Greetings in Jesus’ Most Holy Name!
As we celebrate the feast of the Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ when He was lifted up to heaven, we look forward to His second coming. Yet, during this waiting period, our Lord has not left us alone. In fact, He gave us the promise of the Father; the Holy Spirit to be with us till the end of time! What God has promised, He is surely fulfilling and He will continue to fulfill this promise of pouring out His Spirit on all flesh!
‘Be filled’ is a command that God gives each of us. It’s a present continuous tense in the Greek language. It’s not an event, but a process to ‘keep on being filled’. When God says ‘be filled’, then we should be filled with the Holy Spirit who is the third person of the Holy Trinity. He is Love itself, proceeding from the Father and Son and uniting them in infinite and eternal love. In order to drive a vehicle, the tank needs to be filled. We may also be using the most sophisticated cell phones but if it’s not charged, it’s of no use. We don’t fill our car tanks or charge our cell phones only once to use them daily, do we? Many of us are running on tanks filled in the past i.e baptized in the Spirit, but not abiding in Him daily, perhaps because we not know how to connect with Him or we do not have a relationship with Him.
We fellowship with people because of the relationship that we share. The Holy Spirit is a person, so we need to develop a relationship with Him by communicating with Him daily, through prayer, praise and worship.
It’s interesting to note that in the Scriptures, ‘Be filled with the Holy Spirit’ is always compared to that of a drunk person! Reference – Ephesians 5:18a; Luke 1:15; Acts 2: 4,13.
The in-filling of the Holy Spirit is always compared to wine! Let us see why? A man who is drunk is intoxicated. ALL his actions are controlled or influenced by alcohol. His speech changes, ordinary men become bold, some keep quiet, walk is unsteady, attitudes change. No one needs to know Rocket Science to detect a drunken person.
When a person is filled with the Holy Spirit, his entire lifestyle undergoes changes because of the power and anointing of the Spirit. His speech and thoughts will change which are the first signs. In the OT - 1 Samuel 1:12-16 when Hannah was so moved with sorrow, the Holy Spirit was praying through her with tears and groaning. In the book of Acts chapter 2, we see the disciples filled with the Holy Spirit – Peter who was shy became bold and after hearing him preach, about 3000 people were cut to the heart and converted.
In Luke 1: 41 we read that Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit when she heard Mary’s greeting and the child in her womb leapt for joy because our Blessed Mother Mary was herself ‘filled’ with the Holy Spirit, through whom she conceived and gave birth to our Lord Jesus!
What does the word ‘infilling’ of the Holy Spirit mean? Infilling is not ‘me having more of the Holy Spirit’, but rather it’s ‘the Holy Spirit having more of me’! In other words, the more we empty ourselves of ‘self’ i.e I, me, myself and receive and yield to the Holy Spirit, the more will He work in our lives!
A common hymn comes to mind here – May it become our prayer!
I’ve got something that the world can’t give and the world can’t take it (Holy Spirit) away.
I’ve got something that the world can’t give and it (Holy Spirit) keeps me night and day.
I’ve got something worth talking about; it (Holy Spirit) makes me sing and it (He) makes me shout.
I’ve got something that the world can’t give and the world can’t take it away.
More and more of Jesus, I want more of Him,
More and more of Jesus, than I ever had before,
More and more of His great Love (Holy Spirit), rich and full and free,
I want more of Jesus, so I’ll give Him more of me.
The key to effective prayer and communion with God is only through His Holy Spirit, who teaches us to pray! We can be ‘filled with God’s Holy Spirit’ as we sing psalms and hymns, spiritual songs, making melody to the Lord in our hearts, giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything! – Ephesians 5:18.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, as we prepare our hearts, minds and lives for a fresh anointing of the Holy Spirit at the feast of Pentecost, let us surrender ourselves completely into the hands of our Lord. Let us give Him access into every minute detail of our lives, to purify, sanctify and prepare our unworthy vessels to receive Him for He has created and purchased our bodies, which are the temples of the Holy Spirit.
Prayer: Beloved Lord Jesus, refresh and anoint us with the promise of our Father – the Holy Spirit. Let there be an outpouring and infilling of Love in the hearts of each person who is sincerely seeking and thirsting for You, Lord. Teach us to be holy as You are holy. Lead us and guide us through the power and anointing of Your Holy Spirit. Amen.
Blessings,
Monisha Rebello
Monisha Rebello
You may submit your prayer requests, which will be treated with absolute confidence. Remember to glorify our Lord as soon as He blesses you. You can email your testimonies with permission to publish them online at www.heavensmission.witnesstoday.org
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