Tuesday: Conditions – Part 1
God’s Word points to certain conditions needed for the Spirit to abide in us. We will look at some important ones during the next two days.
Read Acts 2:37-38. What is the first condition for receiving the Holy Spirit?
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One condition for receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit is repentance. Hearing the Word of God arouses our conscience and can lead us to an awareness of our true sinfulness and lost condition. True repentance is more than just feeling sorry for the dire consequences of our sin. It is a thorough change of heart and mind so that we see sin for what it really is: an ugly evil and rebellion against God. The only way that we can experience true repentance is to be touched by the love of God: “Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?” (Rom. 2:4, NASB).
Read Galatians 3:14 and James 1:6-8. Why can’t we receive the Holy Spirit without trusting God’s Word?
Jesus has promised to send the Spirit as His representative. In faith we receive the promised gift. But if we doubt God’s promise and do not trust His Word, we are like a double-minded person and cannot expect to receive anything from God. Faith is more than intellectual assent. It is putting our lives on the line, trusting that God will keep His Word and not let us down, regardless of what happens.
Read Luke 11:8-10, Luke 11:13. Why does persistent intercession make a difference?
God is not reluctant to give us the Spirit. God is good and benevolent, more than we can be even to our own children. Our persistent intercession does not change His mind. Our prayer changes us and brings us into God’s presence. Prayer doesn’t bring God down to us but brings us up to Him. Our prayers simply reveal our determination and they prepare us for the gift.
| How can we learn to be more fervent, diligent, and self-surrendering in our own prayer life? Why is it important that we do learn these things? |
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I believe that daily anyone can learn from anything. We don't just stop learning about what is out there in life after we graduate from high school or college. (I also learned that you gotta keep practicing your skills, like writing, reading, math, etc. or you could forget; like not practicing riding a bike or music or art, etc. But that is beside the point. I can go further in that some other time.) So, what makes a person think that, maybe, just because you read the Bible completely that there isn't more you can learn the second or third, etc., time. Not only that, but we ask God in prayer for things all the time, why not ask questions to self in our Bible Study so we can search they mysterious side of God and actually find. We can even ask God to help us to be more fervent, diligent, and self-surrendering in everything like Bible Study too not just prayer. And just because you ask for God to take care of something for you like a new house request, does not mean you just sit there and wait; do your part too. So, if you don't know what those three words mean, even then, pick up a dictionary and/or internet search the meaning of those words. Doesn't mean your stupid it just means your still learning; and most likely not the only one, love. 🙂
That is a good question, how can we learn to be more fervent and diligent in our prayers? Can someone answer that question?
The Holy Spirit can guide us in our prayer and give us the ability to pray in the name (character) of Jesus. Spirit led prayer will be right. We must give our permissions d let Him lead our thoughts and feelings in prayer.
If you were in love, would you ask, "How can I learn to be more diligent to talk to my lover?"
Prayer is talking to God as to a friend. So if we don't feel the need to pray, it tells us that our relationship with God is broken, and we need to pay attention to building that relationship. Paul tells us that faith (relationship with God) comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (Rom 10:17)
Thus, if we want a relationship with God, we need to make time to spend with Him - as we would with anyone else to build a relationship. (That will probably mean cutting some other things out of our lives.) Spend time reading His Word, asking the Holy Spirit to speak to us through His Word. The "asking" is prayer, and the listening to His voice as we read is prayer. This is the communication part of the relationship.
But doing things together is also an important part of any relationship. So we need to ask for the Holy Spirit to enable us to put the Word into practice. We can surrender ourselves to God for that day and listen to His voice in our minds. We may have to do a "reset" quite often during the day, but daily, we can spend more and more time in talking with God and working with Him in the way we relate to people around us. In that way He will change is into the image of Christ.
Paul tells us to "pray without stopping." (1 Thess 5:17) That seems like a big order until you realize that he is referring to an attitude of constant listening to God's voice and talking to Him in our minds as to a Friend as we go about our business. That's what Nehemiah did when he was working as a cup bearer to the emperor, and that's how God gave him the wisdom to speak persuasively so that he could go back to Jerusalem to help re-build the city. (See Neh 2:1-8)
I am sure that God is just as willing to listen to us today, as He was willing to listen to Nehemiah.
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Truly Christy, we have prerequisite courses in school to prepare us for the next. Unless we are repentant, diligent and fervent in our search for the Holy spirit, we still have work to do.
Learng to be fervent, diligent and self-surrendering takes time. Like it takes time for a child to learn to cook from a parent who is an accomplished chef. It comes from a day to day connection with God. Realizing through that relationship that our ways and motivations must be subject to Him. As His children we might mean well but only He can lead us in the direction we need to go. Our views and experience are faulty and unreliable in spiritual warfare.
True Repentance that is mentioned is not the work of the sinful human being. Repentance cannot be experienced without Christ. It is the gift of Jesus as surely as the forgiveness of sin. It is through the work of the Holy Spirit that men are led to repentance. It is from Christ that the grace of contrition comes. This is from EGW "That I may Know Him", pg. 109. We are often guilt ridden with little hope. I always turn to 2Peter3:9 whenever the subject of repentance is mentioned. The Perfect plan of salvation.