Dear Westside Family and Friends,

As A.W. Tozer once said, I believe that: “You are as full of the Spirit as you want to be.”In the same way, I also believe it is true that a person is as good as they want to be.  Jesus said that “those who hunger and thirst after righteousness will be filled.”  Are you hungry for more of God?  Are you thirsty for more of Him?   Is He the most important goal in your life?  I pray that it be so.

How can a person receive more of Him?
How can a person be full of the Spirit?
How can a person live completely and totally for Him?

1.  Present Ourselves:  Romans 12:1 says that we must present ourselves to Him.  Our desire has to be that we truly make ourselves available for His use.

2.  Ask:  Luke 11:13 tells us that if we want the Holy Spirit, we need to ask.  Pretty simple . . . huh?

3. Obey:   Acts 5:32 says that the Spirit is given to those who obey Him.  Not so simple . . . But, if we are serious in our desire to be filled, then we need to take His word seriously.  We must be obedient to His word.

4.  By Faith:  Galatians 3:2 reminds us that we receive Him by faith.   Let’s face it, we are a people of faith.  We live it.  We walk in it.  Faith never leaves us.  If we could see it, taste it, touch it, then it wouldn’t be faith.  Faith is the evidence of things not seen.

5.  Continually:  Paul tells us in Ephesians 5:18 to “keep on being filled with the Spirit.”  It is a continual process for us as human beings because we leak . . . Whether it is because of tirelessly doing His work or because we are human and we sin, we need to be constantly seeking the Presence of God and allowing Him to be our source of strength, encouragement and comfort.

Now, here’s a question.

Why do we need to be filled with the Spirit?

• Is it because we like being full?
• Is it because we like the fleshly, goose-pimply feeling of happiness?

No. It is because He has work for us to do and we cannot do it in our own strength.  We can effectively represent Jesus to a lost and hurting world only by the power of the Holy Spirit and never in our own ability!

Do you know why Jesus never waved his hand over the crowd and said: “All of you be healed!”  It’s because He wanted to touch each one.  It must have been pretty important to Him because He stepped out of eternity and put on human flesh so that He could touch people. Jesus cares about people as individuals.  He cares about those in your circle of friends.

He wants you to represent Him in the same way.

He wants you to love people, to care, to touch them.

However, you cannot do it as He would without the fullness of the Spirit.

Who in your life needs a touch of friendship, 
understanding, compassion, healing or prayer?

I urge you to go to that person today and touch him or her like Jesus would.  And while you’re at it, why not invite them to sit with you at church this weekend?

Love you guys,
Steve