Speaker 1
How do you seek the Holy Spirit in a world where you can look spiritual on the outside and still be empty on the inside?
Kathryn Kuhlman reveals the secret to deep intimacy with the Holy Spirit: genuine hunger, repentance, and surrender for true spiritual power.
Key Takeaways
- Spiritual power comes from intimacy with the Holy Spirit, not just religious activities.
- Desperation and persistent seeking are required to be filled with the Spirit.
- Repentance and holiness prepare the heart for the Spirit’s indwelling.
- The Holy Spirit is a personal guide who leads, convicts, and transforms.
- Surrendering control to the Spirit is essential for true spiritual life.
Summary
- Spirituality without the Holy Spirit leads to emptiness despite outward religious activities.
- True Christian life is impossible without living through the Spirit of Jesus, not by human strength.
- Many desire comfort and results but neglect the relationship and purity required to receive the Spirit.
- Genuine hunger and desperation for the Holy Spirit are essential to experience His power and presence.
- Superficial asking and quick prayers are insufficient; persistent waiting and repentance are necessary.
- The Holy Spirit requires a clean, surrendered heart free from sin, idols, and pride to dwell within.
- The Spirit is a person, not a feeling or force, and desires intimacy, guidance, and obedience.
- Surrender, not control or manipulation, is the currency to be led by the Holy Spirit.
- The Spirit does not come to decorate plans but to take full control and transform lives.
- True spiritual fullness comes from relationship, holiness, and ongoing repentance, not emotional experiences.
Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown
Speaker 1
You can sit in church every Sunday and still not walk with the spirit, you can sing worship songs, post Bible verses, serve in ministry and still live spiritually dry, powerless and disconnected from God.
Speaker 1
Why? Because you're trying to do it without the spirit of God.
Speaker 1
The Christian life isn't just hard without the Holy Spirit, it's impossible.
Speaker 1
You were never called to live for Jesus in your own strength, you were called to live through the spirit of Jesus.
Speaker 1
But here's the problem.
Speaker 1
We've gotten really good at religion and really bad at seeking the spirit.
Speaker 1
We want comfort, not consecration, we want power, but not purity.
Speaker 1
We want results, but we don't want the relationship.
Speaker 1
So let me ask you, when was the last time you cried out for the Holy Spirit?
Speaker 1
When was the last time you waited on God until you were filled, not just emotionally, but spiritually?
Speaker 1
When was the last time you said, Holy Spirit, I don't want more stuff, I want more of you?
Speaker 1
If you don't know how to seek him, you won't find him.
Speaker 1
And if you never find him, you'll settle for a life that looks spiritual, but lacks power.
Speaker 1
This message isn't for the comfortable.
Speaker 1
This is for the thirsty, the desperate, the hungry, for the ones who are done pretending and ready to truly walk in the fullness of God.
Speaker 1
Because the Holy Spirit is not a guest you invite in for a moment.
Speaker 1
He's a fire that consumes everything you are.
Speaker 1
Let's talk about how to seek him.
Speaker 1
Let's talk about what's holding you back.
Speaker 1
Let's talk about how to stop visiting the spirit and start living with him.
Speaker 1
Because without the spirit you have nothing, but with him you have everything.
Speaker 1
The hunger must be real.
Speaker 1
God fills the desperate.
Speaker 1
You say you want more of God, but do you?
Speaker 1
I'm not asking if you want more blessings.
Speaker 1
I'm not asking if you want to feel spiritual.
Speaker 1
I'm asking, do you truly hunger for the Holy Spirit?
Speaker 1
Because God doesn't feel the curious.
Speaker 1
He feels the desperate.
Speaker 1
Luke 11:13 says, if you then being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?
Speaker 1
But here's the problem.
Speaker 1
Most people stop at asking.
Speaker 1
They give God a few minutes, throw up a quick prayer and go back to scrolling.
Speaker 1
They want the Holy Spirit like they want a side dish, not a source of life.
Speaker 1
They want a sprinkle of his presence, not a baptism of his fire.
Speaker 1
And that's why they stay dry.
Speaker 1
When was the last time you refused to move until he filled you?
Speaker 1
When was the last time you said, God, I don't want to live one more day without more of you?
Speaker 1
Spiritual hunger is the doorway to divine visitation.
Speaker 1
Look at every person in scripture who encountered the power of the spirit.
Speaker 1
They were desperate.
Speaker 1
The disciples in the upper room didn't leave after one prayer.
Speaker 1
They waited.
Speaker 1
They worshipped, they cried out.
