Living Continually Filled
“Do not be drunk with wine… but be filled with the Spirit.” Ephesians 5.18
Throughout the ages, people have searched and grasped after various things in an attempt to somehow make their life better – forever hoping to discover that secret “magical cure” that will solve everything and turn the demands of everyday life into all peace and ease.
Sadly, many of these searchers just never found what they were looking for. However, this should be no cause for dismay for you and me.
Something remarkable does exist that can transform everything and will cause us to live not only a better life, but the Best Life. It is not an inaccessible secret and it is certainly not magical, but it is proven to get results. The answer has been recorded for us in Ephesians 5.18:
“Do not be drunk with wine – a thing in which excess is so easy. But drink deeply [and continually] of God’s Spirit.” [NKJV / Weymouth]
When we chose to give our life to God, making Jesus the Lord of our life, we received His Holy Spirit to live within us. By the power of His Spirit, our human spirit was reborn from spiritual death to spiritual Life. Changed by His grace and power, our heart was made a dwelling place for the Holy Spirit – a place for His infilling.
The infilling of the Holy Spirit was not intended to be a one-time event, but a continual experience. We are to be being continually filled with the Spirit.
In day-to-day life, there are constant demands being made upon our time, energy, and various resources. Such demands pull and drain us physically, mentally, emotionally, and most of all - spiritually. For this reason, we must have a way to be refilled and replenished in spirit, soul, and body.
People try many things to refill themselves when they are drained. But it is only being full with God’s Spirit that can really replenish us. Just like certain kinds of vehicles need a particular kind of fuel in order to operate properly – we have been designed to operate on the “fuel” of God’s Spirit.
The key is in being continually filled with the Spirit. We have no reason to ever allow ourselves to be drained or get empty. Living continually filled with the Spirit means staying at the FULL mark all the time.
How are we to be continually filled with the Spirit?
Ephesians 5.18-21, prescribes the divine formula for living continually filled: Instead of being drunk with wine, we are urged to Drink deeply and continually of God’s Spirit: 1) speaking to one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs; 2) singing and offering praise in our hearts to the Lord; 3) always giving thanks to God the Father in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ; 4) submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ (Weymouth/NKJV).
Continual praise and giving of thanks to the Lord is one of the most important ways to be continually filled with the Spirit. According to the above Scriptures, drinking deeply and continually of God’s Spirit depends largely upon developing and nurturing continual praise to the Lord in our heart.
God inhabits the praises of His people (Psalm 22.3). When we cultivate continual praise, the Lord Himself occupies and infills our praises, producing within us rivers of Living Water of which we may continually drink. (John 7.37-39)
One word which is almost always associated with praise is the word continual. “I will bless the Lord AT ALL TIMES; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make its boast (celebrate) in the Lord; the humble shall hear of it and be glad. Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His Name together.” – Psalm 34.1-3
“Always and in everything let your thanks to God be presented in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” – Ephesians 5.20
Continual praise, continual thanksgiving to God at all times is the key to being continually filled with His Spirit. Throughout every day we should carry a continual song of praise in our heart. This does not necessarily mean a literal “song”, but it means carrying within us the unending melody, fragrance, and atmosphere of praise.
In Acts 16, the Scriptures tell us of one particular account when a violent mob formed around the Apostles Paul and Silas. The city officials ordered that Paul and Silas be stripped and severely beaten with rods. They were thrown into prison and the jailer, under official orders, put them under heavy guard, fastening their feet in the stocks. In verses 25-30 we are told:
“But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly, there was a great earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off! The jailer woke up to see the prison doors wide open. He assumed the prisoners had escaped, so he drew his sword to kill himself. But Paul shouted to him, ‘Do not do it! We are all here!’ The jailer called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. And he brought them out and said, ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’ ” (NKJV/NLT)
Praise and thanksgiving carry tremendous power to change not only the circumstances that we face but also to bring deliverance to those around us (as has been revealed in this account from Acts 16).
Paul and Silas had embraced the lifestyle of drinking deeply and continually of God’s Spirit through engaging in continual praise and thanksgiving. When we embrace this same way of life, we can expect just as powerful results in the situations that we encounter.
Drinking deeply and continually of God’s Spirit brings us into the realm of the supernatural, to experience the manifestation of the signs, wonders, and miracles of God promised to those who live and walk in the Spirit.
Through cultivating and nurturing continual praise and thanksgiving to the Lord, we are replenished and built up – spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and physically. When we magnify and exalt the Lord He indwells our praises and reciprocally causes us to dwell in His peace, His strength, His rest, His deliverance.
