ANGELS IN BIBLE

Existence of the Angels

The mere light of reason does not assure us of the truth that there exists a whole world of invisible beings far more perfect than ourselves, and deputed by God to watch over us and shield us from harm. There are indeed certain facts, apart from revelation, ladder stretching from earth to heaven, whereon were angels ascending and descending. Earlier still an angel stayed the hand of Abraham as he was about to plunge the knife into the breast of his beloved son, and promised him in the name of God to multiply his seed as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is by the seashore, and to bless in him all the nations of the earth.
Again, an angel comforted Agar in her sore distress and pointed out ot her a well where she could find water for her dying boy. An angel led the people of Israel into the lands of the heathen nations which God gave them after their departure out of Egypt. And later under King Ezechias an angel of the Lord slew in a single night a hundred and eighty-five thousand of the army of Sennacherib, the Assyrian King, who boastfully threatened to capture Jerusalem, and carry off its people into slavery. (4 Kings 16)
Mention of the holy angels occurs frequently, too, in the Psalms and in the prophecies. For instance, an angel of the Lord bade Habacuc in Judea, bear to Daniel in the lions’ den at Babylon, the food he had prepared for the reapers, and catching him up by the hair of his head, transported him in an instant from the one place to the other, and set him down beside the lions’ den. (Daniel 16:33)
Hence it is clear that in the Old Testament alone, we have ample Scriptural warrant for our belief in the angels, and the New Testament is quite as explicit. Our Divine Lord himself alludes to Jacob’s vision when He speaks of angels ascending and descending upon the Son of Man. He also represents to us the angels of the little ones who believe in Him as ever beholding the face of His Father who is in heave, giving us in these words the surest basis for what the Church teaches us with respect to our guardian angels.
The Angel Gabriel, who four centuries previously had appeared ot the Prophet Daniel, declaring to him the time of the coming of the Messias, appears also in the blessed fulness of time, first of Zachary, to tell of the birth of the Precursor, and then to our ever blessed Lady, to announce the advent of the Redeemer himself. And when out Lord was born in the stable at Bethlehem, a whole host of angels celebrated the event with glad acclaim, rejoicing that at length the divine promise to our race was fulfilled.
There is no doubt then of the existence of the holy angels, and it remains for us to consider their nature and their gifts, that we may be filled with admiration for them and that our hearts may expand with holy joy at the thought that one day we shall see them as they are – those glorious beings, those countless throngs – and be united with them in the bonds of close and everlasting intimacy.

The Angelic Hierarchy

 
Order is heaven’s first law. The countless multitudes of the angels are not a disorderly mob, but a thoroughly organized society. The battalions of the blessed spirits are a well-marshalled host. There are degrees of glory, and differences of rank. All are not equal, save in this – that all alike are children of God, members of the great family of God, and of the mystical body of Christ.
Just as in the natural body various functions are discharged by various parts diversely located and of dissimilar structure, so in that body which is Christ’s, the angels have each their own separate place, with their own particular function to fulfil; and while all are truly great, being all sons of the most High God, and princes of His heavenly kingdom, not all are equally high, not all are equally honoured, but one differs from another, both in the gifts of nature and in those of grace, as star differs from star in glory.
About the constitution of this society which comprises all the legions of the holy angels we know only what we gather from certain passing indications in Holy Writ, echoed to be sure, by the teaching of the Fathers. Thus, there is mention in Scripture of various classes of angels, and with evidence opposition, as when Saint Paul says,

…neither death, nor life, no angels, nor principalities, nor powers, not things present nor things to come. (Romans 8:38)

When we infer the existence of distinct orders of blessed spirits, and by the aid of other passages, occurring chiefly in the epistles of the same Apostle, we are able to complete the enumeration of them. In the Epistle to the Colossians we read,

For in him [that is, in Christ] were all things created in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, or dominations, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him and in him. (Colossians 1:16)

Again, the Apostle writes,

Raising him (Christ) up from the dead, and setting him on his right hand in the heavenly places, above all principality, and power, and virtue, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come. (Ephesians 1:20-21)

