Psalms 62:8 NLT Oh my people, trust in the Lord at all times. Pour out your heart to him, for God is our refuge.
Search your favorite online Christian bookstore, and you will find hundreds of books on the topic of being filled with the Holy Spirit. And rightly so, He is our source of power and freedom to live as Christ followers. Jesus instructed the disciples to do nothing until they had received this power thru the Holy Spirit (Luke 24:49). But there is a critical step to being filled, which is often overlooked.
God’s greatest work requires starting with an empty vessel. The story of creation begins with “The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters” (Genesis 1:2). We continually try to satisfy our lives with relationships, possessions, and activities, yet we remain unfulfilled. Our hearts long for contentment, satisfaction, and joy that can only be provided by a loving God, the one who created us and knitted us together in our mother’s womb. The empty places in our hearts were created to be filled by God alone, and the deepest thirst of our souls can only be quenched by Him. It is over these empty places that the Holy Spirit hovers.
We desire for the Spirit of God to hover over and fill our lives, yet we struggle to empty ourselves before Him. To be filled with His power and shine His glory requires an emptying—a pouring out of ourselves—to make room for Him. And this pouring out is often in the form of self-denial, surrender, and even brokenness. It is in the weakness of our own despair that our emptiness makes a god-sized space, a space to be filled with Him. It is in the emptying that we relinquish our control and surrender to God, for Him to have His will and way.
We are compelled to keep things bottled up inside of ourselves when we are called to pour it out to him. As Hannah prayed for a son, she “poured out her heart to the Lord” (1 Samuel 1:15), and God answered her prayer. When we choose to pour ourselves out, we become exposed, vulnerable, and open to God’s love, His healing, and seeing His Spirit fill us. He already knows every trial and trouble you are facing, but he desires for you to come to him and talk to him about it. He wants to be your refuge. A safe place... Psalm 46:1 “God, you’re such a safe and powerful place to find refuge! You’re a proven help in times of trouble—more than enough and always available whenever I need you.”
When Jesus performed his first miracle at the wedding feast in Cana, he used empty containers to produce the best wine ever tasted (John 2:7). When Gideon led Israel in defeating the Midianites, it was using empty clay pots, which were filled with light (Judges 6:16). When God used Elisha to meet the financial needs of a widow whose sons were about to be sold into slavery, he supernaturally filled empty vessels with oil (2 Kings 4:3). If we wish to live a victorious life, bringing light into dark places, being filled with the power and anointing of the Holy Spirit, and bringing God’s best into every situation, then we must pour ourselves out and present to Him an empty vessel ready to be filled.
And the same thing happened to the woman Jesus met at the well. She came to the well longing for more than a drink of water. She brought an empty water pot and left having drank deeply from the source of living water, filled to overflowing. There must be an emptying before there can be a filling, and when our hearts are turned upside down, when everything that is not God is poured out, then the Spirit is able to fill us to overflowing.
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Gary and Sandy Anthony
Psalms 142:1-3 TPT God, I’m crying out to you! I lift up my voice boldly to beg for your mercy. I pour out my heart to you and tell you all my troubles. For when I was desperate, overwhelmed, and about to give up, you were the only one there to help.
Psalms 36:9-10 TPT The fountain of life flows from you to satisfy me. In your light of holiness we receive the light of revelation. Lord, keep pouring out your unfailing love on those who are near you. Release more of your blessings to those who are loyal to you.
Joel 2:28 NLT I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions.
Matthew 26:27-28 NIV Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
Luke 22:20 NLT After supper he took another cup of wine and said, This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you.
Acts 2:32-33 NLT God raised Jesus from the dead, and we are all witnesses of this. Now he is exalted to the place of highest honor in heaven, at God’s right hand. And the Father, as he had promised, gave him the Holy Spirit to pour out upon us, just as you see and hear today.
Romans 5:4-5 NIV And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
Titus 3:4-7 NLT When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. Because of his grace he made us right in his sight and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life.
Philemon 1:3 TPT May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ pour out his grace and peace upon you.
Psalms 119:58 TPT With all my heart I seek your favor; pour out your grace on me as you promised!
1 Peter 5:6-7 TPT If you bow low in God’s awesome presence, he will exalt you as you leave the timing in his hands. Pour out all your worries and stress upon him and leave them there, for he always tenderly cares for you.
Psalms 85:6-7 TPT Revive us again, O God! I know you will! Give us a fresh start! Then all your people will taste your joy and gladness. Pour out even more of your love on us! Reveal more of your kindness and restore us back to you!
James 4:6 TPT But he continues to pour out more and more grace upon us. For it says, God resists you when you are proud but continually pours out grace when you are humble.
1 Peter 1:18-19 NLT For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.
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