Get to Know the Holy Spirit Pt. 2

The Holy Spirit- The Superpower : November 2022

The Holy Spirit is the most life changing part of what we receive through salvation. When we receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit comes into us and makes His home in our hearts. He is then our eternal guide in allowing grace to transform our lives and make us look more like Jesus day by day. If there is one thing that I would say is the most necessary when in pursuit of the “moreness” of God, it is receiving the Holy Spirit. 

Like I said, the first way that we receive the Holy Spirit is through salvation. When we believe on Jesus and receive Him into our hearts, we become indwelled by the Spirit of God. But it doesn’t end there, God always has more. So because of that there’s even more Holy Spirit to be received. Let’s look at this passage in Acts 1:4-5, 8 TPT “Jesus instructed them, “Don’t leave Jerusalem, but wait here until you receive the gift I told you about, the gift the Father has promised. For John baptized you in water, but in a few days from now you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit! But I promise you this- the Holy Spirit will come upon you, and you will be seized with power. You will be my messengers to Jerusalem, throughout Judea, the distant provinces- even to the remotest places on earth!” So the second way we receive the Holy Spirit is through being baptized in the Holy Spirit! Which means just like when you’re baptized with water, the water covers you and submerses you, the Holy Spirit comes all over you. The best explanation I’ve heard describing the difference between receiving the Holy Spirit through salvation and receiving the Holy Spirit through His baptism, is this: It’s like drinking a glass of water verses swimming in the ocean. When you drink water the water is inside of you, but when you swim in water you’re inside the water. So when you get saved the Holy Spirit is inside you and when you get baptized in the Holy Spirit you are then in the Holy Spirit. 

This second portion of receiving the Holy Spirit on us, is the impartation of power to the believer. It also says in Luke 24:49 NLT “And behold, I will send forth upon you what My Father has promised; but remain in the city [Jerusalem] until you are clothed with power from on high.” The salvation experience itself is the most intensely powerful thing to ever happen to a person. Your whole spirit is reborn and translated into eternal life. That part is for you, the impartation of power upon you is for other people. We need to be empowered in the here and now to go and bring the Gospel of Jesus to the nations. But what does this “power” look like? Let’s answer that question by looking at Mark 16:17-18 NKJV “And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” These signs Jesus talks about show the lost world the freedom that is available through Him. We as believers have to bring a tangible Jesus to a lost world. Theory of an afterlife does not catch the world's attention, real life touchable solutions to their “now-life” problems, catch the world’s attention. So we need to be clothed in power to do so. 

I heard this very motivational question from Kris Vallotton, he said, “Do you just have a great philosophy or do you actually move in power? Is there enough evidence in the courts of heaven to convict you on earth of actually being a believer as according to the criteria that Jesus names in Mark 16:17-18?” This really made me look at my own life and analyze where I needed to choose to allow the Spirit to move in more power through me. Am I leaning in to the power of the Holy Spirit and yielding my life, my hands, my mouth to be His tools in ministering to this world?

As we know, Jesus no longer lives here on the earth in a flesh body. He now sits at the right Hand of the Father. He has made His home in our hearts through the Holy Spirit. It says in Galatians 2:20 NLT “My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” We are now the flesh body that Christ lives through here on the earth. We are His hands, His feet and His mouthpiece. It is now up to us to go, to take the Gospel to all people, and to minister the “solutions of salvation” to them. God created every single person on the face of the earth. He knows everything about them. Every joy, every heartache, every single thing they are facing, good or bad. So now it is up to us to allow Jesus through His Holy Spirit living in us, to minister to the people He asks us to reach. We are now the feet that go and take the Gospel, we are the hands that lay hands on the sick and minister healing, we are the mouths that speak deliverance to those in bandage. We must be clothed in power to carry out this mandate given to us.

I encourage you to take some time after reading this week's devotional and ask yourself that same question I heard Kris Vallotton ask, “Is there enough evidence in the courts of heaven to convict you on earth of actually being a believer?” Are you yielding your life as the catalyst for the power of the Holy Spirit to work through? Let’s make a decision to be more intentional in this coming week to yield to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. We can be the hands that His power can flow through and the mouthpiece that speaks His truth in love. After all, the Jesus in you may be the only Jesus that the people within your sphere of influence ever see.

I like to close each teaching with an invitation to salvation for anyone that has not yet welcomed Jesus into their life. Maybe you’ve read this and felt a pull on your heart. Maybe you’re in a place where you just need a solution. If so, this was meant for you and if you’re ready for the “moreness” of God, then believe in your heart and say out loud the following prayer: “Jesus, I repent for my sins, please forgive me for living a life apart from You. I believe that you are the Son of God and that you died on the cross for my sins and were raised to life again. I confess you as Lord over my life. Take my life and do something with it. And I ask you to fill me with your Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ Name amen.”

It’s as simple as that. Welcome to the family! That is solely the most important decision you will ever make. If you prayed that prayer, please send us an email and let us know. We would love to help get you connected to a Life-filled church in your area and help you get started on your journey of “moreness” with God. Click the chat button at the bottom of each page and send us a message!