September 8

Read: Acts 4:20, 29, 31

‘It is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure’ (Philippians 2:13).

The Spirit-Filled Life

Can God use me to win a friend to Jesus? Yes, if I will let Him prepare me for the task. Before our Lord sent His first followers out to win others He commanded them, “Tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high” (Luke 24:49). But even a second trip to the altar and being sanctified wholly is not all the preparation that I need to win another to Christ. Before these early sanctified Christians “spake the word of God with boldness,” they offered a special prayer for courage. As a result of their prayer they were filled to overflowing with a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The preparation for doing God’s work has not been changed. Have I waited in the presence of God, earnestly desiring and confidently expecting to be filled afresh with the Holy Spirit?

Soul winning is God’s work, and God’s work can best be done by us when we are most like Him. When I am filled with God’s Spirit, He helps me to see my friend’s need, He gives me courage to speak, and guides me in what to say. When He prompts me to witness to a friend, He goes before me to prepare the way. After I have gone, He lingers to repeat the message.

Can God use me to win a friend to Jesus? The other way to ask the question is, Do I have enough of God in my life to share with my friend? Is my life filled to overflowing with His Spirit?

O fill me, with thy fullness, Lord, Until my very heart o’erflow In kindling thought and glowing word, Thy love to tell, thy praise to show.

— Wesleyan Methodist Hymnal