The word archangels, too, is found both in Saint Paul and in Saint Jude, and implies a certain superiority and hence distinction. Lastly, we meet the name seraphim in Isaias 6, while cherubim is of frequent occurrence, being found first at the end of the third chapter of Genesis, and then often in the other historical books, in the Psalms, and in the prophet Ezechiel.
Hence the mere division of the angels into various orders or classes, without definition as to number, inter-dependence, and the like, is a teaching of our faith, being clearly contained in Holy Scripture. It is also a doctrine commonly laid down by theologians, following in the footsteps of Saint Denis (or Dionysius) the Aeropagite (or whoever may be the author of that ancient and famous work on the Celestial Hierarchy, that the holy angels are divided into three sacred realms, called heirarchies, according to their proximity to God and the fullness of the light flowing in upon their minds from that never-failing, infinite source. This is now the commonly received opinion in the Church.
But there is also a further division of the hierarchies into choirs. To the choirs belong the names met with in the writings of Saint Paul and in other passages of Holy Scripture, as just enumerated. They are nine in all, and thus we have three choirs for each hierarchy, a perfectly natural distribution, as in every realm we meet the highest, the lowest, and the middle class.
As a matter of fact, theologians (and the common voice of the Church along with them) assign to each of the angelic hierarchies, three sacred choirs. The method of distributing these throughout the hierarchies is not however quite uniform, but the usual division is that of Saint Denis (Dionysius) or his namesake, the Pseudo-Aeropagite, from whom Saint Gregory scarcely differs. According to the former, the first and noblest hierarchy embraces in descending scale, the seraphim, cherubim, and thrones. The second or intermediate hierarchy is made up in like order of the dominations, virtues, and powers. The third, or lowest hierarchy comprises the principalities, archangels, and angels.
We must not think, however, that they use of these names is so fixed in Holy Scripture, that one is not employed at times instead of another, that is, in a somewhat looser and broader sense. This is particularly true of the generic name, angel, which is used of all the blessed spirits indifferently, and not merely of the lowest choir, to which it is specially appropriated. Thus we read in Saint Paul, (Hebrews 1) alluding to Psalm 96, “And let all the angels of God adore him”; and immediately after, “Who maketh his angels spirits”; in both of which passages there is question evidently of the whole heavenly army. Again, Gabriel is call the Angel Gabriel, though he is thought, not without reason, to have been one of the highest of all the blessed spirits. So Lucifer is apostrophized by the Prophet Ezechiel, “Thou a cherub,” and yet his is commonly supposed to have belonged to the choir of seraphim and to have been perhaps the foremost among them. Lastly, Michael is called by Saint Jude the Archangel Michael, though elsewhere he is spoken of as one of the chief princes, and is regarded by many as having been also of the order of seraphim.

THE TRUE OF CHURCH

Marks of the True Church

We know that Our Lord established a Church before He ascended into Heaven. He made St Peter the head of that Church. But does that Church still exist? There are so many Churches that call themselves Christian ... are they all the true Church? Is only one of them? Which one?
Most true Christians accept as the basis of their faith those truths set forth in the Nicene Creed. It is in that Creed that we learn the true marks (or indicia) of the True Church of Christ.
The True Church is ONE, HOLY, CATHOLIC and APOSTOLIC.
Only the Roman Catholic Church can validly claim all four marks. It is the Roman Catholic Church which has always been and continues to be that Church which Jesus Himself established almost 2000 years ago.

The Catholic Church is ONE

There is only one Christian Church, united in faith, in worship and in in succession from the Apostles themselves. For the Church is the Body of Christ Himself, and so is whole and one as Christ's Body is whole and one. Lumen Gentium, the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church promulgated by the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council, states that:

"The sole Church of Christ [is that] which our Saviour, after His Resurrection, entrusted to Peter's pastoral care, commissioning him and the other apostles to extend and rule it .... This Church, constituted and organized as a society in the present world, subsists in the Catholic Church, which is governed by the successor of Peter and by the bishops in communion with him."

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that:

"The Church is one: she acknowledges one Lord, confesses one faith, is born of one Baptism, forms only one Body, is given life by one Spirit, for the sake of one hope, at whose fulfilment all divisions will be overcome."

Of course, it is a sad fact that in the course of its history, rifts have arisen in the Church, sometimes leading whole groups of the faithful to separate from the Church. This is a scandal, unpleasing to God. Our Lord wishes that "all may be one" and it is the duty of all Christians to strive towards and pray earnestly for that day when all Christians will be united in the Lord.
This does not, however, mean that a proliferation of denominations means the Catholic Church is not one. In fact, all those separated from the Catholic Church remain part of her, in a mysterious way. All those who receive Christian baptism belong to the Catholic Church!

