Filled with the Holy Spirit 🕊️💦

Do you want to be “filled with the Holy Spirit”? 🕊️ In Church, we sing songs about this. We pray prayers about this. But what does it really mean to be filled with the Spirit and how does it happen? What is the difference between being “filled with the Spirit” and receiving the “gift of the Spirit“? (When you receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior).✝️

On July 29, 2023, the Lord Jesus Christ downloaded a Word of knowledge into my Spirit that I feel led to share. Please pray for discernment. Rhema Words of knowledge should never contradict the written word of God (Bible).

When we repent from sin and receive Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, we receive the FREE GIFT of the HOLY SPIRIT. Holy Spirit is God in Spirit form. 🕊️ He is the third person of the Godhead (Triune God – Father/Son/Holy Spirit). Holy Spirit is a person, not just a “force” or “power”. Holy Spirit (SPIRIT OF GOD) was present in the BEGINNING and was a powerful part of the Creation story.

Job 26:13: By His Spirit He adorned the heavens;
His hand pierced the fleeing serpent.

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.🌍 ² The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God🕊️ was hovering over the face of the waters.

Holy Spirit has been present on the earth since the beginning, drawing men to God through FAITH and helping mankind fulfill God’s Will on the earth.

In the Old Testament, The Holy Spirit would “come upon” people such as Joshua (Numbers 27:18), Saul (1 Samuel 10:10) and David (1 Samuel 16:12-13). In the book of Judges, we see the Spirit “coming upon” the various judges whom God raised up to deliver Israel from their oppressors.  The Holy Spirit came upon these individuals for specific tasks.

Holy Spirit did not permanently INDWELL mankind; however, UNTIL Jesus Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. This is because God cannot dwell with sin, so all sin had to be blotted out by Jesus Christ before Holy Spirit could dwell within a person’s heart. Holy Spirit only dwells within the believer’s heart. God’s Spirit may draw an unbeliever to repentance and faith in Christ, but He does not live within them until they TRULY BELIEVE and RECEIVE Jesus Christ as their LORD and SAVIOR. ✝️

Holy Spirit works to transform the believer’s heart into something that looks more like Jesus Christ. The work of God’s Spirit is to GLORIFY the LORD JESUS CHRIST!🙌🏻💕✝️

God’s Spirit performs many functions in the life of a believer. He is our best friend, comforter, advocate, teacher, helper, director, and protecter. He helps the believer to know God better. He carries our prayers directly to God and takes God’s thoughts and reveals them to us. Holy Spirit connects us to God.

God’s Spirit🕊️ is still separating light from darkness….

As it was in the Creation story, so it is in the heart and life of the believer. In the beginning, GOD’S SPIRIT moved upon the face of the deep, dark, chaotic waters working in conjunction with HIS WORD (“Let there be Light”), to separate darkness from light, chaos from order. It is the same within the heart /spirit of mankind. The natural state of the spirit of man is dark, sin-filled, chaotic. But when we are born again, God’s Spirit regenerates our spirits, bringing us from darkness to light, from chaos to order. Only after we receive the Spirit of God can we rightly understand Spiritual truths.

Once a person is born again, Holy Spirit begins the work of transforming the soul/life of a believer.

He (Holy Spirit) convicts us of sin and of righteousness, meaning that He points out our sin so that we can repent and seek God’s forgiveness. The closer we draw to God, the more we will recognize and even mourn our own sin. (John 16:8). Holy Spirit not only points out our sin, He empowers us so that we can overcome it. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we can overcome every device and scheme of the devil.

God’s Spirit leads us into all truth. (John 16:13) God’s Spirit is always working in us to help us discern between Good and Evil. He helps us recognize deception. He also leads us into all truth by correctly helping us to interpret the Word of God. As in the beginning, the Word of God and the Spirit of God are working in tandem to move us from darkness (LIES) and bring us into the light (TRUTH).

Holy Spirit also intercedes on our behalf before the Father with groans too deep for words. (Romans 8:26-27) Sometimes we don’t know what to pray for because we may not know the Will of God in a particular matter. But Holy Spirit, who IS God, always knows the mind of God, so He prays FOR us!

