The fullness of the Holy Spirit is of utmost importance in our lives. Indeed God has a plan for each of our lives. The filling of the Holy Spirit is not something we need to experience for a moment, but the filling of the Holy Spirit should grow day by day in our lives. Every day we need to come to God and ask for the Holy Spirit’s filling. The Holy Spirit will convict us of areas we need to repent and also reveal to us more about the Lord Jesus. There will be ups and downs in our lives if we don’t have the fullness of the Holy Spirit. Our outer man decays every day but to strengthen our inner man, we need the filling of the Holy Spirit.
Let us turn to a verse in Luke 11, verse 13, “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?” The problem is not that God is not giving us the Holy Spirit, the problem is that we are not going to God and asking in faith for the Holy Spirit. When we go through Luke 11, we see how Jesus teaches his disciples how to pray. In our prayers, the first thing should be that the Lord’s name is hallowed. We need the power of the Holy Spirit if we want the Lord’s name to be hallowed through our lives.
In verses 5 to 8, Jesus explains about the need of having a spirit of persistence through a parable. Every day we need to come to the Lord with persistence in order to receive the Holy Spirit. In the parable we read that the man asked for bread so that he could give his friend who visited him. We also need this mentality when we ask for the Holy Spirit. We will receive only if we ask and seek (v 9,10). We need to ask the Lord like a beggar, “Lord, I need the Holy Spirit at any cost.” We know the story when Jacob wrestled with the Lord in Genesis 32. In verse 26 we read of Jacob’s persistence. His persistence paid off and Jacob was transformed to Israel. This should be our attitude when we ask the Lord for the Holy Spirit – “I want an overcoming life, I want a victorious life and I don’t want to be discouraged”.
In Luke 1 we read of the angel telling Mary about the birth of Jesus. We know why Mary was chosen to be Jesus’ mother. The salutation that she received was, “The Lord is with you”. In verse 35 we read, “The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the Holy Child shall be called the Son of God.” In verse 39 we read how Mary willfully submits herself to God’s plan as a bond slave. She knew that there is a power in God’s word.
In Luke 3 we read how Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit when He was baptized. Jesus also needed the Holy Spirit to overcome the temptations He faced on this earth. The Father was pleased in the hidden 30 years of Jesus’ life. Jesus led his life in humility and submission to the Father. We too need to be humble in order to receive the filling of the Holy Spirit. In Luke 4 we read of Jesus’ temptations in the wilderness. Jesus knew the word of God and used it to overcome the temptations. The fullness of the Holy Spirit will help us also to live as Jesus lived. We see how in the temptations Jesus put God first and chose never to test the Lord. After the temptations, Jesus returned with the fullness of the Holy Spirit. This is what God intends for us also, that through temptations we may overcome and may return with the fullness of the Holy Spirit. In Luke 4:16-18 we read how Jesus explains the verse from Isaiah being fulfilled through His life – The Spirit of the Lord was upon Jesus.
In John 16 we read of the work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will convict us of sin and righteousness and judgment. The Holy Spirit will guide us into the truth – the truth about Jesus and the truth about ourselves. In Luke 1 we read of John the Baptist that when he was in Elizabeth’s womb, he leapt for joy when Elizabeth met Mary. In Luke 1:15 we see how the angel told Zachariah that John would be filled with the Holy Spirit while he was in his mother’s womb. The angel also tells Zachariah that John would be great in the sight of God. This is the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Every day the Holy Spirit makes a change in our lives and makes us to be great in the sight of God. In John 7: 37 Jesus said that he who believes in Jesus, out of his innermost being rivers of living water will flow. This is our promise! May God help us all to be a little more like Jesus each day with the help of the Holy Spirit.