We all look forward with hope to the day when we will share a meal together at the one banquet table in the presence of Our Lord.

The Catholic Church is HOLY

Lumen Gentium states further that:

"The Church ... is held, as a matter of faith, to be unfailingly holy. This is because Christ, the Son of God, who with the Father and the Spirit is hailed as "alone holy", loved the Church as his Bride, giving himself up for her so as to sanctify her; he joined her to himself as his body and endowed her with the gift of the Holy Spirit for the glory of God."

The Church, then, is perfect and holy, the spotless bride of Christ, the undefiled Body of Christ Himself, filled with the Holy Spirit.
The mysterious paradox is that the Church is holy and perfect, even though she is made of imperfect sinners!

The Church is holy: the Most Holy God is her author; Christ, her bridegroom, gave himself up to make her holy; the Spirit of holiness gives her life. Since she still includes sinners, she is "the sinless one made up of sinners". Her holiness shines in the saints; in Mary she is already all-holy."
--Catechism of the Catholic Church

The Catholic Church is CATHOLIC

"Catholic" in this sense is the "small-c" "catholic", which means "universal". The Church can be found in St Peter's Basilica, in a suburban parish church, in a group of faithful in the Amazon Jungle. But being one in faith and communion with the Church in Rome makes this Church a universal collection of those "particular Churches". Particular Churches fall to the care of Bishops, the pastors of the faithful and successors of the Apostles. Their communion with each other and with the Bishop of Rome makes the Catholic Church truly universal.
Pope Paul VI in his encyclical, Evangelii Nuntiandi, states:

"Let us be very careful not to conceive of the universal Church as the simple sum, or ... the more or less anomolous federation of essentially different particular churches. In the mind of the Lord the Church is universal by vocation and mission, but when she puts down her roots in a variety of cultural, social, and human terrains, she takes on different external expressions and appearances in each part of the world."

"The Church is catholic: she proclaims the fulness of the faith. She bears in herself and administers the totality of the means of salvation. She is sent out to all peoples. She speaks to all men. She encompasses all times. She is "missionary by her very nature".
--Catechism of the Catholic Church

The Catholic Church is APOSTOLIC

The Catholic Church validly claims succession from the Apostles themselves. All bishops of the Catholic Church are ordained by bishops who themselves were ordained by bishops who themselves were ordained ... and so on ... who themselves were ordained by the Apostles. This passing on of the authority and mission of the Apostles throughout time is guided by the Holy Spirit who descended on the Apostles at Pentecost and remains with the Church guiding Her until the Lord comes again.
Other Churches, no longer in communion with the Church of Rome, have also maintained Apostolic Succession. The Orthodox Churches, certain of the bishops of the Anglican Communion and the bishops of the Society of St Pius X, although not in communion with Rome, have maintained this succession from the Apostles by ensuring that only bishops in the Apostolic Succession may ordain other bishops after the group has separated from Rome.

"The Church is apostolic. She is built on a lasting foundation: "the twelve apostles of the Lamb". She is indestructible. She is upheld infallibly in the truth: Christ governs her through Peter and the other apostles, who are present in their successors, the Pope and the college of bishops.
--Catechism of the Catholic Church

HANDLING STRESS ACCORDING BIBLE

Bible Teaching About Stress Management

This Bible teaching about stress management gives a holistic overview of bringing tension down to a controllable size. You will find relief, whether you feel overwhelmed, helpless, frustrated and out of control, are drinking too much to unwind, have painful head and muscle aches from unrelenting tension, live in a constant state of desperate anxiety – or have just burned out and given up.
As you have already learned from another study on understanding (link to understanding stress) this affliction, the consequences can be very serious – and certainly will disrupt your quality of life and relationships.
I will explain three major areas on which to focus your stress management program: your environment, your mental outlook, and your body.

The Environment

Stress comes from the way we interact with events in our outer social, physical and spiritual world. For example, we get caught up in traffic, miss an appointment, become frustrated, and then lash out with anger. If you are an impatient, short fused, hostile Type A personality, then matters become even worse.
Your response sends your blood pressure soaring, dumps stress chemicals into your body, and cramps your muscles. However, maybe traffic doesn’t bother you, but something else drives you up a wall. That is why environmental events are situation specific.
One event might make me more edgy than it would you, because you have better skills and experience to handle the situation. Perhaps you have a more positive, optimistic personality and are not uptight over little things. Here are some examples of possible pressure provoking events in the environment.
•Inadequate communication skills or systems.

