Hi everyone!
Do you know how to be filled with the Holy Spirit?
I don't mean 'receive the Holy Spirit' because we all know that
you receive the Holy Spirit when you become a real Christian when you are spiritually reborn.
Ephesians 1:13 says, "In Him you also, when you heard the word of truth,
the Gospel of your salvation, and believed in Him,
were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit"
But I'm not talking about the 'indwelling of the Holy Spirit', I'm talking about "being filled with the Holy Spirit".
There's a difference. And you need to know the difference.
So let's get right into it!
Just very quick, if it's the first time that you're here on my channel, I'm Daniel Maritz,
and WELCOME to DLM Christian Lifestyle!
Where we preach biblical truth in a balanced way.
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Now, first you need to know that the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is for all believers.
It's a permanent gift, according to Ephesians 1:13.
And verse 14 says, "The Holy Spirit is the guarantee of our inheritance
until we acquire possession of it."
And Ephesians 4:30 says, "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God,
by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption."
So if you are a real reborn Christian, you already have the Holy Spirit in you.
But to be "filled" with the Holy Spirit is different.
Ephesians 5:18 says, "And do not get drunk with wine for that is debauchery,
but be filled with the Spirit."
In other words, [Do not sin but be filled with the Holy Spirit].
Even as a Christian you can sin, and the moment you sin you cannot be filled with the Holy Spirit,
even if He is in you, because now your sin grieves the Holy Spirit in you.
Remember Ephesians 4:30 says, "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God".
If you sin - if you don't walk according to God's will,
you will quench the Holy Spirit.
1 Thessalonians 5:19 warns us, "Do not quench the Spirit."
You see, you need to submit to God; fully surrender to His will and live holy if you want to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
If you live this way, righteous, holy, in God's will,
the Holy Spirit can work in you and through you for God's glory.
To be filled with the Holy Spirit means that God's Spirit fully occupies every area of your life and He guides you.
Acts 4:31 says, "And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken,
and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness."
The apostles were already children of God but here they were filled with the Holy Spirit for ministry, for the work of God.
The Holy Spirit brings truth, power and boldness in a Christian's life for ministry, to share the Gospel.
2 Timothy 1:7 says, "For God gave us His Spirit not a fear but of power and love and self-control."
The apostles didn't live in luxury, they weren't passive Christians.
All of them were persecuted, they lived in harsh conditions while sharing the Gospel.
Only John lived to be old and he wrote Revelation.
But how were all the apostles able to preach the Gospel in boldness, in truth, and with power,
even in difficult times while they were persecuted?
It was the Holy Spirit in them - and Jesus said it would happen.
Mark 13: 9-11, "But be on your guard. For they will deliver you over to councils,
and you will be beaten in synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for My sake,
to bear witness before them.
And the Gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations.
And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over,
do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say,
but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak but the Holy Spirit."
Wow! Doesn't it make your heart on fire for God!
When you read how the apostles preached the Gospel, how the Holy Spirit worked through them.
Oh the difference between the men of that day and age, who truly followed Jesus Christ -
Their lives were all about Jesus.
The difference between then and now!
Today's Christians, many Christians today are just fake, passive and lukewarm.
But God says in Revelation 3: 15-16, "I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot.
Would that you were either cold or hot.
So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold I will spit you out of My mouth."
Many people are lukewarm because of lukewarm pastors
or ice cold teachers, false prophets, false teachers.
How boring and tasteless dead church services are when the preacher preaches without the power of the Holy Spirit.
That's probably the best weapon of the devil because it brings death into the church.
Only the Holy Spirit brings true power for God's ministry.
Acts 1:8 says, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you,
and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the world."
Too many Christians today are passive; they don't do anything for God.
How is it possible that you can keep the Gospel to yourself, the good news?
Everything that God did for you, He saved you.
You are a new creation, you are spiritually reborn, you see everything different, you start to live for the first time.
How are you able to keep it all to yourself while you know that the people around you, some of them, are walking to hell, lost souls?
Are we not all called to share the Gospel to the ends of the world?
Jesus said in Matthew 28:19, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."
Go! Go and make disciples of all nations. Go and shine your light!
'No...no, I'll just stay at home and binge another TV series.
'No, I'd rather stay at home and relax like I've been doing the last 10 years, just staying in my comfort zone.'
So sad, most of Christianity today, what are you doing with what God gave you?
Are you just collecting earthly treasures?
Jesus says in Matthew 6:19, "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth,
where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal,
but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven
where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
Now, before you share the Gospel, you need to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
It's not a request, it's a command.
Remember Ephesians 5:18 says, "And do not get drunk with wine but be filled with the Spirit"
How do you do it?
Well 1ST you need to walk away from any form of sin in your life, and you need to live righteous and holy.
Remember Ephesians 4:30 says, "Do not grieve the Holy Spirit".
And 2ND, you ask God for it; you ask God to fill you with His Spirit.
Jesus says in Luke 11:13, "If you then who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask"
You know, you can feel it when you feel drained, when you don't feel the power of the Holy Spirit.
I can feel it whenever I feel drained, whenever I've been working too much in ministry, when I'm exhausted
because of hardships or things that's going on in my life, I can feel less power.
And then I call out to God and I ask Him to fill me with His Holy Spirit again to reveal Himself to me more and more -
to give me power again for the ministry.
This is something I learned from my dad.
I saw him do it; when he went from one church to the other even in weekdays,
he just went from one to the other, to the other, and he comes back home and he's exhausted.
And then what does he do? He doesn't just go on a holiday. No.
He closes the door, he goes into a room, and he's praying 'God fill me again with the power of the Holy Spirit for Your work'.
And you need to do it as well.
And then 3RD, you need complete commitment.
You need to fully surrender every aspect of your life to God.
Proverbs 3: 5-6 says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths."
Surrender to God and let Him guide you in everything you do - every single day of your life.
You need to remember; the Holy Spirit is not a thing or just a power, it's a person;
He has a personality, He doesn't have a physical body but He has a personality,
He loves, He thinks, He wills, He acts and He is your Helper.
And then the 4TH thing: continual control.
A lot of people make the commitment to be filled with the Holy Spirit but they forget that it takes continual action.
Remember Ephesians 5:18 says, "And do not get drunk with wine but be filled with the Spirit".
'BE' filled. Not 'get' filled. Be filled. Continually being filled with the Holy Spirit
It takes continual action.
When you feel you are drained, you need to go to God and ask Him to fill you again.
If you sin, if you get drunk, you're like a different person
because the alcohol controls you; your thoughts, your actions and even your feelings because now you're filled with alcohol.
But that's what the Holy Spirit should do - the Holy Spirit should fill you.
So you should let the Holy Spirit continually work in you and through you
by controlling (guiding) your own feelings, your own will, your own intellect,
your everything; your actions, desires, decisions, your whole life.
That's how you live in God's will.
1 Corinthians 2:11 says, "For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person which is in him?
So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God."
The only way to truly discern the will of God is to continually walk in the Spirit - to live in the Spirit.
And a great way to ask God to fill you with His Spirit is to do it with prayer and fasting.
If you want to know what the Bible says about fasting, watch this video here
and I'll see you there!
And always remember: GOD LOVES YOU
and I love you too!
BYE!