The abundance of the Holy Spirit is something we need to lead a victorious life. In John 7:37-39, “Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’” But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” When we really long for the Holy Spirit; from our inner most being will flow rivers of living water. The way we receive the Holy Spirit directly depends on our need and thirst.
In Ezekiel 47 we read of the instance were Ezekiel was lead to the water that was flowing from the temple. Ezekiel was lead to different levels of water: till his ankles, till his knees, till his loins and till a point when he had to swim in it. This is a reflection of being filled with the Spirit in different levels. If we are satisfied with the level of the Holy Spirit that you have now, you will not receive more. If you have the thirst and you keep going forward, you will reach a point where you will have in abundance. In verse 8 we read, “Then he said to me, “These waters go out toward the eastern region and go down into the Arabah; then they go toward the sea, being made to flow into the sea, and the waters of the sea become fresh.” This is a symbol of what Jesus talks – rivers of living water flowing from our inner most being. In Ezekiel we read how the water brought life wherever it went and made everything fresh. We can have this life where the Holy Spirit will flow from our lives to others and bring life everywhere. By our lives, people will be blessed.
When Elijah was taken was taken up to heaven, we see how Elisha longed for Elijah’s anointing. In 2 Kings 2 we read, how Elijah tried to make Elisha stop at various points of his journey. But Elisha was determined! He had a tremendous need that he wanted a double portion of Elijah’s anointing of the Holy Spirit. Elisha got what he longed for. His thirst was fulfilled. If we also long for the Holy Spirit, not for a trickle, but abundance; God will surely meet our needs.
We all are familiar of the time when the Samaritan woman met with Jesus in John 4. In verse 13, 14 Jesus says, “Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.” If we try to fulfill our thirst with thing of the world, we will never be satisfied. Nothing in the world can fulfill our thirst. Only the Lord Jesus can bring complete fulfilling. What are we really longing for in our lives? Are we truly longing for the Holy Spirit’s abundance in our lives? In Luke 11 we read the parable of the persistent friend. Jesus summarizes saying “ask, and it will be given to you” and also “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?” Are we able to go to Jesus with persistence? Can we shamelessly ask till we receive? Or are we too proud? The Holy Spirit will be our helper each day as we go across different situations in our lives. What a confidence this is.
The Holy Spirit came upon earth after Jesus resurrection on the day of Pentecost. We read this in Acts 2. The apostles were fasting and praying for 50 days. We see the deep longing of the apostles. People around them mocked them, but Peter spoke in confidence to the crowd. We see how the lives of the apostles changed as they were filled with the Holy Spirit. We read the prophesy in Acts 2: “and it shall be in the last days,’ God says, ‘that i will pour forth of my spirit on all mankind; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on my bond slaves, both men and women, I will in those days pour forth of my spirit and they shall prophesy.” We can claim this promise! When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we can claim for the Holy Spirit’s power for our children also. Peter’s message to the crowd is to repent. In order to receive the Holy Spirit, this is the first step – to repent from our old ways.
Only believe! God can do a miracle. Repent and believe! God can fill you with the Holy Spirit and give you an overcoming life. We know how by God’s word, the dry bones came to life. In our lives maybe we have a state of helplessness like the dry bones. But God tells Ezekiel to prophesy and through God’s word, the dry bones came to life! God can transform our lives! At first we see that the bones became bodies but there was no life. If we listen to the word, but don’t obey, we too will be in this state of having no life. We need the Holy Spirit’s power to have life! It is not impossible with God. We only need to thirst and God can bring the victorious life a reality for us. This is God’s assurance to us today! Let us deeply thirst for the Holy Spirit.
