These five prayers will draw you closer to the Holy Spirit if you mean them. Now, when I say draw you closer to the Holy Spirit, I mean that you’ll become more aware of his presence and more responsive to his voice. The first prayer, thank you, Holy Spirit. You see, we already have a connection with the Holy Spirit.

To begin to experience the influence of the Holy Spirit, you must begin with faith. Not from the point of begging or pleading or wondering or doubting, but simple faith, simple trust in the person of the Holy Spirit, believing that he already dwells in you. In James 23, we read, “And so it happened just as the scriptures say, Abraham believed God and counted him as righteous because of his faith.

He was even called the friend of God. So that friendship with God began. That friendship with God was his simply because he believed it. And so you and I approached the Holy Spirit not by our own merits but by our faith in what Christ has done. So when you begin by saying, “Thank you, Holy Spirit.” You’re granting the premise that you’re already connected with him.

You’re accepting the fact that his presence already dwells in you. Thank you, Holy Spirit. for your presence. Thank you, Holy Spirit, that you never abandoned me. Thank you, Holy Spirit, that you’ve given me power and grace. Thank you, Holy Spirit, that we are united as one. 1 Corinthians 6:17, one of my favorite verses.

But the person who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him. Thank you, Holy Spirit, for union with you. Thank you, Holy Spirit, that I already have that friendship established with you. So, stop right now and thank him. Say, “Thank you, Holy Spirit, for living within me. Thank you, Holy Spirit, for empowering me.

Thank you, Holy Spirit, for being my friend.” Again, it begins in faith. Number two, you should pray, “Welcome, Holy Spirit.” We ought not to stifle the work of the precious Holy Spirit in our lives or in the ministries that God has entrusted to us. In First Thessalonians chapter 5, beginning at verse number 16, we read, “Always be joyful. Never stop praying.

Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ. Do not stifle the Holy Spirit.” That is, don’t snuff him out. Don’t put out that fire. Keep the fire burning. Steward that flame. Be a keeper of the fire of the Holy Spirit. Now, sadly, there are many Christians today who are trying to appease the culture.

They’re trying to appease religious minds. And in so doing, they’re rejecting the power of the Holy Spirit. They’re rejecting the manifestations of his presence and what many call biblical balance is actually just personal preference. We have to accept that the power of the Holy Spirit comes with demonstration. Yes, it will draw a crowd.

Yes, it will be somewhat of a spectacle. The Holy Spirit’s power is vibrant and loud and disruptive to man’s ideas and disruptive to man’s agenda. The power and presence of the Holy Spirit are perfectly offensive to the carnal religious mind. And so when we say, “Welcome, Holy Spirit,” we’re saying, “We want you to do whatever it is that you want to do, no matter how that makes us look, whether or not we’re accepted among certain academics or whether or not we’re accepted among people who think they’re sophisticated or whether or not