Acts 1:4-8. On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
6 Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Before Jesus ascended to heaven, He gave His disciples one final command: “Wait.” Wait for what? The promised gift of the Father, the Holy Spirit. Why? Jesus knew that without the Holy Spirit, no human effort could accomplish God’s work—world evangelization. The world would not be changed by what we can do but only by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Scripture testifies that the Spirit of God dwells in the hearts of believers, guiding and empowering them (John 14:16). When we pray in Jesus’ name, the Holy Spirit works in and through us and enables us to overcome the world, Satan, and even our own weaknesses. Paul confessed, “I can do all things through him who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13). This strength is not human strength but the life and power of Christ in us.
The Holy Spirit also makes the impossible possible. Jesus declared, “‘If you can?’ Everything is possible for one who believes” (Mark 9:23). The Spirit empowers ordinary people to live extraordinary lives, “turning the world upside down” (Acts 17:6).
Yet many believers never experience this reality because they are spiritually unaware of the indwelling of the Spirit. Salvation is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the very presence of God within those who believe that Jesus is the Christ (John 14:16). It is the Spirit who gives us new birth (John 3:5), sets us free from sin and death (Romans 8:2), and makes us God’s temple (1 Corinthians 3:16). We are significant before God because His Spirit lives in us.
But the filling of the Holy Spirit is something more. It is the Spirit taking full possession and control of us. To be filled with the Spirit is to be filled with Christ Himself. It means living in constant union and fellowship with Him, counting ourselves “dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:11). The Spirit-filled life is one of continual surrender and conscious dependence, where every thought, word, and action is brought under His authority.
To be filled with the Spirit means to let Him govern every area of life—mind, emotions, desires, and will. It is a daily practice of making His will and plans as ours so that His presence and power may overflow. Paul described the inner struggle vividly: “For I do not do the good I want to do… What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:19–24). The only answer to his struggle was this: “Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:25).
Being filled with the Spirit begins with recognizing our absolute inability to change hearts, save lives, or even live faithfully apart from His power. That is why Jesus commanded His disciples to wait—to depend entirely on the Spirit’s filling before stepping into their calling (Acts 1:8).
The disciples who once trembled in fear became bold witnesses after being filled with the Spirit (Acts 2:1-4). The Book of Acts is a living record of what happens when ordinary people are empowered by the extraordinary power from above. The same Spirit continues to work today, filling evangelists with His power and sending them to the ends of the earth as living testimonies that Jesus is the Christ.
When you are filled with the Holy Spirit, you will not gratify the desires of the flesh (Galatians 5:16–17). The Spirit will empower you to overcome the old nature and live by the new life within you. He will direct your steps and align your heart with God’s perfect will. You will find yourself following Him in your home, workplace, and among the 237 nations and 5,000 tribes. You will desire what He desires: to reach the lost and proclaim the gospel where Christ is not yet known
So, ask and wait in faith for what your Father has promised. The Holy Spirit has already come, but He longs to fill every part of your life. The power to be Christ’s witness to live beyond yourself and bring life to others comes only through Him.
Prayer. Father, thank You for sending the Holy Spirit, the promised gift of life and power. Fill me with Your Spirit so that I may live as Christ’s witness wherever You send me. Let Your power flow through me to bring healing, hope, and salvation to the nations. In Jesus’ name, Amen.