If you are willing to be emptied of sin, and self, and pride, and all things loathsome to God, you may be filled and emptied at the same time by the filling.  There are four simple steps that i have found to help in this.  In these steps there is the recognition of My Condition, of God's Call and His Covenant.

In the recognition of my condition, I am not filled and I must be filled. In the recognition of God's call I

am told "Be filled with the Spirit."  And I must not forget God's covenant and promise.

Here are the Four Steps:

1. What God claims I yield.

     And what does He claim?  He claims me. "You are not your own." He says.  I need then to say, "All that I am, all that I have, all of my life is yours."

2. What I yield God will accept.

    The love of God graciously accepts my faith.

3. What God accepts He will fill.

     This is faith that accepts the promise of God and believes that God fulfills His Word.

4. What God fills He will use.

     This is not selfish. This is a blessing from God.  When we put ourselves at His disposal, we bring  glory to God and  service to God and man. 

This is a day by day process.  We don't yield once and that suffices for the rest of our lives. Tomorrow we need a new  supply of Holy Spirit power.  We must live a life of daily yielding.  And we will have a life of daily Holy Spirt power.

"He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it."  1Thess. 5:24

Someone has well said,
"If you get where you are going, where will you be?  
If you a accomplish your goals, what will you have?                                                                                                  
Are the things you are living for worth Jesus dying for?"

The Local Church is God's instrument to help us be all that God wants us to be.
We should have confidence in and be encouraged by the local church.

Four Means of Encouragement                    

1. We need to be inspired through the Prayer Factor
           We need to pray that God will turn obstacles into opportunities. 
                  The local church helps us maintain corporate prayer.

2. We need to investigate the Profit Factor
            We must see the benefits in fulfilling the Great Commission.  
                    We must catch the excitement of bringing someone to Christ.                                                           
                          The local church is to train workers for the harvest field.


3. We need to involve the Promise Factor
           There are more promises in the Bible than we have problems. 
                        We must claim the promises of God.
                               The local church is to teach us and equip us. 

4. We must incorporate the People Factor
            We must reach out to all people with a loving and caring attitude.
                        All people must have the opportunity to hear the Gospel of Christ.
                              The local church is God's instrument of evangelism and discipleship. 


         " . . . Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse
             her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious
             church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without
              blemish."    Ephesians 5:25-27