My question regards being filled with The Holy Spirit. I do not speak in tongues nor do I have a prayer language, although I have prayed and prayed to receive such. However, I feel God with me all the time. He answers my prayers ALL THE TIME. I know without a doubt that I am HIS and He is my Lord, King and Savior (and that should be enough right?) But is there anything in scriptures (other than the gift of tongues) that is evidence that The Holy Spirit is residing in a person? I would like to reference a scripture when talking to my daughters about this.
The Greek word translated fill is used in a variety of ways in the Bible. For instance, it can mean to physically fill something like a jar or the hold of a ship. Or it can mean to fill a predetermined span of time, as in Luke 1:57 referring to Elizabeth having reached the time for John’s birth.
It’s used most often to refer to a person’s dominant feeling at a given point in time. In Luke 4:28 people were filled with wrath. They were filled with fear in Luke 5:26, with madness in Luke 6:11, with wonder in Acts 3:10, indignation in Acts 5:17, envy in Acts 13:45, confusion in Acts 19:29, etc.
The point is the same Greek word is used every time, so being filled is not something that’s unique to the Holy Spirit. He was sealed within us when we first believed, so we have the potential to be filled with Him just as we have the potential to be filled with love, wonder, awe etc. Your own experiences demonstrate this. This doesn’t mean the Holy Spirit is just another emotion, but that for a believer the potential to be filled with the Holy Spirit is similar to the potential to be filled with love. It doesn’t require a special ritual or ceremony, it just happens. Reviewing the 8 instances of people being filled with the Holy Spirit in the New Testament will confirm this.
In 1 Cor. 12:7-11 Paul explained that the Holy Spirit manifests Himself in every believer through certain gifts He gives us. We don’t choose these gifts, He does, and He does so for the common good. You didn’t mention whether you’ve identified the gifts He’s given you, only that you’ve prayed for certain ones. Be advised that the gift of tongues was never intended as evidence of the Holy Spirit residing in a believer. The Holy Spirit automatically resides in every believer. If you want proof that the Holy Spirit resides within you, pray that the Lord would help you discover the gifts He’s selected for you so you can make the contribution to the Body of Christ He intends for you to make.