(Clip) Failure And The Filling Of The Holy Spirit — Zac Poonen

Failure Reveals the Need for God’s Power

You have failed and failed and failed so much, you know the reason. It's because you're not, God wants you through that failure to begin to seek God for his power. I found in the early days when I started preaching, when I was, I started preaching when I was 21 years old after my baptism and I found preaching was such a struggle, such a struggle even for five minutes.

It is like a hand pump, you pump and pump and pump and pump and then you get a half a bucket of water. It was like that, my ministry and I said Lord, this is not the way I'm supposed to be. You said rivers of living water.

Overcoming Satan, the Flesh, and the World

I'm pumping so much and I get so little and I began to realize that I need to seek for the power of the Holy Spirit and I began to seek God for the power of the Holy Spirit. I fasted and prayed and said Lord, I will not, I cannot serve you if I don't give me the power of the Holy Spirit and that's not just for preaching, for living the Christian life.

I was defeated and I wanted to overcome and I realized I cannot overcome without the power of the Holy Spirit. You can struggle and struggle and struggle. You will not overcome because Satan is too strong.

The lusts in your flesh are so strong and the world around you is so strong. These are three enemies and you cannot conquer them in your own power. If you, the sooner you realize that the better, so you seek God for power.

Hunger, Thirst, and Persistent Prayer

So that's the second riches, the power of the Holy Spirit and God doesn't give it to everybody. He gives it to those who hunger and thirst for it. Anybody who hungers and thirsts. Jesus spoke about a man who went to his neighbor's house and kept on knocking, knocking, knocking, knocking, knocking until he got it.

And he said if you seek like that, you'll find. If you ask like that, you'll get. If you just knock once or twice and give up, you will not get. And Jesus said if anyone thirsts, John 7 37, let him come to me.

And if you believe that I will give you more than your earthly father will give you things, you will receive rivers of living water. And I said, Lord, I thirst. I'm willing to give up anything on this earth.

The Passion to Please God Every Day

If you'll fill me with the Holy Spirit, anoint me, because I know that in eternity that's the only thing that's going to count. If I live my life on earth, spirit-filled every day. That's all. I don't care for the opinions of men.

I want you to be able to look at me every day and say, this is my beloved son in whom I'm well-pleased. I hope you have a passion like that. This is my beloved daughter in whom I'm well-pleased. Do you have a desire like that?

I'll tell you before God. I have a passion that God will say that about me every single day of my life. This is my beloved son in whom I'm well-pleased. At the end of each day. This is my beloved son in whom I'm well-pleased.

I hope you have a desire like that. This is my beloved son, my beloved daughter with whom I've been well-pleased today. How can you be a Christian? Talk about Jesus dying for you and suffering so much for you and you don't have that passion.

Daily Immersion in the Holy Spirit

Something is wrong. So seek for the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Seek for the mighty power of the Holy Spirit. And this is not a once-for-all thing like the Pentecostal say. It's continuous. I believe in baptism in the Holy Spirit means an immersion in the Holy Spirit and I need to be immersed in the Holy Spirit every day.

Not just once. And not just for gifts, for life and gifts. For the fruit of the Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit. Fruit is to please God with my life and gifts are to serve him so that I can bless other people.

Amen.