How to live in the power of the Holy Spirit: six biblical keys
The power of the Holy Spirit is available to every believer, and the Bible shows six attitudes that open the door for it to flow in our lives: purity of heart, an obedient spirit, an attitude of humility, taking part in ministry in everything, persevering prayer and believing what God has promised. Jesus did not promise a trickle of power, but rivers:
“In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)”
John 7:37-39 (KJV)
This article explains what the power of the Spirit is for, why so many Christians live without experiencing it and, one by one, the six keys to living in it. At the end there is a personal examination and a prayer.
Can your life be explained without God?
There is an uncomfortable question worth asking: what I achieve in life, is it explained by my talent, my education, my energy and my experience, or can it only be explained by God’s presence in me? Many believers live a correct faith without power: they go to church, sing, say grace before meals, and the rest of the week they run on their own strength.
Sometimes the most capable people find it hardest to depend on God. Their training and gifts carry them so well that they never get to the point of saying: “Lord, if you do not do it, I cannot.” At first they reap applause, but over time the lack of lasting fruit shows. Paul, one of the best-educated men of his day, wrote:
“Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.”
2 Corinthians 3:5-6 (KJV)
And he reminded the Corinthians how he had come to them: “I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling” (1 Corinthians 2:3). He did not arrive as a brilliant orator, but with one message, Christ crucified, and “in demonstration of the Spirit and of power” (2:4). Feeling insufficient is not a problem: it is the starting point.
The power is available to you
The promise of Acts 1:8 was not only for the apostles. “For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call” (Acts 2:39). Everyone who has believed in Christ has the Holy Spirit. No one is too young or too old to experience his power.
Christian traditions describe this experience in different ways: for some it is a baptism in the Spirit after conversion; for others, the Spirit is received on believing and being baptised and is then renewed in successive fillings. But all agree with Paul’s command: “be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18), which in the original means “keep on being filled”. The question is not whether the Spirit is available, but whether we are available to him. Read Ye shall receive power and be witnesses unto me and The Holy Spirit today.
What is the power of the Spirit for?
It is not for impressing anyone. If someone asked for the power of the Spirit in order to preach better and be admired, they would be asking for something God will not give. The power has two purposes: a victorious life and effective service. Overcoming sin, fear and bitterness, and blessing others.
That is why Jesus spoke of rivers that “shall flow”. A river does not stand still: it flows out of us towards others, at home, at the office, among friends. God’s power should be normal in the Christian life, not the exception. Read A supernatural life.
Six keys to living in the power of the Spirit
1. Purity of heart
“Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8). “Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord?… He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart” (Psalm 24:3-4). Purity and power go together. We cannot keep something between ourselves and God—a rebellion, a sin we defend, a resentment we feed—and expect his power to flow freely. “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me” (Psalm 66:18).
It is not that God cannot: “the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save… But your iniquities have separated between you and your God” (Isaiah 59:1-2). The good news is that the door is open: “whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy” (Proverbs 28:13). Pray like David: “Create in me a clean heart, O God” (Psalm 51:10). Whoever is cleansed “shall be a vessel unto honour… meet for the master’s use” (2 Timothy 2:21).
2. An obedient spirit
This is not about obeying now and then, but about having an obedient spirit: obeying God becomes our natural response, and disobedience the exception. Peter said that God has given the Holy Spirit “to them that obey him” (Acts 5:32). And Jesus said: “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15); to the one who loves him and keeps his words he promises: “I… will manifest myself to him” (14:21).
This means dealing straight away with whatever the Spirit points out. If something keeps coming back to your conscience and you do not face it, the river silts up. “Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only” (James 1:22). And it is the most valuable inheritance for our children: teaching them from an early age, with time, example, patience and love, to make obedience to God their way of life.
3. An attitude of humility
Just as purity and power go together, pride and spiritual power do not mix. “God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble” (James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5). God dwells “with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble” (Isaiah 57:15).
The model is Jesus, who “made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant” (Philippians 2:7). Humility is not thinking badly of yourself, but depending on God and giving him the glory. We have to choose: my pride, or his power. Read Honouring God.
4. Taking part in ministry, in everything
Every time the power of the Spirit is shown in the Bible, people do something: they serve, speak, heal, share. The power is not a well to keep, but a river to give. “As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another” (1 Peter 4:10). “The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal” (1 Corinthians 12:7).