Praise begins in the heart, but it does not just stay there. When we yield our heart to true praise and thanksgiving to the Lord, it will increase within us and demand fullness of expression – both privately and publically. We should not allow fear or pride to hamper or restrain the free flow of praise in our heart. Rather, we should endeavour to yield to the force of praise and allow it to overflow and consume every part of our life, unhindered by any internal or external force or circumstance we may face.
Praising and worshipping the Lord not only impacts our own life, but it also affects those with whom we have contact. When Paul and Silas were worshipping the Lord in the prison, it caught the attention of the other prisoners: “and the prisoners were listening to them.” (Acts 16.25). Furthermore, it was not just Paul and Silas who received a miraculous deliverance that night, but the entire prison was engulfed with the manifestation of the power of God – resulting in the jailer and his whole household believing on the Lord Jesus Christ. Historical records have even documented that out of the miracle in that prison in Philippi, the Church of the Philippians was born and the jailer became its pastor.
As we live the lifestyle of praise, drinking deeply and continually of God’s Spirit, we are making room for the power of God to manifest in our life and in the lives of others.
Drinking deeply and continually of God’s Spirit is both an individual and a corporate endeavour. According to Ephesians 5.19, an important part of being continually filled with the Spirit is “speaking to one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs….” Encouraging our fellow believers in Christ through psalms, songs of praise addressed to the Lord, and exhortations inspired by the Holy Spirit is a vital element of the Life of the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Corporate praise within the Body of Christ strengthens and builds up its members.
When we stay continually filled with the Spirit, we can then pour rivers of Living Water onto those who need refreshing.
We have the capacity to drink more deeply of God’s Spirit than we have hitherto tapped.
We have the ability to live continually replenished and to experience the highest and best life He has to offer us.
We have the potential to bring floods of refreshing and renewal to those who are drained and weary.
The key to embracing it all lies in drinking, every day, deeply and continually of God’s Spirit – allowing Him to completely saturate every cell of our existence.
We were not created to drag through this life drained and empty. We were created to live Full – Full of God’s Life-Giving Spirit.
It is time to Live Continually Filled!
Copyright © First Love Ministries International aka FERVOUR
All Rights Reserved
“Do not be drunk with wine… but be filled with the Spirit.” Ephesians 5.18
Throughout the ages, people have searched and grasped after various things in an attempt to somehow make their life better – forever hoping to discover that secret “magical cure” that will solve everything and turn the demands of everyday life into all peace and ease.
Sadly, many of these searchers just never found what they were looking for. However, this should be no cause for dismay for you and me.
Something remarkable does exist that can transform everything and will cause us to live not only a better life, but the Best Life. It is not an inaccessible secret and it is certainly not magical, but it is proven to get results. The answer has been recorded for us in Ephesians 5.18:
“Do not be drunk with wine – a thing in which excess is so easy. But drink deeply [and continually] of God’s Spirit.” [NKJV / Weymouth]
When we chose to give our life to God, making Jesus the Lord of our life, we received His Holy Spirit to live within us. By the power of His Spirit, our human spirit was reborn from spiritual death to spiritual Life. Changed by His grace and power, our heart was made a dwelling place for the Holy Spirit – a place for His infilling.
The infilling of the Holy Spirit was not intended to be a one-time event, but a continual experience. We are to be being continually filled with the Spirit.
In day-to-day life, there are constant demands being made upon our time, energy, and various resources. Such demands pull and drain us physically, mentally, emotionally, and most of all - spiritually. For this reason, we must have a way to be refilled and replenished in spirit, soul, and body.
People try many things to refill themselves when they are drained. But it is only being full with God’s Spirit that can really replenish us. Just like certain kinds of vehicles need a particular kind of fuel in order to operate properly – we have been designed to operate on the “fuel” of God’s Spirit.
The key is in being continually filled with the Spirit. We have no reason to ever allow ourselves to be drained or get empty. Living continually filled with the Spirit means staying at the FULL mark all the time.
How are we to be continually filled with the Spirit?
Ephesians 5.18-21, prescribes the divine formula for living continually filled: Instead of being drunk with wine, we are urged to Drink deeply and continually of God’s Spirit: 1) speaking to one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs; 2) singing and offering praise in our hearts to the Lord; 3) always giving thanks to God the Father in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ; 4) submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ (Weymouth/NKJV).