Holy Spirit is the giver of GOOD GIFTS such as WISDOM, REVELATION, KNOWLEDGE, UNDERSTANDING, and POWER. (1 Corinthians 12)

Holy Spirit writes God’s LAWS on our hearts💖. He gives us the DESIRE to obey the Laws and precepts of God, although we will never do it perfectly. This is the same thing as writing God’s LOVE on our hearts because Jesus tells us that if we LOVE HIM, we will KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS. Love oils the wheels of obedience.

• GOD’S LOVE FOR US SAVED US (JOHN 3:16) ✝️
• Our LOVE for GOD LEADS US TO DO OUR BEST TO OBEY HIM (John 14:15)
• Our DESIRE TO OBEY God’s laws/precepts/WORD…is the PROOF OF OUR FAITH (James 2:18)

Holy Spirit PRODUCES FRUIT in the life of a believer, such as LOVE, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE, KINDNESS, GOODNESS (GRACE), GENTLENESS, FAITHFULNESS AND SELF-CONTROL.

Holy Spirit will transform our MORTAL FLESH into an IMMORTAL BODY when the Trumpet sounds (Philippians 3:21)

When the disciples saw the RISEN CHRIST, HE (JESUS) breathed into their nostrils and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit”. What a PHENOMINAL GIFT!!! 🎁

Holy Spirit is the DEPOSIT of our INHERITANCE!!! (Ephesians 1:13-14)

God instructs the believer to walk by the Spirit and NOT by the flesh. What does it mean to “walk by the spirit”? This means that Holy Spirit should direct our thoughts, actions, and decisions. When we “walk by the spirit” we are telling God, He is in control of our lives, not us. Walking by the spirit will involve things like….

• Obeying God’s “Law of Liberty”
• Avoiding even the temptation to sin
• Repenting from sin when we mess up and seek God’s forgiveness
• Speaking words that lift up rather than tear down (James 3)
• Care/Empathy towards others more than “self” (generosity, self-sacrificial service)
• Embracing humility, grace and mercy,
• Rejecting pride, arrogance, or mean-spiritedness
• Forgiving and never seeking vengeance (Matthew 6:14-15)
• Displaying all the fruits of the Spirit
• Avoiding deeds of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-23) such as pride, drunkenness, lust, sexual sins (sensuality), sorcery, drugs, idolatry, strife, fits of anger, rivalries, divisions, orgies, greed, envy, hatred, malice, vain ambitions, etc.
• Loving what God has to offer rather than what the world has to offer (1 John 2:15-17)
• Desiring the GIFTS of the Spirit to draw others to Christ and edify the Church

To walk by the Spirit is to REFUSE to gratify the SINFUL impulses of the flesh. This would not be possible if we did not have Holy Spirit living inside of us. But Holy Spirit makes the impossible…possible. The Bible tells us that those who sow to the Spirit reap LIFE. 🌳 But those who sow to the flesh reap DEATH. 💀

Walking by the Spirit every day should be an ongoing process in the life of everyone who truly believes. Failing to walk by the Spirit will grieve the Holy Spirit within us. Continually refusing to walk by the Spirit may indicate that a person is not really saved/born again.

But what does it mean to be “filled” with the Spirit? 💦

Ephesians 5:¹⁸ And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled (continually) with the Spirit,

In Ephesians 8, Jesus’ followers are being told that we should be CONTINUALLY FILLED with the Spirit of God. This is not a one-time thing. This is something that should be continually happening in the life of a believer. To be FILLED with the Spirit is to overflow with the Spirit of God. On the morning of July 29th, 2023, I told Jesus that I wanted to SWIM🏊🏻‍♀️ in His Rivers of living Water. 💦🌊I want to be IMMERSED in HIS SPIRIT! ⛲🕊️

He then downloaded a new understanding into my heart. The way to be CONTINUALLY FILLED with the Spirit 🕊️is to CONTINUALLY YIELD to the Holy Spirit who is within us. The more that we YIELD to HIM, spend time in HIS Presence, grow in our RELATIONSHIP with HIM, the more of HIM we receive. The more of HIM we receive, the more of HIM we can share with others.

This is seen in the parable in Luke 19. Imagine that the mina represents the Holy Spirit. 🕊️In the Parable below, each slave gets a single Mina. However, as the slaves YIELDED to the Holy Spirit they were given MORE! The one who yielded the most was given the most, and he was blessed the most! Because to be FILLED with the Holy Spirit is to be the most blessed EVER!!!