•Inadequate skills in relationships that cause conflict.

•Poor time management skills that keep you behind your deadlines.

•Problems in the workplace such as problems with fellow workers.

•Insufficient parenting skills that keep the family in an uproar.

•Inability to make or handle money correctly, which brings the constant hassle of bill collectors.

•Etc. This is the catch all category that identifies the area that causes you the most hassle in your life. Again, the environmental events are situation specific to each individual.

The idea is that if you learn better stress management techniques for these situations, your tension will go down. Many lessons in this website address those specific areas.

The Mental Distortions
The second area for stress management is your mental outlook. Over the years you have learned and stored away attitudes, beliefs, and values. You use these thoughts to give meaning and interpret the events in your social, physical, and spiritual world. However, many times those thoughts are distortions of what is real.
In other words, how you perceive things determines your response. Your basic personality type also comes into play. The way to corral and tame those haywire thoughts is by replacing your distortions with Bible truth (Romans 12:2). That way you see reality the way God does. Your priorities and perceptions become more accurate and clear – though never perfect in this life.
Here I suggest three, out of many, mental distortions that will drive your anxiety level through the roof.

Fortune Telling

Fortune telling is what you tell yourself when faced with some imagined threat. It is telling yourself, “What if this or that happens.” It is borrowing trouble that never comes. The logical error is that most of the stuff we fear never happens. However, our body doesn’t know the imagined threat doesn’t exist, but it responds as if it were real. Things become “stress city” when there is no threat.
The way out of this trap is for every “What if,” substitute a “So what!” For example, you tell yourself, “What if I fail in this class!” The answer back is “So what? It is not the best result, but I have learned something, and next time I will study harder.”
Another method is to write down every dreadful thing you imagine is going to happen. Save the list for two or three months, and then review it. You will find that probably none or very few of the events actually came to pass. You worried yourself over imaginary threats.
Here is where you learn to place your future, faith and trust in God’s hands (Romans 8:28-39). You learn to be happy, patient, pray with thanksgiving, and change your outlook on life, and make better choices (Philippians 4:4-9).

Mind Reading

This is another lie we tell ourselves. Perhaps you think your boss doesn’t like your work. You stew about it and worry yourself sick. The fact is you don’t know, because you cannot read your bosses’ mind. It is best to go ask him or her, and then you will know – and make any needed corrections.

Magnification

Some people make mountains out of molehills – they blow things all out of proportion. Are you that way? Here are words to listen for, “Oh! This is horrible, terrible, awful, and I cannot stand it!” Little things become terrible things in their mind. Learn to trust God and let Him figure out the hard things (Proverbs 3:5-10; Matthew 6:25-34).
Not much in our own personal life is terrible. Let me tell you what is horrible. It is standing on the 84th floor of the world trade center in New York City on September 11, 2001. You look over your shoulder to see a huge wall of flaming jet fuel coming at you from the plane that struck the building.
You look the other way, and it is 84 floors down to a very hard concrete surface – and there is no preacher there to tell you how to get to heaven. Now, that is horrible. But, most of the stuff we face every day may be a pain in the neck, an irritant, but not horrible. Quit telling yourself lies. Take a realistic view of things. Put things in proper perspectives. Look at it from God’s point of view.

Your Body

The third area to attend to in your stress management program is your body. Pressure will hit you. The chemicals will spurt and flow. Toxins build up if the strain is not released. Change will happen. Fear, anger, and frustration will visit. It has its impact on our bodies. Consequently, there are ways to release the accumulated physical tension. Following are four suggestions to stress mangement:
•Watch your diet. Eat a healthy, balanced diet. Better yet, avoid too much caffeine, alcohol, junk foods, and sugars. Stimulants have the same effect as dumping more adrenalin and cortisol into your system. They add to your stress management problems.
•Watch your health. Get checkups, take your medications, and do what your doctor says. Walk and sit with appropriate posture, as wrong angles strain your body.
•Watch your exercise. Physical exercise releases tension. Some experts say 30 minutes three or four times a week is enough. But, check with your doctor first.
•Watch your relaxation. Learn this valuable habit. Use deep breathing, progressive relaxation, and mental imagery – and take regular vacations and get-a-ways (Mark 6:31).
I have given you an overview on stress management. Combine it with the other life skills lessons, and you will have a good start on your management program. Esmie and I wish you all the best in your journey. Visit your local book story and pick up a good book on stress management. It may add years to your life – and certainly make it better.

