What Does It Mean To "Be Filled With The Spirit?"
1The apostle Paul said in Ephesian 5:18 "Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit..."
To Christians who already had the Holy Spirit dwelling in them, Paul says to be filled with the Spirit. In the Greek, it has the idea of a continual present tense, sort of like "continually be getting filled with the Spirit."
In this past Sunday’s sermon, we talked about how this is vital to experiencing the peace Jesus came to bring us. Part of learning to be content when life throws us a trial is the need to put our flesh to death (or, as we said on Sunday, put our ego in the basement), and be filled with the Spirit.
But what does that look like?
Below are a few steps from Pastor Bill that you can walk through each day in prayer (or in moments of anxiety).
This is not THE formula to being filled with the Spirit, only suggested steps to help us seek God, submit to him, and renew our dependence on his Spirit.
During times of prayer:
1. Submit yourselves to the Lord Jesus Christ. “Lord Jesus, I surrender my life to you. Take control of my life. You are my Savior and my Lord.”
2. Confess and renounce any and all sin. If you have sinned against someone, God may want you to go and make restitution. Tell Him you are willing to do that. “Lord Jesus, I confess my sin… (be specific). I receive your full forgiveness. If there is any sin in my life I have not confessed, make that known to me also. I want to be a clean vessel. If I have sinned against someone to whom you want me to publicly admit my sin, and make restitution, I am willing to do that. Make it clear to me. I will obey you.”
3. For a moment, stop praying and rebuke the evil one. “Satan, I bind you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. I command any spirit of bitterness or other spirits to be gone from me. I break any satanic bondage over me and command any evil stronghold in my life to go to the feet of the Lord Jesus Christ. I declare my allegiance to the Lord Jesus Christ alone.”
4. Now, by faith, receive the infilling of the Holy Spirit. “Heavenly Father, right now I receive the infilling of the Holy Spirit in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Saturate every area of my life, every cell of my body with your Holy Spirit. Take control of my body. Take control of my mind, will and emotions. Take back all ground I have given over to Satan. Fill me to overflowing with your Holy Spirit so that I can live a holy life and serve you full of the blessing of Christ. Hallelujah! Amen.”
5. Rejoice that God has kept His promise and has filled you with the Holy Spirit.
“Thank you Father for keeping your promise to me and filling me with your Holy Spirit. You are my God. Every day I ask you to fill me with your Holy Spirit so that I can obey you. I want to learn to hear your voice and follow you. Hallelujah! Amen.”
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Regina Sessoms Jan 27, 2024 @ 5:56 pm