKJV) "Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear.
The aim of this article is to inform you of the transforming power of the Holy Spirit and to encourage you to live a life that either suddenly or gradually increases in victory and power. It is not the aim of this article to turn you into a charismatic or a Pentecostal. I want to show you some of what is available in the Kingdom of God and encourage to lay hold upon it. There is a lot more to church and the Christian life than hard work and duty. There is joy, there is peace of mind, there is a whole new fresh way of living in the gentle power of the Holy Spirit.
Here is a quick tour: We can ask God to give us the Holy Spirit (Luke 11:13) and to fill us with the Holy Spirit (Eph 5:18). Scripture tells us that Jesus "baptizes" us with the Holy Spirit (Matt 3:11,12, Acts 2:33), that is He pours it out in power on believers so they can function in the body of Christ (1 Cor 12:13). The prime work of the Holy Spirit is making believers like Jesus (Romans 8:26-31) and enabling them to minister to one another in love and truth (Ephesians 4:11-16). This involves spiritual gifts (1 Cor 12:1-11) being used in love (1 Cor 13:1-7) for mutual edification. Being filled with the Spirit is God's will (Eph 5:18) and is also a CHOICE we can make as an alternative to a lifestyle of dissipation (Eph 5:18). It produces true spiritual joy (Eph 5:18-21) and can be sought through prayer (Luke 11:9-13).
Asking God For The Holy Spirit
Sometimes very precious
spiritual things can be lost or "unclaimed". At one time the book
of Deuteronomy itself was lost! Until it was discovered in the Temple by Josiah.
Life in the power of God with the infilling presence of the Holy Spirit was
a New Testament reality that, like the book of Deuteronomy, got "lost in
the attic" for a long while. It is now being rediscovered by countless
Christians. So they go searching, and those who seek, find and those who ask,
receive and to those who knock the door shall be opened. We need to press into
God for more and more of His Kingdom realities and a deeper filling with the
Holy Spirit.
Believers receive the Holy
Spirit at conversion and then ideally deepen their relationship with Him over
the years. The "linkages" between the believer and the indwelling
power of the Holy Spirit grow stronger and more effective. The believer grows
in wisdom grace and power and from time to time experiences breakthroughs in
their walk with God that I shall call "releases" of the Holy Spirit.
We don't get "more of" the Holy Spirit in a quantity (you cannot get
more of a person and the Holy Spirit is personal) but we get "more"
in the sense of relationship and power. Love relationships can, in a way, be
measured. Have you ever heard a wife can say to her husband "I want all
of you ..." Thus from our perspective we can get "more of the Holy
Spirit" that is sense the reality of His Presence with us more deeply and
with greater reality. We can move into a deeper, stronger and more committed
relationship full of peace, joy and power.
How do we do this?
The release of the Holy
Spirit into your life involves seeking, repenting and asking. There are many
obstacles in our hearts that choke the Spirit's work. These include bitterness,
anger, wrath, clamor, unbelief, being too controlling, immorality and involvement
in pornography or the occult. You cannot have the fullness of Holy Spirit and
bitterness. You will have to choose between the two.
(Ephesians
4:30-32 NKJV) And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed
for the day of redemption. {31} Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and
evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. {32} And be kind to one
another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave
you.
As we seek
the fullness of the Holy Spirit we will often become aware of areas that are
contrary to His operation in us. As we repent of them then the Holy Spirit is
no longer grieved and His joy fills us. In true revivals we see that there is
always seeking God, there is always repenting and there is always asking for
more and more of his Presence and power.
I do not have a "formula" for seeking, repenting and asking. I cannot tell you how long it will take or exactly what you should do. Some people are greatly assisted by certain forms of worship, others by fasting and self-denial, others by a daily quite time with God. Whatever the method you use it must involve earnest and diligent seeking, repenting and asking of God.
Obstacles
If its just that simple why is not revival, at least on the personal level, far more common? Because we tenaciously hold on to certain sins and attitudes that block the operation of God. We distrust the surgeon who can save us. For instance if we: nationalize certain sins away particularly those involving money or sex. Refuse to forgive people under the banner of "justice". place limits on how God can work today. Think we are respectable and do not need renewal. Despise renewal and the miraculous. Play around with the Scriptures, believing some and discarding some. Keep idols and occult items in our house "for cultural value" (see Deut 7:25) play with astrology, Wicca, fortune-telling or contact the dead. Think that if we let God in He will "make us missionaries in Tibet" and ruin our happiness. Think we are unworthy of God's love or of him doing anything wonderful in our lives. See renewal as being for "other people in other lands at other times". give up our pursuit of God far too easily. Invent theologies that have God as remote. Do not acknowledge Jesus as the only way to salvation. (Surprisingly common)
To address all these blockages one by one would be a very long article indeed! What we do need to do however is to stop sinning against God and start loving Him enthusiastically with our whole hearts. As we do this and repent of the above list of sins then a renewed life will become a real and wonderful possibility. God may renew people before they have fully repented of their involvement with the above sins but I have never seen renewal without at least some serious dealing with sin on the part of the person involved.
To do this is a seven step process:
1. Acknowledge your sin before God. Tell God that He is righteous and just and that you agree with His assessment of your sin.
2. Acknowledge the sin's grip on you and your desire to be free of it forever.
3. Ask for God's forgiveness of your sin.
4. Ask Jesus to fill you with His Holy Spirit.
5. Make restitution and reconcile with those you may have hurt. If the sin is only between you and God then leave it there. If it involves one other person go put it right with just that person. If it involves a group then acknowledge that to the group and seek their forgiveness.
6. Destroy any objects involved with your sin e.g. pornography or objects and books used in witchcraft, astrology, pagan religions, idolatry, masonry, etc. (See Deuteronomy 7:5, 25 and Acts 19:19)
7. Press on to higher ground through obedience, prayer, fellowship and bible study. Get involved in the things of God. God only gives you power and strength so you can use it to bless others.
Building On The Blessing
Once you have received a releasing of the Holy Spirit into your life you need to build on it for ministry and service and growth in Christian character. The blessings of God are not sensual moments to be enjoyed like good music or a meal. They are stepping stones to holiness, Christian character and a blessed and productive life that is useful in building the Kingdom of God here on earth.
When the Holy Spirit comes upon you in power there is a tendency to gain an extra level of functioning known as a "spiritual gift". In Samson's case it was great strength, in Solomon's it was wisdom, in Peter the ability to work miracles, in Paul the apostolic gift and calling. This extra level of functioning needs to be learned and practiced so that it integrates with the whole of life and with God's purposes for His church. Spiritual gifts are not status symbols any more than the servants towel is a status symbol. The spiritual gifts are there for you to use the power of God in love for the edification and support of other believers and the conversion of those outside the Kingdom.
Do not leave you blessing gift wrapped in a silver box. Take it out and use it. Admiring what God has just done for you is good, but it will soon be time to put your new level of functioning to use in the real world. If the renewal has left you more peaceful it will be time to show that at work when you are under pressure. If it has made you more loving then display that love at home and grow it and strengthen it.
This article may be freely reproduced for non-profit ministry purposes but may not be sold in any way. For permission to use articles in your ministry, e-mail the editor, John Edmiston at johned@aibi.ph.