". . . be filled with the Spirit."
Ephesians 5:18
A church member asked his pastor, "What does it mean to be filled with the Holy Spirit?" The pastor said, "All believers in Christ have received the Holy Spirit. To be filled with the Spirit does not mean that we get more of the Holy Spirit. It means the Holy Spirit gets more of us. We yield our entire lives to the Spirit of God."
The pastor gave him a clear answer based on Bible teaching. The Bible teaches that believers are sealed with the Holy Spirit upon trusting in Christ (Ephesians 1:13). The same Holy Spirit wants to fill every area of our lives.
The pastor gave him a clear answer based on Bible teaching. The Bible teaches that believers are sealed with the Holy Spirit upon trusting in Christ (Ephesians 1:13). The same Holy Spirit wants to fill every area of our lives.
Consider an illustration of being filled with the Spirit. Your home may have central air-conditioning. If so, there is a vent in every room to receive the cool air. However, you could close a vent and close a door to block the flow of cool air into a room. So it is with our lives. We may be believers in Christ, sealed with the Holy Spirit, yet we have certain rooms in our lives closed to the Spirit of Christ. These rooms represent areas of our lives that we need to open to God. The Holy Spirit wants to do more than live in us. He wants to fill us.
As we confess our sins, we receive fresh cleansing (1 John 1:9). Then, our lives are yielded to God, to fill every area with the Holy Spirit. That means we are filled with the love, joy and peace of God (Galatians 5:22). Be filled with the Spirit.
Father, cleanse us from all of our sins through the blood of Jesus. Fill every area of our lives with the Holy Spirit, in Jesus name.
