Filled with the Holy Spirit
In order to experience God’s love and forgiveness you must confess your sin as you become aware of it, and turn again to your heavenly Father. 

An amazing transformation has begun to take place since you received Christ as your Lord and Savior.

You are now beginning to live the Christian life, which isn’t a standard of performance nor a code of ethics, but a vital, personal relationship with a loving God.

Unfortunately, not every believer experiences the power to live his life as God intended.

Just as our relationship with God is totally dependent on what God has done through Jesus Christ, so the power to live a dynamic Christian life also comes totally from God.

How to be filled with the Holy Spirit
We are filled with the Spirit by faith. We received Christ by faith. We walk by faith. Everything we receive from God, from the moment of our spiritual birth until we die, is by faith.

Though you are filled with the Holy Spirit by faith and faith alone, it is important to recognize that several factors contribute to preparing your heart for the filling of the Spirit.

First, you must hunger and thirst after God and desire to be filled with the Holy Spirit. 

Second, be willing to surrender your life to Christ. When you think of what He has done for you, is this too much to ask? Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but be a new and different person with a fresh newness in all you do and think. Then you will learn from your own experience, how His ways will really satisfy you.

Third, confess every known sin which the Holy Spirit brings to your remembrance, and experience the cleansing and forgiveness which God promises.

If we possess such power and such a sense of how much God loves us, in what ways might that affect our daily lives? Why don’t we always seek to walk in the power of the Holy Spirit? What is one action you can take this week to live in the power of the Holy Spirit?

Experiencing God’s Love and Forgiveness, Part 2

You can experience God’s love and forgiveness every day
Even though you are totally forgiven, you still need to deal with your sins on a day-to-day basis in order to experience continuing fellowship with God. Let’s look at how you restore your fellowship with God.

Confession – agreeing with God about sin.

When God brings to your attention the fact that something you have done is sin, confess it. This confession involves at least three factors:

Agree with God that you have sinned.
Agree that God has already forgiven you.
Trust God to change your attitudes and actions toward Him and away from your sin.
By turning back to God and away from your sin, you will experience His love and forgiveness provided by Christ’s death on the cross. Instead of guilt, condemnation, and punishment, your fellowship with God will be restored.

Confession – putting it into practice.

Ask God to reveal sin in your life.
List these on a piece of paper. Be completely honest as this is just between you and God.
After completing your list, write over it the promise of 1 John 1:9.
Thank God for the forgiveness He has provided for you through what Christ did on the cross.
Tear up the list and throw it away.
How often do you need to confess your sins to God?

Confession – experiencing the results.

You should not feel guilt after you have confessed your sins. Your sins are forgiven. (Psalms 32:5; 103:12; Isaiah 43:25)

Understanding God’s great love and forgiveness allows Christians to enjoy a growing fellowship with Him.

How would your life be affected by applying these truths? In light of what we have looked at concerning guilt and forgiveness, how would you complete this statement: “When I have confessed all my sins, I…”

Experiencing God’s Love and Forgiveness, Part 1

Relationship and Fellowship with God
Your relationship with God is secure because, through Christ, you are forgiven and accepted by God.

In addition to providing this secure relationship, God also desires for you to walk closely with Him and communicate with Him throughout each day. This is called fellowship.

When we choose to sin, our relationship (our position as God’s children) is not affected, but our fellowship is interrupted.

Relationship with God:

Began when you
received Christ
(John 1:12)
Is everlasting
(1 Peter 1:3, 4)
Maintained by God
(John 10:27-29)
Never changes
(Hebrews 13:5)
Fellowship with God:

Began when you
received Christ
(Colossians 2:6)
Can be hindered
(Psalm 32:3-5)
Maintained in part by us
(1 John 1:9)
Changes when we sin
(Psalm 66:18)
How can you consistently experience fellowship with God?

Need for God’s Love and Forgiveness
Sin is a barrier for both Christians and non-Christians. Sin keeps us all from experiencing God’s love. But many people are confused by what sin is and what it is not.

What is sin? It’s more than cheating, lying, immoral behavior, etc. These actions are only the results of an attitude of sin. A simple definition of sin is: doing what we want instead of what God wants – both in actions and attitudes.

What are the results of sin? For non-Christians, sin prohibits a relationship with God (Romans 3:23). Unbelievers who try to live good, moral lives are still separated from God.  For Christians, sin inhibits fellowship with God. (1 John 1:6-8)

All of us sin. Therefore, you and I both need to experience God’s forgiveness for our attitudes and actions.

The Basis for God’s Love and Forgiveness
Christ’s death is the basis for forgiveness to bring us into a proper relationship with God. (1 Peter 3:18)

Christ’s death is also the basis for forgiveness in our daily fellowship with God. (Colossians 2:13, 14)

In the day when this was written, “list of sins” meant an itemized bond nailed to the prison cell door. It listed every crime for which the prisoner had been convicted. When the sentence was served or restitution paid, the authorities removed the list and wrote “paid in full.” The prisoner used this as proof that he could never be tried for those crimes again. The believer who trusts Christ’s payment for sin can never be tried again. You have full pardon from God.

What difference will it make in your daily life to know you are totally forgiven?