How To Be Filled With The Holy Spirit: A Step-By-Step Guide
Being filled with the Holy Spirit is an important part of the Christian life. The Holy Spirit guides, instructs, and empowers believers to live Godly lives and accomplish His will here on earth.
If you’re looking for bible verses and practical steps on how to be filled with the Holy Spirit, you’ve come to the right place.
If you’re short on time, here’s a quick answer to your question: The main steps to being filled with the Holy Spirit include repenting of sin, asking in prayer, yielding completely to God, praising and worshipping God, and acting in faith and obedience.
Key bible verses include Luke 11:13, Ephesians 5:18, Acts 1:8, and Romans 8:9.
What Does it Mean to be Filled with the Holy Spirit?
The Holy Spirit already dwells within every believer when they first put their faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. However, being filled with the Holy Spirit refers to the ongoing process of allowing the Spirit to guide, empower, and transform us.
Let’s explore what it means to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit Indwells All Believers
When a person becomes a Christian, the Holy Spirit comes to live within them (Romans 8:9). This is called the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
Through this indwelling, the Spirit begins the lifelong process of conforming us to the image of Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18).
However, just because we have the Spirit dwelling in us does not necessarily mean we are continually empowered and directed by the Spirit. The indwelling of the Spirit happens once, but being filled with the Spirit is an ongoing process.
Being Filled is a Continual Process
After the initial infilling of the Holy Spirit at salvation, believers are encouraged to go on being filled with the Spirit continually (Ephesians 5:18). This is a daily process of yielding ourselves to the Spirit’s control and seeking to be directed by Him.
Being filled with the Spirit results in a life characterized by the fruit the Spirit produces – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).
It also leads to a life of service and ministry empowered by the Spirit’s supernatural gifts (1 Corinthians 12:8-10).
We can seek to be filled with the Spirit through prayer, worship, and offering every aspect of our lives to God. It’s also important to confess any known sin which can hinder the fullness of the Spirit (Ephesians 4:30-32).
Evidence of Being Filled
There are some key markers that indicate a life filled with the Holy Spirit. Some evidence includes:
- A desire to live in obedience to God’s Word
- A heart of love, joy, and peace
- Bearing spiritual fruit in your life and ministry
- Having a burden to see people come to faith in Christ
- A sense of God’s guidance and direction for your life
Additionally, those filled with the Spirit will have a greater hunger for God’s presence, a passion for His Word, a deeper prayer life, and a yearning to see Christ glorified. God’s supernatural power will be evident as well.
While no one fully arrives in this life, pursuing the continual infilling of the Holy Spirit is key to living the victorious Christian life we are called to. We all have room to grow in surrendering ourselves to Him and embracing the Spirit-filled life Christ intends for us.
Bible Verses about Being Filled with the Holy Spirit
Luke 11:13 – Ask and You Will Receive
In Luke 11:13, Jesus teaches that God is eager to give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him. We simply need to come to our Heavenly Father in prayer and ask to be filled with His Spirit.
Ephesians 5:18 – Be Filled Continually
The original Greek text of Ephesians 5:18 conveys the sense that we should go on being filled with the Spirit continually.
Acts 1:8 – Power to Witness
A key reason God fills us with His Spirit is to empower us to be His witnesses (Acts 1:8). When the early believers were filled with the Holy Spirit in Acts 2, they immediately started sharing the gospel boldly.
Romans 8:9 – The Spirit Dwells in You
Romans 8:9 teaches that all true believers have the Spirit dwelling inside them. We don’t need to plead for more of God’s presence because He has already taken up residence within us. Our focus should be learning to yield more control of our lives to the Spirit each day.
Surrendering areas we want to manage ourselves allows the Spirit’s power to flow more freely.
Galatians 5:16-26 – Bearing the Fruit of the Spirit
As we walk in step with the Spirit, He produces His fruit in our lives – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). The more we surrender to the Spirit’s leading through prayer and obedience, the more His fruit – Christlike character – grows abundantly.
By bearing good fruit, the Father is glorified (John 15:8).
Steps to Being Filled with the Holy Spirit
Repent and Surrender
The first step towards being filled with the Holy Spirit is to repent of your sins and fully surrender your life to God (Romans 12:1).
This involves humbling yourself, confessing your sins, and committing to live according to God’s standards and not your own.
As you surrender areas of your life to God’s control, you become more open and yielding to the Holy Spirit’s work in you.
Ask in Faith
Once you have surrendered to God, you can ask in faith to be filled with the Holy Spirit (Luke 11:13). Come before God with open hands and heart, asking Him to fill you afresh with His Spirit and empower you to live for Him.
Believe that God desires to give you His Spirit and that He will fulfill His promises.
Yield Your Life
As you ask to be filled, you must also yield every area of your life to the Holy Spirit’s control and guidance (Romans 6:13). Give Him access to transform your thoughts, words, attitudes, behaviors, and lifestyle.
Yielding is not a one-time thing – it requires daily surrendering your agenda to follow God’s leading through His indwelling Spirit.
Meditate on Scripture
Meditating on God’s Word positions you to be filled with the Spirit (Colossians 3:16). As you read, believe, memorize, and dwell upon Scripture, the Holy Spirit uses God’s Word to renew your mind and transform your heart.
Meditation helps you realign your perspectives with God’s truth and know His heart more intimately.
Pray and Worship
A lifestyle of prayer and heartfelt worship aids the Spirit’s work in you. As you pray, the Spirit prays through you and enables greater intimacy with God (Romans 8:26-27). Worship ushers you into God’s presence so He can refresh and empower you.
Both prayer and worship surrender self-reliance so you can depend on the Spirit working in and through you.
Walk in Obedience
Lastly, walking in obedience positions you for an outpouring of the Spirit (Acts 5:32). As His child, desire to obey God’s commands with the help of the Spirit.
Sometimes obedience precedes understanding, but often the Holy Spirit gives you power and motivation to obey as you depend fully on Him.
Your cooperation aids the Spirit’s purifying and empowering work.
Conclusion
Being filled with the Holy Spirit is a precious gift God freely offers to all believers. As we yield ourselves fully to Him, repenting of sin, meditating on His word, praying, worshipping, and acting in obedience, we open ourselves up to be continually filled and guided by the Holy Spirit.
This filling brings power, boldness, spiritual gifts, victory over sin, guidance, and an overflowing joy. Our part is simply to continually yield, surrender, obey and ask to be filled – God will do the rest.
We pray this overview of bible verses and steps equips and encourages you in your journey of being filled with the Holy Spirit each new day.
