Every day is a microcosm of life, death an
resurrection. Every day is a little life. We spend the youth of the morning, the
mid-life of noontime, the declining years toward sunset, and then we sleep. This
is followed in the morning by the resurrection. In a sense, every day is a life
of its own.
There are many things in the Bible that we are to do daily. We are to die daily. Galatians 2:20, "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." I Corinthians 15:31, "I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily." We are resurrected daily. Philippians 3:10, "That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death." Romans 12:2, "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." Our daily desire should be to awake the next morning in the likeness of Christ. Psalm 17:15, "As for me, I will behold Thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with Thy likeness."
Now if the Christian is to live the Spirit-filled life, he must live a disciplined, scheduled life. There are some things he should do on a regular basis that have direct connection to the Holy Spirit.
1. The Spirit-filled Christian should set times daily to yield to the Holy Spirit. I have found it advisable to yield to the Holy Spirit upon rising in the morning, immediately after breakfast, at midmorning, after lunch, at mid-afternoon, after dinner and before retiring in the evening. This could be a very simple matter and yet life-changing. Simply drop to your knees, life your heart to God and say, "Dear Holy Spirit, I yield myself to You today." Mean it with all your heart and believe that He will control you.
2. Set times to ask Him to lead you to those who need help and to allow such people to cross your path to whom the Holy Spirit would have you minister. This could be done at the same time you yield to the Holy Spirit, or it could be done in the beginning of every day. My practice has been to do this at the beginning of every day. When I yield to the Holy Spirit early in the morning, I then ask Him to allow me to cross the paths of those who need me today and of those whom the Lord Jesus would help if He were in my shoes. Oh, the blessedness of such a life!! I have made it a practice for many years to ask the Holy Spirit which way I should drive to work in the morning. A few days ago, after asking Him to lead me, I was driving past a corner and suddenly I felt I should back up and turn left. This I did. A few hundred yards down the street was a car that was stalled. A lady had raised the hood and was trying to get it started. The Holy Spirit seemed to say to me, "This is the reason I had you back up and turn left." I stopped and she told me she was going to the service department to have her car worked on and just did not make it there. I told her I would push her. This I did. Though I pushed her for four or five miles, it nevertheless gave opportunity for a read the witness for the Saviour.
3. Pray for power on a regular basis. The Christian should constantly be praying for the power of God. Place some reminders to pray for power near the places where you go the most. I have the words, "Pray for power," on my desk in my office, on the mirror where I shave, in the car I drive, inside every Bible I own, and in my briefcase. This means as I drive down the road, I am constantly praying for the power of the Holy Spirit. As I shave, I pray for His power. Hundreds of times a day I pray for the power of God upon my life and ministry. Have a reminder at the telephone, at the sink and the other places where you go the most so that you will be reminded to plead with God for His power on a regular basis.
4. Set a time to pray. Allow at least 15 minutes a day to pray in the Spirit. Get alone with God. Then ask the Holy Spirit to help you to know for what to pray. After you have asked Him, then with His guidance make a list of things for which you should pray. Then go to the Father and present your petitions one at a time. Ask the Holy Spirit to go with you to the Father to remind you and the Father of things that you may forget to ask. It may be that you should walk while you pray. It is difficult to kneel for 15 minutes or more. I could it good to walk. Maybe you could take a walk outside in some private place or maybe pace the floor in the study or living room. Whatever you do, schedule at least 15 minutes a day when you pray in the Spirit.
5. Place in your schedule at least 15 minutes a day for a Bible reading. I would recommend more than 15 minutes a day, but that could be a minimum. Adhere strictly to this schedule. Before you open the Bible, remember that the Holy Spirit wrote it. Ask Him to help you understand it and to be your teacher as you read His book.
6. Set a time each week when you do nothing but plead for the power of the Holy Spirit. This is in addition to your 15 minutes of prayer each day. Perhaps it should be longer than 30 minutes, but make this a minimum. Do nothing but beg God for His power-power as you preach, power as you sing, power as you train your children, power as you seek to be a good Sunday school teacher. Get alone and plead for the power of the Holy Spirit.
