Overcoming Bad Habits and Addictions — Part 11
Years ago, I worked in a department where almost all of the employees were professing Christians. They went to church on Sundays. Many of them were involved in church ministries. They taught Bible classes. They helped lead worship. They participated in mission trips. And yet, in the work environment, the conversations very often turned to carnal topics. Views and desires were routinely expressed that were contrary to the teachings of Jesus. This was not just occasionally. This was the norm every single day. Even when someone expressed something that reflected more godly views, they were often made fun of and the topics soon returned to carnal expressions that seemed contrary to the Scriptures that these colleagues professed to believe.
I believed that my coworkers had genuinely been born again. I knew that these colleagues attended church regularly, but I could not imagine the members of *my *church behaving in the same ways as *these *church goers. Their behavior did not match what they professed to believe.
It seemed like such a tragedy and such a missed opportunity to me. It’s not very common for believers find themselves working in a department full of fellow believers. There is so much opportunity for blessing each other and advancing the Kingdom of God when you find yourself in that situation! But in my experience in this department, rather than use the opportunity we had to bless and support each other in the faith and bring glory to God, the opportunity was used to foster an atmosphere of carnality. It actually reminded me of the last verse of Romans chapter 1:
“Though they are fully aware of God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve to die, they not only do them themselves but approve and applaud others who practice them.”—Romans 1:32 (AMPC)
Why was there such a disconnect between what these colleagues said they believed and how they actually lived?
What was Missing
What I realized was that all of these colleagues of mine were members of traditional churches that did not believe in the baptism of the Holy Spirit. It was the belief of these churches that, after a person was born again and experienced water baptism, there were essentially no other major experiences available for the believer to receive from God. They did not believe in receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit as Jesus and the apostles taught it. Because of the deception of this error, these believers had cut themselves off from receiving God’s power to successfully live the Christian life.
There is a reason that He is called the Holy Spirit. It is because He is pure and without sin, including bad habits, addictions, and the cravings that drive them. Receiving the Holy Spirit baptism allows us to be filled with this Holy Spirit whose nature is completely contrary to sin and its desires, and with this baptism also comes the power to live godly lives and to become living witnesses to the reality of Christ.
The Scriptures are very clear that with the Holy Spirit comes power from God.
“I pray that the God who gives hope will fill you with much joy and peace as you trust in him. Then you will have more and more hope, and it will flow out of you by the power of the Holy Spirit.”—Romans 15:13 (ERV)
“When we told you the good news, it was with the power and assurance that come from the Holy Spirit, and not simply with words. You knew what kind of people we were and how we helped you.”—1 Thessalonians 1:5 (CEV)
The baptism of the Holy Spirit was so essential that Jesus commanded his followers not to go anywhere until they received the power that would come with the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
*“And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the ****Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power ***from heaven.”—Luke 24:49 (NLT)
“But you shall receive power (ability, efficiency, and might) when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and to the ends (the very bounds) of the earth.”—Acts 1:8 (AMPC)
The baptism of the Holy Spirit was eagerly anticipated and prophesied by Jesus so that the true life of God would flow out of believers as rivers of living water.
*“Now on the final and most important day of the Feast, Jesus stood, and He cried in a loud voice, If any man is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink! He who believes in Me [who cleaves to and trusts in and relies on Me] as the Scripture has said, From his innermost being shall flow [continuously] springs and rivers of living water. But He was speaking here of the Spirit, Whom those who believed (trusted, had faith) in Him were afterward to receive. For the [Holy] Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified (raised to honor).”—John 7:37-39 (AMPC) *
