overcome sin, to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ, and to transform you into a powerful witness for the Lord. The Holy Spirit is not given to you so that you might have an ecstatic spiritual experience. Rather, He is given to you so that you might have the power to live for Jesus. But you must ask for the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, "If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him" (Luke 11:11-13)! What's the procedure here? To whom does the Father give the Holy Spirit? He gives the Spirit to His children who ask. You don't have to reach some exalted standard of holiness nor must you do something extraordinary. No, just ask. It's a gift. Ask, and then receive by faith the promise of God. God is not going to force on you something that you do not want. You must desire what He has to give. God will not violate your free will. You must ask the Lord in faith for the gift of the Holy Spirit. This is a petition you can make in full confidence. John tells us that if we ask for anything according to God's will, we can know that God hears us, and that He will grant us our request (I John 5:14). Therefore, when you ask God for this gift of the Holy Spirit, you can be utterly confident that you
overcome sin, to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ, and to transform you into a powerful witness for the Lord. The Holy Spirit is not given to you so that you might have an ecstatic spiritual experience. Rather, He is given to you so that you might have the power to live for Jesus. But you must ask for the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, "If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him" (Luke 11:11-13)! What's the procedure here? To whom does the Father give the Holy Spirit? He gives the Spirit to His children who ask. You don't have to reach some exalted standard of holiness nor must you do something extraordinary. No, just ask. It's a gift. Ask, and then receive by faith the promise of God. God is not going to force on you something that you do not want. You must desire what He has to give. God will not violate your free will. You must ask the Lord in faith for the gift of the Holy Spirit. This is a petition you can make in full confidence. John tells us that if we ask for anything according to God's will, we can know that God hears us, and that He will grant us our request (I John 5:14). Therefore, when you ask God for this gift of the Holy Spirit, you can be utterly confident that you