It’s Time: How to Receive the Holy Spirit in His Fullness

Close your eyes and think about the best restaurant you’ve ever eaten in. What was the atmosphere of the place? What smells do you remember? How did the food taste as it entered your mouth? Was the dessert the best thing you’ve ever tasted?

Over the past few months, I have been asking people to turn to someone and in one minute, describe the details of the best restaurant experience they have ever had. Every time I observe the same phenomenon: The moment they turn to the person next to them and begin to speak, the volume instantly goes up in the room. Excitement fills their voices, and laughter can be heard everywhere, because the joy of that memory comes bubbling to their thoughts. They become witnesses to the power of that culinary experience without even trying.

This overflow of excitement is a reflection of what happened among believers after the Day of Pentecost. What happened in the lives of those in the upper room as they experienced the power of the Holy Spirit for the first time could not be contained. Their passion and joy made them instant emissaries of the transformative power of the Holy Ghost.

When the fullness of the power of the Holy Spirit comes into our lives, He shatters the silence of our mouths with His joy. The Word of God states, “With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation” (Isa. 12:3). The joy that comes from an encounter with God will fill us up to the brim and then beyond, spilling over into our lives and conversations with those around us.

God wanted a family, so He gave His Son; He wanted us to be victorious witnesses of His love, so He gave us the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit overwhelms me daily because of God’s grace, and I can’t help but share about it. I didn’t reap from what I sowed—the curse, sin, sickness, defeat and death. Instead, I reap from what God sowed: the blessings of forgiveness, healing, love and the power of the Holy Spirit to be a witness. I want everyone to know about and know experientially what this could mean for their life and situation.

I believe this same principle regarding the overflow of our lives and mouths when we encounter the Holy Spirit explains why American mission efforts overseas have been so successful. What God has done by His grace in America cannot be contained in America. He has blessed the churches in America with Holy Spirit abundance, and it has propelled the message the kingdom of Jesus Christ around the world.

However, as long as what happens on Sunday is restricted to Sunday alone, we are not walking in the fullness of what God has intended for our lives or churches on Monday through Saturday. If we or our congregations find ourselves leaving church and not giving the message, fellowship or experience another thought, this should be a red flag to us that it’s time to draw close to the Holy Spirit.

The Scriptures tell us that we have the mighty Holy Spirit when we are saved. But have you received Him in His fullness? If not, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you” (Matt. 7:7).

Let His joy overflow with everyone you meet this week.

Help people taste and see that the Lord is good.

You’re beautiful. I see Jesus in you.

Have an awesome week! {eoa}

Mikel French has challenged spiritual awakening all across America, where many celebrations extended into multiple weeks, and has conducted celebrations in France, Sweden, Russia, Romania, Poland, Ukraine, Moldova, Serbia, Germany, South Africa, Malawi, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Haiti, Japan, Singapore, India and Thailand. He conducted an outreach celebration in Manila, Philippines, reaching 200,000 teenagers with the Book of Hope. Through the generous support of partners, he has presented the message of Jesus Christ to millions of people in the nation of Russia through televised citywide soul-winning celebrations. Mikel considers it an honor to assist in conducting the annual pastor’s conference, where thousands of pastors from Russia’s 11 time zones come for training, teaching and equipping. Mikel and his wife, Marsha, reside in Tulsa, Oklahoma.