FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT

January 14, 2026

 

Hello Spirit-filled one!

 

Ephesians 5:18 (NLT) says,

 

  • Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT...

 

I am so thankful that I am FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT.  Here we are being exhorted NOT to be drunk with wine, but be FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT.  Let us take a look at the characteristics of a man who is drunk with wine: He is not filled with care and he is under the control of another spirit managing him.  Let us choose to let the Holy Spirit manage our lives.

 

Paul admonishes us in 1 Thessalonians 5:19 not to quench the Holy Spirit.  He also tells us in 2 Timothy 1:6-7 to,

 

  • Stir up [rekindle] the gift of God which is in you...For God has not given you a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

 

Here, Paul likens the Holy Spirit to an ember in a dying fire.  He encouraged Timothy to stir up that live coal, to fan it into flames.  He knew that we must guard against neglecting the Holy Spirit and letting Him grow cold.

 

Here are some ways we can do this:  Paul tells us in Ephesians 6:13 to,

 

  • Take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day...

 

Satan will do everything in his power to discourage us, to induce us to become disillusioned and afraid - to abandon our confidence in God.  What, then, did Paul mean by putting on "the whole armor of God" as our defense? What can we use to resist such self-defeating attitudes such as fear, apathy, and discouragement?

 

Paul continues in verses 14-17 and says,

 

  • Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness.  As shoes for your feet, put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace.  With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  Take the helmet of [the hope of] salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.

 

Paul tells us we need to stand fast in the truth we have learned, concentrating on living righteously, regardless of circumstances.  We also must be active in doing our part in furthering the spreading of the gospel, never losing sight of eternal life as our goal and using God's Word as the sword that cuts through all deception.

 

But equally important is what Paul mentions next in Ephesians 6:18-20,

 

  • And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.  With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people.  Pray also for me that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare this fearlessly, as I should.

 

Our ability to remain spiritually strong and active depends on how much we rely on God and our line of communication for that help is through prayer.

 

We want to allow God's Spirit within us to stir us up until we yield to God's Word and the possibility for us in God's mind becomes an established fact in our lives.

 

A drunken man is not concerned what other people think about him.  He is under another's control.  We must be careful not to take control either.  Let the Holy Spirit be in control!  Let Him use your mouth, your hands, your brain and your feet - your all!

 

Just as this drunken man has his thoughts, his mouth, and his body under the control of another, so must our thoughts, our mouths, and our bodies be under the control of the Holy Spirit.  Isn't this so lovely?

 

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says,

 

  • Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit Who is in you, Whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.

 

Family, we are not our own. How wonderful is this?  We can have nothing, and yet possess all things.

 

So, how do we stay FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT? Simply by believing the Word of God and yielding to it.

 

Staying filled with the Holy Spirit,

 

Lisa Gordon

 

Gordon Ministries and Jesus City Church