Day Eleven - Walking With the Holy Spirit

The Filling of the Holy Spirit in the life of the follower of Christ is both the result of seeking intimacy with your God while destroying apathy, and also the means to doing so.

I seldom preach on several subjects because I am afraid that I may be misunderstood and do more damage than good. For example, I believe in the doctrine of the Perseverance of the Saints. This is the teaching that asserts that, if, or once, a person is "truly" regenerated/born again, they will continue to be so until the end of their life. A person could hear "once saved, always saved" and believe all they have to do is pray the sinner's prayer of salvation and then they can have a license and freedom to do anything they want to do. Romans 6, that you read in one of the blogs, states "God forbid" that we claim grace as a license to sin.

Based on Matthew 13, that was covered in the two Robert Morris videos we see that the one that is saved is the one who bears fruit and actually perseveres to the end. Along that same line of thinking, because I believe in grace and despise legalism, I am very careful about what I say regarding the sins that we commit. Meaning, we are saved by grace and our sin nature, as well as the sins we commit, are covered by the shed blood of Jesus. Thus, we can be saved and sin still. It is not one sin that sends a person to hell; it is not making Jesus their Savior and allowing Him to be Lord. We do not want to sin, because it grieves the heart of God, quenches His Spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:19), (Ephesians 4:30). When we sin, the Holy Spirit is grieved by what we do. We quench the Holy Spirit by what we refuse to let Him do through us.

Okay, we are back. My hope is that you are able to see how all of these thoughts on growth, intimacy, discipleship, Lordship, being Spirit-Filled, and destroying apathy while eradicating sin all fits together. The reason I do not emphasize the need to seek and be filled with the Holy Spirit is because I fear many are not there spiritually. After ten rather in-depth discussions, my prayer is that you are not ready. You must be saved and you must be hungry for Him, ready to hear and obey. Are you?

This special power and presence of God is not for the casual, apathetic, pew-sitting, sin-filled person who hopes they are going to Heaven when they die, nor for the person who says they love God, but truly demonstrates little fruit and less evidence that Jesus is their Savior, much less Lord of their lives. This Filling of the Spirit is available to all who are saved. Make no mistake, however, oil and water don't mix. Jesus said, "How can two walk together, less they be agreed." Jesus said, "We cannot serve two masters."

Read Luke 5:37-39t

God's Spirit must be able to dwell and thrive in a clean vessel. A vessel of honor, set apart for God to use.

Read 2 Timothy 2:21

Have you ever heard anyone say, "Don't do that or say that, you are in church"? I don't like it because it implies we can, or should, behave differently on church property, or when the church gathers. That is why the world calls us hypocrites. But what is meant of the statement is, hey, be careful, this is Holy Ground. Let me use that here to say, "hey, don't say that or do that, you are seeking and have received the filling of God's Holy Spirit." You understand? When God's Holy Spirit is filling you (daily) that means He has you. There is no place or space to be messing around. You see, we don't go to God's House, we are God's House.

Read 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

When I am in your house, I should expect some things from you, and you should expect some stuff from me - mutual respect, right? He respects you. Do you respect Him enough to give Him a hospitable environment to dwell?

Some disagree, but I see yet another realm of His power and presence. It may be the same thing as the Filling of the Spirit, but the Anointing of the Spirit is, to me, a deeper place I go with God. For example, I get up on Sunday, as I try to everyday, pray, having my quiet time with God, and I begin the day, but, before I stand to preach, I ask my Heavenly Father to anoint me to preach His Word to His people. This is serious business. Means and results, here again. I need Him!! I want Him!! I pray "God, by me asking for this special power, I am demonstrating my inability to function without you."

Some preachers will ask for Divine Unction. Again, no verse I can refer you to, just a humble servant showing you how much I depend on my God for His presence and power in my life to witness, preach, teach, and simply live a godly life in a wretched and vile world.

In Christ,
Pastor Todd

P.S.
This video is also a must: