How to be filled with the Holy Spirit Ephesians 5:18

Wine was a staple drink of the ancient Mediterranean world and was fermented in order to preserve it from turning into vinegar. Paul here is expressing what the saints/believers should stop doing; but commands what the saints or believers must start doing. Why should Paul say ‘do not get drunk with wine but be filled with the Spirit?

It’s because wine controls the mind and runs one’s judgment and sense of modesty leading to sin. In contrast of be filled with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit leads to self-control along with other fruits of the Spirit as outlined in Galatians 5:22-23.

I would like us to hold on this image/picture; A jar that is already full with stuffs cannot be filled, and a jar that is closed cannot be filled.

We cannot fill ourselves, only God can fill us through the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Holy Trinity, who most Christian hardly knows. The Holy Spirit is the one who enables, convict, and minster. He also teaches us all truth about God and Jesus Christ. Jesus after his departure from earth promised to send a helper to believers, who will help them/us in the faith journey. In Acts 2 the person of the Holy Spirit came.

In Acts 19:2 we read how those believers had not yet heard or received the Holy Spirit and in verse 6 Paul laid hands on them and power came upon them ie they received the new covenant fullness and power of the Holy Spirit, something that happened in Acts 2.

The Holy Spirit is in dwell in the believers’ heart, he leads, guide, correct, discipline, give understanding and open the spiritual eyes of the believer to know the truth about God and life.

So, to be filled with the Holy Spirit is a great need, for all to discover what it means. For starters, He teaches us how to relate and pray to God. When Jesus asked His disciples ‘who do you say I Am’, Peter answered ‘You are the Son of God’. Jesus said peter couldn’t have known this without the Holy Spirit helping him to know this truth about God. (Mark 8:29)

The person and the work of the Spirit is a key to our faith, therefore a must need treasure ie we need to depend on the power of the Spirit for godliness and living. We must make ourselves available for Him to work in us, to bring about change & to transform us from being sinners to becoming the righteousness of God.

How can we be filled with the Holy Spirit…?

• We must have faith in God and also believe in Jesus Christ as our Redeemer then in surrender we offer our whole self, even those area we keep as secret or we feel and think have nothing to do with God. We cannot hide from the one who knows the number of hair we each have on our head, neither there is anything about us that God is unaware of.

Let’s look at this practical example; If a car needs servicing, for the peace of mind for the driver/owner doesn’t he asked for a full services to make sure everything in it is working proper for that car to be road worthy. Then he takes it to a petrol station and fills it with fuel, why? So, that he can drive safely.

The filling with the Holy Spirit should be our greatest desire to have Him. In His part, he is just waiting on us to activate Him and to ask of His help. In prayers we should ask God to fill us with His Spirit. In the race of life or the journey here on earth, we need the filling and the out pouring of the Holy Spirit. So, that we can with-stand the devil with all its lies, tricks etc.

• To be filled with the Spirit, we need self-control because if one is filled with anger, then anger controls such one’s life. And if one is filled with greed, then greed dominates his life but if one is filled with love then love influences all he does.

The filling of the Holy Spirit is control by consent because we give Him permission for him to have the controlling interest in our lives. And this filling does not just happen once, it’s continuously.

• When we first believed, we cooperated with the Holy Spirit through our confession, baptism/ confirmation etc. Without the Holy Spirit, we cannot engage in spiritual things ie knowing God or fight the devil. Christ in us the hope of glory is manifested in the person of the Holy Spirit. We are very empty without the help or collaboration of the Spirit.

However, as it’s in our human nature to fall, when in any trial or temptation once we cry out help Lord! This simply means we are asking the Holy Spirit to work with us so that we can overcome the whatever. Friends we must cooperate with the Holy Spirit so that it can be well with us.

• We need to stay in contact with the Holy Spirit; If we have travel or been around trains, we will notice that trains runs on three rails. Two of the rails are for its wheels and one for the electricity. You see, the electricity is always there but the train does not move until there is a contact with the third rail. Once this rail is touched, the train will move however, when pull away the train will stop.

The third rail is like the Holy Spirit; His power is always available. However, because of sin, one can easily live out of His contact. When this happens our lives simply stop working the way God intended for us. Nevertheless instead of us being under the Spirit’s influence we become influenced by worldly things. Just as Paul is warning here, worldly things only lead one to pains and heart aces.

The amazing thing is that the power of the Spirit is available for all who invites Him into their hearts. With our invitation, cooperation and collaboration with the Spirit, He will use us as tools/vessels for God’s glory.

We need to come before God with and empty opened minds so that He can fill us with the Holy Spirit. Just as we cannot fill a jar that is already full with stuff and we cannot fill that which is closed…

Therefore, there must be a sense of need in our part to say Lord we are empty & we need to be filled with your Spirit as well as there must be a willingness to say Lord we are open to you, let your Spirit fill us now. God sent the Spirit to enable us live for Christ in this world. As long as we are conscious of our need to be filled by the Spirit, and also the willingness to yield to God, we can be filled with the Holy Spirit because His power is available to us always. Oh come Holy Spirit come in Jesus name Amen.