It's Time for YOU to Slow Down....
I am not sure where you are getting these wild ideas, but I do know that you are not getting them from the bible. First we are saved by repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, (Acts 20:21) not like you said.
Second there is no such thing as an infilling. We receive the Spirit at salvation (Romans 8:9). As for the filling of the Spirit we are commanded to continually be being filled after that (Eph 5:18). The filling But you just told me there is NO Filling or in-filling?!? is our responsibility by command and told what we must do.
Third the way we know the Spirit is in us is NOT a feeling and never does scripture suggest that we be concerned about if we have him or not just that we do not grieve or quench Him once we are saved (Eph 4:30).
Lastly we know we are saved is we keep the commandments (1 John 2:3).
Let me close with this. You seem to labor over ways to know you are saved. You are seeking a sign and no sign is going to be given. It is clear to me that you live in a state of doubt about your salvation and are continually trying to get conformation about your salvation by either signs, such as tongues, or conformation by getting others to agree with you on other things like you posted here which are not biblical.
There is only one way to know if we are saved according to scripture. That is if we keep the commandments 1 John 2:3).
Brother you need to STOP with all the seeking the Spirit and conformation. We are NEVER told to seek the Spirit! You just need to focus on Jesus and keeping His word and you will have all the evidence you need about salvation.
I really mean this when I say that my prayers are because my heart is sad for you as it is clear that you are in distress with your seeking conformation of your salvation through tongues, and so called infillings. Just relax and believe what scripture says and examine yourself to see if Jesus is in you and we do that by knowing we can do nothing against the truth (2Cor 13:5, 13:8) as well as 1John 2:3.
....take a few REALLLLLL Deep breaths....
And go back and show me where what I said is any different that what you have said?
I said the infilling, what many people call it when we recieve the Holy Ghost, some call it the indwelling, comes by faith at the moment we repent and recieve Jesus into our hearts, our life, etc.
I did not say I was looking for a sign, but let's start with a good one, if that's what you want, like this one -----> :godisgood: OR ---------->:jesus:
Now....please calm down sister, and let me remind you what I said in my OP, and I quote
"Well, after reading their views, I explained that I believe we are filled with the Holy Ghost the moment we receive Jesus! After all that is why Jesus died, so He could send His Holy Spirit to lead and guide and comfort and teach us! If that is true, then we must receive the Holy Ghost the moment we receive Jesus as Savior!"
Now tell me how in the wide world of sin and evil, does that differ from what you said???
I also said, and again I quote,
"Finally, how do we know that the Holy Ghost is within us? Well, it is an act of faith! ...For me it has always been a matter of faith and seeing the little, as well as the big, changes He is making and doing [the fruits of the spirit] in all facets of my life!"
As for seeking the Spirit, I beg to differ ... check out this,
"Seek eagerly after love. Set your hearts on spiritual gifts." —1 Corinthians 14:1. Paul said this, and how is the giver of gifts
Ummmmmm, I think it was, is and always will be the Holy Spirit! Luke 11:13 tells us,
“If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?” - Ummmmmm, I think it is implied here that we must seek, or ask if we want the "Holy Spirit!"
Jesus told us when we pray we should not only ask, but SEEK, and Knock....and then there is the scripture that tells us to SEEK first the Kingdom of God! Sister, we can not have anything of God without first seeking Him.
And let me present a few verses that tell us that Seeking is what we should in fact be doing!
Deuteronomy 12:5 -
"Rather, you must seek the Lord your God at the place of worship he himself will choose from among all the tribes—the place where his name will be honored."
1 Chronicles 22:19 -
"Now seek the Lord your God with all your heart and soul."
Judges 20:27 _ "The Israelites went up seeking direction from the Lord."
Matthew 6:33 -
"Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need."
John 6:27 -
"But don’t be so concerned about perishable things like food. Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man can give you. For God the Father has given me the seal of his approval.”
And FINALLY [but in a word search I found a hundred New and Old Testiment verses on "seek"], but not least,
Hebrews 11:6 -"And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that
he rewards those who sincerely seek him."
And here's the strange thing that kind of tells me that you may be losing it, just a little, sister as you seem to contradict yourself when you say to me, "You seem to labor over ways to know you are saved....Just relax and believe what scripture says and
examine yourself to see if Jesus is in you...?
So tell me, sister, what am I supposed to do? Not LABOR over ways to know I am saved .... or EXAMINE myself to see if JESUS is in fact in me?
My, my, but you do seem to do a lot of double talking, especially when you are angry.
I think if you go back and read my original post - the OP - you will see that I said nothing that is any different that what you said in your comments, berating me and telling me that,
"I really mean this when I say that my prayers are because my heart is sad for you as it is clear that you are in distress with your seeking conformationof your salvation through tongues, and so called infillings."
I think you are definitely carrying over from another OP of mine, the issue of tongues, and let me remind you that if you re read that OP, you will see that, as I am going to say one more time for you [please read my lips], I never said then, now or in the future, that tongues are a SiGN of the Holy Ghost indwelling within us! That is something you keep trying to put on my lips, but I dare you to show me where I ever said that the gift of tongues is necessary to prove one has the Holy Ghost.
And for those, including you Judith, if in anyway I confused you with the word infilling, I meant it as the same way indwelling of the Spirit is meant! It is purely semantics, and to me when the Spirit abides in us it comes through the indwelling or infilling, and like I said at the top of this OP, it comes when we recieve Jesus, at our rebirth!
A few weeks back, I was jumped on for using the wrod or terminology Accepting him, instead of recieving Him. To me it is one in the same.
When I was discussing the infilling with those others in another forum, I was speaking to the same process that a lot of us call the indwelling of the spirit, and my quaifying verse is from Romans 8:9-11 (NLT), "
But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you."
Come on Judith, get a life...relax....and please don't worry about my spiritual walk or wellbeing! I am just fine, believe me. I am not in any spirit, emotional or phsycial distress when it comes to my salvation! There is nothing I am more confident of in this life than my standing in Jesus. Because I am saved, not by my good works, but by the good works of Christ on the cross on my behalf! I was saved, born-again and filled with the presence of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit on Christmas Eve, 1966. As for the other thing, that you seem to be tripping [I am referring to stumbling over] over, that didn't even come into my life until 15 or twenty years later, in fact, it was such an isignificant event, I can't tell you where or when it happened! That should be one more proof that I do not care if I have IT or not! I am willing to forgo IT, if it meant losing my relationship with God through His Son! But, God would have to tell me to give IT up, and as of today, He has not yet done that! But, IT is not that big a thing in my life, and I don't want IT to be overwhelming in yours either, so please drop IT, and let's just be friends!
