The Holy Spirit Is Not A One Time Thing

The Holy Spirit gets treated like the mysterious member of the Trinity, the one nobody quite knows how to talk about. He is not a feeling and He is not a force. He is a Person God handed you as a gift.

Acts 2:38 says, "Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." A gift. Not a reward for the spiritually advanced.

And He does not come and go based on how your week went. John 14:16 records Jesus saying, "And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever." For ever. He is not reviewing whether you deserve to keep Him.

Luke 11:13 makes the asking simple: "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?" Your Father is not reluctant. He is not waiting on a better version of you to ask.

So why does He sometimes feel far off? Usually it is not Him moving, it is our thinking. Romans 12:2 says, "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." A renewed mind does not add more of the Spirit to you. It lets you feel what has already been true.

Ephesians 5:18 says, "And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit." That filling was meant to be a daily thing, not one moment you look back on from years ago. He already lives in you, so ask Him to fill you again today and let that be normal.