More of the Holy Spirit

Seven Ways to Receive More of the Holy Spirit:

Ask for it. Paul asked the Ephesians to pray for him to be given "words" when He spoke. Jesus said that we should ask and the Father will give the Holy Spirit to us (see Luke 11:9-13; James 4:2).

Spend time pleading with God and waiting for Him to act. You might ask: "But how do I know God's ways merely by spending time with Him?" The answer is, because you do! Time alone with God honors Him and affirms His Word and His promises.

Know your Bible backward and forward. I promise you that you will never be sorry you spent time with God's Word. Whether you are a minister or a cab driver, a children's pastor or a server in a restaurant, a worship leader or an accountant—I could go on and on—get to know your Bible better than any other book.

Live a holy life. One might think this goes without saying, but I believe it has to be said. In a word: If you want to be on good terms with the Holy Spirit of God, remember He is the Holy Spirit and that He wrote the Old and New Testaments, which could be summed up as showing the necessity of holiness and how to live the holy life.

Witness to people—even strangers—on a one-to-one basis. We are all called to do this. If we see the lost start coming to Christ by the millions, I believe it will happen because the sleeping giant called the body of Christ wakes up, gets fired up and starts talking about Jesus Christ to their neighbors, friends and everyone they meet.

Seek honor and praise from God, not people. John 5:44 has been my life verse for over 60 years. John 5:44 shows that we should live and speak before an audience of one—namely God alone. Malachi 3:16 says that God eavesdrops on our conversations. If we start speaking to one another with the awareness that God Himself is listening, it might drastically change the tenor of our conversations.

Esteem the fruits of the Spirit as much as the gifts of the Spirit and vice versa. It has been my observation that Spirit people tend to emphasize the gifts of the Spirit, while Word people tend to emphasize the fruit of the Spirit. For some Word people, speaking in tongues is about the most offensive thing on the planet! We must be willing to accept the stigma that comes with being unashamed of the gift of speaking or praying in tongues. I don't mean to be unfair, but speaking personally, it is part of the price to pay if we want a greater anointing of the Spirit. Being kept at bay—or even rejected—is worth the price for a greater anointing. Would you not want a greater anointing than anything in the world?