Walking in the Holy Spirit

Friends, today I would like to talk to you about a subject near and dear to my heart. It’s about seeking the Holy Spirit and the gifts He provides. I say this because I feel that we are on the verge of a new spiritual season, and the Holy Spirit wants to be manifest in all of us as we gather in the Lord’s name for His perfect purpose. Let us start with a bit of scripture:

Luke 11:9-13 And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 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?

Water Born

Fellow believers, just as we see in the beginning of the book of Genesis, water comes before fire. For on the first day the waters were created (Gen 1:2). It wasn’t until the fourth day that God created the sun (Gen 1:16). We see this pattern many times throughout the Bible, including the very life of Jesus Christ. If we look at the water baptism of our Lord, it wasn’t until immediately afterwards that we see the Holy Spirit descend on Him like a dove (Matt 3:13-17).

Today it is a hot topic in the church as to whether or not one has to be baptized to be saved. I’m not here to debate that. My position on it is that we should approach this matter with the enthusiasm of the Ethiopian eunuch who couldn’t wait to be baptized one he received salvation, and insisted on being baptized in a river. Let us approach the matter with such passion and urgency (Acts 8:36-38).

Fire Born

So you’ve received the gift of salvation and have been water baptized. Once this is complete, you are now ready to experience fire baptism. This baptism is commonly performed by the laying on of hands by at least one believer on another fellow believer.

Acts 8:17 Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.

We can do this because we have Christ in us and He draws the Holy Spirit.

Mark 1:8 I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost.

John 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

Faith & Diligence

So how do we approach God to receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit? Well, we press in with faith. It is necessary to understand that faith is a spiritual substance and it is powerful, even if as little as the size of a mustard seed (Luke 17:6, Heb 11:1). We are also to push forward with diligence and covet earnestly the best gifts (1 Cor 12:31).

Gifts of the Spirit

I could go on for hours about the gifts of the Holy Spirit, but the most important thing I can tell is that if God is impressing upon you that you have a gift, start using it, even if you practice it in your own home. It’s the work of the Holy Spirit to refine that gift, and this happens when we exercise what He has given us (Mal 3:2). Also, don’t get frustrated if the flesh interferes with your gift. This is common. Just start declaring God’s Word over it and keep pushing forward with it.

Heb 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Testing the Spirits

One of the most important things that can be said about spiritual gifts is that they should be tested to ensure that they are coming from the Lord.

1 Thess 5:21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.

There are two things we can look for to identify the Holy Spirit:

1. He will always declare that Jesus is Lord (1 Cor 12:3)
2. He will confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh (1 John 4:2)

Final Thought

Friends, this is just a brief explanation of how to walk in the Holy Spirit. There are so many more wonderful things to say about His work, and it is important that you take the time to seek Him out so deeply that you feel saturated with His presence. As a final word on this, I just would like to say that God loves you deeply and has a plan for you. Be blessed as you seek Him. Thank you for reading and God bless.

What is one way you can seek the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life today?