"And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove, what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."
Romans 12:2 NKJV
Ask yourself this question, 'Do I allow the Holy Spirit to transform my life?' Many times we limit the fire that He wants to put into our lives. Paul called it quenching the Spirit, 1 Thessalonians 5:19. To quench, carries the idea putting out the flame of the Holy Spirit. This is poured out to purify and enlighten us. We often quench the Spirit by refusing to allow Him to move us in a way that He wants to. This may be speaking in tongues, prophesy or generally getting lost in worship.
We may look at others who are being moved by the Spirit and feel, embarrassed by it all and say to ourselves, 'I will never do that.' Once we do that, we are restraining the Spirit, in all He wants to give us.
William James once said, 'We can alter our lives by altering our attitudes', and that about sums it up - our attitudes. When the Holy Spirit is in operation in a service, we can shy away from what is happening but, by doing this, we are robbing ourselves. The early disciples did quite a few things before Jesus was crucified, but nothing life-changing. But when the Spirit of God fell on them all at Pentecost, fire came down and power was displayed in them and they would never be the same again. At least 3000 were saved by Peter's sermon that day and lives changed in an instant. That was the power of God; and that is the power that He wishes to place in your life too.
When we are transformed by the Spirit of God, we are changed instantly, but the full manifestation can take a lifetime to complete, Philippians 1:6. It is a gradual transformation because you are being changed from the inside out. The Holy Spirit is gentle with us and changes us little by little. He will never embarrass us, we do that ourselves. Walking in the Spirit includes the transformation of our minds - our thought-life. Often, what we think, can ruin the moment even though we may not speak it out. Therefore, we need the Spirit to allow us to make a few adjustments.
You can tell when the Holy Spirit 'comes upon you', especially if you have a word to give out in church. The longer you leave it, your chest begins to pound until you can contain it no longer and have to speak the word out. He is forever with us; as we ask Him to show us the way in any given situation, He is there to direct. If we make a wrong move, we can feel we have erred in our hearts but, He gives us the opportunity to rectify this.
You need the Holy Spirit!. You don't have to speak in tongues or roll across the floor, but, when the Spirit is upon you, you will feel good for doing this. But it is a choice. Speaking in tongues is important because the devil has not a clue what we are saying. Also the Holy Spirit puts into words, what we find difficult to say. It edifies us; it empowers us.
If you don't speak in tongues or prefer to quench the Spirit, you will not be disqualified from Heaven. But you will dip out on all the excitement that God wants you to flow in.
If you want to be filled with the Holy Spirit - baptised - please say this prayer with me:
Holy Spirit
Please send Your power upon me and fill me with your fire, the fire that will transform my life from this day forth. Give me the ability to speak in tongues and be changed from the inside out. In Jesus' Name. Amen
Copyriight 2021 Grahame Howard
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