Holy Spirit Fuel

by Gary Johnson

We are well on our way through 2025 with a focus to live like Jesus. Each month, we are focusing on a trait in the life of Jesus in hopes of making 1 John 2:6 a reality in each of our lives, that if we claim to be Christians, we must live as Jesus lived. This month, we focus on how Jesus was filled by the Holy Spirit, and God expects the same of us. Let’s explore this trait of Jesus by asking three pointed questions.

Are we running on empty or are we filled with the Spirit? 

When Jesus was immersed, the Holy Spirit came on Him (Matthew 3:16), and the power of the Holy Spirit enabled Jesus to “go around doing good” (Acts 10:38). Moreover, it was the power of the Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead (Romans 8:11). 

All too often, we rely on our own strength and not on the strength of the Holy Spirit, who is in us. It is no wonder we become exhausted, confused and discouraged. We fail to draw on the indwelling power of the Spirit by which we live every day. In my middle right desk drawer, I keep a stash of gift cards that I’ve received, and from time to time I am not benefitted by them because they have expired. In much the same way, we have the Spirit of God living in us and we are not benefitting from Him by resting in and relying on His power that is readily, immediately and constantly available to us, enabling us to live God-honoring lives. 

Pastor A.W.Tozer (1897-1963) said, “If the Holy Spirit was withdrawn from the Church today, 95% of what we do would go on and on and no one would know the difference. If the Holy Spirit had been withdrawn from the New Testament Church, 95% of what they did would stop, and everybody would know the difference.” When Zerubbabel was rebuilding the temple following the Babylonian exile, the angel of God said to him, “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord” (Zech 4:6). It may be that Zerubbabel was building in his strength and skills and not relying on the Spirit of God to get the job done. 

We have the Spirit, but does the Spirit have us? 

Just as the Spirit lighted on Jesus when He was immersed, the normative way in which we receive the Holy Spirit is when we surrender our lives to God and are immersed (Acts 2:38). Two things happen in that moment: 1) our sins are forgiven and 2) we receive the gift of the Spirit. Our sin debt is instantly removed from us (justification), and we begin a life-long journey to become like Jesus through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit (sanctification). In other words, we have a roommate – a most holy roommate! 

Our bodies become the dwelling place of God (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). The Spirit takes up residency within us the moment we are immersed. We have the Spirit, but does the Spirit have us? Think back to the time you were in college, the military or starting out in life. It may be that you had a roommate. Did you always get along with your roommate? I certainly did not, and even now, Leah and I have been married 47 years, and there have been those moments when we have not seen eye-to-eye. Simply said, there are far too many moments when I am in conflict with the Holy Spirit – and the same is true for you. We have the Spirit, but does He have us? 

In Ephesians 5:18, Paul said, “Do not get drunk on wine which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.” “Be filled” is a present tense, passive voice imperative in Greek. What does that mean for us? We are commanded to be continually yielded to the control of the indwelling Holy Spirit. This is not an option or a suggestion. Whoever or whatever controls us is conspicuous, just as when someone is drunk on alcohol. Similarly, when the Spirit of Jesus (Acts 16:7, Philippians 1:19) controls us, the Spirit produces HIS fruit in us (Galatians 5:22-23), and it is then that we “live like Jesus” (1 John 2:6). 

The Spirit is speaking, but are we listening? 

We must remember that the Trinity is not God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Scriptures. For whatever reason, many of us have neglected the third person of the Trinity, and He – the Holy Spirit – is fully and completely God. That means the Spirit is immutable. He does not change. Hence, the Holy Spirit is speaking, but are we listening? 

The Spirit spoke to Philip (Acts 8:26-29), as well as to the leaders of the church in Antioch (Acts 13:1-3). Moreover, Jesus ended each of His seven letters to the seven churches in Revelation 2-3 with this command, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” The Spirit is speaking but are we listening? 

Full disclosure: forty-seven years ago, I was immersed into Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit has spoken to me time after time, but I have never heard His voice audibly. Could He do so? Certainly! For He is God and He can do whatever He wishes to do. So then, how have I “heard” the Spirit of Jesus? The Holy Spirit speaks to us in three normative ways, and it is as simple as A-B-C. 

A for Advisors: 

The Spirit speaks to us through godly people: “Many advisors make victory sure” (Proverbs 11:14). We seek advice and counsel from people who walk closely with Jesus. Do not listen to the wrong voices! 

B for Bible: 

The Holy Spirit guided the writing of the Word, and the Word is from God (2 Timothy 3:16). It is essential that we feed from the Word each and every day, and when we do so, the Spirit reminds of us what we have been taught by Jesus (John 14:26). The more thoroughly we embody Scripture within us, the more readily—and clearly—we will “hear” the Spirit speak to us. 

C for Conscience: 

Jesus said that the Spirit will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin, righteousness and judgment to come (John 16:8). In other words, every person is born with a “moral compass.” The Spirit convicts every person—saved and lost—of what is morally right and wrong, and He does so constantly. When viewing something we have no business seeing, when saying something that should never come from our mouths, when thinking about something that does not honor God, etc., the Holy Spirit is in the midst of that moment calling us to stop! He is speaking but are we listening? 

The late Dr. Billy Graham said, “Everywhere I go I find that God’s people lack something. They are hungry for something. Their Christian experience is not all that they expected, and they often have recurring defeat in their lives. Christians today are hungry for spiritual fulfillment. The most desperate need for the nation today is that men and women who profess Jesus be filled with the Holy Spirit.”  He said this in 1949 – and it is all the more true today. 

Let’s live like Jesus by being filled by His Spirit.