Empty Your Bucket

Just like you have a thirst for water, you need a similar thirst for God. I think that if you are here today and want to be controlled by the Spirit of God, if you want to be what God wants you to be – Not only do you need to realize that you need it, you also must have a thirst to want it.

When was the last time you had a thirst to be controlled by the Spirit of God? When was the last time you had a thirst to read the Bible? When was the last time you had a thirst to spend time with God in prayer? When was the last time you really wanted God to do something great in you life?

So many people just go through the motions of Christianity. They come in and say, “Oh well, I went to church today.” Then they leave saying they did their good deed for the week. I pleased the people, I pleased the preacher, and I pleased God because I showed up. I threw some money in the plate.

When was the last time you really thirsted for God? When was the last time you really had a hunger for it? Most people treat God the way I treat lima beans. I hate those things. I don’t like to look at them, smell them, or even have them on my plate. I remember as a kid, my mom would say that if I did not eat my beans I would get no dessert.

I don’t want that stuff. I don’t have a hunger for it. I don’t have a thirst for it. And most people treat God like lima beans. They want Him as far away from them as possible.

How do you get filled back up

How do you get filled back up? How do you let Jesus control you? First of all, you have to be born again. The Bible says that Jesus died on a cross for us. He died on that cross, he took upon himself the sins of the world. He took your sins and my sins on that cross with him. And he died there for our sins. He was put into a tomb and three days later He was raised from the dead. And then a short time later, he ascended up to heaven.

The Bible says in Romans 10:9, “If you confess Jesus is Lord with your mouth, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Then in verse 13 it says, “Whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.” If we are saved, we are filled with God’s Holy Spirit.

Once you are born again, the spirit of God begins to live inside of you. Then you are filled with the spirit. To be filled with the spirit of God does not mean that you have to go through a process to get it. Once you are saved, you are given the Holy Spirit. Once you are saved, you got it!

But I am convinced that there are people today who have let some of it just leak out. Their bucket has a hole in it. First of all you need to realize that you need Jesus today. If you are here today and you do not have Christ in your heart, you need to realize that you need him today. Not next Sunday. Not Wednesday. Today! If you are a Christian and you want to be filled back up with the Spirit, you need to realize that you need to be filled back up tonight. Plug that hole! Plug it today! Not next Sunday. Not next Wednesday. Today!

Do you know what the worst thing is for an alcoholic? To admit that he is an alcoholic. He doesn’t think that he’s an alcoholic until he can actually say the words, “I am an alcoholic.” My dad’s dad, who I never met, was an alcoholic. He never admitted that he was an alcoholic. He died an alcoholic.