FILLED

 
February 27, 2020                                                FILLED
Romans 15:13 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”
Ephesians 3:19 “and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.”
Philippians 1:11 “having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
Ephesians 5:18 “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,”
Just getting by is not what God has in mind for us; God is about completeness, fullness, abundance, over-flow, abounding-about being filled. What God has in mind for us becomes a reality because He has given us His Spirit to make it possible. We block or inhibit what God has for us when we try to do the things of God in our own strength-our most likely spiritual downfall is just that-it’s our old human nature trying to do things in our own strength. We tend to think that we must work at ‘getting better’ in our spiritual life-like it is up to us; perhaps we have bought into the world’s idea of ‘self-improvement.’ Let us not forget that the Christian life is a super-natural life, and this super-natural life is not compatible with life as defined by the world. The Christian life is a miraculous life; the fact that the God of all creation sends His Spirit to live in flesh and bones is indeed a miracle! By the Spirit of God, we are made a new species of man! Think about it. The Holy Spirit of God is in us, empowering, equipping and guiding us in this life here on earth-that is awesome. Now, our minds, our spirits, and even our bodies are powered by the Spirit of God. Because His Spirit lives in us, we no longer have to live with anxiety, depression, fear, loneliness, a life without purpose and hope, etc. Simply said, we do not have to see life and experience life as those who do not know God. A truly WOW verse is Ephesians 3:19 which tells us that we can be “filled up to all the fullness of God.” Can you and I even begin to imagine the implications of being filled to all the fullness of God? Being filled with the Spirit of God is the doorway to a life that only God can make real. Being filled to all the fullness of God impacts evert aspect of our life-how we respond to others, how we conduct our every day affairs, our thought life, how we worship God-everything. What we must realize is that being filled with the Spirit is not automatic for the believer. In Ephesians we are admonished to be ‘filled with the Spirit.’ When we are filled with the Spirit, we do not live according to the flesh. We are filled with the Spirit when we confess any unconfessed sin, when we turn our hearts to Him, when we seek Him first, and when we yield everything to Him. The point is that if we are not living with a conscience awareness of the fullness of God, it’s not because that is the life God desires for us. God invites us, and makes it possible, for us to be filled with Him! He wants to live in and through us! He longs to fill us. So, let us take a spiritual inventory and determine whether or not we are filled to all the fullness of God. If we find we are not, then let us confess that to Him and then turn our hearts to Him, asking Him to fill us; let us renew ourselves with His word and by listening to and obeying His Spirit. He wants to fill us.
John 14:26 “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”
John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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