I'll answer the second question first: A resounding YES!
I like to use a wonderful picture analogy when I talk about being filled with the Spirit. Imagine that when a person receives salvation, a gift-wrapped box is deposited inside that person. Inside the box is the most wonderful present: the Holy Spirit. The more you unwrap this gift and take Him out of the box, the more free He is to move in and through you and the more "Spirit-filled" you seem (because His work in your heart and life is evident to others!). So, while all Christians have the Spirit in them, many keep Him wrapped and trapped.
How do I unwrap this gift? 3 things pop into my head:
- Desire - You really have to want to unwrap this gift in the first place. Or else, you just have a nicely-wrapped present sitting inside you.
- The Scriptures - Of course you knew that was coming! But, seriously, you must read it, memorize it, recite it, use it, ponder it, pray it, eat it, digest it, talk about it...
- Die to Self - I know; boy, do I know. This is the hardest thing for me to do; it's the hardest thing I have ever done. And yet, I "get" opportunities to do it every.single.day. However, every time you die to self (saying no to doing what you want or saying what you want), you are saying Yes to the Spirit, giving Him more room to work in you, and unwrapping that present!
Unwrapping and opening,
