Filled with the Spirit: Letting God’s Presence Transform Your Life

One of our most phenomenal truths is that the Holy Spirit lives within every follower of Christ. He’s not out there somewhere, he’s not stuck in heaven. He’s in you. God hasn’t commanded us to get the Spirit because you already have him. 

The question is, though, does your life look any different because of him? Is his presence in your life making any difference in how you live? This is where being filled with the Spirit comes into play, and while there isn’t a command to get the Spirit, there is a commandment to be filled by him.

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

We know when people drink too much alcohol they fall under its influence. We think, talk, and act differently than we normally do. Paul says another influence is far better. If you let the Holy Spirit fill you, you’ll fall under his influence. You’ll think, talk, and act differently, but in a much better way.

That’s the definition of being filled with the Spirit – the influence and control of the Holy Spirit in your life. It isn’t so much having more of the Spirit, because each of us has all of the Holy Spirit, that’s part of his omnipresence. All of God is everywhere all the time. Being filled with the Spirit, then, isn’t about having more of the Spirit; it’s the Spirit having more of you. 

So if it’s so important to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and if it’s a commandment that we be filled, how do we get filled?

If you’re looking for step-by-step instructions, there are none. No magic formula exists for this. No spell with a magic wand will work. Being filled with the Holy Spirit isn’t about doing anything. It’s about a relationship with a person and being influenced by that person. Being filled with the Spirit is about putting yourself under the influence of the Holy Spirit.

While there are no steps to being filled, there are three essentials to living a life filled with the Holy Spirit. 

First, we must live in dependence on God. We must live knowing we can never accomplish anything without him. We can’t thrive in this life, or even survive, without God. In Galatians 5:16, Paul says, “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” To walk with God, we must depend on him and trust him enough to follow him. The prayer, “God, I need you” should be ever present on our lips. Only by walking in dependence on the Holy Spirit can we grow in our relationship with him and allow him to have greater influence in our lives.

A second essential to being filled with the Holy Spirit is surrender. Until we give up trying to run our lives, we’ll never be able to let him run our lives. We have to give up every part of ourselves and submit to every part of him. 

When our children were young, we brought home the sweetest, cutest little Shetland sheepdog. Shelly was a beloved part of our family for sixteen wonderful years, and we still miss her dearly. But when she was just a puppy, there were times when she would snap at us, especially when we were trying to teach her something she didn’t want to do. Our vet explained that Shelly was figuring out her place in our “pack” and that, to thrive, she needed to learn that she was lower in the pecking order. So, as part of her training, we had to gently lay her on her back and hold her there until she stopped struggling. It was a process of surrendering, of letting go of resistance, so she could start trusting us to guide her. 

The Spirit-filled life can only be experienced when we’re dependent on God and surrendered to him. We have to let go of our resistance to him. Only then can he lead us. We must reach the point where we can honestly say, “God, I will follow you wherever you lead. I submit all my dreams and desires and plans to you. All that I have is yours, and all that I want is you.” This isn’t a one-time decision. It’s a moment-by-moment surrender to our loving Father.

Finally, to be filled with the Spirit, we must constantly fight against sin. As believers, we’re not ruled by sin. We’re free from sin’s control. In this life, though, we’ll always struggle with sin. We have to go to battle against it – every day. And when we do sin, the Holy Spirit is right there to point it out to us. Not in a judgmental way, like, “See? I knew you were worthless! Don’t expect any favors from me now that you’ve done that!” But in a loving way. “Hey, I love you more than you can imagine, but that will harm you. You don’t have to do that anymore. Surrender that part of your life to me, and I’ll give you my strength to overcome it.”

As a believer, you have the Holy Spirit with all his magnificence living within you. But if you want to be filled with the Spirit, if you want him to have all of you so that you experience all he offers you, then you have to live a life of dependence and surrender. 

You can choose, if you want, to float through life as God’s child with your ticket to heaven punched, having the Holy Spirit but never experiencing all of him. If all you want from God is his get-out-of-hell card, that’s your choice. But you’re never going to experience the life God planned for you.

If you want to live the life he created you for, if you want to experience all of his power, strength, guidance, character, and peace, and if you want a deep, personal relationship with him, then live a life of dependence and surrender as you fight for personal holiness. 

Ask God to fill you with his Holy Spirit as you daily “present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship” (Romans 12:1). Admit that you can do nothing apart from him. Surrender everything in your life to him. Fight against the pull of sin. 

Right now, you have all of the Holy Spirit. Life is better, though, when he was all of you.

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