Holy Spirit Displacement

Hey, friends! It would seem that spring has finally sprung here in Seattle… there’s a bit less rain and a bit more sunshine these days.

When I first moved to Seattle, I honestly had no interest whatsoever in coffee – which is beyond unforgivable here. I slowly began embracing the wonder that is coffee, and now, liking it or not is beside the point… I think it’s become habit for me to brew a mug for myself on early morning days.

I usually don’t prefer my coffee black. I’ll leave a bit less than a fourth of my tumbler empty for cream. Every morning that I’m adding cream, I am taken back to my middle-school science class where we learned about displacement. If I add too much cream, the coffee will overflow. The same principle applies if you fill a bathtub completely full and then sit in it: you’ll displace the water and cause it to run over the sides of the tub.

I love the cream that I add to my coffee. Sometimes I think about continuing to pour and pour and pour the cream, so that eventually it displaces all the coffee and I’m basically drinking sugar. Yum!

This is what Jesus wants to do in our lives. He wants to pour out the Holy Spirit over us.

John the Baptist says of Jesus, “Someone more powerful is going to come… He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire” (Matthew 3:11).


Romans 5:5 says this: “The love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

One major purpose of the Holy Spirit being poured into our hearts is to change us from the inside out. He wants to produce in us Christ’s attributes of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, and others (Galatians 5:22-23), so that we may represent Christ well. He also burns away our fear, leads us, provides strength to resist temptation… the list goes on!


And like adding cream to my morning coffee, the more the Holy Spirit is poured into us, the more He will displace what was originally in our hearts… that which doesn’t belong. The Holy Spirit and “self” cannot both reside in our hearts. One will be greater and push the other out.

May I shoot straight with you?

It becomes a little uncomfortable when the Holy Spirit begins to displace our selfish preferences. He encourages daily denial of self – to the point that we become dead to ourselves (Romans 6:11). What we prefer, where we want to go, who we want to spend time with, and why we want to do things all become displaced by what He prefers, where He wants to take us, who He wants to bring into our lives, and for the reasons He delights in.

This is spiritual displacement. The more He flows into us, the more “self” is forced out.

And this is good.

Mankind without the regenerative work of the Holy Spirit – in other words, left on our own – has proven again and again to be riddled with spite, revenge, anger, turmoil, and malice, regardless of religious upbringing (which is hollow anyway without the Holy Spirit). Even at our best, when we show kindness or generosity, it is for an ulterior motive, even if that motive is to make us feel better about ourselves.

We need to be emptied of “self.” We need desperately to be displaced by the Holy Spirit and His gentle goodness.

Friends, don’t walk around with a spiritual umbrella when Jesus is trying to pour the Holy Spirit into you. Allow Him to displace your “self” with His beautiful presence, the very Holy Spirit.

And this is what I think about every morning when I make myself coffee!! What a daily reminder to be filled to overflowing with the Holy Spirit’s out-of-this-world presence!

I pray that even now, for everyone reading this, you will sense your heart being softened, as if it was running under fresh, warm water. Sense that the Holy Spirit is near right now! Fold up your umbrella. Let Him displace the sticky residue of things in your heart that don’t belong.

What’s going on deeply in your heart that you wish the Holy Spirit wouldn’t confront, whether “good” or “bad”? A relationship? Your attitude? Your weight struggle? Inability to submit to authority? Your sexual identity? The way you forgive? Your past? An addiction? Whatever it is, that’s usually the thing you need to surrender the most.

Let us welcome, with hands and hearts open, His counsel, His preferences, His will, and His authority. Jesus, displace me and pour into me Your Spirit.

Be filled, in Jesus’ Name! With all my heart,
Josh

150 Comments
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  • May I simply say what a relief to uncover someone that actually understands what they’re talking about on the web. You certainly know how to bring a problem to light and make it important. More people have to check this out and understand this side of your story. I was surprised that you are not more popular since you surely have the gift.

  • Aw, this was an exceptionally nice post. Spending some time and actual effort to produce a top notch article… but what can I say… I hesitate a whole lot and never manage to get anything done.

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  • At this time it looks like WordPress is the preferred blogging platform out there right now. (from what I’ve read) Is that what you’re using on your blog?

  • Wow that was strange. I just wrote an extremely long comment but after I clicked submit my comment didn’t show up. Grrrr… well I’m not writing all that over again. Anyway, just wanted to say wonderful blog!

  • Hi there, You’ve performed an incredible job. I’ll definitely digg it and in my view recommend to my friends. I am confident they’ll be benefited from this website.

  • Hey I know this is off topic but I was wondering if you knew of any widgets I could add to my blog that automatically tweet my newest twitter updates. I’ve been looking for a plug-in like this for quite some time and was hoping maybe you would have some experience with something like this. Please let me know if you run into anything. I truly enjoy reading your blog and I look forward to your new updates.

