“And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit” – Ephesians 5:18
LIGHT FOR NOW: The Holy Spirit does not merely dwell in the believer; He desires to influence the believer’s entire life. To be filled with the Spirit is to live continually under His influence and direction.
Paul gives us a striking contrast: “Be not drunk with wine… but be filled with the Spirit”. Why compare these two? This is because Paul is drawing attention to influence. A person under the influence of alcohol behaves differently from a person who is sober. In the same way, the believer who is yielded to the Holy Spirit increasingly reflects His influence in daily life. The Greek word pleroo, translated “filled,” means to fill, make full, or bring to fullness. In this context, Paul is calling believers to continually live under the Spirit’s influence. This is not merely about having the Holy Spirit. Every believer has the Spirit. The question is whether we are allowing His influence to govern our lives.
Notice that Paul says, “be filled”. The language carries the idea of an ongoing reality. Yesterday we considered walking in the Spirit. Today we see another dimension: being filled with the Spirit. Walking speaks of our daily conduct. Being filled speaks of the Spirit’s influence permeating that conduct. And the surrounding verses show what this looks like. Paul speaks about speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord, giving thanks, and submitting to one another in reverence for Christ.
In other words, Spirit-filled living eventually becomes visible. It affects our worship. It affects our gratitude. It affects our relationships. It affects our humility. It affects the atmosphere we create around other people. Being filled with the Spirit is therefore not merely about an intense moment in a church service. It is about a life increasingly yielded to God’s Spirit. You can shout in church and still need to learn patience. You can speak in tongues and still need to learn forgiveness. You can experience spiritual manifestations and still need your character transformed.
The Spirit wants more than moments. He wants influence. His presence should reach our speech, attitudes, relationships, decisions, and private lives. Therefore, do not merely ask, “Do I have the Holy Spirit?” Ask: “How much of my daily life am I yielding to His influence?” Glory!
INSTRUCTION: Begin today by consciously yielding yourself to the Holy Spirit. Invite His influence into your thoughts, conversations, relationships, decisions, worship, and responses.
CONFESSION: I am filled with the Holy Spirit. I yield my thoughts, desires, words, decisions, and actions to His influence. My life is increasingly governed by the Spirit, and the character of Christ is expressed through me, in Jesus Name. Amen.
For More Light; get the message, ‘Understanding Salvation’ by Dr. John Linus
QUOTE: Being filled with the Spirit is not merely having more of the Spirit; it is allowing more of your life to come under His influence.
DAILY BIBLE READING: MORNING: EPHESIANS CHAPTER 5; EVENING: GALATIANS CHAPTER 5
