Immersed In The Spirit

Immersed in the Spirit

Be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. Ephesians 5:18-19

SCRIPTURE GIVES US BEAUTIFUL DESCRIPTIONS of the benefits and blessings of our relationship with God through his Spirit. It lists spiritual gifts and fruit, creating a composite picture of who we are called to be. But a lack of faith, love, patience, or any other gift or fruit of the Spirit should not send us looking for more. These gifts are not compartments of the spiritual life or components we can pick and choose from a buffet line. Instead, we should spend more time fellowshipping with the source. We don’t need more gifts. We need more Spirit.

Of course, we already have full access to the Holy Spirit, and in reality, we can’t get more of him. But we can draw closer, go deeper, and have more experiences with him. Just as a husband or wife can’t get more married but can have more of each other in time, love, and intimacy, we can’t become any more born of the Spirit than we already are. But we can certainly become more saturated in his presence and filled with his power. The key to the spiritual life is not spirituality. It’s the Spirit himself. He is the manifestation of every aspect of our relationship with God on earth.

That’s vital for our journeys and adventures of prayer and faith. The Holy Spirit plants seeds in our hearts—promises from God’s Word, visions of his purposes, callings he has given us to fulfill. The only way those seeds grow is by fellowshipping with him, the deep intimacy of knowing and loving him. All of life is birthed in intimacy, and our faith comes alive and is nurtured in his presence. We birth the things of the Spirit in our hearts to the degree that we know and love him. The greatest thing we can do for our prayers of faith is to be filled with him and let his will and words grow, bloom, and bear lasting fruit.

To possess a Spirit-indwelt mind is the Christian’s privilege under grace.