The Holy Spirit – Gifts of the Spirit

Another benefit of being filled with God’s Spirit is that the Spirit empowers you for God’s service. There are many kinds of different spiritual service gifts. Some are very practical such as helping gifts, administration, generosity or leadership. Some gifts are about caring such as the gifts of mercy, hospitality and encouragement. Some gifts are weird and wonderful like speaking in tongues, healing or prophecy. Some will help others develop faith in God such as the gift of evangelism or teaching. All the gifts are important and all Christians have one or more spiritual gifts for God’s service.

Be open to any opportunity that comes your way to serve God. It could be that the types of opportunities that keep coming your way, the ones that you can do well and enjoy doing, may actually indicate the special way God has gifted you for service.

The Holy Spirit – Fruit of the Spirit

Ask the Holy Spirit to fill you every day and be obedient to the promptings and directions that the Spirit gives you. As you experience the Holy Spirit more and more at work in your life, you will become more and more like Christ. You’ll become more patient, more self controlled, more faithful to God and more at peace. You’ll become a kinder person with more joy in your heart.

Sound good? Okay pray this prayer or something like it. "Loving God please fill me with your Holy Spirit so that I may become more like Jesus. By your Spirit’s workings, develop my character, shape me and mould me so that I can reach the fullest potentials you intend for me."

The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is referred to as The Helper and also The Comforter. Having God’s Spirit actively working in and through you will help you to be, and to achieve, so much more than you could ever be or do in your own strength.

Ask God to fill you with his Holy Spirit, to be active in your heart, mind, body and soul. Ask him to refill you for everyday living and ask God’s Spirit to come upon you extra powerfully when you need his help for a special mission.

Dinner

Go up to a street person and offer to buy them dinner. You’ll be buying Jesus a meal. "In as much as you have done it to the least of my brothers or sisters, it’s as if you have done it for me." Jesus said, in reference to good works done for others.

If you sense it is safe to do so, actually take them somewhere and eat with them and be good company for them. If you are unsure that would be wise, simply give them money for a meal, or ask them if they would like you to buy them something to eat and if so take their order and return with the meal.

Hills

"I will lift up my eyes to the hills. Where does help come from? My help comes from God who made both heaven and earth." - Psalm 121

"I go the hills when my heart is lonely, I know I will find a solace there." - The Sound of Music

"Then Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain" - Exodus 19

Hills and mountains can be really spiritual places. Set a date to go there and meet up with God. Plan a visit to the mountains for a spiritual retreat and look forward to that time together.

When you go, you may find it useful to take a journal to write in, the Bible, the exercises on prayer from this collection of ways to Bump Into God and a set of questions that will help you connect with God. Eg. What am I getting right with how I live my life? What mistakes am I making? What good things am I missing out on? Who does God want me to minister to and how? What is God saying to me about my work, my relationships, my spiritual life, my past, my future, my leisure time ...

Put these questions to God and listen.

Ignition

Let God fire you up. Ask God to make you passionate about one of his causes and for his Spirit to work through you as his agent for justice. Get going. Make a positive difference in the world for God’s sake.

Listen

Listen to a Christian radio station and watch out for God’s messages to you. Do the same with a secular radio station. God is everywhere.