WISE FINANCIAL IN BIBLE

Money Management Principles from the Bible

Malachi 3[10]  Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it .
Money can be a useful servant but a destructive master.  The love of it is a trap causing people to rob others and even God.  Riches can be seductive and challenging to manage and we must be more discerning if God has blessed us with wealth – remembering that the ownership is His.
The following are 5 of many important principles from the Bible about money management.

1.  Do not set your heart on riches, and especially watch against oppression of the poor to gain riches and subtle robbery of the vulnerable.

Psalm 62[10]  Trust not in oppression, and become not vain in robbery: if riches increase, set not your heart upon them .

2.  God call us to be satisfied with what we have instead of lusting after what belongs to others even as He promises to meet our needs and not necessarily our wants.

Hebrews 13 [5]  Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

3.  Building reputation and making selfish plans for money as though it belonged to us and not God can be dangerous.  Ask the couple Ananias and Saphirra in Acts 5:1-6

Acts 5 [1]  But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, [2]  And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it , and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles' feet. [3]  But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? [4]  Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God. [5]  And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things. [6]  And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried him out, and buried him .

4.  Wealth is a gift to be received with a sense of responsibility, accountability, thanksgiving and generosity to others. Wealth is given to flow and released ... like a stream to bless others and establish God’s kingdom.

5.  God is glorified in our wealth when we place even more emphasis on God the giver instead of worrying about the gift as we continue to be blessed.  Our emphasis can be determined by the amount of devotional time with God, quality and depth of our personal relationship with God and our love and obedience for His commandments and word. All these should increase as we are blessed with wealth or else we find ourselves vulnerable to all kinds of evil and sorrow.

Matthew 13[22]  He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.

LIFE IN HOLY SPIRIT

How You Can Be Filled with the Holy Spirit

The Steps to Being Filled with the Holy Spirit

By faith, you can trust God right now to fill you.

 

We are filled with the Holy Spirit by faith. How did you become a Christian? By faith. "It is by grace you have been saved, through faith -- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God -- not by works, so that no one can boast." "So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him."
You receive Christ by faith. You live by faith. Everything you receive from God, from the moment of your spiritual birth until you die, is by faith. Do you want to be filled with the Holy Spirit? You can be filled right now, by faith.
You do not have to beg God to fill you with His Holy Spirit. You do not have to barter with Him by fasting or weeping or begging or pleading. For a long period of time, I fasted and cried out to God for His fullness. Then one day I discovered from the Scriptures that the "just shall live by faith." You do not earn God's fullness. You receive it by faith.

An Illustration of Faith

Let me illustrate. Suppose that you want to cash a check for a hundred dollars. Would you go to the bank where you have several thousand dollars on deposit, place the check on the counter, get down on your knees, and beg, "Oh, please, Miss Teller, cash my check?" No, that is not the way you cash a check. You simply go in faith, place the check on the counter, and you wait for the money which is already yours. Then you thank the teller and go on your way.
Millions of Christians are begging God, as I once did, for something which is readily available -- just waiting to be appropriated by faith. They are seeking some kind of emotional experience, not realizing that such an attitude on their part is an insult to God -- a denial of faith. But faith is the only way you can please God.
Though you are filled with the Holy Spirit by faith and faith alone, it is important to recognize that several factors contribute to preparing your heart for the filling of the Spirit. First, you must desire to live a life that will please the Lord. You have the promise of our Savior, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled."
Second, be willing to surrender your life totally and irrevocably to our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul admonishes in Romans 12:1, 2: "I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God -- which is your spiritual worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is -- his good, pleasing and perfect will."
Third, confess every known sin which the Holy Spirit calls to your remembrance and experience the cleansing and forgiveness which God promises in 1 John 1:9: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."
I call this process "Spiritual Breathing." Just as you exhale and inhale physically, so you also breathe spiritually. You exhale spiritually when you confess your sins.

