The Fullness of the Holy Spirit
Part One: Constant Access to the Holy Spirit
This is the first of a four-part series. Each time, I will share with you one of four attributes that define walking in the fullness of the Holy Spirit. (Notice the emphasis on “fullness.”) These attributes are: (1) constant access to the Holy Spirit; (2) constant access to extreme God-sourced power; (3) constant access to spiritual wisdom and understanding; and (4) constant access to “uncommon sense.” Each offers us the potential for having an unlimited capability for success and significance. As a result, you will be able to influence, in a powerful Spirit-filled way, the eternities of those you encounter in life.
In his First Epistle to the Corinthians, the Apostle Paul told us that we are to imitate him in the same ways he imitated Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1). His prayer in Colossians 1:9-11 elaborates on this.
Colossians 1:9-11 (NKJV)
“For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; {10} that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; {11} strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy;”
Paul expressed his desire for God’s people to obtain something more than the normal Christian experience. He saw the opportunity for us to live a complete spiritual life by accessing the fullness of the experience. He saw it as a life that contains “all” God has to offer. It carries the potential to experience a life overflowing with the Holy Spirit, that will be “fully pleasing Him.” Now, as we build a picture of what a “fully pleasing” life in the Holy Spirit looks like, let us begin the series with the first attribute of the four. Let us look at “Constant Access to Him.”
Being filled with the Holy Spirit means that you have all that He makes available to you. It is a picture of abundant potential that has been deposited within you and can now be realized. The Holy Spirit desires to do this because He loves you and wants what He gives you to constantly spill over onto others (Picture a glass so filled with water that it cannot help but overflow). The vital question for all of us is how we obtain this constant access? Access is defined as follows: (1) It is the ability or permission to enter a place or use something. (2) It is the right or opportunity to approach or speak with someone. As Christians, we have the privilege (our born-again birthright) to approach the Holy Spirit throughout each moment of our daily lives. Though this privilege is available to all Christians, only those who walk “in the fullness” of the Holy Spirit live with easy and constant access to it. Why does this happen to some of us and not others? The answer can be found in the patterns of our lives. Those who have constant access have established a pattern in which they stay close to the Holy Spirit throughout the day. They deliberately include Him and defer to His voice in everything and at every opportunity. This has become their pattern of persistent living in a deep relationship with the Holy Spirit. Paul correctly saw that this constant access to the Holy Spirit holds the potential for a way of life “without measure or limit.”
John the Baptist spoke of Jesus, as having this pattern in the conduct of His life. John 3:34 (NLT), records him saying of Jesus, “For he is sent by God. He speaks God’s words, for God’s Spirit is upon him without measure or limit.” The point is this: If you want a future filled with success and significance, carefully measure and guard the patterns and habits with which you conduct yourself. Seek to fill them with constant access to the Holy Spirit. That is what the Lord did.
As you read earlier, we have the potential to imitate others who imitate Christ. Make it a primary pattern of your life to imitate those who access God’s Spirit in constant, extraordinary ways. A great example of someone with an extraordinary measure of constant access to God’s Spirit is Pastor Suli Kurulo, the President of the Christian Mission Fellowship in Fiji. He began his ministry many years ago by walking “in the fullness of the Holy Spirit” throughout the islands of Fiji. He preached the Gospel in every village, town and city. He reached every home in the nation. In doing this, he suffered persecution; but through it all, he hungered for and maintained constant access to the Holy Spirit. He was led on this missionary journey by the Holy Spirit; and people were drawn to imitate Pastor Suli’s walk with the Holy Spirit. This enabled him to touch the world far beyond anyone’s expectations (except perhaps his). As a result, thousands have become world-changers and are numbered among the devil’s worst nightmares. All this is a result of Pastor Suli’s determination to have unrestrained, constant access to the Holy Spirit.
Three Keys to Constant Access to Him
Constant access to the Holy Spirit has three advantages: We can hear His voice (1) more easily, (2) more completely and (3) more clearly. Let us look at each of these three advantages.
First Key: Hearing Him More Easily
Through the years, one of the most common questions I have been asked is how to hear the voice of God. Hearing the Holy Spirit more easily is a practiced skill. Many Christians struggle with this. The answer is simply to keep listening. You can hear Him in your thoughts. You can hear Him by carefully observing your circumstances. You can hear Him when others speak and He provides a message through their words. On occasion, He might choose to speak audibly and directly to you. His desire is that you hear Him without restraints or limits. He wants to communicate with you even more than you do with Him. Practice your awareness of His presence and just keep listening!
Second Key: Hearing Him More Completely
The key to hearing the Holy Spirit more completely is to practice patience. We often hear in part what He tells us and assume it is the complete message. This is not always true. He may speak to us in a series of messages, before we can fully understand what He is saying. Continue to exercise patience, as you listen for what He says. One useful tool is to journal what you hear from Him and the circumstances in which you did so. Then, you can put it all together. As time passes, you will get the complete message. (Remember, His message can come in any combination of the ways.)
Third Key: Hearing Him More Clearly
Hearing Him more clearly is an acquired skill. It is learned by focusing on Him and not becoming distracted. Distraction is the enemy of listening. If you desire to hear the Holy Spirit more clearly, you must have the attitude that what He says is most important to you. His words will lead and guide you. They will protect you. They will clearly show you the things you need to know, so you can succeed in what you are doing. Practice listening to Him through your distractions. Focus on Him and He will focus on you. The Holy Spirit’s desire is that you and He have a focused relationship. I believe this was one of the primary reasons Pastor Suli became so effective and influential. He knew the value of having a focused relationship with the Holy Spirit.
I am reasonably sure that you would like to walk with the Holy Spirit at a level that exceeds the normal Christian life. You have just read that the answer begins with constant access to Him as you exercise three particular keys or listening skills. Look once more at Colossians 1:10, this time in the New Living Translation. It gives a descriptive, encouraging picture of the results of constant access to the Holy Spirit.
Colossians 1:10 (NLT)
“Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and you will continually do good, kind things for others. All the while, you will learn to know God better and better.”
The New Living Translation shows us that constant access to the Holy Spirit will result in the following advantages and blessings:
- Your walk with Him will always honor and please God. This will lead you to enjoy unrestrained, unlimited, positive outcomes. It is a door to the favor and the blessings of God.
- In the eyes of God, the things that you do will be “good.” The level of your influence will be enhanced greatly; and you will bear eternal fruit for God’s kingdom.
- Your relationship with the Holy Spirit will be so strong and constant that you will grow to know God more intimately as your life progresses every day. You will walk in the “fullness” of Him and all He desires for you.
I would like to end this first article in the series with a word of encouragement to you. Living at a normal level is for anyone, but never doubt that God has destined your life to be lived at the highest level. Do not settle for less. Hunger to walk in the “fullness” of your relationship with the Holy Spirit. He will certainly satisfy your hunger, for indeed, that is His hunger, too. (In my next article, I will share my thoughts with you on constant access to extreme God-sourced power.)