Ministry is not only what happens in a pulpit. It is serving your family, helping a colleague, visiting someone who is ill, praying for a neighbour, teaching a child. “By love serve one another” (Galatians 5:13). Jesus said: “whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister” (Matthew 20:26). If I am not willing to attempt anything for God beyond my own abilities, I will not need his power. Read The gift of service.
5. Persevering prayer
Praying now and then is not enough. Jesus taught “that men ought always to pray, and not to faint” (Luke 18:1). Before Pentecost, the disciples “continued with one accord in prayer and supplication” (Acts 1:14). And afterwards, when they were threatened, they prayed again:
“And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness. And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common. And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.”
Acts 4:31-33 (KJV)
Persevering prayer sustains all the other keys: it keeps the heart clean, inclines the spirit to obedience, keeps us humble and turns us towards service. Daniel prayed three times a day “as he did aforetime” (Daniel 6:10), even when it cost him the lions’ den. Show me a believer who does not pray, and you will see someone who knows little of the power of the Spirit. Read How to learn to pray.
6. Believing what he has promised
The last key is simple: trusting that God will do what he said. “Without faith it is impossible to please him” (Hebrews 11:6). “God is not a man, that he should lie… hath he said, and shall he not do it?” (Numbers 23:19). Of Abraham it is said:
“He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.”
Romans 4:20-21 (KJV)
Believing is not sitting and waiting to feel something. It is stepping forward in faith into what God has asked of you, saying: “Lord, I am going because you sent me; if you do not do it, I will fail; I trust you to give me the power in this situation.” “For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen” (2 Corinthians 1:20). “And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord” (Luke 1:45).
A personal examination
Read these questions slowly, before God:
- Purity of heart: is there something I am keeping between God and me? Am I willing to let it go?
- An obedient spirit: what has God asked of me that I have not yet done?
- Humility: am I seeking his glory or mine? Do I depend on him or on my abilities?
- Ministry: whom am I serving? Where is the river flowing through me?
- Persevering prayer: do I pray only in a crisis, or every day?
- Faith: do I truly believe that God will do what he has promised?
And one final question worth letting it echo: what could God do with my life if I gave it to him completely? Do not settle for merely surviving in the Christian life. Do not say “I got off to a bad start” or “it is too late for me”. Say: “Lord, here I am; all yours.”
When you do not feel the power
The power of the Spirit is not measured by emotions. There will be days when you feel nothing special and yet God is at work. “Without me ye can do nothing,” said Jesus (John 15:5); with him, our weakness becomes the place where his strength is shown (2 Corinthians 12:9).
Do not compare your personality with other people’s. A quiet person can be as full of the Spirit as a very expressive one. Begin with small steps: confess what you need to confess, obey in what you already know, serve someone today, pray a little more, believe one specific promise. And ask without fear: the Father will give “the Holy Spirit to them that ask him” (Luke 11:13). Read Set apart by the Holy Spirit.
Frequently asked questions
How do I receive the power of the Holy Spirit? By believing in Jesus Christ, who gives the Spirit to those who believe, and by asking to be filled with him (Luke 11:13; Ephesians 5:18), with a clean, obedient and humble heart, ready to serve, persevering in prayer and trusting his promises.
What does “out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water” mean? Jesus was speaking of the Holy Spirit whom believers would receive (John 7:39): an abundant life that does not stay inside but flows out to others.
What is the power of the Holy Spirit for? For living a life of victory over sin and fear, and for serving effectively: being witnesses of Christ and blessing others (Acts 1:8). It is not for showing off or getting rich.
Why do I not see God’s power in my life? Sometimes there is unconfessed sin, disobedience, pride, a lack of service, little prayer or unbelief. At other times God is working quietly. Examine yourself humbly, without condemning yourself, and take one step of obedience today.
Is the power of the Spirit for all Christians? Yes. “The promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off” (Acts 2:39).
Prayer
Father, you see whether my life is explained by my strength or by your presence. Forgive me for living so often on my own energy, intelligence and talents, without depending on you. Today I give you everything. Search me, O God, and know my heart; cleanse what offends you and uproot whatever I am keeping between you and me. Give me an obedient spirit that says yes the first time. Take away my pride and clothe me with humility. Come, Holy Spirit, fill my life until rivers of living water flow from within me to my family, my work and everyone who crosses my path. Teach me to pray without fainting and to believe what you have promised, even when I see nothing yet. I do not want to settle for surviving: I want to discover what you can do with a life surrendered to you. Here I am, Lord, all yours. In the name of Jesus. Amen.