The Command and the Promise

If you have wronged a brother or have taken that which is not rightfully yours, the Holy Spirit may lead you to make restitution to right your wrong. If so, obey Him, or you will miss His blessing. The blessings of the fullness of God's Spirit come only to those who willingly obey Him.
Jesus promised, "Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."
Again, you are not filled with the Holy Spirit because you desire to be filled nor because you confess your sins or present your body a living sacrifice -- you are filled by faith.
There are two very important words to remember.
The first is command. In Ephesians 5:18, God commands you to be filled: "Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit." Not to be filled, controlled and empowered by the Holy Spirit is disobedience.
The other word is promise -- a promise that makes the command possible: "This is the assurance we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us -- whatever we ask -- we know that we have what we asked of him."
Now, is it God's will for you to be filled and controlled by Him? Of course it is -- for it is His command! Then right now you can ask God to fill you -- not because you deserve to be filled, but on the basis of His promise.

If you are a Christian, the Holy Spirit already dwells within you. When you purchase a mechanical item that runs on battery power, frequently the notice "Batteries Not Included" is printed on the box. The Holy Spirit -- your Source of power for living -- is "included" when you receive Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord. Therefore, you do not need to invite Him to come into your life. He did this when you became a Christian, and Jesus promised that He will never leave you.
The moment you received Christ, the Holy Spirit not only came to indwell you, but He imparted to you spiritual life, causing you to be born anew as a child of God. The Holy Spirit also baptized you into the body of Christ. In 1 Corinthians 12:13, Paul explains, "We were all baptized by one Spirit into one body."
There is but one indwelling of the Holy Spirit, one rebirth of the Holy Spirit, and one baptism of the Holy Spirit -- all of which occur when you receive Christ.

Being Filled Happens Over and Over

Being filled with the Holy Spirit, however, is not a once-and-for-all experience. There are many fillings, as is made clear in Ephesians 5:18. In the Greek language in which this command was originally written, the meaning is clearer than that in most English translations. This command of God means to be constantly and continually filled, controlled and empowered with the Holy Spirit as a way of life.
I cannot control myself and be controlled by the Holy Spirit at the same time. Christ cannot be in control if I am on the throne. So I must abdicate. This involves faith. As an expression of my will, in prayer, I surrender the throne of my life to Him, and by faith I draw upon His resources to live a holy and fruitful life.
The command of Ephesians 5:18 is given to all believers to be filled, directed and empowered by the Holy Spirit, continually, every day of our lives. And the promise of 1 John 5:14, 15 is made to all believers that, when we pray according to God's will, He hears and answers us. If you claim the fullness of God's Spirit in prayer, He will hear and answer you. He will fill you. And in the process, you will "inhale" spiritually.
Do not think that you have to have an emotional experience or that something dramatic must happen to you. How did you receive Christ? Was it because of some great emotional pressure brought to bear upon you? Your emotions may have been involved. But ultimately, you became a Christian, not because of your emotional experience, but because of your faith. For the Bible says, "It is by grace you have been saved, through faith."
The Holy Spirit is not given to you that you might have a great emotional experience, but that you might live a holy life and be a fruitful witness for Christ. So, whether or not you have an emotional experience is not the issue.
There is no place in Scripture where you are told to pray for the filling of the Holy Spirit. You are filled by faith. However, since the object of your faith is God and His Word, I suggest that you pray to Him claiming the fullness of His Spirit as an expression of your faith in God's command and in His promise.

Pray to be Filled with the Holy Spirit Right Now

Have you met God's conditions? Do you hunger and thirst after righteousness? Do you sincerely desire to be controlled and empowered by the Holy Spirit? If so, I invite you to bow your head and pray this prayer of faith right now. Expect God to fill you. Without begging or pleading, just say:
"Dear Father, I need You. I hunger and thirst for a more vital relationship with You. I admit that I have been in control of my life. As a result, I have sinned against You.
"Thank You for forgiving my sins through Christ's death on the cross for me. I now confess and turn from my sins and surrender the control of my life to the Lord Jesus. By faith I invite You to fill me with the Holy Spirit as You commanded me to be filled. You promised to fill me if I ask according to Your will. I pray this in the authority of the name of Jesus Christ.
"To demonstrate my faith, I now thank You for filling me with Your Holy Spirit and for taking control of my life. Amen."
Now, if you sincerely prayed that prayer, you are filled with the Holy Spirit. You will begin to experience a greater love for God. You will want to spend time with Him in studying His Word and in prayer. You will want to trust and obey God and His Word. You will want to share your love for Christ with others who do not know Him.

