April 3
“And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit.” (Ephesians 5:18)
Being filled with the Spirit is for me not an easy thing to do. To truly get out of the way, to fully surrender myself and my will to Him, to ask Him to take over and take control of me, and then stay out of the way by constantly being mindful of Him and asking His leading and obeying His voice, this is the hardest thing I have ever done. I am still just beginning to learn to walk by the Spirit, even after 35 years of being a Christian.
Actually, let me correct myself, walking by the Spirit is not the hardest thing I have ever done. Going through periods of difficulty and suffering because of my disobedience to God’s Word and my ignoring the leading of the Spirit are far, far more difficult. The loss and grief and suffering I have experienced and caused others by my arrogance and ignorance have caused far more pain and difficulties in my life and is far harder than walking by the Spirit. I am sure there are other Christians who have much more to offer than I do in this area. But I’d like to explore this topic from the perspective of one who is not very good at it, but trying to improve, in hopes that if there are a few of you out there who are like me, you may receive some benefit from my failures and successes.
First, I’ll mention that there is much talk and writing about the Spirit, being filled with the Spirit, receiving spiritual gifts from the Spirit and incredible experiences that are attributed to the Spirit. Visions, dreams, heavenly utterances, prophecies, miracles, and other such things. But I am dry in all of those areas. I am not one who has experienced those types of things, nor do I seek them. Why don’t I seek them? Well, I have to be honest and say that I don’t really think that is where it’s at with God. That is to say, I don’t think that is God’s primary focus or concern. I don’t think that if I had those gifts or did those things I would be any further along in my Christian life, and indeed, I may face a host of other temptations such as being even more proud than I am.
“Aha!” Someone might say, “That is his problem! He struggles with sin because He hasn’t received a ‘second blessing’ or such and such a gift!” Well, perhaps, but perhaps not. I struggle because I am strong willed and disobedient, and my un-regenerate flesh loves sin. I sin because I don’t appropriate the resources God has given every Christian. I sin because I am utterly short-sighted and self-centered at times. Peter tells me that Christians, me included, have been given “everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who has called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, in order that by them you might become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.” (2 Peter 1:3-4) My problem is that I don’t fully connect with and cooperate with that amazing Person inside us, the gift that God has given every Christian – His Holy Spirit indwelling us. How could I seek something more than that, than He Himself residing in me? To me, so seek something more sounds kind of insulting to Him in a way.
We will say a few more things about this tomorrow.