Luke 19: 11 Now while they were listening to these things, Jesus went on to tell a parable, because He was near Jerusalem and they thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear immediately. ¹² So He said, “A nobleman went to a distant country to receive a kingdom for himself, and then to return. 

¹³ And he called ten of his own slaves and gave them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Do business with this money until I come back.’ 

¹⁴ But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man to reign over us.’ ¹⁵ When he returned after receiving the kingdom, he ordered that these slaves, to whom he had given the money, be summoned to him so that he would learn how much they had made by the business they had done.

¹⁶ The first slave appeared, saying, ‘Master, your mina has made ten minas more.’ ¹⁷ And he said to him, ‘Well done, good slave; since you have been faithful in a very little thing, you are to have authority over ten cities.’

¹⁸ The second one came, saying, ‘Your mina, master, has made five minas.’ ¹⁹ And he said to him also, ‘And you are to be over five cities.

’²⁰ And then another came, saying, ‘Master, here is your mina, which I kept tucked away in a handkerchief; ²¹ for I was afraid of you, because you are a demanding man; you take up what you did not lay down, and reap what you did not sow.’

²² He *said to him, ‘From your own lips I will judge you, you worthless slave. Did you know that I am a demanding man, taking up what I did not lay down, and reaping what I did not sow? ²³ And so why did you not put my money in the bank, and when I came back, I would have collected it with interest?’

²⁴ And then he said to the other slaves who were present, ‘Take the mina away from him and give it to the one who has the ten minas.’ ²⁵ And they said to him, ‘Master, he already has ten minas.’ ²⁶‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more shall be given, but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. 

We cannot be “full” of ourselves and filled with the Spirit.

Sin and selfishness hinder the filling of the Holy Spirit 🕊️while selflessness and obedience to God is how the filling of the Spirit is maintained.

Dr. Pete Bellini gave an amazing podcast on ten practical things we can do to be FILLED with the Holy Spirit. 🕊️

#1. Focus on Jesus. The Holy Spirit is here to glorify Jesus✝️, to bear witness to Jesus, so when we focus on Jesus, are in love with Jesus, we can become filled with the Holy Spirit. He says that the best way to be filled with the Holy spirit 🕊️is to be intentional about Jesus’ Lordship in every area of our life. Holy Spirit is not interested in us focusing on Him. He wants us to focus on Jesus Christ.

#2. Scripture. – Be immersed in the scriptures. They are written by the Spirit. The Bible is God-breathed. It is a supernatural book, and it TESTIFIES OF JESUS. When we read the scriptures, we are getting the aroma of the Spirit. Pray 🙏🏻for a hunger for God’s Word. Take time daily to chew on a little piece of scripture.

#3. Holiness. – Desire/PRAY to be more like Jesus. Desire Holiness. Seek true repentance and a hunger and thirst for righteousness (right living according to the laws/precepts of God). Be God centered, not self-centered. Pray for God to impart His Holiness onto you. Holiness attracts the Holy Spirit.

#4. Presence – For Church leaders/Pastors. Be Presence based, not program based. There is no substitute for being in the Presence of God. Create cultures, tabernacles, lives that attract the Presence of God. Let life and ministry FLOW from being in the Presence of God. Be around others who are filled with the Spirit. Take time to cultivate intimacy with the Lord. Spend time in His Presence.

#5. Faith – Make Faith in Jesus✝️ be our primary instrument for knowledge. Reason is to be put in its rightful place, below faith. Giving up control of our lives is the only way we can walk by the Spirit. Every one of us has been given a measure of faith in SOMETHING. Faith = Trust. Who and what do we trust in? We need to exercise our faith/trust IN JESUS by using it.

#6. Prayer and Praise – Communication with God. If we know how to talk, if we know how to communicate, we can pray. 🙏🏻 God is not interested in us saying the “right words”. He is not interested in our “liturgical (churchy)” vocabulary. He wants us to share with HIM what is inside of our hearts. 💕 He wants to share with us what is inside of HIS heart. 💖 JESUS wants a RELATIONSHIP with us. Let prayer, Praise and thanksgiving be our breath. Make an altar in our heart.

#7. Humility – Cultivate humility as a virtue. God gives Grace to the humble but resists the proud. If we want to attract the grace of God, be humble. Holy Spirit is humble, and He is attracted to humility. The six steps listed above leads us to humility. Our natural response to seeing (perceiving) the holiness, the righteousness, the glory of God is to be humbled.

