Immersed in the Spirit of God

 
To be immersed in the Spirit of God is to be flooded by Him from within and without. Notice that there were two sources of the great flood in Genesis 7:11: The fountains of the deep, and the windows of heaven:

In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.

What came next was total immersion of the earth! Although that context was destruction, the principle of immersion can still be instructive. Many Christians are seeking the power of a Spirit filled life but failing to tap into one or both of the sources available to them.
 

First, there are fountains of the deep that must be stirred up. Believers must recognize that they have everything in Christ, and that God has provided it all to be accessed through faith.

When we accept that we are blessed and begin acknowledging what He has put in us (a new nature, righteousness, authority, fruit of the Spirit; etc) we can live by the indwelling Spirit in Gospel freedom.

By faith, we can access all that Christ has purchased from us. From the fountains of the deep, we can speak to the Spirit within, "Spring up O Well!" (Num. 21:17; John 4:14). We don't need to wait for the fire to fall from heaven. We can rejoice in spiritual victory according to the word and not our senses.

But there are times when the windows of heaven need to be opened, usually in ministry and in the advancing of the Kingdom. This is why we are exhorted to pray so much. Elijah prayed for rain until it came. In the book of Isaiah, God promised to pour water upon the thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground (Is.44:3).

This speaks of the movement of God not from within us but from the outside. This is the mighty power coming upon the church and upon the earth. This is what accounts for supernatural manifestations that are so abundant in revivals. It is not just us drumming up results through our faith (which can also be done), it is unmistakably God immersing us in His manifest presence.

What I am talking about here is basically the balance between grace and faith.

David encouraged himself in the Lord (1Sam.30:6). From the fountains of the deep we can also encourage ourselves. We can claim the promises and live off of them. But sometimes it has to come from the outside. The apostles were filled with the Spirit several times in Acts and there were obvious manifestations of power.

Faith is the response to what God has already done, but that does not rule out that there are still responses from God to our faith. Otherwise, where is the relationship? It is not entirely one-sided, either way.

Faith enacts victory, and it comes from us. But God still works to "fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ." 2Thess.1:11-12.

We can access all through faith, but also He has "given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace" and is called on to "comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work." 2Thess.2:16-17.

We need both. Some parts of the church are waiting on the windows of heaven to be opened, only looking for power from the outside, and they languish- not knowing what they've already got on the inside. Other parts of the church know their identity and power and see results, but they often leave it all to faith without calling upon God for the "rain."