Dear brothers and sisters,
Today, I want to speak to you about a topic essential to our faith as Christians: being filled with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, and His presence and power are crucial to our spiritual lives. Jesus promised His disciples that the Holy Spirit would come to them after He ascended to heaven, and that same promise extends to us today.
In Acts 1:8, Jesus said to His disciples, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." This promise of power from the Holy Spirit is not just for the early church but for us today.
The Holy Spirit is not just a passive force or an abstract concept. He is a living and active presence in our lives. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we experience His power, wisdom, guidance, peace, and love.
In Ephesians 5:18, Paul tells us to be filled with the Holy Spirit. This is not a one-time event but a continual process of surrendering to God and allowing Him to supply us with His Spirit. Just as we need to breathe to live physically, we need to be filled with the Holy Spirit to live spiritually.
So how do we become filled with the Holy Spirit? It starts with a willingness to surrender ourselves to God's will and to seek His presence through prayer, worship, and reading His Word. It also involves repentance and a desire to escape sin and live according to God's ways.
Let me give you an illustration. Imagine a glass of water. The glass cannot hold clean water if it is full of dirt and impurities. But if we pour out the ground and fill the glass with clean water, it can overflow with fresh and pure water. Similarly, if our hearts are full of sin and impurities, we cannot be filled with the Holy Spirit. But if we confess our sins and ask God to cleanse us, He can fill us with His Spirit, and our lives can overflow with His love, joy, and peace.
I want to leave you with a quote from D.L. Moody, a great evangelist of the 19th century. He said, "The Holy Spirit is no respecter of persons. He is just as willing to work in you as anyone else." This means that the Holy Spirit is available to you no matter who you are or what you have done.
Let us pray. Heavenly Father, we come before you today and ask that you fill us with your Holy Spirit. Cleanse us from all unrighteousness and give us the power to live according to your will. Please help us surrender ourselves entirely to you and continually seek your presence. We thank you for the promise of your Holy Spirit, and we pray that you will use us to be your witnesses in the world. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.
And now, I want to give an altar call. If you have never received the Holy Spirit or feel like you need a fresh filling of His power and presence, I invite you to come forward and pray with me. Let us seek God and ask Him to fill us with His Spirit.
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