You can't stay passive

We continue our study of the life of Saul and are exploring the principles that emerge from Saul's experience that help us better understand how to move in the filling of the Holy Spirit and the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

We have seen some of the instructions that the prophet Samuel gives to Saul on the way to his fullness and his endowment of power. And we saw that in the last meditation, Samuel tells Saul that when the Spirit of God has come with power over him, he would prophesy with the other prophets and he would be changed, that is, he would be changed into another man. We talked about the experience of transformation that occurs in the life of the believer through the infusion and active, powerful, dynamic filling of the Holy Spirit.

Another thing that Samuel says to Saul is, in verse 7, First Samuel chapter 10: "And when these signs have happened to you" interesting, signs, that is, we all need evidence that what we have asked the Lord indeed it has been given. And Samuel wanted to strengthen Saul's faith by showing him these things in anticipation, so that as Saul saw these things his faith would grow.

But what interests me the most here is that, it says that when Saul saw these things as a sign that God was investing him with power, he says, "Then do whatever comes your way, because God is with you." This is an example of what must happen in the life of every believer who receives the filling of the Holy Spirit.

When the Spirit of God has descended on us, when we have been in an environment where hands have been laid on us and by faith we have ingested and received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and we have begun to give glory to God and thanks to God for what He has done in our lives by faith, because many times we will not necessarily feel anything on an emotional level, but the Holy Spirit is received by faith and then we open our mouths, we begin to speak in tongues what God gives us to Through our mouth, we begin to praise the Lord, raise our hands, thank God for what He has done, prophesy by faith as a sign of what God has done in our lives.

So he says that what we have to do is do whatever comes our way and believe that God is with us. For me that is one of the most powerful teachings regarding the Holy Spirit-filled life. We have to move at some point from receiving the visitation of the Holy Spirit to a life of works, in faith based on what God has done in us.

When we receive that anointing from God we have to believe that then God is with us and take advantage of any opportunity that comes our way, in our work, our family life, in our relationships of friendship with others, in the Church, we have to begin to use the gift of God that is within us. Anything that comes to hand we have to do.

If we can begin to serve in a humble position in the Church, we will go forward believing that the Lord is with us and that as we put that Power of God into function, that power will grow and increase in us. That's what Paul said to Timothy, again, when he pointed out: fan the fire of God's gift that is already in you. When the fire of the gift of God is already in you then you have to put it to use, you have to do whatever comes your way. You have to live a life of service to the Lord, you have to start bearing fruit in your Christian life. You cannot remain passive if you do not have to begin by faith to use the Power of God that is within you.

The only way that the Spirit of God that has now visited and filled us, begins to manifest and fill is through action, and that part belongs to us. Many Christians are filled with the Holy Spirit but just kind of waiting for God to start moving their hands or an angel to appear to them and start giving them supernatural instructions. What God expects is then that we get activated and begin to take advantage of any opportunity that comes our way.

For example in the case of the apostle Peter, when he and his company are filled with the Holy Spirit, many people come around them, the Holy Spirit himself summons them, there is curiosity in the people in Jerusalem and what does Peter do? He seizes the opportunity and begins to explain to them what has happened, and gives them a sermon that leads to the conversion of thousands of souls.

If Peter remains inactive and just looks at the people, observing what is happening and begins to pray or whatever, and had not started preaching to them, he would have missed an opportunity for the Power of God to manifest through he. On the contrary, Peter intuits that there is a moment here that God wants to use and then he proclaims the Word and God uses it with power.

Likewise when you are filled with the Holy Spirit God will begin to develop opportunities around you to serve Him and you have to have the eye, and the faith to discern the call of God in that moment and you have to activate yourself. If you miss that opportunity you will be griefing the Holy Spirit and then you will have to start over again, because the Spirit of the Lord waits to be obeyed. And when you have the Spirit within you, God expects you to move with great diligence and great authority.

That is why the apostle Paul adds to Timothy in that same passage: "I advise you to fan the fire of the gift of God that is in you" he says: "because God has not given us a spirit of cowardice, but of power, of love and own domain. " Paul was saying to Timothy: the Spirit that you have within you is a spirit of dynamism, it is to be an entrepreneur of the Kingdom and take advantage of all the opportunities that come to your hand to activate the Power of God and to use the gift, the talent that God has given you.

Samuel was saying to Saul: now, when you have received that power, take action and take advantage of the opportunities that come your way, because God is going to bring assignments into your life so that you can do what He wants you to do as the king who has to liberate his people.

God help us to live active and dynamic lives in the Power of the Holy Spirit, always looking around us to detect the works and assignments that God will be putting our way. By taking advantage of them we will see that the Power of God will be there ready to support us at all times. God bless you and until our next meditation.