Continual praise and giving of thanks to the Lord is one of the most important ways to be continually filled with the Spirit. According to the above Scriptures, drinking deeply and continually of God’s Spirit depends largely upon developing and nurturing continual praise to the Lord in our heart.
God inhabits the praises of His people (Psalm 22.3). When we cultivate continual praise, the Lord Himself occupies and infills our praises, producing within us rivers of Living Water of which we may continually drink. (John 7.37-39)
One word which is almost always associated with praise is the word continual. “I will bless the Lord AT ALL TIMES; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make its boast (celebrate) in the Lord; the humble shall hear of it and be glad. Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His Name together.” – Psalm 34.1-3
“Always and in everything let your thanks to God be presented in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” – Ephesians 5.20
Continual praise, continual thanksgiving to God at all times is the key to being continually filled with His Spirit. Throughout every day we should carry a continual song of praise in our heart. This does not necessarily mean a literal “song”, but it means carrying within us the unending melody, fragrance, and atmosphere of praise.
In Acts 16, the Scriptures tell us of one particular account when a violent mob formed around the Apostles Paul and Silas. The city officials ordered that Paul and Silas be stripped and severely beaten with rods. They were thrown into prison and the jailer, under official orders, put them under heavy guard, fastening their feet in the stocks. In verses 25-30 we are told:
“But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly, there was a great earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off! The jailer woke up to see the prison doors wide open. He assumed the prisoners had escaped, so he drew his sword to kill himself. But Paul shouted to him, ‘Do not do it! We are all here!’ The jailer called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. And he brought them out and said, ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’ ” (NKJV/NLT)
Praise and thanksgiving carry tremendous power to change not only the circumstances that we face but also to bring deliverance to those around us (as has been revealed in this account from Acts 16).
Paul and Silas had embraced the lifestyle of drinking deeply and continually of God’s Spirit through engaging in continual praise and thanksgiving. When we embrace this same way of life, we can expect just as powerful results in the situations that we encounter.
Drinking deeply and continually of God’s Spirit brings us into the realm of the supernatural, to experience the manifestation of the signs, wonders, and miracles of God promised to those who live and walk in the Spirit.
Through cultivating and nurturing continual praise and thanksgiving to the Lord, we are replenished and built up – spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and physically. When we magnify and exalt the Lord He indwells our praises and reciprocally causes us to dwell in His peace, His strength, His rest, His deliverance.
Praise begins in the heart, but it does not just stay there. When we yield our heart to true praise and thanksgiving to the Lord, it will increase within us and demand fullness of expression – both privately and publically. We should not allow fear or pride to hamper or restrain the free flow of praise in our heart. Rather, we should endeavour to yield to the force of praise and allow it to overflow and consume every part of our life, unhindered by any internal or external force or circumstance we may face.
Praising and worshipping the Lord not only impacts our own life, but it also affects those with whom we have contact. When Paul and Silas were worshipping the Lord in the prison, it caught the attention of the other prisoners: “and the prisoners were listening to them.” (Acts 16.25). Furthermore, it was not just Paul and Silas who received a miraculous deliverance that night, but the entire prison was engulfed with the manifestation of the power of God – resulting in the jailer and his whole household believing on the Lord Jesus Christ. Historical records have even documented that out of the miracle in that prison in Philippi, the Church of the Philippians was born and the jailer became its pastor.
As we live the lifestyle of praise, drinking deeply and continually of God’s Spirit, we are making room for the power of God to manifest in our life and in the lives of others.
Drinking deeply and continually of God’s Spirit is both an individual and a corporate endeavour. According to Ephesians 5.19, an important part of being continually filled with the Spirit is “speaking to one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs….” Encouraging our fellow believers in Christ through psalms, songs of praise addressed to the Lord, and exhortations inspired by the Holy Spirit is a vital element of the Life of the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Corporate praise within the Body of Christ strengthens and builds up its members.
When we stay continually filled with the Spirit, we can then pour rivers of Living Water onto those who need refreshing.
We have the capacity to drink more deeply of God’s Spirit than we have hitherto tapped.
We have the ability to live continually replenished and to experience the highest and best life He has to offer us.
We have the potential to bring floods of refreshing and renewal to those who are drained and weary.
The key to embracing it all lies in drinking, every day, deeply and continually of God’s Spirit – allowing Him to completely saturate every cell of our existence.
We were not created to drag through this life drained and empty. We were created to live Full – Full of God’s Life-Giving Spirit.
It is time to Live Continually Filled!
Copyright © First Love Ministries International aka FERVOUR
All Rights Reserved
