Wednesday, April 21: Filled with the Spirit!

With the world seemingly spinning out of control, we don’t have a chance getting through without the Spirit of God controlling us. While Satan has dominion over the earth, don’t forget that God gave him that dominion and it is only for a time. In the Book of Job, the earliest book written in the Bible, we see that God removed the hedge of protection from Job. That demonstrates to us that the only way Satan can attack us is if God allows that attack to occur. Additionally, God is not cruel or uncaring, so we know that if He allows an attack, He has a purpose. Typically, that purpose is for us to draw closer to Him. Being filled with the Spirit helps us to live in the moment and to remember that each moment is in God’s plan.


When the Bible refers to a man “filled with the Spirit,” does it mean for that moment, that the man was walking strongly with the Lord? If you are a Spirit-filled Christian, does it mean that you are able to speak in tongues, as the 120 in the upper room did on that first Day of Pentecost? Can you be partially filled with the Spirit?


The word “filled” in Greek is πίμπλημι, and means “to fill completely.” Yet the interesting part is that it is in the aorist tense, which describes an event that took place at one time in the past. So, being filled with the Spirit occurs at one moment. Think of a gas tank. If it is filled, it is not approaching fullness. Nor is it approaching emptiness, but it is filled to the brim. The Holy Spirit is fully in each Christian when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. Jesus came to this earth as a teacher. He was with His apostles for three years on a daily basis, but they were not together every moment. When Jesus returned to heaven, and gave us the gift of the Holy Spirit, He left us in good hands. The Holy Spirit is with us every moment of our Christian lives, awake and asleep, living inside of us. He continues to teach us and according to the Bible, He accomplishes other feats in us, as well:


8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Acts 1:8


He gives us power, the power to say no to sin! Through that power, we can be a witness for Him to others. The greatest task that each of us can do for our Lord is to spread the Gospel to others, comfort the broken, give rest to the weary, give food to the hungry and arms of love to the lonely. Let Him use you for His purposes!