The Ark of the Covenant is made of acacia wood. Acacia is a popular tree found everywhere. But the Ark of the Covenant made of simple acacia wood was nevertheless coated with gold inside and out. Our degrees, titles, gender, and race do not make us different in the eyes of God. In His eyes, we are like acacia wood.

Like this wood, we must be filled with the Holy Spirit inside and be clothed with it on the outside.

At the initial stage of the presence of the Holy Spirit within us, it is only from the inside that we are covered. This covering helps us alone in our walk with God, but it does not benefit others in any way. Yet, God wants us to be channels of blessings to others. Therefore, we should not remain at the stage of being filled.

We must also overflow with the Holy Spirit and be clothed with its power. Unfortunately, the majority of Christians (around 60%) are at the initial stage and are not baptized with fire. To be filled to overflowing or baptized with fire, there are three important things to consider: fasting, prayer, and faith. It is said in Matthew 21:22:

“Whatever you ask for in prayer with faith, you will receive.” Luke 11:13 emphasizes:

“If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?“

To whom? It is written, to those who ask him. Let’s understand the two stages here. The Holy Spirit, as we said, comes to dwell in us at the moment of our conversion. But Jesus adds that how much more God will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him. Why would God want us to ask for the Holy Spirit when it is already in us? What Holy Spirit is this? It is the external anointing called clothing. In Luke 4:14, it is written:

“And Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and his fame spread throughout the surrounding country.“

This clothing allows us to cast out demons, heal the sick, preach and bring souls to Christ, raise the dead, and enable the blind to see again. Being just filled with the Holy Spirit from within is only useful to us. But when we are clothed with the Spirit, we are also useful to others. Those who are clothed represent only a tiny part of all Christians (5%). Sick people will die because, only filled with the Holy Spirit, we do not have the ability to help them. God does not want us to stay at the initial stage of the presence of the Holy Spirit.

Clothing comes through fasting, prayer, and faith; hence Jesus’ recommendation to his disciples in Acts 1:4-5:

“While staying with them, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem but to wait there for the promise of the Father. ‘This,’ he said, ‘is what you have heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.“

Praying and waiting convey the same reality. Jesus was simply telling them to stay in Jerusalem and pray until they receive what His Father had promised. Thus, as long as we do not pray, we will never be clothed with the fire of the Holy Spirit. After Jesus ascended to heaven, the one hundred and twenty disciples engaged in fasting and prayer, waiting for the promised Comforter.

“All these were constantly devoting themselves to prayer, together with certain women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, as well as his brothers.” Acts 1:14

On the tenth day, around the third hour, they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. When we fast and pray, God pours out a powerful anointing on us so that when we open our mouths and speak in the name of Jesus of Nazareth, many things happen. That’s what the world expects from us.

Let’s engage in fasting and prayer with faith, and we will be clothed with the Holy Spirit. Let’s make clothing with the Holy Spirit our first request. Forget, for the moment, requests concerning the satisfaction of fleshly needs, and first ask to be baptized with fire.

Engage in fasting and prayer with faith until we are baptized with fire. Let our daily prayer be: “Holy Spirit, fill me.”

This text is an excerpt from the book “The new discovery of the Holy Spirit” written by Prophet Emmanuel SAWADOGO.