#8. Learn to HEAR the voice of the Holy Spirit. 🕊️️ He who has an ear let them HEAR👂🏻 what the Spirit is saying. This is not about the physical ear. This is about our willingness to hear what Jesus has to say, putting our own “agendas” aside. God communicates to us with His Word. God communicates with us with His Spirit. God WANTS to communicate with us.

#9. Serve. Have an open heart to serve others, especially the poor, the stranger and the outcasts. God always gives us more than we need. Overflowing with the Spirit💦 naturally gives us the ability to share His Love💕 with others. God fills us so that we can be fruitful and productive, pouring into others. 🫗 God’s desire is to seek and save the lost. ✝️ When we are faithful vessels, pouring into the cracks and crevices of others, God will continually fill us, giving us far more than we need.

#10. Expect God to do great things. This is NOT about “entitlement” or “naming and claiming”. We can expect God to do things that are Biblical. We can expect things that give Christ glory. We can expect God to be faithful to His Word.

It is right and good to pray for Holy Spirit to fill us up💦, but the way that we aid in this process is to CULTIVATE our RELATIONSHIP with JESUS CHRIST and YIELD to God’s leading, teaching, guidance, correction. Every time we do, every time we die to the flesh and walk by the Spirit, every time we serve and pour out His Spirit into others🫗— He gives us more!!! 💕💕💕

Today, 8/22/2023, I was praying and thanking the Lord for His Beautiful Holy Spirit. 💦🕊️ I thanked Jesus that His Glorious Holy Spirit helps us overcome our sin nature. In my prayer, I stated that the sin nature is so powerful that there is no way to overcome it without God’s Holy Spirit. The Law of the Spirit of Life has set us free from the law of sin and death. (Romans 8:2).

God’s beautiful Holy Spirit 🕊️downloaded an understanding into my spirit today that stunned me. A picture of God’s Holy spirit carrying our burdens WITH US is seen in the image of Jesus carrying His Cross to Golgotha. ✝️ As people of God we understand that we are to “pick up our Cross daily and follow Jesus”. (Matthew 16:24-26). This is our walk of progressive sanctification.

The Cross is a symbol of our sin nature. It is heavy. It is painful. I suddenly had the image of Jesus carrying OUR Cross. The Cross had become too Heavy for Him to carry. Fully human and yet fully God, Jesus humbled Himself so much that He allowed ungodly men to beat His sinless flesh to the point where He grew weak from blood loss. Physically, Jesus could not have made it to the Crucifixion site without some help. Simon the Cyrene helped Him carry OUR Cross. This was depicted extremely poignantly in the movie “Passion of the Christ”. (Matthew 27:32).

Holy Spirit showed me that the Cross✝️ represents OUR SIN NATURE that we are supposed to crucify daily (put to death – Galatians 5:24). But this is too hard for us and is not possible without the HELP of the Holy Spirit. 🕊️ Our sin nature will CRUSH us without God’s help.  Simon the Cyrene is a picture of the Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit comes along side of us when we are too weak, and He helps us carry our Cross. He lightens the load because He is strong and faithful. Do we still have to pick up our cross and carry it daily? Yes. We still must do so. But Holy Spirit is carrying most of the weight FOR US, making it “doable”!

Unbelievers MAY attempt to repent from various sins and try, from their own strength and human willpower, to overcome an aspect of their sin nature that is disrupting their life. However, it is IMPOSSIBLE for them to crucify ALL of their sins from their OWN HUMAN WILLPOWER. Most unbelievers would not desire to do so, but some may try because of their “religion”.

We are saved and justified by the blood of Jesus Christ through BELIEVING and RECEIVING Christ’s Sacrifice on the Cross✝️. Once Saved and Justified, God wants His Saints to be Sanctified in His Truth, putting to death our sin nature and walking by His Spirit in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation. (Saved means to be saved from the eternal death/hell/separation that awaits all unbelievers.✝️ Justified means to be legally declared righteous before God – which is only done through FAITH in the blood of Jesus Christ.⚖️ Sanctified means to be set apart for God’s Holy use and purpose🕊️)

Only Jesus Christ ✝️and His beautiful Holy Spirit 🕊️can make the IMPOSSIBLE….POSSIBLE.

This was a beautiful picture that Holy Spirit 🕊️💦 blessed me with today. I pray it blesses you also! 🙏🏻

Hallelujah!!! 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