Daily Read : WHO CAN BE FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT?

Series : How Can I Be Filled With the Holy Spirit?
Author : Martin R. De Haan II



The filling of the Holy Spirit should be the desire of every Christian. But listening to how some people talk, one could get the idea that it is reserved only for privileged, spiritually sensitive, special people. We are convinced, however, that the filling of the Holy Spirit of for everyone. But there are two important prerequisites.

First, to experience the filling of the Holy Spirit a person must be a Christian  - he must be born again. This new birth is given by the Holy Spirit. When Jesus told Nicodemus that he had to be born again, He referred to it as being "born of the Spirit" (John 3:6). He later told His disciples, "It is the Spirit who gives life" (John 6:63). He later told His disciples, "It is the Spirit who gives life"
(John 6:63).

When the Spirit gives the new life, He also enters into the new Christian to live within him permanently - to indwell. Anyone who does not have the indwelling Holy Spirit is not a Christian (Rom. 8:9). Even though the indwelling of the indwelling of the Spirit is not the same thing as the filling od the Spirit, only someone who is indwelt can be filled. So, the first prerequisite to being Spirit-filled is to be a Christian.

Second, the filling f the Holy Spirit is only for those Christians who want to be filled.

Although He dwells within all Christians, He does not fill them just because He is present. TO be obedient to the command to be filled with the Spirit (Eph. 5:18), a person must want the Spirit filling and then be willing to yield to His control.