“Do not get drunk with wine, which will only ruin you; instead, be filled with the Spirit” (Eph 5:18)

This is God’s command: Be filled with the Holy Spirit! Once you become born again, do not waste time or opportunities. Obey God’s express command to be filled with the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead!

Many believers are confused about this simple command. God is not the author of confusion!

First, let me tell you what this command is not:

To be filled with the Spirit is not the same as being sealed or being baptized with the Spirit into the body of Christ. It is also not the same thing as having the Spirit indwelling in you. All these blessings are God’s work to a new born again Christian. God does not command you to be sealed, baptized or indwelt by the Spirit. For if the Holy Spirit does not dwell in you, you are not a child of God (Rom 8:9) Lastly, to be filled with the Holy Spirit is not the same experience,  like in the Old Testament, when God suddenly empowered some of His servants to perform unusual actions.

To be filled with the Holy Spirit is a command of God. God expects you to listen and obey! God gives you the power to obey it! It is not a suggestion! Your answer should be like a soldier: “YES SIR!”

This is a practical advice: Immediately you become truly saved, you shall hear the voice of the Commander of the armies of heaven, the Captain of our salvation, Jesus Christ! He says to you: “Be filled with the Spirit!” To ignore His clear command to you it means that you are proud and rebellious. This is a very serious warning to believers! The unbelievers cannot be filled with the Holy Spirit! I am addressing the danger of rebellion in the churches! Even if you look religiously humble and submissive to the pastor, if you are not filled with the Holy Spirit, you are still a rebellious man! This sin will weaken you spiritually! Not only that, but it borders on witchcraft, for you have to discover occult means to resist the filling of the Holy Spirit. Selah!

What does it mean to be filled with the Holy Spirit?

Simply said, it means to receive divine power to live a successful and fruitful Christian life. The command describes a present action. It is not just an experience in the past. It is a moment by moment yielding of your body, soul and spirit to the flood of the Holy Ghost. He will enter your very being and He will change you. This is not just a sample of the power of life. This filling is like a sponge soaked in oil, changing its weight, its color and texture until it becomes something else. This is the testimony of all saints: Except you are filled with the Holy Spirit, you will not enjoy Christianity. As an immature believer, your heart will remain carnal, more or less unchanged and the Word of God will trouble you. You need to submit, trust and love the Holy Spirit to passionately desire be filled.

I read somewhere that the most difficult traffic sign to obey is ‘Yield’. To obey red (stop) or green (go) is easier. But to yield, you have to wait and honor the bigger lane as you want to enter from the side. If you ignore the sign, you shall have accident. For the cars on a main road will not stop for you. Even if you drive a Jeep or SUV, you still have to stop and wait for the smaller cars to pass before you. It is the same spiritually. You need to humble yourself, pray, wait, cooperate and humbly enter into the flow of the Holy Spirit. Then you shall be filled. Any form of resistance or ‘going against the traffic’ ends in spiritual damage or untimely death. Selah!

What are the main (visible) signs of the filling with the Spirit of God? In two words: power and joy!!! The churches are filled with sad believers. They are weak and sad. No miracles follow. The only explanation is that they are unrepentant and rebellious. They are not filled with the Holy Spirit.

This filling is compared with being drunk with alcohol. The main thing you can say about a drunkard is that he seems happy. But this is just for a time…Another thing you observe is that a drunkard lacks self-control. Alcohol is his master. He is lead where he does not want to go. Alcohol will give him false peace, false joy and false confidence. I read that more than 50% of all crimes and rapes are done by men under the influence of alcohol. Alcohol leads to a wasted life, emptiness, bitterness, shame and guilt…what a pity…

But the difference is clear: The Holy Spirit gives you the power to live successfully. He is the Spirit of revival. He strengthens your mind to think fast and well. Your emotions will not be wild. You will love Christ and hate the devil. You will love the Bible! You will love ministry! No confusion! No delay! No procrastination! No fear! Then there is this joy that words cannot describe but you feel it and men see it. It is very attractive and beatifies the face like no other cosmetics.

Lastly, this is a practical advice from a mother: single brethren, do you want to marry? Then be filled with the Holy Spirit! That is all that it takes! There is not one single believer that I know, who is filled with the Holy Spirit and is lonely. It just does not exist! If you are wise, you will not need more words than this!

In Christ I declare:

I am born again!

I am an obedient child of God!

I am filled with the Holy Spirit of God!

To God be all the glory!

In Jesus name

Amen!