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Be Filled With The Holy Spirit: Answers
Correct answers to each question are in bold
Listening to Jesus begins when you asked Jesus Christ to come into your life, He came in the form of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit gives you comfort, direction, instruction and correction when you sin. The Holy Spirit also helps change your heart and mind to be like Jesus. This process can be either slow or fast, depending on how much you allow Him to control you. Some people are afraid for someone else to control their life even if it is God. Don’t worry, God will never become a dictator to you! He loves you, and wants your relationship with Him to be motivated by love, not fear or force. As you give Him freedom to work in more and more areas of your life, you will notice these things flowing from you: “Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22, 23). Wouldn’t you agree that we could all use a little more of those qualities? In this study we will see what the Bible says about how we can be “filled” (which means “controlled and filled with power”) by the Holy Spirit, so we can become more like Jesus Christ in our thoughts, words, actions and reactions.
Scriptures
Romans 8:9 “You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.” Ephesians 5:18 “Do not get drunk on wine. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.”
1 John 5:14-15 “This is the promise we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us whatever we ask we know that we have what we asked of him.””
1. Notice how in Romans 8:9 "the Spirit of God" and "the Spirit of Christ" are used to mean the same thing. This verse says that if a person does not belong to Christ, he does not have the Spirit. Conversely, we can figure out that if a person does belong to Christ, what does he also have?
a) Great intelligence.
b) Financial insight.
C) The Spirit of God.
2. From this verse we can see that the normal life for a Christian is . . .
a) To be controlled by his sinful nature.
b) To do anything he wants to do.
c) To never make any mistakes.
D) To be controlled by the Holy Spirit.
3. In Ephesians 5:18 we are given two commands, one negative and one positive. The negative one is "Do not get drunk on wine." When we do, the alcohol controls us it often makes us do things that we later regret, and would never have done if we had stayed sober. So instead, what is the positive command we are given?
A) Be filled (controlled and powered) with the Spirit.
b) Drink only in moderation.
c) Avoid sin.
When the Holy Spirit is controlling us, we also end up doing things that we may not normally do, but these are always good things that we never regret, such as loving the unlovely, forgiving those who hurt us, returning good for bad, being generous with our time and money, etc.
4. Since we are commanded to be filled with the Spirit, it's clear that it's not automatic we have the option to obey or disobey. Just because a person becomes a Christian doesn't mean that he'll be controlled by the Holy Spirit at all times. Sometimes the Holy Spirit is helping us because we've asked Him to. But sometimes we allow other things to control us: our sinful nature, our environment, our ambitions, etc. In 1 John 5:14,15 we learn something important about prayer and the will of God: if we ask for something that we know is definitely in line with His will, what can we expect?
a) He'll think about it.
b) If we live a perfect and holy life, all our wishes will be granted.
c) God answers prayer sometimes according to how He feels at that moment.
D) He hears our request and He will give us what we asked for.
5. So, if we ask God to fill us with His Holy Spirit, how do we know that He will grant that request immediately?
a) We don't know He may or He may not.
B) Since He commanded us to be filled, it must be according to his will; and if it's according to His will, 1 John 5:14,15 says it will be granted.
c) Because it's worked for other people before.
d) Because He should always answer my prayers the way I want.
Summary
God will control and fill a Christian with power through the Holy Spirit only when we ask Him to. Many other influences in this world are trying to control us, but when we allow the Spirit to, it benefits us, those around us, and helps us to become more like Jesus Christ. If you would like to ask the Holy Spirit to fill you right now, here is a suggested prayer:
Dear Father, I need You. I hunger and thirst for Your goodness. I want You to be my Master and my Guide. But I confess that I have made many wrong choices in my life even since becoming a Christian. I’m sorry for those choices, and ask for Your forgiveness. I give myself to You in obedience and love, because I want to serve You rather than myself. I ask You to fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I give You control of my life and I have faith and confidence that You will guide me perfectly. Thank You for hearing my prayer, and for granting my request. Amen. Any time you feel that you have taken control of your life back from God, pray a prayer similar to the one above. You may have to do this monthly, weekly, daily, hourly any time! The point is, don’t get discouraged and give up. It may be hard for a while, but soon you will feel God working in your life.
