Day #122 - (Re)Filled

The Presence - A Devotional for living in Thanksgiving, Worship and Wonder

“After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭4‬:‭31‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Photo by Saif71.com on Unsplash

Have you ever used re-chargeable batteries?

I remember as a kid that some of my toys and gadgets that required batteries were some of my favorites, but it also induced a little bit of stress because I knew I could run out of batteries and not always have enough money to keep buying more. So when I started seeing more rechargeable batteries made available it blew my young mind as I could see an almost endless use to my beloved toys.

While I am not trying to make a direct link between the Holy Spirit and rechargeable batteries, I want us to see from the Scriptures that we should have ongoing and continual encounters with the Holy Spirit to be filled over and over again. We don’t lose the Holy Spirit without a fresh “charge” everyday, but sometimes we rely on old experiences with God when He wants to give us a fresh encounter to refill or recharge us.

In Acts 4, the disciples had faced some persecution and so they came together in unity again to lift up their voice in prayer. Their time of prayer culminates with Luke writing the place they prayed was shaken, they were filled with the Holy Spirit and they spoke the word of God with boldness.

We don’t have a clear record of all the people that are present in Acts 1 and 2, who received the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. However, we can deduct this is the same church in the same city and many of the people present were likely the same people. So if they were filled or baptized in the Holy Spirit in Acts 2, how could they be filled again in Acts 4? Did they lose the Spirit? No. This shows us we need to continually relate to God in prayer and have multiple fillings or refillings of the Spirit in our life.

Being a person of “the Presence” is learning to daily fellowship with God through the Holy Spirit and allowing Him to fill us over and over again. Many people in Pentecostal or Charismatic circles will often asked if others have received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. But we should also ask, what is the last time you received a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit? What is your most recent Holy Spirit encounter?

God desires to keep filling us. Don’t live solely on a former encounter. Remember the past times you’ve had with God and cherish each of them. But press in today in prayer into “the Presence” for a refilling of the Holy Spirit. God wants to shake our prayer meetings, fill us again and again, and give us boldness to speak His Word. What a God we serve who loves to manifest when we seek Him.

Father God, thank you for your goodness and your promise of the Holy Spirit. I cherish every filling and encounter with Your Spirit. But I want a fresh encounter. Fill me up Holy Spirit. I receive You Holy Spirit. I want more of You. Fill me, mold me, form me and empower me to speak the Word of God with boldness. Empower me in Christlikeness and a greater love for You God. In Jesus name, amen.