LIVING IN THE SPIRIT
Part 1

" Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit saith the Lord of hosts"
(Zechariah 4:6).

The above Scripture is one of my favorites in the Bible. There is hardly a day goes by that I don't quote it, the reason being that I am helpless without the anointing of the Holy Spirit. I cannot accomplish anything of eternal value, I cannot change people's lives, nor my own life without the power of the Holy Spirit moving in me.

I need the Holy Spirit in my daily life in my home. I need Him in my marriage. I need Him every moment. Is this the cry of your heart, too? Let's look at what the Holly Spirit wants to do in our lives.

Born of the Spirit

Jesus said in John 3:6, "That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." Read also John 1:12-13 and 3:8. We cannot be born again into God's family and His kingdom except by the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:9 says, "If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his."

Filled with the Spirit

When we are born again, Christ comes into our heart by His Holy Spirit. He does not want to live in the corner of our heart, but He wants to FILL our lives with His Spirit. To fill us means to saturate every part of our being--our mind, reason, heart, soul, and every part of our body. This is how He wants us to mother in our home, not struggling in the flesh, but filled and controlled by the Holy Spirit. As you constantly yield to the life of the Holy Spirit in you, it changes your mothering from a drudgery and duty into a sacred and joyful task. No matter what you are doing, you do it in partnership with the Holy Spirit. This takes every task up to a new level.

Ephesians 5:18-21 says, "And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess, but be filled with the Sprit; speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and make melody in your heart o the Lord; giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God."

The Holy Spirit may be dwelling in you, but how does He FILL your heart? When you sing and praise the Lord. When, instead of grumbling and complaining, you continually give thanks for everything that is happening in your life. For "all things" remember. And when you yield to a spirit of submission in your life, for this is the character of Christ and the Holy Spirit (Philippians 2:5-8). Do you notice that this sentence doesn't finish until it talks about submission?

And it starts off about not being drunk. The inference is that instead of being drunk with wine, we will be utterly empowered by the Spirit, allowing Him to control all our thoughts and actions--everything we say and do. Wine is associated with joy. When someone is filled with wine, they forget all about their worries and difficulties. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we will not be overwhelmed by our difficulties, but filled with joy even in the midst of them. Acts 15:2 says, "The disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost."

Walk in the Spirit

Romans 8:4 ESV exhorts us not to walk according to our flesh but according to the Spirit. Begin to consciously acknowledge that everywhere you walk in your home, the Holy Spirit is walking with you. When you to go clean the bathroom and the toilets, He is walking with you. When you are preparing the meal in your kitchen, He is walking with you. When you go to purchase your groceries at the supermarket, He is walking with you. What a wonderful life. This makes your life a supernatural life. Expect miracles to happen wherever He is walking with you.

When we walk in the Spirit, we will hear the Holy Spirit prompting us. Perhaps He wants us to call someone who is going through a trial to encourage them. Or, to make a loaf of bread and a pot of soup for someone who is sick or tired. Or, He may prompt you to make changes in your home or in your relationship with your husband and children that will help to bring you all closer to one another and to the Lord.

Galatians 5:16 says, "Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh." And verse 25 says, "If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit."

Love from Nancy Campbell
www.aboverubies.org

PRAYER:
"Precious Holy Spirit, please fill every part of my life with your Holy Spirit. I want to yield to your promptings as you speak things to my heart. I want to yield to you instead of the flesh. Amen."

AFFIRMATION:
I don't want to be half-filled, but filled to overflowing.

Further Scriptures about being filled with the Holy Spirit
Luke 4:1; Acts 2:4; 4:8, 31; 6:35; 9:17; 11:24; 13:9, 52.