HOW TO LIVE THE SPIRIT-FILLED LIFE?

Occasionally we hear of people who, having lived and died in poverty, turned out to have had thousands of dollars in savings. We wonder why they hoarded their wealth. But how often we as Believer do utilise our spiritual resources in Messiah.

The Spirit-filled life is available to all who are believers in Yeshua. The Scriptures says that we are indwelt by G_d the Ruah HaKodesh the moment we receive Yeshua as the Messiah. We are complete in Him.(Colossians 2:10) For the Spirit Himself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God." (Romans 8:9,14) Anyone who does not have the Holy Spirit within him is not in the family of God.

However, we can be indwelt by the Spirit, but not filled with the Spirit. The Holy Spirit can be resident in our lives but not President. The result of not allowing the Spirit to rule the old nature is that we may live in spiritual poverty, never reaching the full potential of what we could be in Yeshua.

What does it mean to be filled with the Spirit?

To be filled with the Holy Spirit means to renounce the works of the flesh (the Christian's old nature) and trust Christ to produce the fruit of His Spirit in us.

The Scriptures defines the works of the flesh as adultery, fornication, lasciviousness (lust), idolatary, sorcery, hatred, strife, jealously (quarreling), wrath, fractions, sedition, heresies, murders, drunkenness, revelings, "and the like." (Galatians 5:19-21)

But as we daily allow the Spirit to empower us, the works of our flesh can be replaced by the fruit of the Spirit (Ruah; Pnuema ) which is love, joy, peace, long-suffering (patience), kindness, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control. (Galatians 5:22,23)

The Apostle Paul puts it this way: "I beseech you, therefore, brethen, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. "And be conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind..." (Romans 12:1,2a) As someone has said, the problem with living sacrifices" is that keep crawling off the altar! We must daily commit our lives to the Lord, asking His guidance and the power of His Spirit in whatever situations we face.

Why must we be filled with the Spirit?

First, the Scripture commands it. "Wherefore be ye not unwise but understanding what the will of the Lord is. And be not drunk with wine, in which is excess, but be filled with the Spirit." (Ephesians 5:17,18)

Second, because "we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." (Ephesians 6:12) Once we accepted Christ as Saviour, we became targets for spiritual warfare. it is God's Spirit within us who delivers us from our nature, gives us power to resist sin and Satan and to live a life pleasing to God.

Third, the Holy Spirit gives us power to witness for Messiah. "But ye shall receive power, after the Holy Spirit is come upon you, and ye shall be witness unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." (Acts 1:8) This does not mean that you will suddenly becomes a great preacher, or that God will send you out as a missionary - although He might. But since Jesus came "to seek and to save the lost" (Luke 19:10) it's logical that those who are filled with His Spirit should also have a desire to tell others about Christ.

Fourth, the Holy Spirit helps us to experience the "abundant life" that Jesus promised His followers. (John 10:10) This is not a life "abundant" with material things, or a life free from problems, but a life rich in God's grace and joy. But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him. But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit..." (1 Corinthians 2:19,10)

Fifth, the Holy Spirit's purpose is to bring us closer to Christ and through our lives to bring glory to Him. "We all with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." (2 Corinthians 3:18)

How to be filled with the Spirit (Pneuma)?

1. Ask God to fill you. "And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask any thing according to His will, He heareth us, and if we know that He hear us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him." (1 John 5:14,15) We are filled with the Spirit by faith. Based upon the authority of God's Word, we know that he will fill us with His Spirit when our sins have been confessed and we are walking in faith according to His Word.

2. Confess your sins. The penalty for our sin was dealt with, once and for all, on the cross. But we need daily cleansing. The Bible promises that "if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to clease us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9) There is a practical side to this. If you have wronged someone, or done something that is not in accord with the Word of God, the Holy Spirit may prompt you to right the situation. If so, don't hesitate to obey.

3. Read God's Word daily. Messiah Yahshua said, "He that hath My commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me." (John 14:21)We obey Christ because we love Him. But in order to obey, we have to know what His commandments are. That's why it is important to spend time in His Word daily. God's Word has practical advice on how to apply the Spirit

filled life to everyday human relationship in Ephesian 5:18-6:20.

4. The Believer's life is a daily walk with God. Begin each day in prayer: praising God for who He is, asking Him to cleanse you and fill you with His Spirit and praying for your needs and the needs of others.

Read His Word each morning:

Seeking wisdom for whatever the day may bring and G_d's promises to sustain you. Being filled with the Spirit is not one-time experience, nor does it depend upon our feelings. Our moods fluctuate, and spiritual "highs" do not last long. But the Holy Spirit can work in us regardless of our feelings. As we daily walk by faith in the Lord Jesus and in obedience to G_d's Word, we can know the fullness of the Spirit-filled life.__