Correct answers to each question are in bold
Listening to Jesus begins when you asked Jesus Christ to come into your life, He came in the form of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit gives you comfort, direction, instruction and correction when you sin. The Holy Spirit also helps change your heart and mind to be like Jesus. This process can be either slow or fast, depending on how much you allow Him to control you. Some people are afraid for someone else to control their life even if it is God. Don’t worry, God will never become a dictator to you! He loves you, and wants your relationship with Him to be motivated by love, not fear or force. As you give Him freedom to work in more and more areas of your life, you will notice these things flowing from you: “Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22, 23). Wouldn’t you agree that we could all use a little more of those qualities? In this study we will see what the Bible says about how we can be “filled” (which means “controlled and filled with power”) by the Holy Spirit, so we can become more like Jesus Christ in our thoughts, words, actions and reactions.
Scriptures
Romans 8:9 “You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.” Ephesians 5:18 “Do not get drunk on wine. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.”
1 John 5:14-15 “This is the promise we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us whatever we ask we know that we have what we asked of him.””
1. Notice how in Romans 8:9 "the Spirit of God" and "the Spirit of Christ" are used to mean the same thing. This verse says that if a person does not belong to Christ, he does not have the Spirit. Conversely, we can figure out that if a person does belong to Christ, what does he also have?
a) Great intelligence.
b) Financial insight.
C) The Spirit of God.
2. From this verse we can see that the normal life for a Christian is . . .
a) To be controlled by his sinful nature.
b) To do anything he wants to do.
c) To never make any mistakes.
D) To be controlled by the Holy Spirit.
3. In Ephesians 5:18 we are given two commands, one negative and one positive. The negative one is "Do not get drunk on wine." When we do, the alcohol controls us it often makes us do things that we later regret, and would never have done if we had stayed sober. So instead, what is the positive command we are given?
A) Be filled (controlled and powered) with the Spirit.
b) Drink only in moderation.
c) Avoid sin.
When the Holy Spirit is controlling us, we also end up doing things that we may not normally do, but these are always good things that we never regret, such as loving the unlovely, forgiving those who hurt us, returning good for bad, being generous with our time and money, etc.
4. Since we are commanded to be filled with the Spirit, it's clear that it's not automatic we have the option to obey or disobey. Just because a person becomes a Christian doesn't mean that he'll be controlled by the Holy Spirit at all times. Sometimes the Holy Spirit is helping us because we've asked Him to. But sometimes we allow other things to control us: our sinful nature, our environment, our ambitions, etc. In 1 John 5:14,15 we learn something important about prayer and the will of God: if we ask for something that we know is definitely in line with His will, what can we expect?
a) He'll think about it.
b) If we live a perfect and holy life, all our wishes will be granted.
c) God answers prayer sometimes according to how He feels at that moment.
D) He hears our request and He will give us what we asked for.
5. So, if we ask God to fill us with His Holy Spirit, how do we know that He will grant that request immediately?
a) We don't know He may or He may not.
B) Since He commanded us to be filled, it must be according to his will; and if it's according to His will, 1 John 5:14,15 says it will be granted.
c) Because it's worked for other people before.
d) Because He should always answer my prayers the way I want.
Summary
God will control and fill a Christian with power through the Holy Spirit only when we ask Him to. Many other influences in this world are trying to control us, but when we allow the Spirit to, it benefits us, those around us, and helps us to become more like Jesus Christ. If you would like to ask the Holy Spirit to fill you right now, here is a suggested prayer:
Dear Father, I need You. I hunger and thirst for Your goodness. I want You to be my Master and my Guide. But I confess that I have made many wrong choices in my life even since becoming a Christian. I’m sorry for those choices, and ask for Your forgiveness. I give myself to You in obedience and love, because I want to serve You rather than myself. I ask You to fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I give You control of my life and I have faith and confidence that You will guide me perfectly. Thank You for hearing my prayer, and for granting my request. Amen. Any time you feel that you have taken control of your life back from God, pray a prayer similar to the one above. You may have to do this monthly, weekly, daily, hourly any time! The point is, don’t get discouraged and give up. It may be hard for a while, but soon you will feel God working in your life.