Activate the Holy Spirit: Is Jesus Asleep in Your Boat?
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. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. (2Timothy 1:6-7, KJV).
Sometimes, we need to be reminded of certain things. It’s not that we haven’t heard them or even practiced them in the past. It’s just that we are easily sidetracked. This is especially true of spiritual things because we tend to live the natural and drift away from that quiet place in the spirit where we come into God’s presence.
Paul encourages Timothy to “stir up” the gift of God. This gift is something that Timothy had already received by the laying on of Paul’s hands. The Holy Spirit was in Him. The Holy Spirit was in Timothy but was somewhat dormant. Paul said, “Stir up the gift that is in you.”
It reminds me of when Jesus and His disciples were crossing the lake, and a great storm came up, but Jesus was asleep in the boat. Sometimes, we need to wake up Jesus in our boat so that we can receive the help that we need. You can activate the Holy Spirit!
Jesus described the Holy Spirit as a Comforter or Helper. In the original Greek, the word is “parakletos,” meaning one called alongside to help. I don’t know about you, but I need all the help I can get, and the Holy Spirit helps us in so many ways. When we are fearful, He will give us peace. When we are confused, He will give us direction. When we are weak, He will strengthen us. And He will help us to reach people for Christ. But if the Holy Spirit is dormant, we will not receive the help that we need!
Wait for the Power of the Holy Spirit
Every born-again believer has the Holy Spirit, but God also wants to lead His people into a deeper manifestation of His power called the baptism (or immersion) of the Holy Spirit. Jesus told His disciples to wait for this endowment of power:
And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence . . . But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. (Acts 1:4-5, 8, KJV).
Throughout the account of the early church in the book of Acts, we see that God’s people received this promise of the Father called the baptism of the Holy Spirit, which was accompanied by supernatural phenomena, including speaking in unknown languages. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is still available to every believer today.
The great miracle of the initial outpouring was that people in the city of Jerusalem who heard these people speaking in tongues recognized the words in their own languages. They asked, “And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born? (Acts 2:8, KJV). The speakers were talking about the wonderful works of God in a language that they did not know, but the hearers understood.
Here are some of the different ways that the gift of tongues (unknown languages) is used in Scripture:
As a language that is not understood by the speaker but is understood by the hearers, as in the initial outpouring. (Acts 2)
As a message from the Lord followed by a supernatural interpretation of the meaning. (1 Corinthians 12:8-10)
As yearnings of the heart which allow the Holy Spirit to pray according to the will of God when we don’t know how to pray. (Romans 8:26-27)
As a prayer spoken out of your spirit (not your mind) in your individual devotional life for personal edification. (1 Corinthians 14)
I believe that this prayer for personal edification is what Paul had in mind when he told Timothy to “stir up the gift of God,” along with other forms of prayer, worship, and fellowship with God.
The Way to Activate the Holy Spirit
The biblical practice of praying in other tongues is something that all of us can do in our personal prayer time to greatly enhance our relationship with God. I have seen it in my own life and many others. It is the way that God has given to us to activate the Holy Spirit and bring the manifestation of His gifts, fruits, and power into our lives.
Years ago, I was going on a vacation with my family to the North Shore of Lake Superior. The preparation for the trip had left me in a state of frustration. When we finally got in our van to travel with our three kids, I told everyone, “I need to pray.” As we drove North, I just began to pray in spirit, in other words, in other tongues. It wasn’t long before Dad was at peace and the day went much better than it would have otherwise.
We were teaching about these things in our Believers School of Ministry in Mankato, Minnesota, and a man who attended the class was inspired to pray in tongues on the way to and fro from work, a commute of about 45 minutes each way. Day after day, he would pour out his heart to God, not in English, but in a supernatural language inspired by the Holy Spirit. Soon, God opened opportunities for him to minister to co-workers and others. As he prayed for them, many were healed through gifts of healings (another gift mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10). The gift of tongues is often a gateway gift that opens the door for other gifts and the supernatural power of God to operate.
Entering a Life of Praying in the Spirit
Entering into a life of praying in the Spirit can be challenging because the natural mind fights against it. As Paul writes:
For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries. But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort. He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself; but he that prophesieth edifieth the church. (1Corinthians 14:2-4, KJV).
Notice he says, “No man understands him. However, in the spirit, he speaks mysteries.” In other words, praying in the spirit opens up the hidden things of God. It brings life and revelation to your spirit, but no man understands it. It is a language of the heart, which is not understood by the natural mind. So, the mind fights it … until we can comprehend the benefits of this type of prayer. That is why teaching like this and also meditating on the scriptures about praying in the Spirit is so helpful.
Another great example of this is in the life of Jackie Pullenger, a missionary to Hong Kong, who was having little success reaching people for Jesus until she was baptized in the Holy Spirit and began to walk through the city quietly praying in other tongues. She was sharing the same Gospel message that she shared before. but now she began to have much greater results. Drug addicts began to come to the Lord, and then she helped them to get power over their addictions by receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
I remember, too, when I was a local church pastor, I was inspired to pray in tongues for one hour a day for a season. As I did this day after day, I noticed a change. Instead of struggling for hours to put together sermons, they would just naturally flow from my heart into my mind and down onto a piece of paper. Then, as I delivered them, they would flow like a river to the people. That is something about the baptism of the Holy Spirit. It establishes a river. Notice what Jesus said about the future activity of the Holy Spirit when He was on the earth:
In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.) (John 7:37-39, KJV).
Well, now that Jesus is glorified, you can come to him and drink of the Holy Spirit. Just open your heart to receive all that He has for you. Relax and receive. Ask the Lord to help you to pray, not from your head, but from deep within you, where the Holy Spirit lives. You may start small, with just a few syllables like I did, but believe me, it can grow and become a mighty river that will change your life and the lives of those around you.
You can activate the Holy Spirit and enjoy all that He has for you.
Related Posts
Outpourings of the Holy Spirit [Audio & Video]