Living a Spirit Fueled or Naturally Fueled Life – (Part 1)

The subject of what a “Spirit Filled Life” looks like isn’t taught much these days, however when I got saved in the early 1970s it was a big focus. Why? Because there was a thing called the “JESUS MOVEMENT” going on and the Holy Spirit was pouring out his power in extraordinary ways that brought many young people to a saving knowledge of Christ. Miracles were taking place often and tons of young people were getting born again. The whole idea of revival in the church should be where born again believers come to discover an awakening in their souls for a closer walk with God. Mind you, in many churches today, revival ends up being no more than becoming excited about going to church meetings instead of an awakening of their spiritual lives with the power of the Holy Spirit. The strategy of the enemy is to get believers occupied with having more meetings and church attendance rather than becoming passionate about our personal relationship with our Heavenly Father.

If a revival is God inspired, and we were in essence being “AWAKENED” in our spiritual lives, we would be closer to Father God and be able to hear his voice better.  Thus, our lives would be adjusted to live more for God and less for secondary things. What are these secondary things? Anything that distracts or distorts the Father’s desires for our lives. We would, in essence, adjust ourselves to have a more kingdom mindset by putting God’s authority ahead of our own.  Much of what is called revival today is more about an emotional high that only lasts a short while.

Revival should cause us to hunger to read the word of God.  Surely if we and others needed reviving it would indicate we overlooked some or many of God’s priorities and purposes. We would have interpreted portions of the word of God to fit our lifestyle and desires in life rather than the other way around.  When a true God given revival happens the Holy Spirit will be the person stirring people up.  This would include the Holy Spirit uncovering some blind spots in our theology and our reliance on him.   If we remain comfortable in our understanding of God and his ways after a “revival” then we really didn’t experience a true God inspired revival but just good religious meeting.

This leads to my point that a “Spirit Filled Life” is not just a “Natural Life” where God is only an influence, not a major factor. It is my belief that the average Christian believer lives out their Christian faith more by natural means than by the power of Holy Spirit. This may not be your testimony but it is the outcome of the vast majority of people claiming to be Christians. It is my observation, over the last 71 years, that we have so often crafted our faith around our natural abilities rather than around relying on the Holy Spirit for his power and direction. We all too often have “SANITIZED” the word of God to accommodate our natural preferences rather than reading the word of God as a book about God moving in and through man to accomplish his good purposes in us. We have been taught too often by well meaning pastors that the supernatural can be explained away because we have the written word. In truth, people are afraid of God being in control of both their lives and their church services. These teachers have used the word of God as their excuse for not trusting the Holy Spirit.

What makes us think we can live out the gospel and and worship God acceptably without the power of the Holy Spirit? Didn’t Jesus tell the woman at the well that the Father is looking for those who will worship him in Spirit and Truth? Keep in mind the main idea and function of worship is not just about singing but about giving honor and respect to our Heavenly Father. Respect means we value God’s heart and we value his ways above our own, not just give him “Lip Service” with no empowerment.

John 4:23                                                                                                                                                                                                      “But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers.

If we read the word of God clearly and without natural or religious bias, we should see what Jesus can to do in us and for us rather than just living or trying to live the Christian life by some orthodoxy of Christian belief, no matter how good those doctrines might be.  When I came to Christ I remember repeating the phrase “It’s Not About Religion; It’s About A Relationship” and that phrase has many times caused me to ponder living without the Holy Spirit’s power and presence. Real Christian faith is about a relationship with God that is personal and intimate, not just about reading and memorizing scripture as many professing Christians do in order to replace the intimacy with God.

To return to the kind of faith God desires, we should go back to basics and rediscover what the word of God says about a Spirit filled life and then seek God for it. To do so, we need to look both what John the baptist said about Jesus since John was defined as the forerunner of the Messiah. John said the Messiah would “BAPTIZE” us in the Holy Spirit and “FIRE“. After the resurrection, Jesus imparted the gift of the Holy Spirit yet they had not been given fire yet. That fire would be imparted after they learned to wait and hunger for God’s presence and power in the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 3:11                                                                                                                                                                                                            “As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

That fire came on the day of Pentecost when the 120 disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit. Somehow modern conservative Bible teachers got in their head that God doesn’t fill people anymore except when being saved or born again. This idea is nothing more than neutralizing the word of God to exclude the supernatural presence of the Holy Spirit in the average believer. Jesus challenged the young believer to seek the presence and power of God and that happened 10 days after Jesus ascended into heaven. The reason for waiting is because Jesus was teaching the young believers they either hindered the Holy Spirit’s work or welcomed him in their personal lives. His impartation was not automatic, although he was personally available to each and every believer then as he still is today.

Acts 1:4-5                                                                                                                                                                                             Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, “Which,”He said, “you heard of from Me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

The day the Holy Spirit fell on the 120 there appeared “Tongues of Fire” and they all spoke in a heavenly language or tongues. Primarily, fire represents the “PRESENCE” of God as Moses experienced with the burning bush when he received his calling. Fire was also used when God was leading the children of Israel through the wilderness. Fire also represents power and energy as a fire gives off heat in exchange for that which is burnt. Now, I believe scripture cleaerly teaches that we receive the Holy Spirit when we are born again. However, the baptism which Jesus desires to give us is one in which we receive a filling of fire from the Holy Spirit.

Exodus 3:2                                                                                                                                                                                                     The angel of the LORD appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, yet the bush was not consumed. 

Exodus 13:21                                                                                                                                                                                                 The LORD was going before them in a pillar of cloud by day to lead them on the way, and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. 

Ones thing is for sure, many believers may have a zeal for God but few have the fire of God operating in their lives on a regular basis. In the book of Leviticus, the law of the burnt offering was a fire that would burn continually and was never to go out.  It was done so that no strange fire would be used to burn peoples offering to the Lord.  In addition, it is a continual fire that represents that God can be approached at any time to offer our sacrifice and thus his presence is available at all times.

Leviticus 6:12-13                                                                                                                                                                                          The fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it. It shall not go out, but the priest shall burn wood on it every morning; and he shall lay out the burnt offering on it, and offer up in smoke the fat portions of the peace offerings on it. ‘Fire shall be kept burning continually on the altar; it is not to go out.

I will be going into a more in-depth look about the fire of God and the Holy Spirit in the next few articles but suffice to say we were never meant to live the Christian life by mere natural will power but by the power of the Holy Spirit. However, we can deny the supernatural power of God and struggle along without the guidance and power of the Holy Spirit if we chose to ignore him.

Questions:

1) Have you been taught you don’t need the baptism in the Holy Spirit? Read the scripture and ask yourself who’s power and fire is fueling your Christian walk and then reread the scripture.

2) Are you hungry for the power and presence of the Holy Spirit? The worst thing you can do is to ignore His prodding of your soul.  Instead, respond and pray for his counsel and guidance.

I am hungry for revival to happen in my heart and I hope and pray you are as well,

Pastor Dale