"And we are sure of this, that He will listen to us whenever we ask Him for anything in line with His will. And if we really know He is listening when we talk to Him and make our requests, then we can be sure that He will answer us" (John 5:14,15).
John, chairman of the board of deacons in a large, successful church, refused to respond - though hundreds of others did - to my invitation to be filled with the Holy Spirit by faith.
Following the meeting, he came to me in tears.
"I have dedicated and rededicated my life to Christ many, many times, always to no avail," he said. "I didn't dare respond to your invitation, because I knew I would fail again."
I explained that my invitation was different. "God's power to live a holy life and be a fruitful witness is released by faith, based on His faithfulness and the authority of God's Word."
When John understood this, he responded enthusiastically and prayed, asking God to fill him with His Spirit. His life was changed, as have been thousands of others as they have come to understand how to be filled and empowered by the Holy Spirit by faith moment by moment, day by day.
On the basis of His command to be filled (Ephesians 5:18) and His promise that if we ask for anything in accordance with God's will, He will hear and answer us (1 John 5:14,15), we know that we can be filled with the Holy Spirit - as a way of life.
I will humble myself before the Lord and tell Him that I want to live a holy life, that I want to be a man/woman of God. I will surrender the control of my life to Christ, turn from all known sin, and by faith on the basis of His command and His promise, receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit. By faith, I expect to live the supernatural, Spirit-empowered life in a moment-by-moment, day-by-day dependence on the Holy Spirit.
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