Have You Made the Wonderful Discovery of the Spirit-Filled Life?
By Dr. Bill Bright
The following content is adapted from the booklet How to Be Filled with the Holy Spirit. It explains how Christians can live fulfilling Christian lives without continually being defeated by sin.
Every day can be an exciting adventure for the Christian who understands the reality of being filled with the Holy Spirit and lives constantly, moment by moment, under His gracious direction.
The Bible tells us that there are three kinds of people.
1. The Natural Person
One who has not received Christ.
“A natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.”
1 Corinthians 2:14
2. The Spiritual Person
One who is directed and empowered by the Holy Spirit.
“He who is spiritual appraises all things… We have the mind of Christ.”
1 Corinthians 2:15–16
3. The Carnal Person
One who has received Christ but lives in defeat because he is trying to live the Christian life in his own strength.
“And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to carnal men, as to babes in Christ. I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able, for you are still carnal. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men?”
1 Corinthians 3:1–3
The Promise and the Problem
God Has Provided an Abundant and Fruitful Christian Life
“I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly.”
John 10:10
“I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing.”
John 15:5
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control; against such things there is no law.”
Galatians 5:22–23
“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”
Acts 1:8
The Spiritual Person
Some spiritual traits result from trusting God:
Spiritual traits
The degree to which these traits are evident in a person’s life depends on the extent to which the Christian trusts the Lord with every detail of life, as well as that person’s maturity in Christ.
Someone who is only beginning to understand the ministry of the Holy Spirit should not be discouraged if they are not yet as fruitful as more mature Christians who have known and experienced this truth for a longer time.
Why Are Most Christians Not Experiencing the Abundant Life?
Carnal Christians Cannot Experience the Abundant and Fruitful Christian Life
The carnal person trusts in personal effort to live the Christian life:
-
They are either uninformed about, or have forgotten, God’s love, forgiveness and power (Romans 5:8–10; Hebrews 10:1–25; 1 John 1:1–2:3; 2 Peter 1:9; Acts 1:8).
-
They experience an inconsistent, up-and-down spiritual life.
-
They cannot understand themselves. They want to do what is right but are unable to do it through their own strength.
-
They fail to draw upon the power of the Holy Spirit to live the Christian life (1 Corinthians 3:1–3; Romans 7:15–24; Romans 8:7; Galatians 5:16–18).
The Carnal Person
Some or all of the following traits may characterize a Christian who does not fully trust God:
Carnal traits
A person who professes to be a Christian but continues to practise sin should recognize that they may not be a Christian at all, according to 1 John 2:3; 1 John 3:6, 9; and Ephesians 5:5.
The Solution to the Problem
Jesus Promised an Abundant and Fruitful Life
Jesus promised the abundant and fruitful life as the result of being filled, directed and empowered by the Holy Spirit.
The Spirit-filled life is the Christ-directed life. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, Christ lives His life in and through us (John 15).
-
A person becomes a Christian through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, according to John 3:1–8. From the moment of spiritual birth, the Christian is indwelt by the Holy Spirit at all times (John 1:12; Colossians 2:9–10; John 14:16–17).
Although all Christians are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, not all Christians are filled, directed and empowered by the Holy Spirit.
-
The Holy Spirit is the source of the overflowing life (John 7:37–39).
-
The Holy Spirit came to glorify Christ (John 16:1–15). When someone is filled with the Holy Spirit, that person becomes a true disciple of Christ.
-
In His final command before His ascension, Christ promised the power of the Holy Spirit to enable us to be His witnesses (Acts 1:1–9).
How Can Someone Be Filled with the Holy Spirit?
We are filled with the Holy Spirit by faith. We can then experience the abundant and fruitful life that Christ promised to every Christian.
You can appropriate the filling of the Holy Spirit right now if you:
-
Sincerely desire to be directed and empowered by the Holy Spirit (Matthew 5:6; John 7:37–39).
-
Confess your sins. By faith, thank God that He has forgiven all your sins—past, present and future—because Christ died for you (Colossians 2:13–15; 1 John 1:1–2:3; Hebrews 10:1–17).
-
Present every area of your life to God (Romans 12:1–2).
-
By faith, claim the fullness of the Holy Spirit according to His command and His promise:
-
His command: Be filled with the Spirit.
“And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit.”
Ephesians 5:18
-
His promise: God will answer when we pray according to His will.
“And this is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked of Him.”
1 John 5:14–15
-
How to Pray in Faith to Be Filled with the Holy Spirit
We are filled with the Holy Spirit by faith alone. However, sincere prayer is one way of expressing that faith. The following is a suggested prayer:
“Dear Father, I need You. I acknowledge that I have been directing my own life and that, as a result, I have sinned against You. I thank You that You have forgiven my sins through Christ’s death on the cross for me.
I now invite Christ to again take His place on the throne of my life. Fill me with the Holy Spirit as You commanded me to be filled and as You promised in Your Word that You would do if I asked in faith.
I now thank You for directing my life and for filling me with the Holy Spirit. Amen.”
Does this prayer express the desire of your heart?
If so, ask God to fill you with the Holy Spirit right now and trust Him to do so.
Continue reading:
How to Know That You Are Filled and Empowered by the Holy Spirit
Adapted from Have You Made the Wonderful Discovery of the Spirit-Filled Life? by Dr. Bill Bright, co-founder of Campus Crusade for Christ. © Cru. All rights reserved.