Thoughts for Life: #103 Testimonies of the Infilling- Part 1

Dr. Wesley L. Duewel: George Fox,
founder of the Society of Friends, was born again at the age of eleven. But when he was twenty-three and after hungering and thirsting for a deeper experience, a new enduement of power came upon him.

From that time on he was mightily used of God as again and again he described the power of the Lord on him and through him. The Spirit clothed him wherever he went, and until his death he was a mighty instrument in the hand of God. (Google image, The Holy Spirit empowers)

John Bunyan, after a tempestuous and sinful youth, was converted one evening as the Holy Spirit applied Hebrews 2:14-15 to his heart. After a joyous walk with the Lord he went through a two-year struggle with Satan.

At last God used 1 John 1:7 ("the blood of Jesus Christ his Son, cleanseth us from all sin," King James Version), and he entered into his "Beulah Land" experience. Though not without trials, from then on he was overwhelmed with the sense of God's grace and power. God mightily used him as during his twelve years of imprisonment he wrote his famous books.

William Penn, the Famous Quaker who founded Pennsylvania, was a great soul winner. He was born again at the age of twelve and at the age of twenty- two made a full consecration of his all and was filled with the Spirit after hearing a message by a Quaker preacher.

He tells about it. "Paul prays [that the Thessalonians] might be sanctified wholly . . . And me, that when the unspeakable riches of God's love visited me . . . I was immediately endued with a power that gave me a dominion over them (i.e., over worldly conversation and habits)."

John Wesley, after years as an earnest but only nominal Christian, including ministry both in his homeland and in america, was wonderfully born again with a clear assurance of salvation on May 24, 1738, in a Moravian service on Aldersgate Street in London.

After ten years of struggle he had found peace. Later in the year he began to long for a still deeper experience. On January 1, 1739, as I have already mentioned, he, his brother Charles, George Whitefield, and sixty others were continuing in prayer.

About three o'clock in the morning God poured out His Spirit on them in a mighty way in a tremendous empowering, anointing, and infilling of the Spirit that sent the Wesleys and Whitefield to blaze a trail of salvation and revival across the British Isles and in the American colonies.

The Holy Spirit continued to Manifest His power through John Wesley until his triumphant death on March 2, 1791.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Used by permission of the author and Duewel Literature Trust, Inc., Greenwood, Indiana. Creative reading style by Jean.

Ablaze for God
#103 Testimonies of the Infilling- Part 1
by Dr. Wesley L. Duewel
(pp. 299- 301) ZondervanPublishingHouse

Let's pray:

Father, the men mentioned above, received Your Spirit upon them in a mighty way with tremendous empowering, anointing, and infilling of the Holy Spirit.

Once we have been wonderfully born again and have a clear assurance of our salvation, it is our desire, too, to be filled to the overflowing of Your Spirit!

This will enable us to accomplish Your will for us in our places of service in our churches and elsewhere.

We ask for this power to overwhelm us to where we know You've taken control of our lives to help us honor the Lord Jesus more fully. It's in His name we pray. Amen.

Today's Bible verses-

1 John 2:5, 6 (NKJV) "But whoever keeps His word,
truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we
know that we are in him. (v. 6) He who says he abides
in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked."

2 Peter 1:2-4 (NKJV) "Grace and peace be multiplied
to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord,
(v. 3) as His divine power has given to us all things that
pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of
Him who called us by glory and virtue, (v. 4) by which
have been given to us exceedingly great and precious
promises, that through these you may be partakers of
the diving nature, having escaped the corruption that
is in the world through lust."

Today's quote-

~ Billy Graham- "Many name the Name of Christ but live in constant defeat. They have unclean hands, unclean lips, unclean tongues, unclean feet, unclean thoughts, unclean hearts—and yet claim to be Christians. They claim Christ, attend church, try to pray—and yet they know there are things in their souls that are not right. There is no joy in their hearts, no love for others. In fact, there is little evidence of the fruit of the Spirit in their lives. The fire in their souls has been quenched."

(p. 98 of (the legacy edition) of THE SECRET OF HAPPINESS, by Billy Graham).

Today's popular post-

Still Waiting

Lisa Buffaloe: "Waiting is not easy. My body can be sitting still, but my brain races in a thousand different directions.

I want to try and figure out each step and what that step may mean and where the next step will lead."

Upcoming posts-

#104 Testimonies of the Infilling- Part 2
29th- Thursday's post by Dr. Wesley L. Duewel

Blessing in the Mess
12/1- Saturday's post by Monika Brands

#105 Testimonies of the Infilling- Part 3
4th- Tuesday's post by Dr. Wesley L. Duewel

#106 Testimonies of the Infilling- Part 4
6th- Thursday's post by Dr. Wesley L. Duewel