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Being filled with the Holy Spirit


It may seem natural to pray about major decisions or blessings, but those blessings are only truly realized when we fully submit everything in our lives to Him. We cannot, however, experience His power and all that comes from it without totally surrendering to Him. When the Spirit fills us, the result is an attitude of joy and thanksgiving. We can experience His power, love, compassion, and understanding by surrendering ourselves to Him and allowing Him to occupy us completely. There is no limit to what God can do through a person who is fully surrendered to Him, filled with the Holy Spirit.

Being filled with the Spirit means being saturated with and under the control of the Holy Spirit. In Ephesians 5:18, Paul contrasts being filled by the Spirit with being filled with alcohol. "Don't be filled with wine," he says, "but do be filled with the Spirit." In some ways, being filled with the Spirit is similar to being filled with alcohol: when filled with alcohol, everything in a person is affected—how we think, how we react, what we feel. In the same way, being filled with the Spirit changes everything in a person's life. People filled with the Spirit are given an incredible, extraordinary boldness (Acts 4:13, 31; 7:55-56).

One significant difference between being filled with alcohol and being filled with the Spirit is that alcohol changes our perception by deadening us to reality. The Spirit changes our perception by actually awakening us to reality! Even when we are filled with the Spirit, we are not numbed to the pains of the world. However, our eyes are opened to God's glory and power. When Paul was filled with the Spirit, the pain did not go away; his eyes were opened to comfort and joy greater than his suffering (2 Corinthians 6).

This comparison is of one of being controlled by God's Spirit rather than by other influences, including our flesh and desires. From the moment of spiritual birth, the Holy Spirit resides in every Christian. But to be led by the Holy Spirit, we must completely surrender our lives in obedience to Christ. When we allow Christ to be in control, we experience harmony and peace. When we try to put ourself in control, we suffer from discord and frustration.