Speaker 1
And when the fire fell, it changed everything.
Speaker 1
David said, as the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, oh God.
Speaker 1
In Psalm 42:1.
Speaker 1
Can you say that, or have you gotten so used to living without the spirit that you've stopped noticing he's missing?
Speaker 1
Let me warn you, if you're not hungry for the spirit, you'll feed on substitutes.
Speaker 1
You'll chase emotions, entertainment and empty sermons.
Speaker 1
But none of it will fill you.
Speaker 1
God is still pouring out his spirit, but only on empty vessels.
Speaker 1
Only on those who are done being casual.
Speaker 1
Only on those who are done pretending.
Speaker 1
You want to be filled, then get hungry.
Speaker 1
Not someday, now.
Speaker 1
You must clean the house.
Speaker 1
The Holy Spirit won't dwell in filth.
Speaker 1
Let me make this clear.
Speaker 1
The Holy Spirit is not desperate to fill you.
Speaker 1
He's holy and he doesn't move into a house that's filled with idols, pride and unrepentant sin.
Speaker 1
You say, God, fill me, but he's saying, clean the room first.
Speaker 1
Second Timothy 2:21 says, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as wholly useful to the master.
Speaker 1
We want to be used by God, but we don't want to be purified.
Speaker 1
We want power, but we won't give up pornography.
Speaker 1
We want revelation, but we refuse to forgive.
Speaker 1
We want anointing, but we're still clinging to our pride, our bitterness, our secret rebellion.
Speaker 1
Listen to me, the Holy Spirit doesn't live in a divided heart.
Speaker 1
He doesn't bless what he came to break.
Speaker 1
He doesn't empower what he came to crucify.
Speaker 1
Before Pentecost came, the disciples waited in one accord, repenting, worshipping, surrendering.
Speaker 1
They didn't just receive power, they made room for it.
Speaker 1
Have you confessed that hidden sin?
Speaker 1
Have you laid down that addiction?
Speaker 1
Have you repented not just with your words, but with your life?
Speaker 1
Because you can't hold hands with the devil on Saturday and expect the spirit to fall on Sunday.
Speaker 1
You think no one sees what you do in the dark.
Speaker 1
But God sees and he is not mocked.
Speaker 1
If you want more of the spirit, you must get serious about holiness.
Speaker 1
Not perfection, but repentance.
Speaker 1
Not performance, but purity.
Speaker 1
The spirit isn't looking for flawless people.
Speaker 1
He's looking for surrendered people.
Speaker 1
People who say, God, rip out what's unclean.
Speaker 1
Burn away what doesn't please you.
Speaker 1
That's the house he'll fill.
Speaker 1
You've got to stop asking for the fire without preparing the altar.
Speaker 1
You've got to stop begging for the wind while refusing to let go of dead weight.
Speaker 1
You want to be filled, then repent.
Speaker 1
Confess, clean the house.
Speaker 1
Because the Holy Spirit won't dwell in filth.
Speaker 1
But if you give him full access, he'll transform everything.
Speaker 1
The spirit is not a feeling.
Speaker 1
He's a person.
Speaker 1
Too many people are chasing a vibe, not the spirit.
Speaker 1
You think because you cried in worship, the Holy Spirit was present.
Speaker 1
You think because you felt goosebumps, he was moving.
Speaker 1
But here's the truth.
Speaker 1
The Holy Spirit is not a feeling.
Speaker 1
He's a person.
Speaker 1
He's not a wind, not a dove, not a chill.
Speaker 1
He's God.
Speaker 1
Jesus didn't say it will come.
Speaker 1
He said he will come in John 16:13.
Speaker 1
And until you understand that, your pursuit will stay shallow.
Speaker 1
You don't use the Holy Spirit like an energy boost.
Speaker 1
You walk with him.
Speaker 1
You don't invite him just to visit your emotions.
Speaker 1
You invite him to dwell in your life.
Speaker 1
That means conversation.
Speaker 1
That means intimacy.
Speaker 1
That means surrender.
Speaker 1
You know why you feel distant?
Speaker 1
Because you're trying to have a relationship with a feeling, not a person.
Speaker 1
Think about it.
Speaker 1
You talk about the spirit, but never talk to him.
Speaker 1
You want his gifts, but not his guidance.
Speaker 1
You want his comfort, but not his correction.
Speaker 1
But the Holy Spirit isn't your emotional support system.
Speaker 1
He's your Lord.
Speaker 1
He teaches in John 14:26.
Speaker 1
He convicts in John 16:08.
