Indwelling and Infilling

 

Regardless of what you may have been taught about the Holy Spirit over the years, today I want to show you a few truths about Him, directly from the Word of God. The moment we became born again, the Holy Spirit re-created our spirits and placed the life and nature of God into us. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says we became brand new creatures on the inside! The Holy Spirit didn’t fix or heal our previous nature that was dead to sin, He created a brand-new spirit in us, and took possession of it. That is why we can say our spirit-man is perfect, because the Spirit of God made it and dwells in it. In John 4:14, Jesus describes the re-born spirit as a fountain of living water, springing up from within us into eternal life. So, at our salvation, the Person of the Holy Spirit indwells us. Now, in Acts 2, we are told of an additional experience that belongs to every born-again, child of God. It’s called the baptism of the Holy Spirit. John the Baptist, in Luke 3:16, said Jesus baptizes us with the Holy Spirit and fire. In Acts 2:4, the believers were gathered in the upper room and the Holy Spirit came upon them and filled them, and they began to speak with other tongues. This infilling caused them to be filled to overflowing with the power of God, to equip them to be effective witnesses. Jesus spoke about this happening in John 7:38-39. He said that the Holy Spirit would cause rivers of living water to flow from our spirits. Now, while the baptism of the Holy Spirit is a one-time event, we are to continually be filled with His power. Ephesians 5:18 says we are to be ever filled with the Holy Spirit. This can be done at any time, and all it requires is our faith. One of the most effective ways to receive a fresh infilling of the life and power of God to surge from God’s Spirit that dwells in us, and fills us to overflowing, is to pray in tongues. Jude says we build ourselves up, in our most holy faith as we pray in the Spirit (Jude 1:20). As we remain filled with the Holy Spirit, we move into a deeper dimension of God and experience His supernatural power in a greater measure. Ask the Holy Spirit to fill you with His power today.