Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Powered by His Spirit

“Don’t act thoughtlessly, but try to understand what the Lord wants you to do.  Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life.  Instead, let the Holy Spirit fill and control you.”  (Ephesians 5:17–18)

When we think of being filled with the Spirit, we often relate it to an emotional experience or a feeling of euphoria. 

But in reality, the word, “filled,” could be translated, “controlled by.”  It is a word that speaks of what happens when the wind fills the sails of a boat and guides it along.  So God is saying that we are to let His Spirit fill us and control our lives.

Another interesting thing about this word is that in the original language, it is in a tense that speaks of something that should be done continually.  So you could translate this sentence, “Be constantly filled with the Spirit.”  This is not a one-time event.  Instead, it is something that takes place over and over again, just as we repeatedly fill the gas tanks in our cars to keep them running. 

God wants to refill us with His Spirit.  It is a great thing to say each day, “Lord, fill me with your Spirit.  Lord, fill me once again.”  You may have emotional experiences.  You may not have emotional experiences.  But that has very little to do with the reality of being filled with and controlled by the Spirit.

One other thing about this phrase from Ephesians 5:18 is that it’s a command, not a suggestion.  The Scripture is not saying, “If it works with your schedule, if you don’t mind, would you please consider maybe letting the Holy Spirit fill and control you?”  Rather, God is saying that He commands us, He orders us, to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

Copyright © 2008 by Harvest Ministries.  All rights reserved.  Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996.  Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189.  All rights reserved. 

For more relevant and biblical teaching from Pastor Greg Laurie, go to  www.harvest.org. 

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