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!
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.