2 TIMOTHY 1:6 (KJV)
“Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.”
1. Stir up interest in and hunger for the Holy Spirit by talking and preaching about the Holy Spirit.
MATTHEW 5:6
“Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.”
You can stir up interest in anything by talking about it. Talking about the Holy Spirit stirs up hunger and interest in the things of the Spirit. Do not be surprised when there are manifestations of the Spirit in ministries that preach and teach about the Holy Spirit. They are stirring up interest in the Holy Spirit when they talk about the Holy Spirit. His gifts and His manifestations.
2. Stir up interest the Holy Spirit by praying specifically for the Holy Spirit.
LUKE 11:13
“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?”
This is something most Christians don’t understand and thus, do not do. Jesus said, “Ask for the Holy Spirit” He uses the
term “good gifts”. The Holy Spirit has “good gifts” which you must ask for constantly and consistently. You need to ask
for gifts, sub-gifts and impartations. The most anointed people often pray for the Holy Spirit and His influence upon their
lives and their ministries.
3. Stir up the sweet influences of the Holy Spirit by having prayer meetings.
ACTS 4:31
And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness."
The book of ACTS records the mighty filling of the Holy Spirit after a prayer meeting. The early church was filled with the
Holy Spirit when they prayed. They multiplied the presence of the Holy Spirit through their fervent prayer meetings. Every serious prayer meeting invokes the presence of the Holy Spirit. The mention of the name of Jesus and the cries of
the Saints go up before the Lord as incense and in return we are filled with the Holy Spirit.
PHILIPPIANS 1:19
“For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,”
Through our prayers, there’s the supply of the Spirit to human needs both spiritually and physically. Without much prayer the gift of God (the Holy Spirit) in us lays dormant and inactive. Fervent prayer strengthens us spiritually through
the Holy Spirit (EPHESIANS 3:14-16).
4. Stir up the influences of the Holy Spirit by speaking to yourselves in songs and psalms.
EPHESIANS 5:18-21
“And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.”
Perhaps the most important scripture for Christians who desire to be filled with the Spirit is EPHESIANS 5:18. It is the scripture that tells us how Christians can be continually filled, empowered and influenced by the Holy Spirit. According to this scripture, the first thing you must do if you want to be filled with the Spirit is to speak to yourself through a song. A hymn or a psalm. The key words here are “speak to yourself.” Think about it. This portion of scripture also encourages us to make melody in our hearts. It is important to create a spiritual atmosphere in your closet by having music where people sing and make melody in their hearts. Not all Christian music has this powerful effect. Songs that are not sung from the heart do not have the same effect. The melody and the songs that result in you being filled with the Spirit must come from the heart.
EPHESIANS 3:20, Paul talks about giving thanks as another key to getting filled with the Spirit. “Thankfulness” causes you to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Criticism, murmuring and accusations cause you to be filled with evil spirits. You will notice that when the Israelites murmured, complained and criticized their leaders, evil spirits of death, disease and destruction filled them.
In EPHESIANS 5:21, Paul reveals the fifth key about being filled with the Spirit. Being filled with the Spirit is closely linked to submissiveness and humility in relation to others. Remember that pride and arrogance are the characteristics of Lucifer or Satan. Lucifer was lifted up in pride and arrogance. He rose up against God and threatened to invade the throne of God. But he was cast down as a wretched branch. It is therefore no surprise that submitting ourselves one to another in humility will take us far away from evil spirits and closer to the Holy Spirit. If you do not understand how being humble and submissive helps you to be filled with the Holy Spirit, just think of submission and humility as something that takes you further away from the spirit of Satan.
Further reading: 1 TIMOTHY 4:4 & ACTS 8:17-18