Have you ever tried to run without breathing? It's challenging. So is living the Christian life without the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is described as breath or wind. Imagine your life as a docked sailboat that wants to get to the other side of the sea. The Holy Spirit is the wind that will push you to your destination. Before going up into heaven, Jesus breathed on His disciples and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit" (John 20:22). After receiving the Holy Spirit, they were radically changed. Peter, who used to be a huge coward, spoke to thousands about Jesus. Paul, who used to hate Christians, became one of the biggest promoters of the Christian faith and performed miracles. What could you become?
The key is to breathe in the Holy Spirit everyday. Think of it as spiritual breathing. Just as you exhale harmful carbon dioxide and inhale beneficial oxygen, you can empty yourself of sin and be filled with God's Spirit daily. Ephesians 5:18 says, "Be filled with the Holy Spirit." You exhale by confessing your sin to God and inhale by asking the Holy Spirit to cleanse and fill you with His power. Say you had a bad day and told a lie. You would say to the Holy Spirit, "Please forgive me for lying. I don’t want to do it anymore. Please fill me and help me be honest at all times." At that moment, God would completely forgive you and give you power to live an honest life, because Jesus promised, "How much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!" (Luke 11:13). Spiritual breathing is one of the greatest keys to your happiness as a Christian. You can live clear and free -- with the power of God’s Spirit carrying you to where you need to go. Take a moment right now to practice spiritual breathing and search this section to learn how to live a life empowered by God’s Spirit.
If you would like to learn about being baptized click here.
Section 3: Prayer