BE FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT
Monday – February 27, 2017
Greetings from Eastern Gate Ministries International and The Three Minute Word publications. What a beautiful Monday! We must not look at our circumstances, which is what the devil and the world system has whirling around about each of us. Instead we must look, choose to look, at Christ and who and what we are in Christ Jesus. At the end of this teaching there is a link for you to check out my latest books. I am led of the Spirit of God to take a little diversion from our Bible Study in Ephesians but we will get right back to it. You and I brother and sister are the most powerful persons on the earth for we are born of God.
1 John 5:3-4 (KJV)
3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
Loving God is obeying Scripture, it is the exercise of our choice our will to get, keep, and do the Word of God as led of the Spirit of God. We not only have the responsibility to get this Word down into us but to believe it above all other words and do it. God’s commands which are our responsibilities to carry out are not grievous (heavy, dangerous, mortal, severe, dire, terrible, awful, shameful, or painful). God does not control our obedience which is our love toward Him. God loves us by performing His Word in our lives in response to our obedience (love).
Next we see that anything or anyone born of God overcomes the world. If you and I have been born again, born from above then we are world overcomers. Notice in the Scripture there are not things we can overcome and others we cannot. If we are born again we can overcome whatever the devil and his perverted world system has to offer. The qualifier is loving God which is obeying His commandments. So when we look and see the world beating our brains in with poverty, sickness, and family situations and so on we have an obligation to examine our love walk (obedience to Him).
Next we come to the faith statement, a critical component for which there is no substitute, we must believe the Word of God above all else. So in these two verses we see the power twins of our victory which are love and faith. We control the expression of our love towards God. We also exercise and control how much faith is operational in our lives. It is a choice, choose love, choose faith and walk in victory day in and day out.
Our destiny is in our hands, not God’s, God is not in control of your life or mine. However, He has provided all that is needed and He can and will accomplish all things through us but only in our obedience to love Him and have faith in Him. Brother and sister, we can part the Red Sea if it were necessary and he asked us to. Our love and our faith creates the conditions necessary for Him to legally work not only on our behalf but through us for the benefit of others and to advance the Kingdom of God.
Now back into our Bible Study from the book of Ephesians.
Ephesians 5:18-20 (KJV)
18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;
19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;
I left off last week with a discussion of the phrase “be not drunk with wine”. Please do not get hung up on the word ‘wine’ and think well I can get drunk on beer, liquor or rock gut I just have stay away from the wine. We have a clear command here not to get drunk on alcoholic beverages which is different than to completely abstain from alcoholic beverages. The Apostle Paul in this text points out that to be drunk is excess. I suggest you go back to the February 24, 2017 issue titled “No More Toots”.
The next phrase, command, from our text is; “be filled with the Spirit;” The implicit and explicit point, command, here is to not partake of natural spirits in excess but get as much of the Spirit (Holy Spirit) as you can. This term “be filled with the Spirit” is a separate experience from Salvation. At salvation the Holy Spirit does come to reside within us by our invitation implicit in the acceptance of salvation and quickens our dead soul and then we are again a living soul. As an example let’s take a look at the Apostle Paul himself with regard to being saved and then filled with the Holy Spirit. First we see Paul (Saul) accepting Jesus as Lord in the following passage.
Acts 9:5-6 (KJV)
5 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
6 And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.
Then we find Saul (later the Apostle Paul) being filled with the Holy Spirit.
Acts 9:17-18 (KJV)
17 And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.
18 And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized.
Remember that Jesus own disciples were already saved when they stood on the Mount of Olives and got their final instructions from Jesus. Jesus did not instruct them to go into Jerusalem until they were saved and it would take ten days to get saved. That would be a salvation by works. Neither do we get the baptism or the filling to overflowing of the Holy Spirit by works but by love and faith.
By: Dr. David Wood, Author, Bible Teacher, and Prophetic Voice
NEW BOOKS!! I would encourage all to take the time to read my most recent books. First is one titled “Temptation – The Battle for our Thoughts” and the second is “And God Said”. You will find these books insightful, enlightening and designed to strengthen our defense and offence by faith. As we gain in God’s wisdom and knowledge we will understand ourselves and our enemy and we will win every battle in the furtherance of the Kingdom of God.
Link: Amazon.com
