I remember well the anxiety of wondering if I were “filled with the Holy Spirit.” Books, sermon series, and seminars once abounded with the supposed spiritual secrets of the successful Christian life.
These things tend to go in cycles, and we don’t hear as much about it now, having been through the cycles of worship wars, rapture predictions, spiritual warfare, spiritual gifts (/tongues), etc., etc.
It’s enough to keep the booksellers profitable and the average believer on edge, wondering if he’s “doing it right,” and if God is truly pleased with him if he’s not up on the most recent designer Christian trend.
The best rule of thumb I’ve found is Solomon’s “nothing new under the sun” approach, including the sentiment that our spiritual life surely is not dependent upon a special “key” which only now has come to light!
So, what does it mean to be filled with the Spirit? It’s a command, so it is important, but it also is a picture, so it need not be complicated. The laws of physics teach us about displacement, and if we are vessels, then only so much can occupy the space within us.
Ephesians 5:18 says, “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit.” The parallel is not that somehow the Spirit “controls” you like wine controls the drunkard. In fact, alcohol tends to make one lose control by suppressing inhibitions, while the fruit of the Spirit is self-control (Galatians 5:23).
Paul is pointing us to the reality that when we believe in Jesus, we are given the Holy Spirit, and when that happens, we get all of Him we will ever have. The issue now is how much of us He has. If we are filled with fear and anxiety, the day’s news, distracted by videos and games, pet sins, and material things, there is little room left for the Spirit. Our lives are filled with something. We choose what.
Another helpful clue is that being filled with the Spirit and being filled with God’s Word produce the same effects (comparing Ephesians 5:19 with Colossians 3:16), namely, “singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”
Making room for God’s Word by clearing out the junk in our lives also makes room for His Spirit, and that is a lifelong process. As we walk in the Spirit (obey Jesus) day by day, we will have less and less room for junk, and the Spirit will have more and more of us.
We know how this works. Some have no room in the garage for a car.
“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” Galatians 5:16