Be Filled with the Holy Spirit
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- Published: Thursday, 07 June 2012 17:31
In Ephesians 5:18, Paul says, “and do not be drunk with wine, which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit”. This is not a suggestion; but a command given to every child of God! This verse is not an option to be received or rejected; it is an obligation to obey! The Holy Spirit’s guidance and government is not a luxury to be added-on to our lives, for only a few special occasions; but His infusion and influence is an absolute necessity for every moment of every day in the life of the born again believer. The Word of God is commanding us to live our lives in such a manner, that we are being dominated and directed by God the Holy Spirit. He is calling on us to be so submitted to the Holy Spirit, that we are being moved along the pathway of obedience to the Word of God and the Will of God; so that we might be living our lives in a manner that would magnify our Savior and glorify our Father
When we consider the word “filled”, there is an obvious concept that immediately comes into our minds. We think of the experience of “filling an empty glass full of water”. But in reality, this is an unbiblical conception of the word “filled”, for it wrongly causes us to think of a singular encounter with the Holy Spirit, in which you are struck by spiritual lightening, and He fills the empty glass of your life with Himself. But that is not what this command truly signifies! The word “filled” actually describes a believer who is being guided by the Holy Spirit, in a similar manner to which the wind fills the sails of a boat, to guide that boat in a direction, which is in accordance to the “Will of the Wind”! Actually the phrase in verse 18 says, “Keep on continually being filled with the Holy Spirit”. It is the picture of the wind filling the sails of the boat, for the purpose of moving the boat toward the specific direction that the Wind has designed for the boat to travel! The wind fills the sails with the ability and the supply to guide the boat for the specific purpose of fulfilling the “will of the wind”; provided that the sailor is not resisting the will of the wind; nor attempting to manipulate the boat, according to his own desires. Brothers and sisters, this issue of “being filled” is not a one-time mystical experience; this is a sustained experience and a continuing reality of being “moved along down the pathway of submission to the will of the Wind of God, which will always be in perfect harmony with the Word which He inspired! Brothers and sisters, this command to be “continually moved along by the Wind of God down the pathway of obedience to the Word of God” is the most important doctrine in spiritual living. If we do not obey this command, we cannot obey any other command in a manner that would be pleasing to our Lord! This concept of being continually guided and governed by the Holy Spirit is absolutely foundational and fundamental to exhibiting a life of:
- Acceptable worship of the Lord
- A worthy walk with the Lord
- A powerful witness for the Lord
But you may ask, “Ed, how do we know that we are truly being ‘carried along by the Holy Spirit’? How do we know that ‘we are not being carried along by deceiving spirits’?” Paul gives us the biblical answer to that important question in Colossians 3:16a, when he commands us to, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly”. Friends, we are individually responsible to make a daily, personal choice to liberally open the door of our hearts and minds to the Holy Spirit, for the goal of being saturated, dominated and directed by His Word. The phrase, “dwell in you richly” means for a believer to submit to the word of Christ; to take up an intimate residence in your life, and inhabit you continually! The child of God is to be treasuring the Word of God as his necessary, daily food; and as the preeminent instructional manual for the totality of his life. The Holy Spirit and the Word, which He inspired, cannot be separated from each other; because the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth! We are personally responsible to surrender ourselves to a daily, diligent and prayerful contemplation on the Word; and a personal and practical application of the Word of God to every compartment of our lives! As a matter of fact, if you were to study the evidences of being “filled with the Spirit” in the remainder of Ephesians 5 and the evidences of “letting the word of Christ dwell in you richly” in Colossians 3, you would find that they are PRECISELY THE SAME! Brothers and sisters, this issue of the “fullness of the Spirit” is not about a dramatic, ecstatic experience; rather it is all about the internal, on-going reality of submitting your life to be conformed to the character of Christ! This spiritual reality of “fullness” will be clearly manifested, when your life “is being carried along the pathway of obedience to the Will of God, as you are daily discovering it in the Word of God”. Oh dear friends, may we be among those whose lives are being continually “moved along by the Holy Wind of God”, down the pathway of a vital obedience to the Word of God; so that our lives might magnify our Savior and glorify our Father!