Speaker 1
He leads in Romans 8:14.
Speaker 1
He speaks in Acts 13:2.
Speaker 1
He can be grieved in Ephesians 4:30.
Speaker 1
You can't grieve a force.
Speaker 1
You grieve for a person.
Speaker 1
So stop treating the spirit like a spiritual fog machine.
Speaker 1
Stop measuring his presence by tears and tingles.
Speaker 1
Start asking, Holy Spirit, what are you saying?
Speaker 1
Holy Spirit, where are you leading?
Speaker 1
Holy Spirit, what needs to change in me?
Speaker 1
Because when you realize the spirit is a person, you stop chasing moments.
Speaker 1
And you start building a relationship.
Speaker 1
And that changes everything.
Speaker 1
Surrender is the currency of the spiritual realm.
Speaker 1
Let me say it loud.
Speaker 1
You can't control the Holy Spirit.
Speaker 1
You can't manipulate him, impress him or schedule him around your life.
Speaker 1
You either surrender or you miss him.
Speaker 1
Romans 8:14 says, for all who are led by the spirit of God are sons of God.
Speaker 1
Not those who use the spirit.
Speaker 1
Not those who visit the spirit.
Speaker 1
Those who are led.
Speaker 1
You can't be led and still insist on leading.
Speaker 1
You can't be full of the spirit and full of yourself at the same time.
Speaker 1
Some of you are asking, why don't I feel God's presence like I used to?
Speaker 1
Here's the answer.
Speaker 1
Because you're still on the throne.
Speaker 1
The Holy Spirit doesn't come to decorate your plans.
Speaker 1
He comes to take over.
Speaker 1
But many want the benefits of the spirit without the boundaries.
Speaker 1
They want the gifts without the government of God.
Speaker 1
They want the fire without the full surrender.
Speaker 1
But listen closely.
Speaker 1
God doesn't anoint the stubborn.
Speaker 1
He doesn't pour out power on those who only obey when it's convenient.
Speaker 1
Surrender isn't just laying down sin.
Speaker 1
It's laying down self.
Speaker 1
It's saying.
Speaker 1
Not my will, not my agenda, not my timing, yours.
Speaker 1
Jesus didn't just die for your past.
Speaker 1
He died to own your future.
Speaker 1
And the spirit comes to enforce that Lordship.
Speaker 1
So stop asking, Holy Spirit, bless what I'm doing.
Speaker 1
And start asking, Holy Spirit, what are you doing so I can join you?
Speaker 1
When you surrender, the spirit flows freely.
Speaker 1
He speaks.
Speaker 1
He leads.
Speaker 1
He feels.
Speaker 1
But the moment pride returns, the flow stops.
Speaker 1
You want to be filled again?
Speaker 1
Then give up control.
Speaker 1
Lay down your timeline.
Speaker 1
Empty your plans.
Speaker 1
Because in the spiritual realm, surrender is currency.
Speaker 1
And those who give everything receive everything.
Speaker 1
The word and the spirit always agree.
Speaker 1
Let me warn you, not every spiritual thing is from the Holy Spirit.
Speaker 1
Not every dream, vision, prophetic word or goosebump moment is divine.
Speaker 1
How do you know what's real?
Speaker 1
Simple.
Speaker 1
The Holy Spirit will never contradict the word of God.
Speaker 1
John 6:63 says, the words I have spoken to you, they are spirit and they are life.
Speaker 1
That means if you want to walk with the spirit, you must walk with the word.
Speaker 1
Because the spirit doesn't just bring emotional experiences.
Speaker 1
He brings the truth.
Speaker 1
That's why so many feel distant from the spirit.
Speaker 1
They haven't opened their Bible in weeks.
Speaker 1
They want God to speak, but they ignore the very book he already spoke through.
Speaker 1
You want to hear God's voice?
Speaker 1
Open your Bible.
Speaker 1
Do you want the spirit's guidance?
Speaker 1
Know the word.
Speaker 1
Because when you're filled with the word, you recognize his voice.
Speaker 1
Open your Bible.
Speaker 1
And when you walk with the spirit, he always leads you deeper into truth.
Speaker 1
No contradiction, no confusion.
Speaker 1
Just clarity, power and freedom.
Speaker 1
Word and spirit together, always.
Speaker 1
Pray until he fills you.
Speaker 1
And then pray to stay filled.
Speaker 1
You don't get filled by accident.
Speaker 1
You don't stumble into the presence of God.
Speaker 1
You seek.
Speaker 1
You wait.
