Bible Reading: Ephesians 5:15-20
The believers were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. Acts 13:52
THE BASICS of tapping into the Holy Spirit’s power for your daily life aren’t all that different from filling a soda at your favorite fast-food place: The cup has to be in the right spot; the lid has to be off, and once the flow starts you can expect some considerable fizz.
God designed you to be filled and led by the Holy Spirit. You need these three simple steps to have that happen.
- Confess your sin (1 John 1 :9). The Holy Spirit can’t lead you when you live far from God. Whenever you realize that you’ve been disobedient and seized control of your life, you need to agree that your independence is wrong. Give thanks for the forgiveness you have through Christ.
- Trust God to fill you and lead you by his Spirit. What do you do to be filled with the Holy Spirit? First, present every area of your life to God (see Romans 12:1-2), and tell him you want him to be your boss in each area. Second, ask the Holy Spirit to fill you. God commands you to be filled with the Holy Spirit (see Ephesians 5:18), so asking to be filled is something he wants you to do. Third, once you have asked, believe that he has filled you. The Holy Spirit is a gift free for the asking. As you tell God you want to be filled, God promises to answer (see 1 John 5:14-15). So will you feel different when you’re filled with God’s Spirit? Not necessarily. Being filled with the Spirit isn’t so much about feelings as it is about facts. God fills you because he promised in his Word that he would. That’s fact! Feelings come and go. The biggest signs of God’s control in your life are the peace, power, and fruit of the Spirit you will experience.
- Keep walking in the Spirit. Just because you trust God to fill you with his Spirit doesn’t mean you’ll never blow it through disobedience or lack of faith. No one is perfect. When you blow it, confess your sin on the spot and tum back to God. Ask him again to fill you, and trust him to do it. Keep building your faith through prayer and studying God’s Word (see Romans 10: 17). Yes, you have to be ready for spiritual conflict with the world, the flesh, and Satan. But if you respond to the conflict by relying on God’s Spirit working in you and through you, you will conquer.
Get yourself in the right spot to get filled with the Spirit-and get set for God to fill you to overflowing!
REFLECT: What step does God want you to take to let his Spirit fill your life?
PRAY: Tell God today your desire to be a Spirit-filled disciple.
