‘We get knocked down, but we get up again and keep going.’ 2 Corinthians 4:9 TLB
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania tell us that a key predictor of success isn’t talent, title, wealth, or good looks. It’s the ability to work hard for a prolonged period of time toward a focused goal; to keep moving forward despite challenges, obstacles, and failures.
Paul writes: ‘We are pressed on every side by troubles, but not crushed and broken. We are perplexed because we don’t know why things happen as they do, but we don’t give up and quit. We are hunted down, but God never abandons us. We get knocked down, but we get up again and keep going’ (vv. 8–9 TLB). Here are some famous people who got knocked down but kept on going. A memo issued after Fred Astaire’s first screen test said, ‘Can’t act…slightly bald…can dance a little.’ Walt Disney was fired by a newspaper editor for lack of ideas. He also went bankrupt several times before he built Disneyland. Albert Einstein didn’t speak until he was four and didn’t write until he was seven. His teacher described him as ‘mentally slow, unsociable and adrift forever in foolish dreams.’ F. W. Woolworth’s employers at the dry goods store said he hadn’t enough sense to wait on customers. Winston Churchill failed at junior school. He didn’t become Prime Minister of Great Britain until he was sixty-six, after a lifetime of defeats and setbacks. He made his greatest contribution as a senior citizen. Abraham Lincoln once said, ‘Bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other.’ So when life knocks you down, get back up and keep going.
Living a Spirit filled life is key if we are going to be all we can be for Christ. Before salvation the Holy Spirit draws us to Jesus and He convicts us of our sin. At the point of salvation, He washes us clean and regenerates us, He then comes to live inside us, seals us as God’s own, makes us more Christ-like, gives us gifts to serve, and brings fruit in our lives. So, living Spirit Filled is vital.
In his book “Know what you believe” Paul Little put it this way…
“The fullness of the Spirit is not a matter of our receiving more of Him. Rather, it is a matter of relationship. To be filled with the Spirit means we allow Him to occupy, guide, and control every area of our lives. His power can then work through us, making us effectively fruitful for God and flooding our hearts with His joy. This filling applies not only to our outward acts but to our inner thoughts and motives. When we are filled with the Spirit, all we are and have is subject to His control” (p77-78).
Now I want to use the letters of Spirit filled to give us some pointers to putting it all into practice.
S—Submit to the authority of Jesus Christ.
Recognize God’s claim on your life. Realize that God’s plan is to conform you to the image of Christ. Relinquish your right to be in control of your life. These are keys to being Spirit Filled.
“Jesus said to his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.’” (Matthew 16:24)
P—Pray for conviction of sin.
Acknowledge your natural inclination to sin. Ask the Holy Spirit to make you aware of your specific sins. Agree with God about your need to change.
“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me.” (Psalm 139:23–24)
I—Identify with Christ’s death on the cross.
See yourself as dead to the ruling power of sin. See yourself as alive to God because of the resurrection life of Christ within you. See the Holy Spirit as your power to overcome sin.
“Count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 6:11)
R—Recognize the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit to teach you and to guide you.
Listen with your heart to the One sent by the Father. Listen to the gentle promptings of the Holy Spirit. Listen to His reminders of the truth as spoken by Jesus.
“The Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” (John 14:26)
I—Initiate immediate obedience to the prompting of the Holy Spirit.
Choose to acknowledge the presence of the Holy Spirit. Choose to submit your will to His will. (Don’t mentally argue.) Choose to act on His promptings.
“Live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.” (Galatians 5:16)
T—Trust in the Holy Spirit to be your supernatural power for living a holy life.
You have been called to be holy. You cannot be holy by your own efforts. You must rely on the Holy Spirit, who enables us to live a holy life.
“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” (2 Peter 1:3)
F—Fellowship on a regular basis with other believers.
Belong to a Bible-based church. Become involved in your church. Be supportive of others.
“Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another.” (Hebrews 10:25)
I—Implant God’s Word in your heart.