 

How To Live By The Power Of The Holy Spirit

John 14:26:

But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

As Christians, we understand that salvation  is not a matter of earning God's favor by our own effort. Rather it is transferring our trust from what we can do to get ourselves to heaven to what Jesus Christ has already done. Yet, the same Scripture that tells us that we are not saved by good works tells us that we are saved to do good works (Ephesians 2:8-10). To put it another way, the God who has saved us from the penalty of sin now intends to change us--to remove the sinful habits and selfish attitudes in our lives so that we can become more like His Son, Jesus Christ (Romans 8:28-29). To accomplish this goal, God has not left us alone to live the Christian life in our own strength. Actually that would be impossible. But God's power can do the impossible--that is, enable us to live the Christian life. The following study is designed to help you understand the work of God's Holy Spirit (the third member of the Godhead) and how you can cooperate with His daily work in your life.What The Holy Spirit Does
He united you to Christ at the moment of conversion; He caused you to believe (2 Thessalonians 2:13). He placed you into Christ's body (1 Corinthians 12:13), and He is the bond that makes you belong to Jesus (Romans 8:9).
He assures you that you belong to God. He teaches you to call God, "Father" (Romans 8:15-16). He is God's seal of ownership and your guarantee of complete salvation (Ephesians 1:13-14).
He is making you to be more like Jesus Christ. By progressively freeing you from sinful habits and transforming you into the likeness of Christ (2 Corinthians 3:17-18). By empowering you to replace ungodly habits with godly fruit such as love, patience, and self-control (Galatians 5:18-23).

You can do what pleases God because His Spirit gives you power. He is your life and strength. That is why you must not ignore Him or try to live the Christian life without depending on Him. His work will not cease until it is completed at Christ's second coming when our bodies will be transformed to be like Christ's body (Philippians 3:20-21).

Because the Holy Spirit is at work in you, you need to understand...How You Can Cooperate With His Daily Work In Your Life
Cooperating with the Holy Spirit means dependence on Him and His divine resources. We must keep in step with the Spirit (Galatians 5:25). Keeping in step with the Spirit sounds very mysterious. Actually it means that we submit to and rely on the Spirit. We look to Him for help--daily trusting Him and praying to Him for understanding and strength (Ephesians 1:17-18). We must be filled with (or controlled by) the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18); being filled by the Spirit has the idea of control by (Note the contrast with drunkenness). It has the idea of being totally saturated with (Colossians 3:16).
To be filled with the Holy Spirit and to have Christ’s Word dwell in you mean the same thing. God’s Spirit always works in and through His Word.
Cooperating with the Holy Spirit means the disciplined use of His divine resources. Change occurs as you learn to put off the old ways of thinking and responding and put on God's new ways of thinking and responding. This begins by daily renewing your mind with the life-changing truth of God's Word (Ephesians 4:22-24; See verses 25-32 for some specific examples). As you learn to practice the truth, you gradually become more and more godly--like Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 4:7).

The word ”train” in 1 Timothy 4:7 is an athletic term. It means: daily sustained effort. Just as it takes practice to be skilled in a particular sport, so it takes practice to be skilled in living the Christian life. God does not expect you to be perfect; He expects you to be growing. Your part in growing is exerting daily sustained effort to apply His Word to your life.

Life ApplicationRead Ephesians 3:16-17. It is a model for how you should pray daily for yourself: Study God's Word. (See passages below). Depend on the Holy Spirit to help you obey, and begin to obey. This is what it means to be filled with the Spirit. His power will be displayed in your life as you trust Him and begin to obey His Word.
Study Ephesians 4:25-6:9. It is an extended discussion of how to put off old habits and replace them with godly habits in obedience to God's Spirit (Ephesians 5:18). Below are a list of put offs and put ons from this passage:

Passage Ephesians	Old Habit To Put Off	New Habit To Put On
4:25	Lying	Speaking Truth
4:26-27	Not taking care of my sin against others	Confessing my sin as soon as possible
4:28	Stealing	Working and sharing
4:29-30	Attacking with my words	Building up others with my words
4:31-32	Reacting sinfully to the sin of others	Acting with kindness--regardless of how I am treated
5:1-4	World's kind of love: Getting for me	God's kind of love: Giving to others
5:18-6:9	Using others for my own ends	Serving others for God's glory

Note an area from above where you need to change.
List some steps that would begin to move you toward that goal.