Living Under the Influence: The Command to be Filled

If you’re a follower of Christ, you have the Holy Spirit living inside you. He’s taken up permanent residence within you. That’s a truth that most Christians may know, but many don’t truly appreciate. It would help us to ponder that truth occasionally and thank God for it.

The question that comes next, though, is this: is his presence in you making any difference in your life?

For far too many of us, the answer is no. We have the Holy Spirit in us, but we don’t walk around each day full of his power, courage, or guidance. People don’t see much of the fruit of the Spirit in our lives. The Holy Spirit indwells us, but there’s not much difference between my life and someone who has never known the Lord.

When I was in school, and when my kids were in school, I hated projects. I despised them. I became allergic to the word “project.” One thing was certain, though – in the third grade, there would be a project on the solar system.

So when our second child entered third grade, I knew it was coming. Sure enough, that fateful day came when she gave us a paper from the teacher and said, “I have to make a solar system!” Wonderful.

So off we went to Hobby Lobby to buy sticks and paint and round styrofoam balls and everything else we might need. I kept remembering what we did on her sister’s solar system project, which, by the way, was still in our attic from two years earlier. No ideas I suggested, though, pleased our daughter. She insisted on doing things her way. But I knew that “her way” might not win the award for “Best Solar System in the Class,” which was, of course, my goal. But not hers. Or the teacher’s.

Finally, after days of exasperation, I gave up and asked, with a raised voice, “Why don’t you just cheat and turn in your sister’s project?” 

Really impressive dad/pastor moment.

The thing is, her teacher didn’t want to see her dad’s best or her sister’s best. The teacher wanted this child’s best. 

God is different. He isn’t looking for your best. He’s not wanting you to work as hard as you can all by yourself to do all the right things and be the perfect person. He doesn’t want your best for you. He wants his best for you. That’s why he gave you his Holy Spirit. 

How are we supposed to experience his best in our lives? How are we supposed to be the faithful believers God wants us to be? Here’s something the Apostle Paul said:

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. (Ephesians 5:15-17)

And how do we do that? Here’s the key: 

And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit. (Ephesians 5:18)

There’s your answer — Be filled with the Holy Spirit.

Verse 18 contains two commands. One is, “Don’t be drunk with wine,” and the other is, “be filled with the Spirit.” For believers, the Holy Spirit has already regenerated us, baptized us, indwelled us, and sealed us. Those are not commandments for us. God does those things. 

But “be filled with the Spirit” is a command. We’re commanded to be filled with the Holy Spirit. And this isn’t a one-time thing. The language of the verse is saying, “Be constantly, continually filled with the Holy Spirit.” This is an ongoing experience, a continual reality in one’s life.

Note, too, that Paul isn’t telling us we need more and more of the Holy Spirit in our lives. One of the incredible things about God is that all of him is everywhere all the time. Every moment of every day, the believer has all of the Holy Spirit. The command here isn’t for the believer to have all of the Spirit. The command is for the Spirit to have all of the believer.

So don’t get drunk with wine. Don’t place yourself under its influence so that it controls you and you act, talk, and think differently. Place yourself instead under the influence of the Holy Spirit, so that you act, talk, and think differently. Allow him to influence every part of you.

If this is so important, how do I do it? How do I get filled with the Holy Spirit? What are the steps I’m supposed to take?

There are no step-by-step instructions for being filled with the Spirit. There’s no magic formula for this. Three things, though, are essential for living a life filled with the Holy Spirit. That, however, is for the next post.

Series Navigation

<< From Residence to Rivers: Embracing the Holy Spirit WithinFilled with the Spirit: Letting God’s Presence Transform Your Life >>