Walk the Talk in Being Filled with the Holy Spirit
Terry Cavanaugh / General
Walk the Talk / Galatians 6:8
I will be honest with you, If I walked into a church and the title of the message was.. Walk the Talk.. in being Filled with the Holy Spirit, I would be uncomfortable. I would want to know, what does the person mean by Walking the talk, and even more concerning, for me would be the question, What does this person mean by, “Being Filled with the Holy Spirit.?
So let’s address the first question. What do I mean by… Walk the Talk.
For years I have listened to people talk about the Christian Faith. But I have often noticed a disconnect between what they say, and what they do.
For some, their faith is like the dress clothes, reserved for Sunday use only.
They keep their faith in closet hanging beside the pin-striped suit, or their “Go to Meeting” dress. They put it on every Lord’s Day but hang it back up till next week.
For others, their faith is more like their Master-Card, they never leave home without it. It favors every conversion, it influences every action, it is always with them.
That is what I mean by Walking the Talk. Your faith is who and what you are. You don’t just talk it, you walk it.
That is why, over the last few weeks we have investigated Walking the Talk in Prayer, Service, Fellowship, Worship, Love, and Witnessing. And now we turn our attention Being filled with the Holy Spirit.
I want to begin by saying I do not have the Holy Spirit figured out. In truth, every time I think I am getting a handle of the Holy Spirit, he does something new and exciting in my life.
So what it means to be filled with the Spirit is always in flux. I know that we all need to be filled with the Holy Spirit because of all the times the Holy Spirit influenced Jesus’ life.
At his Baptism, the Spirit came down in the form of a dove. The Spirit drove Him into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan. Jesus said to his disciples, after his resurrection, receive the Holy Spirit.
Then at Pentecost the Holy Spirit came upon the church, and they spoke in tongues.
Do I claim to understand all that, NO! Let me say that again. Do I claim to understand all that, NO! emphatically NO!
I am only a plant in the Greenhouse of the Spirit. What I have learned is that the Spirit uses the process as nature to grow us.
First there is sowing, then reaping, then harvesting.
1. Sow to the Spirit
Galatians 6:8 NASB95
For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.
Notice Paul tells us that we are always sowing. Notice he said we will either sow to the flesh or we will sow to the Spirit, either way, we will what we sow.
He said if you sow to the flesh, you will from the flesh reap WHAT? Corruption.
The word Paul used to describe corruption, phthora, means decay, ruin, moral, spiritual, and even physical destruction. It can even result in death.
Paul is not messing around here. He does not leave us confused. He does not want us baffled or befuddled. Paul says you have a choice to make, either you are sowing to the flesh, or to yourself, your concerns, your desires, it is all about you. Or you are sowing to the spirit. He says plainly, one way leads to destruction, the other to eternal life.
So, I know we don’t want destruction. But, you say, how do we sow to the Spirit.
Well before you sow a garden, or a field, what do you need to do? Prepare the ground to receive the seed.
We are the ground. How do we prepare?
There are three prayers that will help prepare us to be filled with the Holy Spirit and to sow to the Spirit.
1. Search me and Know me.
a. It is an easy prayer to say, but a hard one to mean.
b. We have to pray from the heart.
i. Praying from the heart is personal and unmistakable. – Craig Groeschel
c. Know the Good, the Bad and ugly about me.
2. Use me
a. It might be to do something simple.
b. It might be to do something difficult.
c. You might have to be broken, before he can us you.
3. Send me
a. Out of our comfort zone.
2. Harvest The Fruits of the Spirit
Galatians 6:8 NASB95
For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.
Look at the various aspects of the fruits of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control). Do you see how they fly in the face of selfishness.
You can not love someone, really love them and be selfish.
Joy, can you really have joy, if you are all wrapped up in yourself?
Peace, I have never met a selfish person who had peace. Selfish people believe everything depends of them. But peace only comes when you realize you are not in control. God is.
3. Reap Eternal Life in Christ
Galatians 6:8 NASB95
For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.
Reaping eternal life takes us back to where we first began. To walk the talk in Being Filled with the Holy Spirit means that we live out the fruit of the Spirit. We live out love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. We realize that God is in control, we are not, and that is okay.
We begin to through the three prayers…
Search me, Use me, Send me,
To focus less of self, and more on Jesus.
You say pastor Terry, “How is that going to help me walk the talk in Being Filled with the Holy Spirit?”
Great question.
As you pray daily, search me, Use me, Send me, and you live out the fruit of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit take over more and more of you.
We must decrease, so the Holy Spirit in our lives can increase.
But what if he takes me places I have never been before? I guarantee he will. These prayers and this life style is dangerous. So, before you begin, fasten your seat belts, your and in for a bumpy ride.
