Do you have a Sense of God’s Presence?
“That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith . . .” (Ephesians 3:17).
A good friend asked me, “Do you fell you are adequately experiencing the presence and power of the Holy Spirit?” That is a probing question every Christian should pause and consider.
I firmly believe that every born again believer is indwelt by the Holy Spirit, but not every believer is yielded to His control. Our experience of His divine presence depends upon our yielding to Him moment by moment. If the Holy Spirit is to have a larger part of our lives we must make a deliberate choice and allow Him to take control.
The Spirit wants to fill our lives so that Christ may settle down and make Himself feel completely at home as a permanent resident in our hearts (Eph. 3:17). Our prayer should be that Christ would settle down, even now, in our hearts and take control as the rightful owner.
Imagine what it would be like to experience the “fullness of God” (v. 19). Paul was praying that we may be filled up to or unto all the fullness that is in God Himself. That will not take place until we stand complete and perfect in the likeness of Christ at His coming, but it can be our prayer and vision now. Paul was praying that we would be filled and filled and filled and filled forever, as God out of His infinite resources increasingly pours Himself into His redeemed people.
David Brainerd wrote in his diary April 21, 1742, “O My sweet Savior! Who have I but Thee? And there is none upon earth that I desire beside Thee.” Then he added, “If I had a thousand lives, my soul would gladly have laid them all down at once, to have been with Christ. My soul never enjoyed so much of heaven before; it was the most refined and most spiritual season of communion with God I ever yet felt.”
Oh, for a mature, intimate love relationship with Christ. The Holy Spirit always points us to Him and in that a felt presence and power that is wholly beyond man.
It is from that inner resource of “the riches of His glory” that we are “strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man so that Christ may dwell in your hearts and through faith. . .” (3:16-17).
The filling and control of our lives by the Holy Spirit is not automatic. We are baptized once when we believed on Christ as our savior, but filled many times. It is a deliberate choice we make each day. This empowering presence of the Holy Spirit within us enables us to live an abundant spiritual life.
“Do you feel you are adequately experiencing the presence and power of the Holy Spirit?” Why did you respond that way?
When He is in control, our minds are set on the things above (Rom. 8:5).
Do you have a richer, fuller desire to know the Lord Jesus Christ and fellowship with Him? That is the work of the Holy Spirit in your heart.
Who is in control of your life? Have you made a conscious deliberate choice to let the Holy Spirit be in charge of your life? Is He a dynamic, shaping, controlling presence in your life today? How can He become an ever-present reality in your daily life?
Will you make a conscious decision to let Jesus Christ rule your life from this day onward? From that moment on begin each day with a solemn commitment to let Him take control of your life through out the day.
“Lord Jesus I give this day to you. I make myself available to you to live Your life in and through me. Take these hands and feet, this tongue and these eyes, and let them express a heart full of Thee. Here, come live in and through me this day. I yield myself to You.”
Selah!
Message by Wil Pounds (c) 2006
(c) 2006 Message by Wil Pounds. Anyone is free to use this material and distribute it, but it may not be sold under any circumstances whatsoever without the author’s written consent.
Scriptures used by permission. Unless otherwise noted “Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.”
Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from the NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2006 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://www.bible.org/. All rights reserved.
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