7. Choose one 24-hour period a week when you fast and pray. Maybe it could be from 6:00 one night until 6:00 the next night or from noon one day until noon the next day. During this time take every available moment when you are not at work or otherwise occupied and pray for the big needs of your life. This is the time to pray for a wayward son, for a lost husband, for a job, for a new church building. This is vital. Mark 9:29, "And He said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting." Notice the two words, "this kind."
This is the story of a boy who was possessed of a devil. He would rip his clothes off of himself. He would wallow on the ground and foam at the mouth. Our Lord was with Peter, James and John communing with Moses and Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration. The father of this boy came to the disciples and asked for help. They could not help. When Jesus returned, the father came to Jesus and asked for help. Jesus performed the miracle of healing the boy. The disciples then came privately and asked our Lord why they could not do it. Jesus answered, "This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting." This is the miraculous kind, the supernatural kind, the kind that cannot be gotten by talent or by man's effort. This is the kind when God must intervene, and there is no way to get this kind but by prayer and fasting. Please note the next chapter in this book is a sermon on this subject. Read it carefully. It will increase your faith and show you the miracles that can be received by prayer and fasting.
8. Throughout the day ask the Holy Spirit to help you and lead you in your everyday tasks. Ask Him to lead you when you go shopping so that you may find the bargain. Ask Him to lead you in the way you should drive to work. Talk to Him. Get up in the morning and say, "Good morning, Holy Spirit." Before retiring, say, "Good night, Holy Spirit." Tell Him you love Him. Thank Him for His leading.
Billy Sunday's wife (Ma Sunday) was a dear friend of mine, though I never met her husband. She used to tell me how Billy would be carrying on a conversation with her and with the Holy Spirit at the same time. It was difficult sometimes for her to know to whom he was talking. Time and time again during the many years I shared the pulpit with John R. Rice I have heard him in the car driving to the services mumbling to the Holy Spirit to give him power. Oh, to make the Holy Spirit a part of our everyday lives! Oh, to include Him in the schedule!
9. Every morning present yourself a living sacrifice. Romans 12:1, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service." The word "present" means simply "to yield." Yield your mind to Him. Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." Then believe that He is going to lead you. Reckon yourself to life the resurrection life. Romans 6:11, "Likewise, reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord."
Remember constantly that the Holy Spirit is a person. He has the qualities of a person. He can be vexed. Isaiah 63:10, "But they rebelled, and vexed His Holy Spirit: therefore He was turned to be their enemy, and He fought against them." He grieves. Ephesians 4:30 the things that grieve Him.
The Holy Spirit loves. Romans 15:30, "Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me." He has a mind. Romans 8:27, "And He that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because He maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God." He possesses knowledge. I Corinthians 2:11, "For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God." He can be insulted. Hebrews 10:29, "Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?" He can become your enemy. Isaiah 63:10, "But they rebelled, and vexed His Holy Spirit: therefore He was turned to be their enemy, and He fought against them." He can instruct, remind and uncover truth and offer us stability. Nehemiah 9:10, "Thou gavest also Thy good Spirit to instruct them, and withheldest not Thy manna from their mouth, and gavest them water for their thirst." We are to fellowship with Him and commune with Him. II Corinthians 13:14, "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen."
It is very interesting that we tell our Heavenly Father that we love Him, and we tell the Lord Jesus that we love Him. We sing, "My Jesus, I love Thee, I know Thou art mine. For Thee all the follies of sin I resign." Isn't it amazing then that we never tell the Holy Spirit that we love Him? We rejoice that God the Father loves us. We sing, "O Love that wilt not let me go." We sing, "The love of God is greater far than tongue or pen can ever tell." We think of Jesus loving us. We sing, "Jesus loves me, this I know." We sing, "I am so glad that Jesus loves me." Yet, we never seem to dwell upon the fact that the Holy Spirit loves us too! He is as much a person as is God the Father and God the Son. Why then do we not dwell on His love? We praise the Father. We sometimes say, "Praise God!" and "Praise the Lord." We praise Jesus, and yet, did you ever hear anybody say, "Praise the Holy Spirit"? Isn't He deserving of our praise? We thank the Father for what He does for us. We thank Jesus for what He does for us. Why not thank the Holy Spirit? Oh, beloved, realize that He lives! He is a person like God the Father is a person, like God the Son is a person. He wants to be accepted as such. Begin a new day in your life by pausing now to love Him, to praise Him, to praise Him even as you would praise the Father and the Son.
