My last blog dealt with how we can tell if we are living “spiritual” lives. The Bible often refers living spiritually minded to being “filled” with the Spirit.
“…do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery,
but be filled with the Spirit…” – Ephesians 5:18
Unfortunately, we tend to think of Spirit filling like we think of filling a gas tank or a glass of water. Sometimes I hear people say something to the effect of “I need more of the Spirit.” In reality if we are believers in Christ, the Spirit lives in us. The Bible refers to this as “indwelling.” We get all there is of Him, not just part of him.
The key to understanding what it means to be filled with the Spirit is found in the comparison provided in the first part of the verse. A person who is inebriated is under the control or influence of alcohol or some other intoxicating substance. Such a person does not behave as they normally would, but their behavior is altered by the substance influencing them.
So it is with Spirit-filling – we are not filled up to a certain level, but instead we are filled through with the influence of the Spirit. Just as a glove does nothing on its own, but does what the hand filling it does, so also the Spirit-filled believer does not act in his own understanding and resources but through the influence of the Holy Spirit. The question is not how much of the SPIRIT do I have, but how much of ME does the Spirit have.
So, how can I experience life under the influence of the Holy Spirit? First, I must be clean. Sin grieves the Spirit and limits his availability to work through me. When I sin, He convicts me of that sin and leads me to confess it so I can be forgiven. If I reject His prompting to repent, my hardening heard grows resistance to His influence.
Second, I must be surrendered. God gives us the power of the Holy Spirit to accomplish HIS purpose in our lives, not to make up proud of ourselves or to give us a sense of superiority over others. I experience the fullest influence of the Spirit when I am completely sold out to God’s plan and recognize my utter dependence on Him to achieve it.
Finally, I must be grounded. Electrical current will not work properly unless it is “grounded.” So also, we cannot experience the fullest influence of the Spirit unless we are consistently and constantly grounded in God’s Word. The discipline of regular Bible intake provides the instructions we need to align our lives with what the Spirit is up to around us.
Questions for reflection:
1. How often do I experience the power of God working through me, power beyond my known abilities and efforts?
2. Have I refused to admit and turn away from sin God has revealed in my life?
3. Am I fully surrendered to God’s way of ordering my life? If not, why?
4. Am I spending time daily in God’s Word?