OKAY GUYS AND GALS... I NEED THE HOLY SPIRIT!

Okay, guys and gals… The past few days I’ve spent some time thinking about the importance of the Holy Spirit in my life.

Here’s the way Paul described it in Ephesians 5:18.

Ephesians 5:18 (NLT), Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, let the Holy Spirit fill and control you.

The word “fill” means, “to be controlled, intoxicated, permeated and thoroughly influence by the Holy Spirit.” It’s the picture of a God-intoxicated, Spirit-permeated, Jesus-controlled life.

That’s what I long for!

Enough of me! Enough of my effort, my strength, my abilities, my energy…

Over the course of approximately 35 years of trying to "do" the Christian life I’ve discovered that anything that begins with “my,” "me" – or any other personal pronoun for that matter - usually ends in frustration and futility.

I am desperate for Jesus. His Spirit. His heart. His life. His power flowing in and through me.

Several years ago a man named Major Ian Thomas wrote a Christian classic called The Saving Life of Christ. I love a statement that appears in that book. Thomas wrote:

Man was created to be the royal residence of God’s Holy Spirit, so that those looking at man might see God. ~ Major Ian Thomas

Wow! Here’s the point: One of the primary ways you can tell that a person has been “filled with the Holy Spirit” is that he or she is becoming more and more like Jesus Christ!

There's a great story in the book of Acts. Peter and John have been "called on the carpet" by the chief priests and religious authorities... A lame man has just been healed and the "religious police" have got to get the inside scoop. They want to make certain no one rocks their "religious boat" or challenges their authority.

Peter and John aren't phased. They are bold in the face of adversity.

I love the assessment of the chief priests and religious authorities after challenging Peter and John. It shows up in Acts 4:13.

Acts 4:13 (NIV), When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.

That's the kind of relationship with Jesus I'm desperate for! I long for the kind of relationship with Jesus that causes people to scratch their heads and say, "Hey, Chris is not necessarily the smartest guy on the planet. He's certainly not the best card in the deck. But, there's one thing about him - THE DUDE HAS BEEN WITH JESUS!"

That's why I'm longing for these days...

How about you? Have you been “filled with the Holy Spirit?” Are you continually being “filled with the Holy Spirit?” Are you relying on the Spirit’s power for life and ministry, or are you relying on your power? Do you want people to be able to look at you and say, "They have been with Jesus"?