September 5

When He had said this, He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. — John 20:22 BSB

The imagery in this passage is simple yet profound. Receiving the Holy Spirit is as natural as breathing. It’s as though the Lord was teaching His disciples that the way to receive the Holy Spirit is just like breathing.

You don’t need to expose yourself to a harmful environment to suffer the effects of impure air. Simply keeping the air you breathed a minute ago in your lungs can harm you because all the pure elements have been absorbed, leaving only harmful gases. Similarly, if you want to be filled with the Holy Spirit, you must first empty yourself—not only of your sinful life but also of any remnants of your old spiritual life. You need a fresh breath every moment, or you will spiritually wither.

God wants us to empty ourselves into Him, and when we do, He will fill us without our needing to try. A vacuum always fills itself, and empty lungs automatically breathe in air. When you are in the right posture, receiving the Holy Spirit will be effortless.