Line up your thinking with God’s thinking. Read one chapter a day from the Book of Proverbs and allow it to transform your mind. Listen to teaching tapes on God’s Word.
“I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” (Psalm 119:11)
L—Learn to have a thankful heart.
Thank God for His unconditional love. Thank God for His faithfulness to orchestrate events in your life. Thank God in all circumstances, both good and bad.
“Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18)
L—Live with an attitude of prayer.
Keep your mind focused on Christ. Keep your heart alert to the Holy Spirit. Keep praying through all circumstances.
“Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.” (Ephesians 6:18)
E—Expect victory!
Know that your strength is in Christ. Know that your own efforts will fail. Know that victory is the Lord’s.
“‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.” (Zechariah 4:6)
D—Depend on the Holy Spirit to develop the character of Christ in your life.
To reflect the character of Christ is the Christian’s highest purpose. To the extent that you submit to the Holy Spirit, you will grow in Christ. To reflect Christ accurately will draw others to Him.
“We, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:18)
Closing Summary
Today we used the letters of Spirit Filled to give us some clues of what it is to live a life that is controlled by the Holy Spirit. Here they are again.
S—Submit to the authority of Jesus Christ.
P—Pray for conviction of sin.
I—Identify with Christ’s death on the cross.
R—Recognize the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit to teach you and to guide you.
I—Initiate immediate obedience to the prompting of the Holy Spirit.
T—Trust in the Holy Spirit to be your supernatural power for living a holy life.
F—Fellowship on a regular basis with other believers.
I—Implant God’s Word in your heart.
L—Learn to have a thankful heart.
L—Live with an attitude of prayer.
E—Expect victory!
D—Depend on the Holy Spirit to develop the character of Christ in your life.
In the Bible we see that Jesus had the power over death. He raised at least three people from the dead and He Himself was raised to life.
Lazarus – in John 11:38-44 we see Jesus raised Lazarus to life. He had been dead and buried for four days, but Jesus brought him back.
Jairus’ daughter – in Matthew 9:18-26 Jesus raised the officials daughter after she died. The man came and asked Jesus to heal her, but she died while he was away. Jesus raised her to life.
Widows only son – in Luke 7:11-15 Jesus came across a funeral procession. He told the young man to get up and he was raised to life. Jesus then gave him back to his mother.
As I read these three stories afresh they gave me a great hope. Hope that nothing is impossible to Jesus in this life. He even has the power over death!
As Christian we know that when we die we will be raised to life to be with Jesus. We will meet Him in heaven first and we will come back with Him when He calls time on this world.
1 Thessalonians 4:15-18 NLT [15] We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died. [16] For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves. [17] Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. [18] So encourage each other with these words.
Knowing that Jesus has the power over death means that nothing is impossible for Him in this life. Knowing that when this life is over we will spend eternity with Him gives me hope.
Today I want to encourage you with this great hope – nothing is impossible for Jesus. He can raise the dead and He can give us eternal life as we put our hope and trust in Him.
If you have not trusted Jesus for your salvation, I would encourage you to visit my finding salvation page.
I would like more the Holy Spirit in my life. I would like to be empowered to live like Jesus and display more of the fruit of the Spirit in the world around me.
But in truth it is not about me getting more of the Holy Spirit, it is about the Holy Spirit getting more of me!
Paul Little in his book “Know What You Believe” said,“To be filled with the Spirit means we allow Him to occupy, guide, and control every area of our lives. His power can then work through us, making us effectively fruitful for God and flooding our hearts with His joy” (p. 78).
When we come to accept Jesus as our Lord and Saviour we become born again by the Holy Spirit. He then takes up residence in us to empower us and make us more like Christ. So as Christians we all have the same Holy Spirit, in the same measure, the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead (Romans 8:9-11).
As Paul Little says in his book, it is about allowing the Holy Spirit free reign in our lives. It is allowing Him to have all of us in complete surrender. Then He can live in and through us.
If I am honest, this sounds really scary and really exciting at the same time! But what a journey it would be if we surrendered fully to the Holy Spirit. Imagine the difference we could make in this world.
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