Being Full of the Holy Ghost

Acts 7:55

But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,

Stephen was not a pastor of a church; he was a layman who was full of the Holy Ghost. Yes, he became a deacon in the church, but he became a deacon because he was full of the Holy Ghost. It was the power of God on his life that influenced Saul, who eventually became the Apostle Paul, to get saved. Saul would likely have never gotten saved had Stephen not been full of the Holy Ghost. When looking at the result of Stephen being full of the Holy Ghost, you will see several things that it changed in his life.

First, being full of the Holy Ghost gave Stephen a heavenly perspective. When the crowd was trying to kill him, he saw the heavens opened and looked into the portals of Heaven. A person full of the Holy Ghost will see life through a different perspective. The Holy Ghost will cause you not to see the negative of the world, but will allow you to see the world through a heavenly perspective. You will never find a person that is filled with the Holy Ghost being negative or complaining; rather, you will see them looking at things in a positive manner, a manner that represents the joy of Heaven; a heavenly perspective.

Second, being full of the Holy Ghost allowed Stephen to see Jesus. Is your focus a Christly focus? Stephen did not see what was happening as the world against him, but his focus was on Christ despite the hurt the world was hurling at him. Your focus of life will change from a worldly focus to a Christly focus when you are full of the Holy Ghost.

Third, being full of the Holy Ghost gave Stephen a forgiving spirit. You say that you can't forgive, but what you are saying is that you are not full of the Holy Ghost. A person who is full of the Holy Ghost will not want to destroy the fallen or the sinner, but they will be forgiving of them and want them to be saved or restored back to God. You cannot have a vindictive spirit and be full of the Holy Ghost; rather, being full of the Holy Ghost gives you a forgiving spirit.

Fourth, being full of the Holy Ghost gave Stephen a prayer-filled life. You will have no problem spending time in prayer when the Holy Ghost fills you. Every person in the Scriptures who was filled with the Holy Ghost was also a person of prayer. You will find a person that is full of the Holy Ghost will fill their life with seasons of daily prayer. The power of God is never acquired through a prayerless life, but through a prayer-filled.

Fifth, being full of the Holy Ghost gave Stephen a burden for the lost to be saved. The easiest way to get a burden for the lost is to be full of the Holy Ghost. The purpose of the Holy Ghost’s power is to help the believer to be a witness. You will find a great burden for the lost when you are full of the Holy Ghost.

Sixth, being full of the Holy Ghost made Stephen a bold witness for Christ. Do you lack boldness in your soul winning witness? Do you find yourself timid in trying to witness to the lost? Do you find yourself lacking the courage to be a witness? The Holy Ghost will give you boldness that you do not have because you are full of Him and not of yourself. You will become a different person when the Holy Ghost fills you. You can be a bold witness for Christ if you will let the Holy Ghost fill you with His presence.