40 Days of Prayer - Day 4
When the believer receives the baptism of the Holy Spirit, he is actually receiving Christ more fully into his life. Jesus foretold this when He promised His disciples another Comforter that the Father would send to dwell with them and "be in" them:
"And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you" (John 14:16, 17.)
This Comforter is the Holy Spirit. Then Jesus said:
"I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you" (verse 18).
Hence, through the Holy Spirit Jesus comes to "dwell with" and "be in" His people. It is through the Spirit's infilling that Jesus most fully lives within His disciples:
"And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us" (1 John 3:24).
John tells us that the Christians who are living when Jesus comes will be "like" Jesus:
"Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is" (verse 2).
How much like Jesus are we to become? The Greek word translated "like" means "just like" Him. How can this happen? Through the daily baptism of the Holy Spirit, Jesus will live out His life in us. Paul described this when he wrote:
“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me" (Gal. 2:20).
Through the infilling of the Holy Spirit, Christ will come and live in each of us. Because of Christ's indwelling presence the Spirit-filled believer will have the mind of Christ:
"For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ" (1 Cor. 2:16).
"Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 2:5).
Believers will have the likes and dislikes of Christ – the love of righteousness and sanctification, and hatred of sin. They will have the same desire to obey the Father that Christ has:
"Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart" (Ps. 40:7, 8).
The same passion for souls that Christ has will be in them: "For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10).
Paul tells us the wisdom (righteousness) and holiness of Christ is theirs:
"That no flesh should glory in his presence. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord" (1 Cor. 1:29-31).
Every virtue and quality of Christ dwells in the Spirit-filled believer because Christ dwells in them. Paul indicated this when he wrote, ‘Christ is being formed in you.’ Gal. 4:19. They will become more and more like Christ every day as they are changed into His image “from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Cor. 3:18).
Christ living in the believer through the infilling of the Spirit causes the character of Christ to be fully developed in them. The Holy Spirit brings the "fruit of the Spirit" with Him:
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law" (Gal. 5:22,23).
These wonderful fruits of character will be manifested in the life more and more abundantly as the Spirit takes a fuller possession of the life. The Spirit will take such control of the believer that they will become like Jesus in every way (1 John 3:2).
The baptism ofthe Holy Spirit will also bring about the fulfillment of Christ's promise that the believers would do the "works" He did, and greater works:
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father” (John 14:12).
This happens when the believer receives the baptism of the Holy Spirit and continues to walk in the Spirit. In a very real sense every believer becomes as Christ to the world. We become Christ's mouth, hands, and feet, doing the very works He did – preaching, teaching, healing, casting out devils – every work Jesus did.
It is this full "manifestation of the sons of God" that the whole of creation is waiting for:
"For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God" (Rom. 8:19).
When this occurs in its fullness, the earth will then be lighted with God's character of glory and the end will come:
"And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory" (Rev. 18: 1).
Christ's presence dwelling in the believer through the baptism of the Holy Spirit is the Christian's only hope of His glory being revealed in, and through, them:
"To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Col. 1:27).
Personal Reflection and Discussion
When the believer receives the baptism of the Holy Spirit, who else does he receive?
What benefits does the Christian receive when Christ dwells in him/her through the baptism of the Holy Spirit?
What is the whole of creation waiting for?
Prayer Activity
Call your prayer partner and discuss this devotional with him/her.
Pray with your prayer partner:
• for God to continue to baptize each of you with His Holy Spirit .
• for Christ to live in you fully, and manifest His character and works in you.
• for the individuals on your prayer list.
INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING BIBLE VERSE IN YOUR PRAYER:
"The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles" (Ps. 34: 17).
"And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you" (John 14:16, 17.)
This Comforter is the Holy Spirit. Then Jesus said:
"I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you" (verse 18).
Hence, through the Holy Spirit Jesus comes to "dwell with" and "be in" His people. It is through the Spirit's infilling that Jesus most fully lives within His disciples:
"And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us" (1 John 3:24).
John tells us that the Christians who are living when Jesus comes will be "like" Jesus:
"Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is" (verse 2).
How much like Jesus are we to become? The Greek word translated "like" means "just like" Him. How can this happen? Through the daily baptism of the Holy Spirit, Jesus will live out His life in us. Paul described this when he wrote:
“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me" (Gal. 2:20).
Through the infilling of the Holy Spirit, Christ will come and live in each of us. Because of Christ's indwelling presence the Spirit-filled believer will have the mind of Christ:
"For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ" (1 Cor. 2:16).
"Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 2:5).
Believers will have the likes and dislikes of Christ – the love of righteousness and sanctification, and hatred of sin. They will have the same desire to obey the Father that Christ has:
"Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart" (Ps. 40:7, 8).
The same passion for souls that Christ has will be in them: "For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10).
Paul tells us the wisdom (righteousness) and holiness of Christ is theirs:
"That no flesh should glory in his presence. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord" (1 Cor. 1:29-31).
Every virtue and quality of Christ dwells in the Spirit-filled believer because Christ dwells in them. Paul indicated this when he wrote, ‘Christ is being formed in you.’ Gal. 4:19. They will become more and more like Christ every day as they are changed into His image “from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Cor. 3:18).
Christ living in the believer through the infilling of the Spirit causes the character of Christ to be fully developed in them. The Holy Spirit brings the "fruit of the Spirit" with Him:
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law" (Gal. 5:22,23).
These wonderful fruits of character will be manifested in the life more and more abundantly as the Spirit takes a fuller possession of the life. The Spirit will take such control of the believer that they will become like Jesus in every way (1 John 3:2).
The baptism ofthe Holy Spirit will also bring about the fulfillment of Christ's promise that the believers would do the "works" He did, and greater works:
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father” (John 14:12).
This happens when the believer receives the baptism of the Holy Spirit and continues to walk in the Spirit. In a very real sense every believer becomes as Christ to the world. We become Christ's mouth, hands, and feet, doing the very works He did – preaching, teaching, healing, casting out devils – every work Jesus did.
It is this full "manifestation of the sons of God" that the whole of creation is waiting for:
"For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God" (Rom. 8:19).
When this occurs in its fullness, the earth will then be lighted with God's character of glory and the end will come:
"And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory" (Rev. 18: 1).
Christ's presence dwelling in the believer through the baptism of the Holy Spirit is the Christian's only hope of His glory being revealed in, and through, them:
"To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Col. 1:27).
Personal Reflection and Discussion
When the believer receives the baptism of the Holy Spirit, who else does he receive?
What benefits does the Christian receive when Christ dwells in him/her through the baptism of the Holy Spirit?
What is the whole of creation waiting for?
Prayer Activity
Call your prayer partner and discuss this devotional with him/her.
Pray with your prayer partner:
• for God to continue to baptize each of you with His Holy Spirit .
• for Christ to live in you fully, and manifest His character and works in you.
• for the individuals on your prayer list.
INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING BIBLE VERSE IN YOUR PRAYER:
"The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles" (Ps. 34: 17).
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