Spirit-filled, Spirit-controlled

Spirit-filled, Spirit-controlled

Let the Holy Spirit fill and control you. Then you will sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, making music to the Lord in your hearts. And you will always give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. –Ephesians 5:18-20

I sat in a meeting last week with a man who described himself as “Spirit-filled.” I know what he meant. He was revealing his religious stripe. But the truth was, I didn’t see the Spirit spilling out of him. Instead, I saw anger and bitterness and pettiness. And as I walked away, I couldn’t help but think, If that is what being Spirit-filled is all about, I’m not interested. But I also wondered what others have seen spilling out of me in my less-than-the-best moments.

What does it mean to be Spirit-filled and Spirit-controlled? The Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit actually comes to live inside us as a gift from God when we become believers. But does the fact that he dwells with and in us mean that we are “Spirit-filled” and “Spirit-controlled”? No, because even within the believer, a battle for control is going on between the flesh and the Spirit. Before you were a believer, you had no power to fight the battle. Now, you have the Holy Spirit. And he will fill you up and control you as much as you allow him to. The truth is, many of us want God to save us, but we don’t always want him to change us or control us.

The key question is not “How do I get more of the Holy Spirit?” If you have placed your faith in Christ to save you, you already have the fullness of the Holy Spirit inside of you. The question is, Are you willing to give him more of you? Perhaps he is inside you, but you’ve kept him confined, refusing to give him full room and reign to change your attitudes, alter your perspective, order your steps. Are you willing to move your demanding ego and consuming desires out so that he can become the central force and sweetest desire in your life? Are you willing to see your agenda and appetites diminish so he can accomplish his purposes?

If so, “Spirit-filled” will be more than a label; it will become an ever-increasing reality in your life. And when your life is bumped by difficulty, what will come spilling out will be what fills you—an abundance of the Holy Spirit. You will show the world what it truly means to be Spirit-filled and Spirit-controlled.

Spirit, I really do want you to fill me and control me, but as you move in I feel the squeeze. Help me surrender my plans and my agenda, recognizing that nothing is as satisfying as more of you in my being.

DIGGING DEEPER