Be Filled with the Holy Spirit!

Dear Brethren, do not neglect the Spirit. In a day when the Holy Spirit is misunderstood and carried from one extreme to the other, we must find a biblical view of the Spirit. Recently, I was reading I Corinthians. I began by reading chapter one which caused me to begin journaling. As I journaled an entry, I was overwhelmed by chapter one. By that I mean as I finished reading chapter one I knew what was lacking in my life over the past several weeks–The Holy Spirit. Before ending my quiet time with the Lord I looked ahead to chapter two. I am sure you know what chapter two is about–yes, the Holy Spirit. So, what caused me to see my need for the Holy Spirit in chapter one? Human wisdom or as Paul says, “the wisdom of the world.” I had been seeking God completely through His Word ALONE. I had become arrogant in my study of God’s Word. I had neglected the Spirit. I had quenched the Spirit of God. By the next morning I could hardly wait for morning to arrive so I could see how Paul was going to instruct me. The next morning came and I read the rest of the letter. For two days I walked in the Holy Spirit. It was amazing! I saw things in God’s Word with new eyes. It was a joy to feast on the Word with the Spirit’s guidance. However, Saturday came and I slept in after a hard week of studying. By the time I awakened from my slumber, the family had awakened as well. As you could guess, I missed spending time with the Lord that morning. By ten o’clock I was more than aware of a quenched Spirit. I rushed to my room and closed the door. I opened the living Word and cried out to God for His mercy. He restored the quenched Spirit within me. Something unique about that day was my awareness. I had been walking for weeks (maybe more) with a quenched Spirit. However, His presence was noticed very quickly that day. Brethren, how long has it been since you were filled with the Spirit? Examine yourselves. BE FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT!