The Spirit-Filled Life
What does it mean to be
filled with The Spirit?
In Ephesians
5, the Greek present tense for “be filled” is used to inform us that the
filling of The Spirit is not a once-and-for-all experience. It’s a continuing
experience.
What are the outward
signs of the Spirit-filled life?
Just after
he says, “Be filled with The Spirit,” Paul describes four distinct results you
can expect. It is like planting seeds in the soil of The Spirit and reaping a
Heavenly harvest.
The first
manifestation you can expect of a Spirit-filled life is this: different manner of
speech.
The
Spirit-filled and Spirit-led Christian has a new vocabulary. It is not
self-centered. It is God-centered. Suddenly, you are saying, “Praise The LORD”
(Psa.150:1) and “Let everything that has breath praise The LORD” (v.6).
Here is
the second sign: a new song.
You’ll be
singing and making melody in your heart to The Lord (see Eph. 5:19). You’ll
bless The Lord at all time and His praises shall be in your mouth. “I will
bless The Lord at all times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth (Ps
34:1 KJV).
When you
have been transformed in the inside, a melody will bubble up. It’s a
spontaneous reaction. You may not be a singer, but you will surely have a song on
your lips from the moment you meet The Holy Spirit.
The third
manifestation is: thanksgiving.
The life of
every one truly born of The Spirit is full of thanksgiving “…always giving
thanks to God The Father for everything, in The Name of our Lord Jesus Christ”
(Eph 5:20 NIV).
You suddenly
find yourself thanking Him for everything. You will thank Him in good-times,
and for the not-so-good. The result is a transformation of your attitude. No
matter what happens, you’ll say “Thank you LORD”.
The
fourth obvious sign of a Spirit-filled life is: humble service.
The
Spirit-filled life is that of ‘the fear of The LORD,’ and such, is willing to
submit, to serve, and to share.
Submit to
one another out of reverence for Christ (v.21 NIV).
Your heart
will yearn to help people. The Holy Spirit brings you to the place where you’ll
say, “just let me know—I will do it!”
Summary
It’s by The
Spirit that you are able to glorify JESUS. It’s by The Spirit that your heart
is filled with song.
How is the
Love of God “shed abroad in our hearts”?
By The Holy
Spirit.
The Holy
Spirit is a Person Who responds to your wishes. But you have to first, agree
with God’s Will. He is a wonderful Lover. If you resist Him, He will just
leave. If you resist or quench Him, He will leave with a wounded heart. Today,
while He is still longing for our love and fellowship, we wound Him through our
ignorance and rebellion.
You’ve never
seen the wind, but you have certainly seen the results of the wind. The tree
bends; the flag waves; and the ship begins to sail. Oh the force of it!
You don’t
have to see The Holy Spirit to know that He exists. You can feel the evidence
in the Power He gives you. Once He fills you, seeking a confirmation is an
exercise in futility. Those who question their infilling have never received
it.
It Starts with
Salvation
You may ask,
“How do I become filled with The Holy Spirit?” “If I speak in tongues, is that
the sign”?
The Holy
Spirit is present from the moment you ask Jesus Christ to forgive your sin and
cleanse your heart. If you do not believe that, you don’t understand the divine
Trinity. As Paul wrote to Titus:
“…he saved
us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He
saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he
poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior,” (Titus 3:5-6 NIV).
A man with
this experience is never at the mercy of a man with an argument.
Have you
ever spent a day on a sailboat? It’s a great thrill. What happens to the boat
when the sails are filled? The boat begins to move. The Spirit-filled life is
filled, not like a container that has no action but like a sail that continues
to be filled with breeze. Over and over again, GOD wants you to move forward
with the never-ending wind of The Spirit filling your spiritual sails.