Filled with the Holy Spirit and Full of Mistakes?

To live a life filled with the Holy Spirit, we do not have to be perfect. One thing many people do not understand is that we, the children of God, are not perfect; God chooses earthen vessels, imperfect people, to carry out His Work.

The fact that we have God’s anointing upon us is not like a magic formula that solves every problem and prevents every mistake, suddenly turning us into perfect people who are not exposed to the temptations and sins that any other human being faces.

Many people mistakenly reject Pentecostal life and the Pentecostal environment because they certainly see in us Pentecostals so many mistakes, so many imperfections that we do indeed have. Perhaps at some point we will talk about why, in the world that identifies with the Holy Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit, there are so often so many mistakes and imperfections that lead many who are watching us from the outside to reject that anointing, which truly does exist and move and manifest itself in the Pentecostal sphere.

Because many people believe that if a person is filled with the Holy Spirit and has the power of God with him or her, then that person should not make serious mistakes and should always act rightly. But that is a mistake. The Holy Spirit and His Presence in our lives do not guarantee perfection. What we do with that strength of the Holy Spirit within us, the way we steward and handle the power of God in our lives, will determine the degree of perfection and success with which we live the Christian life.

Although Saul had the Holy Spirit within him, he did not submit to that Spirit; he did not let the Holy Spirit shape him and work on him, and that is why he made great mistakes. One thing we must understand is that when we receive the Power of the Holy Spirit, we must continually submit our lives. Every day we must ask that Spirit to fill every part of our being more and more, and to enlighten us so that we can use that energy, that immense power dwelling within us.

The Presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives does not relieve us of the great responsibility we have to handle with reverence, utmost care, and gentleness the power God has entrusted to us.

If we do not keep that anointing of the Holy Spirit alive within us, if we do not let it change our imperfections and mold our character, if we do not use the wisdom that comes from the Presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives, then the Spirit of God will simply remain there as a great resource that we are not using to the fullest.

That is why I believe that when the apostle Paul writes to Timothy, he tells him: “I advise you to fan into flame the gift of God that is in you through the laying on of my hands.” Why does Paul tell Timothy to fan the gift of God into flame?

Because the gift of God is within us. It is a gift, something freely given, something God places within us; but it is up to us—we have the responsibility to fan that gift into flame in our lives each day. And to fan it into flame means to bring it into manifestation.

The word used in the original Greek, translated as “fan into flame” in Spanish, implies fanning, as one fans a fire so that it grows and spreads and expands when all one has is a tiny fire, an ember, and one wants the wood to catch fire. So one fans it until that ember becomes an active flame.

In the same way, the ember of the Spirit of God dwells within us. We have all those imperfections, all that chaos, as we were saying in the text of Genesis chapter 1, but then a creative process, a process of bringing order, must take place. Little by little, God takes all those areas of negativity and disorder in our lives, puts them in order one by one, and turns them into an orderly, coherent whole that works effectively to carry out God’s purposes.

I believe that when Saul received the anointing of the Holy Spirit from Samuel, he did not understand that he now had to allow God to begin working in him and dealing with his flaws so that he could truly be used by God, and so that the enemy would have no opportunity to enter his life and do the destructive things the devil always wants to do in the lives of those God wants to use.

We see that these men whom God used greatly and filled with His Holy Spirit—for example, Saul, David, and David’s son Solomon—all made very serious mistakes. Solomon ended in spiritual disaster as an idolater, introducing idolatry into Israel, even though God gave him a tremendous anointing of wisdom and prospered him greatly. But I believe that insofar as these men did not submit their lives and their character, and allowed systemic sins to dwell within them, the enemy had an opportunity to do harm.

But what is important for us to point out is this: you do not have to be perfect for the Spirit of God to move within you. What you have to do is be willing and open, and let the Lord come into your life. But once He comes into your life, you must let Him work in every dimension of your life so that you can use that Spirit of God powerfully. The responsibility is in your hands, and God expects you to cooperate with His Spirit to bring the manifestation of His Spirit to its fullest expression. God bless you, and until our next meditation.