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While you received the Holy Spirit
in full at salvation–you got all of
Him you’re ever going to get–it still
is possible not to enjoy a
Spirit-filled life.
Christendom suffers a great deal of
confusion in this matter. Many
believers pursue a greater "filling"
of the Holy Spirit, stressing signs
and manifestations as evidence of a
Spirit-filled condition. However, we
experience a Spirit-filled life when
we live under the domination and
control of the Holy Spirit, fully
surrendered to Him.
When we are not willfully
surrendered to Him, when we carve out
and reserve a section of our lives for
ourselves, we are not living the
Spirit-filled life.
You may counter, "Wait a minute. If
at salvation I received all of the
Holy Spirit I’m ever going to get, how
can I ever live a life that is less
than Spirit-filled?" Perhaps the best
illustration is that of the
parent-child relationship.
Suppose a father has a rebellious
child. Is the child still under the
authority of the father? Yes.
Positionally, the child remains under
the authority of the father, though
functionally he is not remaining under
the father’s authority because he is
being disobedient. If ever the child
repents and changes course, then the
perfect relationship is restored.
So it is with believers. If after
our disobedience we repent to our
heavenly Father, we immediately are
able to experience the Spirit-filled
life. |