Second Friend Day - Elmer Towns

The Holy Spirit is like the full tank of fuel in an automobile, just waiting to be ignited.
But somewhere between the tank and the engine, there is trash in the fuel line. To blame the
Holy Spirit for our empty lives is like blaming the full tank of gas in a car because the engine
won't run. We have the fuel of the Holy Spirit in our hearts; now let's get Him working so we
can get going for God.
3. The Holy Spirit is a Person, not a substance. Many Christians treat the Holy Spirit
like a substance that can be poured into a glass. The Holy Spirit is a Person. Also, some treat the
Holy Spirit like a ubiquitous spirit, such as the spirit of communism or the spirit of Americanism;
the Holy Spirit is a Person. When Ananias and Sapphira sinned, Peter charged them, "Thou hast
not lied unto men, but unto God" (Acts 5:4). The Holy Spirit is called "He" when Christ
predicted "He shall glorify me, for He shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you" (Jn.
16:14).
When the Holy Spirit comes into our lives, we have a new Person within us. Recently, a
Congressman entered a room. All conversation immediately silenced and everyone rose. Men
walked over and shook the Congressman's hand; others stood around and watched him. The
power of the Congressman's personality dominated the room. In the same way, the power of the
Holy Spirit should dominate your life. The men in the room could have ignored the
Congressman and gone on with their conversation, but he was so important that they couldn't do
so. In the same way, Christians can ignore the influence of the Holy Spirit, but it grieves Him (I
Thess. 5:19).
The Holy Spirit who is in you has a strong desire to control you for righteousness. The
Bible teaches, "The Spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy" (Gal. 4:5). The word "lusteth" does
not mean to coax into sin, but means to desire. The Holy Spirit desires to make us holy.
Continuing this argument, Paul said, "For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit
against the flesh; and these are contrary the one to the other" (Gal. 5:17). This means the Holy
Spirit is fighting against our sinful flesh. He is striving that we might live holy lives. Our
predominant characteristic is flesh, which means we are selfish. The predominant characteristic
of the Third Person of the Trinity is spiritual. He wants to make us spiritual Christians. God will
not force the fullness of the Holy Spirit upon you. You are a free moral agent and can choose
whom you want to control your life.
A young lady has two invitations for a date to a college banquet. She may choose either
boy to escort her for the evening. The choice she makes is determined by the kind of girl she is
and what she knows of the young man. The choice she makes will determine her enjoyment of
the evening. You can choose to let the Holy Spirit control your life, which is being filled with
the Spirit. Or you can choose to let the flesh control your life, which is your own selfish desire.
A minister recently prayed, "Lord, I'll do anything You want me to do; I want to do Your
will. If you don't show me Your will, I can't do it. From now on, if I don't know what to do, it's
Your fault if I don't do, it." This is the prayer of a surrendered Christian.
Once you have made this prayer, Satan will mock and tempt you. It is one thing to
surrender, but another thing to stay surrendered. He will say, "You didn't mean it," or "Things