How to Seek the Holy Spirit

​If you were facing suffering (like having terminal cancer) or being tortured for His name, would you still trust God, willing to be His martyr? Or would you be angry with Him?
 
When such challenges come, if you hold onto God, He will give you the strength to endure and the resolve to magnify His name. You will be blessed with the glorious Holy Spirit resting on you (1 Peter 4:12-14).
 
When the Holy Spirit comes, He will:
 
1. Bring truth to you (John 14:17, 15:26, 16:13) to fight back the forces of darkness that try to confuse you.
 
2. Glorify Christ in you (John 16:14).
 
3. Sustain your love for Christ by reminding you of His preciousness and inspire you to worship Him (Philippians 3:3).
 
4. Help you see your lost not worth keeping because of gaining the infinitely-better and imperishable glory (1Peter 1:23); and help you see your momentary sufferings of no comparison to the eternal glory. The Holy Spirit seals the hope in you (1Peter 5:10).
 
5. Overcome your doubt and strengthen your faith.
 
6. Give you the words to witness for Him (Matthew 10:19-20, 13:11).
 
7. Bring you Himself, and with Him, the Trinity God—the Father’ care, the Son’s redeeming love covering your sins, and the Spirit’s upholding your faith (2Corinthians 13:14, 1 Peter 4:14). 
 
The Holy Spirit gives you new birth (John 3:8), enables you to confess Christ as Lord (1Corinthians 12:3), puts to death your misdeeds (Romans 8:13), helps sanctify you (2Thessalonians 2:13), gives you wisdom (Ephesians 1:17), gives life to your mortal body (Romans 8:11), and forever helps you (1Corinthians 12:7, John 14:16).
 
So, though we have the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:9), seek more experience of Him, like seeking more faith in God. Also, “Be filled with the Spirit” is a command (Ephesians 5:18).
 
How to be filled by the Holy Spirit:
 
1. Listen to and meditate on God’s words (John 6:63). Christ’s message dwelled in you (Colossians 3:16) and filled by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18-19) go hand-in-hand.
 
2. Believe in His words (Galatians 3:5).
 
3. Obey Christ’s words. Then the Father will love you, and the Trinity will make their home with you. (John 14:22-23).
 
4. Thirst for the Holy Spirit (John 7:37-38, Psalm 42:1-2).
 
Ask the Father for the greatest gift, the Holy Spirit, and you will have Him (Luke 11:9-13).
 
Summary of a sermon by John Piper
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqgeT26BAnE



如何寻求圣灵
 
如果你在痛苦中(例如患上晚期癌症) 或因祂的名而受折磨，你仍会相信上帝,  仍愿意成为祂的殉道者吗， 还是会怒气以对呢?
 
当这样的挑战来临时，如果抓住上帝, 祂会赐给你坚忍的力量和彰显祂圣名的决心。 你将为此蒙福,  荣耀的圣灵要住在你身上（彼得前书 4:12-14）。
 
当圣灵来临时，祂将如此行：
 

• 将真理带给你（约翰福音 14:17, 15:26, 16:13），以击退所有试图迷惑你的黑暗势力。

 

• 在你身上荣耀基督（约翰福音 16:14）。

 

• 提醒你基督的宝贵，维持你对基督的爱，并激励你敬拜上帝（腓立比书 3:3）。

 

• 帮助你看到失去的东西不值得保留， 因为你将获得无限美好和不会朽坏的荣耀（彼得前书 1:23）； 帮助你看到自己短暂的苦难无法与永远的荣耀相比。 圣灵确保我们心里的盼望终要实现（彼得前书 5:10）。

 

• 克服你的疑虑，增强你的信心。

 

• 赐给你为祂作见证的话（马太福音 10:19-20、13:11）。

 

• 将祂自己和三位一体的神一起带给你——圣父的关怀，圣子遮盖你罪孽的救赎之爱，以及圣灵对你信心的支托（哥林多后书 13:14，彼得前书 4:14）。

 
圣灵使我们重生（约翰福音 3:8），使我们认基督是主（哥林多前书 12:3），治死我们的恶行（罗马书 8:13），使我们成圣（帖撒罗尼迦前书 2:13） ，赐给我们智慧（以弗所书 1:17），使我们必死的身体活过来（罗马书 8:11），并永远成为我们的帮助者（哥林多前书 12:7，约翰福音 14:16）。
 
所以，我们虽然有圣灵（罗马书 8:9），但仍要寻求更多经历祂,  就像寻求更多对上帝的信心一样。  此外，“被圣灵充满”乃是一个命令（以弗所书 5:18）。
 
怎么才被圣灵充满呢？
 

• 聆听并默想神的话（约翰福音 6:63）。  基督的话住在你里面与被圣灵充满两者相辅相成（歌罗西书 3:16，以弗所书 5:18-19）。

 

• 相信基督的话（加拉太书 3:5）。

 

• 遵循基督的话。 如此，天父会爱你，三位一体的神要与你住在一起（约翰福音 14:22-23）。

 

• 渴慕圣灵（约翰福音 7:37-38, 诗篇 42:1-2）。

 
当向天父祈求最伟大的礼物 (圣灵)，你就会拥有祂（路加福音 11:9-13）。