why do u want Him?

CHAPTER 4
James 4:3 - u ask and do not receive, because u ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.
below r questions Frances asks:
"so, really, y do u desire the Holy Spirit's activity in your life? do u want to experience more of the Holy Spirit merely for your own benefits? is it for power? is it for your own betterment and purposes? or is it because u want to experience all that God has for u? is it because u love the church and desire to be a better servant to your sisters and brothers?
here is the reason we r empowered by the Holy Spirit: I Corinthians 12:7 tells us that each of us is given a "manifestation of the Spirit for the common good". we r to share what God has given us for the uplifting of others to draw then into a relationship with Jesus. that is the reason we r empowered by the Holy Spirit.
many times i have seen the power of Holy Spirit move supernaturally on, in, and thru people. i have witnessed these people being used mightily to show and share God. i have also seen them take the attention away from what God wants, is doin', or has done in the past and put the attention on themselves. i am guilty of this as well. when the attention is taken away from God, the empowering is removed. i have been in gatherings both large and small where the Spirit of God is moving mightily and remains in the place the whole time and i have watched the Spirit of God move and then leave as the attention was taken off of God and placed on something or someone else. it is heartbreaking to see the Spirit of God leave a gathering of believers. a few times i have witnessed God's Spirit just hovering over the gathering doin' nothing that i can see and then dissipating because He was not given an opportunity to move. the attention must always be focused on and pointing to God. He is the reason miraculous things happen, not me.
ALWAYS KEEP GOD AS THE FOCUS! your words and actions should always point others to God so that He is the one who receives the glory and attention.
r u a follower r a leader? in other words, do u try to lead the Holy Spirit into doin' something or do u follow what the Holy Spirit is showing/telling u to do? trying to get the Holy Spirit to do what we want does not work. it causes confusion and skepticism in those u r trying to reach. following the lead of the Spirit allows God to move as He will and do the work that is needed in those around u. following the lead of the Spirit is not easy, but always rewarding.
remember, love, self-control, joy, and faithfulness r all part of the package when we follow the lead of the Holy Spirit. the opposite of which is strife, fits of anger, dissensions and idolatry.
being led of the Spirit means "crucifying" the desires of our flesh. that means denying the things we want and embracing the what the Spirit wants. that's a struggle in itself as our flesh can be very strong in its desires. but when we "crucify" the flesh, the Spirit's desires become more prominent. Holy Spirit does not put on us more than we r willing to do. i have taken small steps in my growth in the Spirit-led life. believe me when i say, i struggle daily with my flesh. i have to choose to keep my tongue or not. i tend to put myself down and "convince" myself that others don't care about what i have to say. so i tend to pull away and try to hide. so God is having to get me out of "my comfort zone". thru New Life Church, i am slowly coming out.
in my own life, i have seen Holy Spirit move tho i struggle with the open showing of it in gatherings. i like the one on one better where i can get to know someone and share common interests like baking, crafting, playing games. that is where i "feel" most comfortable. God has been gracious to let me "shine for Him" in that way.
a parting thought/question:
taken from Frances' book, FORGOTTEN GOD: "who do U want me to love for U today?