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Do you ever feel overwhelmed by life and all its challenges? Seems all of us get to that point from time to time. Recently Carolyn and I have been dealing with several major concerns: illness, financial challenges, a major move, family conflicts, work issues, etc. Life seems to require more of us than there is available.
CC Image courtesy of Cory Doctorow on Flickr
What can we do when it gets that way? Thankfully as a Christian, we are not alone. We have help available: the Holy Spirit.
But what can the Holy Spirit do for us? Look what the Bible tells us:
He teaches John 14:26
He guides John 16:13
He comforts John 14:16
He convicts us of sin John 16:8
He makes us realize God’s love Romans 5:5
He reveals God’s secrets 1 Corinthians 2:10-16
He gives us joy and peace Romans 14:17
He enables us to live the Christian life Romans 8:5-9
He works His fruit in us Galatians 5:16-25
He prays for us in times of crisis Romans 8:24
He encourages Acts 9:31
He is always with us Psalm 139:7-10
He will raise us from the dead Romans 8:11
Without the Holy Spirit, we are handicapped and cannot get the help needed to be all that we can be.
Without the Holy Spirit, we are handicapped and cannot get the help needed to be all that we can be. | CLICK TO TWEET
The Holy Spirit working in our lives is so important that we are actually commanded to live in His fullness: “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.” (Ephesians 5:18)
How can we do this—be filled with the Spirit in order to get the help we need for living? Here are 3 steps to get the help you need:
1. Accept Your Need for the Holy Spirit
Some want to dismiss the Holy Spirit’s work in us, as though He is some kind of “Imaginary Friend.”
In many church traditions the Holy Spirit hardly receives a mention. In the church where I grew up, due to controversies over spiritual gifts, He was almost shunned.
Do not forget God’s command to “…be filled with the Spirit.” (Ephesians 5:18) This is not just a suggestion, it is a directive.
2. Ask to Be Filled with the Holy Spirit
Ephesians 1:13 and Romans 8:9 are among several verses that indicate that the Holy Spirit enters our life at salvation.
However, it is wrong to take His filling for granted. 1 Thessalonians 5:19 warns us to “quench not the Spirit” (KJV).
Too often we quench His work in our lives through:
sin
disregard
The solution is to confess the sins that “quench” the Spirit (1 John 1:9) and then ask to be filled again with the Holy Spirit. Will God answer our prayer? Yes! (Luke 11:11-13)
3. Pause Regularly for Refills
We need regular refills of the Holy Spirit. When D. L. Moody, the great evangelist of the nineteenth century, was asked why he said he needed to be filled continually with the Holy Spirit, he replied, “Because I leak!”
All of us leak the Holy Spirit. What is the solution? Jesus instructed, “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?” (Luke 11:13 KJV)
Ask for help from the Helper! Take advantage of our great Resource. If you want to get the help you need, ask regularly to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
Here’s a suggested prayer:
Dear Lord, I confess my sins [name them] which have quenched your Holy Spirit. By faith I invite You to fill me again with Your Holy Spirit as You commanded me to be filled. Amen.
I wrote more about this vital topic in my eBook “10 Prayers to Unlock Heaven on Earth” which you can get FREE by clicking HERE.