  • Hey I know this is off topic but I was wondering if you knew of any widgets I could add to my blog that automatically tweet my newest twitter updates. I’ve been looking for a plug-in like this for quite some time and was hoping maybe you would have some experience with something like this. Please let me know if you run into anything. I truly enjoy reading your blog and I look forward to your new updates.

  • Hey I know this is off topic but I was wondering if you knew of any widgets I could add to my blog that automatically tweet my newest twitter updates. I’ve been looking for a plug-in like this for quite some time and was hoping maybe you would have some experience with something like this. Please let me know if you run into anything. I truly enjoy reading your blog and I look forward to your new updates.

  • Aw, this was an incredibly nice post. Taking a few minutes and actual effort to produce a superb article… but what can I say… I procrastinate a whole lot and don’t seem to get anything done.

  • At this time it sounds like BlogEngine is the top blogging platform available right now. (from what I’ve read) Is that what you’re using on your blog?

  • Wow that was odd. I just wrote an really long comment but after I clicked submit my comment didn’t show up. Grrrr… well I’m not writing all that over again. Regardless, just wanted to say superb blog!

  • Hey I know this is off topic but I was wondering if you knew of any widgets I could add to my blog that automatically tweet my newest twitter updates. I’ve been looking for a plug-in like this for quite some time and was hoping maybe you would have some experience with something like this. Please let me know if you run into anything. I truly enjoy reading your blog and I look forward to your new updates.

  • Aw, this was an incredibly good post. Taking a few minutes and actual effort to generate a good article… but what can I say… I procrastinate a lot and never manage to get nearly anything done.

  • Hi there, You’ve done an excellent job. I’ll certainly digg it and in my opinion recommend to my friends. I’m confident they will be benefited from this site.

  • Hey I know this is off topic but I was wondering if you knew of any widgets I could add to my blog that automatically tweet my newest twitter updates. I’ve been looking for a plug-in like this for quite some time and was hoping maybe you would have some experience with something like this. Please let me know if you run into anything. I truly enjoy reading your blog and I look forward to your new updates.

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  • Hey I know this is off topic but I was wondering if you knew of any widgets I could add to my blog that automatically tweet my newest twitter updates. I’ve been looking for a plug-in like this for quite some time and was hoping maybe you would have some experience with something like this. Please let me know if you run into anything. I truly enjoy reading your blog and I look forward to your new updates.

  • Aw, this was an incredibly nice post. Finding the time and actual effort to produce a superb article… but what can I say… I procrastinate a lot and don’t seem to get nearly anything done.

  • Hey I know this is off topic but I was wondering if you knew of any widgets I could add to my blog that automatically tweet my newest twitter updates. I’ve been looking for a plug-in like this for quite some time and was hoping maybe you would have some experience with something like this. Please let me know if you run into anything. I truly enjoy reading your blog and I look forward to your new updates.

  • Wow that was odd. I just wrote an extremely long comment but after I clicked submit my comment didn’t appear. Grrrr… well I’m not writing all that over again. Anyhow, just wanted to say great blog!

  • Can I simply say what a relief to discover someone who actually knows what they are discussing over the internet. You definitely know how to bring a problem to light and make it important. More people really need to look at this and understand this side of the story. I was surprised you are not more popular given that you surely have the gift.

  • Hi there, You’ve performed an incredible job. I will definitely digg it and for my part recommend to my friends. I am sure they’ll be benefited from this site.

  • Currently it seems like Expression Engine is the preferred blogging platform out there right now. (from what I’ve read) Is that what you’re using on your blog?

  • Aw, this was an exceptionally nice post. Spending some time and actual effort to generate a top notch article… but what can I say… I put things off a lot and never manage to get anything done.

  • Aw, this was a really good post. Taking the time and actual effort to make a very good article… but what can I say… I put things off a whole lot and don’t manage to get nearly anything done.

  • Wow that was strange. I just wrote an extremely long comment but after I clicked submit my comment didn’t appear. Grrrr… well I’m not writing all that over again. Anyways, just wanted to say wonderful blog!

  • Aw, this was a very nice post. Spending some time and actual effort to make a top notch article… but what can I say… I hesitate a lot and don’t manage to get anything done.

  • Right now it appears like Expression Engine is the top blogging platform out there right now. (from what I’ve read) Is that what you are using on your blog?

  • Wow that was odd. I just wrote an very long comment but after I clicked submit my comment didn’t appear. Grrrr… well I’m not writing all that over again. Anyhow, just wanted to say great blog!

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  • Wow that was unusual. I just wrote an really long comment but after I clicked submit my comment didn’t appear. Grrrr… well I’m not writing all that over again. Anyhow, just wanted to say superb blog!

  • May I simply say what a comfort to discover somebody who truly understands what they’re talking about on the internet. You certainly know how to bring a problem to light and make it important. More and more people ought to check this out and understand this side of the story. I was surprised that you are not more popular since you definitely possess the gift.

  • Aw, this was a really nice post. Spending some time and actual effort to produce a really good article… but what can I say… I procrastinate a whole lot and don’t seem to get anything done.

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