Be Contiuously Filled

Are you filled? Filled with what you probably asked. Filled with the Holy Spirit. We are told in Scripture that when we come to faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord that the Holy Spirit comes to live with and in us. The Holy Spirit or the third person of the Trinity is the power, strength and light, clarity and illumination of life for the believer. There is so much in the New Testament on the filling of the Holy Spirit. But also the Old Testament frequently speaks of a person like David being filled with the Holy Spirit too.

In Ephesians 5 Paul tells us not to be filled with much wine, which leads to sinful behavior (debauchery), but to “be filled with the Holy Spirit”  (Ephesians 5:18). This is a teaching to be continuously or always filled. This is recognition that although we may have received the Holy Spirit, He does not have all of us. We are not always seeking to be filled. We have one gifting of the Holy Spirit, but many fillings Scripture makes clear. Perhaps the book of Acts, often named the Acts of the Holy Spirit, tells of Spirit power working in believers, especially Peter and Paul.  I love the concept of being overwhelmed by the Spirit like Mary at conception. He becomes alive in us.  But we must not grieve the Holy Spirit as Mark and even Isaiah in the Old Testament warns us.

“Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us” (2 Timothy 1:14).  We are sinful people, but capable through the Holy Spirit of living sinless lives through Him. We must no be overcome by sinful desires that Satan tries to foment in each of us. We are told that John baptized with water, but Jesus baptized with the Holy Spirit. This is the indwelling that makes us His temple. This Spirit will teach and empower us to live a pure and clean life. It is together that we overcome. We cannot do it on our own.  I was well reminded of this fact in the movie The Shack, which demonstrated that alone we are nothing, but together with the Holy Spirit we can do anything that God will for us. I particularly enjoyed the scene of running on water. Peter did it too, until he took his mind and eyes off of the Lord.

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit”  (Romans 15:13). This verse, my favorite in the New Testament, reveals the peace and joy-filled power of the Holy Spirit of Hope. When overflowed with the Spirit we operate in the “fruit of the Spirit.”  This fruit from Galatians 5:22-23 is, “Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”  God wants this sweet and Spirit-controlled fullness to be ours in increasing manner, as we trust in Him.

When we operate in the Spirit, we are walking with Him. I tried to write about this in my 2-volume book, This is The Way, Walk in it. I portray Biblical subjects like abundance, desires, fear, wonder, grief and grumbling, heart and heaven, holiness, hope, prayer, rest, thanksgiving, waiting and walking, and wisdom. These are subjects covered in Scripture and my many stories to try to illustrate how God works as we walk in His way. My blog www.greatisgodsfaithfulness.com expresses these and many more subjects along with You Tube sermons to further elucidate these difficult concepts or principles.

So be continuously filled with the Holy Spirit that you might live out the desires of God. He will give you your heart’s desire if you ask Him in faith. He wants us to put on His armor that we might stay in His will. This includes the shield of faith and sword of the Spirit, the word of God. Against this nothing can stand. In other words, walking in the Spirit gives us God’s strength and power. Without it, the abiding and indwelling, we are or can do nothing as John 15:5 clearly brings. So ask and it will be given to you. But don’t doubt like a wave blown in the wind and He will give it generously, showing us how to walk and what to do. Hallelujah! Amen!