John the Baptist said an interesting thing; that the LORD would baptize “with the Holy Spirit and fire.” You can imagine what those hearing it might have wondered about this. On the day of Pentecost Peter caught a revelation! He shared his insights of what the prophets had foretold in the scriptures. He then spoke of how “times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord…” (Acts 3:19). In this he revealed great truth.
RELEVANCE
Upon receiving the LORD in your heart, you receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. There is also a continuous infilling. Paul spoke of this, and admonished believers to understand what the will of the Lord is and, therefore, “keep on being filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:17 JNT).
How is this accomplished? Paul explains in Colossians 3:16-17, it comes as we allow the richness of God’s word to live fully inside, as we teach and counsel each other in His wisdom, and as we sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude to God.
You are, therefore, continuously filled with the Spirit by filling yourself with God’s Word, communing with God, and allowing the Holy Spirit to work in you by yielding to Him in faith and obedience. It’s like driving your car. Upon filling your tank, you move forward, go places, and eventually need to replenish your tank! Such a repeated infilling should result in character growth that reflects the qualities of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22).
It should also open up your heart and mind to God’s continuous enlightenment, a passion for the revelation of His truth, and the manifestation of various gifts of the Spirit spoken of in 1 Corinthians 12.
REFLECT AND RELATE
In what ways do you seek God’s continuous infilling of the Holy Spirit?
How do you think your life might reflect this infilling to a greater degree?
REFERENCES
Romans 12:1-21; Ephesians 5:17; Colossians 3:16-17; Hebrews 2:1-4