Speaker 1
You press in.
Speaker 1
And you don't stop until heaven opens.
Speaker 1
Let me say something you might not like.
Speaker 1
We've become spiritually lazy.
Speaker 1
We want microwave anointing, drive through encounters.
Speaker 1
One minute prayers with lifelong results.
Speaker 1
But the Holy Spirit doesn't come to the rushes.
Speaker 1
He comes to those who linger.
Speaker 1
Acts 2 didn't happen in five minutes.
Speaker 1
The disciples waited in the upper room days, not moments.
Speaker 1
They didn't check their phones.
Speaker 1
They didn't give up when nothing happened by lunch.
Speaker 1
They prayed through and then the fire fell.
Speaker 1
You want the spirit to fill you?
Speaker 1
Then make space for him.
Speaker 1
Turn off the noise.
Speaker 1
Cancel the distractions.
Speaker 1
Shut the door and stay there.
Speaker 1
Ephesians 5:18 says, be filled with the spirit.
Speaker 1
In Greek, that verb is present continuous.
Speaker 1
It literally means keep on being filled.
Speaker 1
This isn't a one-time event.
Speaker 1
It's a daily necessity.
Speaker 1
Too many believers had one moment with God and they're living off yesterday's fire.
Speaker 1
They brag about the revival they attended 10 years ago, but they're dry now.
Speaker 1
You want to walk in power today?
Speaker 1
Then pray again today.
Speaker 1
Because the greatest enemy of being filled is being content with emptiness.
Speaker 1
You learn the language.
Speaker 1
You know how to look spiritual.
Speaker 1
But inside, you're empty, distant, numb.
Speaker 1
Don't settle for spiritual survival.
Speaker 1
Seek continual overflow.
Speaker 1
Sometimes the breakthrough doesn't come in the first five minutes.
Speaker 1
Sometimes the first hour is just God waiting to see if you really want him.
Speaker 1
Don't quit early.
Speaker 1
Don't stop because it's quiet.
Speaker 1
Don't assume nothing's happening just because you don't feel anything.
Speaker 1
Keep pressing.
Speaker 1
Keep knocking.
Speaker 1
Keep seeking, because those who wait on the Lord are the ones who are renewed in power.
Speaker 1
He fills those who stay.
Speaker 1
The evidence of the spirit isn't just gifts.
Speaker 1
It's fruit.
Speaker 1
Let me say something that might shake you.
Speaker 1
Just because someone is gifted doesn't mean they're filled.
Speaker 1
Just because someone can preach, prophesy, sing or speak in tongues, doesn't mean they're walking with the Holy Spirit.
Speaker 1
Because the true evidence of the spirit isn't just the gifts.
Speaker 1
It's the fruit.
Speaker 1
Galatians 5:22-23 says, but the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Speaker 1
That's what proves your spirit filled.
Speaker 1
Not your performance, not your platform, not your following.
Speaker 1
Jesus said in Matthew 7:16, you will know them by their fruit.
Speaker 1
So let me ask you.
Speaker 1
Do you love people who hurt you?
Speaker 1
Do you walk in peace when the world's in chaos?
Speaker 1
Do you show patience when things don't go your way?
Speaker 1
Because the gifts can be mimicked.
Speaker 1
The hype can be faked.
Speaker 1
But fruit, fruit only comes from intimacy with the spirit.
Speaker 1
You want to know if someone's really filled?
Speaker 1
Watch how they live, not how they perform.
Speaker 1
Do they walk in humility or pride?
Speaker 1
Do they live in purity or compromise?
Speaker 1
Do they build people up or tear them down?
Speaker 1
The Holy Spirit doesn't just make you loud.
Speaker 1
He makes you feel loved.
Speaker 1
He doesn't just give you tongues.
Speaker 1
He gives you self-control.
Speaker 1
He doesn't just stir your gifts.
Speaker 1
He shapes your character.
Speaker 1
Some of the most dangerous people in the church are those with gifts and no fruit.
Speaker 1
Because they draw crowds, but not conviction.
Speaker 1
They entertain, but don't transform.
Speaker 1
Don't chase the spotlight.
Speaker 1
Chase the spirit.
Speaker 1
Don't seek applause.
Speaker 1
Seek obedience.
Speaker 1
Because when you're really filled with the Holy Spirit, it shows up everywhere.
Speaker 1
In your words.
Speaker 1
In your thoughts.
Speaker 1
In how you treat your family.
Speaker 1
In how you respond to offense.
Speaker 1
In how you live when no one's watching.
Speaker 1
Gifts get attention.
Speaker 1
But fruit, fruit proves you're his.
Speaker 1
When you walk in the spirit, everything changes.
Speaker 1
You don't just seek the Holy Spirit for a moment.
Speaker 1
You don't get filled and then go back to normal.
Speaker 1
Because when the Holy Spirit truly takes over your life, nothing stays the same.
Speaker 1
This isn't about one encounter.
Speaker 1
It's about a new way of living.
Speaker 1
Romans 8:5 says, those who live according to the spirit, set their minds on the things of the spirit.
Speaker 1
That means your mindset shifts.
Speaker 1
Your priorities shift.
Speaker 1
Your desires change.
Speaker 1
You stop asking, what do I want?
Speaker 1
And you start asking, Holy Spirit, what do you want?
Speaker 1
When you walk in the spirit, sin loses its grip.
Speaker 1
Temptation loses its appeal.
Speaker 1
Fear loses its voice.
Speaker 1
You begin to see through heaven's lens.
Speaker 1
You're no longer guided by feelings, but by truth.
Speaker 1
You're no longer tossed by culture.
Speaker 1
But anchored in conviction.
Speaker 1
The Holy Spirit becomes your compass.
Speaker 1
He leads your conversations.
Speaker 1
He directs your decisions.
Speaker 1
He shows you what to say, what to stop, when to speak and when to stay silent.
Speaker 1
You don't just hear sermons.
Speaker 1
You live them.
Speaker 1
You don't just talk about Jesus.
Speaker 1
You walk like him.
Speaker 1
Walking in the spirit means carrying the presence of God into your job.
Speaker 1
Your family.
Speaker 1
Your secret place.
Speaker 1
Your daily life.
Speaker 1
You're not moved by chaos.
Speaker 1
You're not addicted to applause.
Speaker 1
You're not a slave to your emotions.
Speaker 1
Because the spirit gives you something deeper.
Speaker 1
Stability, clarity, power, peace.
Speaker 1
When you walk in the spirit, miracles don't feel foreign.
Speaker 1
Obedience becomes natural.
Speaker 1
Worship becomes your atmosphere.
Speaker 1
You don't need to chase signs.
Speaker 1
Signs start following you.
Speaker 1
The Holy Spirit makes ordinary people dangerous to darkness.
Speaker 1
And when you walk in him, hell gets nervous every time you wake up.
Speaker 1
You were never meant to just believe in God from a distance.
Speaker 1
You were meant to walk with him step by step, day by day, breath by breath.
Speaker 1
This is more than a doctrine.
Speaker 1
This is your destiny.
Speaker 1
So don't just be filled, stay filled.
Speaker 1
Don't just experience him.
Speaker 1
Follow him.
Speaker 1
Because when you walk in the spirit, everything changes.
Speaker 1
This isn't optional.
Speaker 1
It's life or death.
Speaker 1
Let me tell you the truth with no sugar coating.
Speaker 1
You can't live for Jesus without the spirit of Jesus.
Speaker 1
Romans 8:9 says, if anyone does not have the spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.
Speaker 1
Did you catch that?
Speaker 1
This isn't optional, this isn't extra credit for elite Christians.
Speaker 1
This is the difference between spiritual life and spiritual death.
Speaker 1
You can know about God, sing about God, serve in church and still be spiritually empty.
Speaker 1
Because the Holy Spirit isn't living in you.
Speaker 1
You don't need more religion.
Speaker 1
You don't need louder music.
Speaker 1
You need the spirit of the living God to fill you, lead you, transform you and dwell in you.
Speaker 1
So let me ask you.
Speaker 1
Are you hungry?
Speaker 1
Have you surrendered?
Speaker 1
Are you willing to let go of everything that's been holding him back?
Speaker 1
Because God is not hiding from you.
Speaker 1
He's waiting for your yes.
Speaker 1
Not just once, but every day.
Speaker 1
He wants your heart.
Speaker 1
He wants your attention.
Speaker 1
He wants your whole life.
Speaker 1
And if you give him everything, he'll fill you with everything you need.
Speaker 1
Not someday, now.
Speaker 1
Right here, right where you are.
Speaker 1
So seek him.
Speaker 1
Surrender to him and be filled, because without the Holy Spirit you have nothing.
Speaker 1
But with him you have everything.
Topics:Holy SpiritKathryn Kuhlmanspiritual intimacyChristian liferepentancespiritual hungerHoly Spirit guidancespiritual surrenderfaithspiritual power
