MAINTAINING A SPIRIT FILLED LIFE THROUGH MEDITATION IN THE WORD: Ephesians 5:18-20; John 20:22; Colossians 3:16; Joshua 1: 8. The normal life God desires for every believer is the Spirit filled” life. Note that there is one baptism but there may be many fillings. The believers were baptized on the day of Pentecost and all filled (Acts 2:4), and all filled again in Acts 4:31, although not baptized again. The normal Bible word, after Pentecost is filled with the Spirit. This each believer should know, understand and experience. If we are going to experience the fullness of the Christian life, then we must learn how to be filled with the Holy Spirit. It isn’t enough just to be saved, sanctified and baptized in the Holy Ghost. Unless you are continuously, consciously and conspicuously filled with the Spirit, you will have a rough road here below. Note that the expression be filled with the Spirit is a command, not a suggestion or matter of choice. It is be filled, which is not something that you do of yourself, but rather it is of God; and it is in a tense which means a present continuous action. In Colossians 3: 16, we are told: let the word of God dwell in you richly. The results for doing this are the same as those mentioned in Eph. 5:18-20 which indicates that the Spirit filled life and the Word of God filled life are synonymous. A believer cannot be Spirit filled if he does not give time to reading, studying, meditating, and obeying the Word of God. Neglect of the daily diet of the Word of God will rob one of the Spirit filled life. One cannot be Spirit filled and ignore this Book of the Law”. As we invite God to move beyond the door of our inner being by meditating on the Scripture, He works miraculous changes in our heart that leads us to be more Christ-like. EXPERIENCING THE SPIRIT-FILLED LIFE AND MINISTRY OF GOD’S WORD: Ephesians 5: 18-20; 1John 1: 9; Acts 1:8; Luke 11: 13; Galatians 5: 22-25;Romans 12: 1-2; 1John 5: 14-15 Every day can be an exciting adventure for the Christian who knows the reality of being filled with the Holy Spirit and who lives constantly, moment by moment, under His gracious direction. Until a believer experiences a continuously Spirit filled existence, he will never be able to fully enjoy, or appreciate the Christian life. No wonder God gave an express command that we all (leader and laity) must be filled with the Spirit always- throughout our lifetime so that we can fulfill His will for us on the earth. To be filled with the Spirit in every area of our lives is an obligation for every believer: - Worship. To experience true worship, we must be sensitive to, and controlled by the Spirit of God – “ God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth” (John 4: 24). - Work. We are to do our job as if we are working directly for the Lord. Our daily work ought to be carried out with the same enthusiasm that we have when we go the church. Every Christian ought to let his light shine brightly on the job. “Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ;” (Ephesians 6: 5) - War. We are locked in mortal combat with a powerful spiritual foe, the devil. The only hope we have of succeeding in life is to war in the Spirit. Satan is after our homes, families, marriages, faith, health, happiness, Christian ministry, anything he can touch and destroy. The only hope for consistent victory is to be Spirit-filled! “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6: 12). - Witness. To be a good witness of the cross demands that we be Spirit-filled. Otherwise, our words will have a hollow ring to them and they will have no power to touch the heart. These are dark days against fierce enemies, but these are also days of great opportunity. The world needs our message and our hope. We have a tremendous opportunity to share the Gospel with a lost world, but to take advantage of this great privilege we must be filled with the Spirit of God. The question now is- how do one experience the spirit filled life? The following steps are very necessary: - Conversion. The filling of the Spirit is an exclusive privilege of the redeemed. The first step is to receive Jesus Christ into your heart and life! Also, a backslider living in secret or open sin cannot live a spirit filled life. There is the need for confession of sin and total repentance before such a one can be led by the Spirit of God once more. “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God” (1John 1:9; Romans 8: 14). - Commitment and Consecration. For the one who sincerely desire to be directed, controlled and empowered by the Holy Spirit, there is the need to open all the doors of your life (heart, home, marriage, family, job, Christian ministry, finances, etc), and invite Him to come in and take control of everything. Then yield to Him (Rom. 12: 1-2) - Claiming. We received Christ by faith and we must have faith that He will also fill our lives (Heb. 12: 6). As an expression of faith, in prayer, you surrender the throne of your life to Him, and by faith you draw upon His resources to live a holy and fruitful life. The command of Ephesians 5:18 is given to all believers to be filled, directed and empowered by the Holy Spirit, continually, every day of our lives. And the promise of 1 John 5:14, 15 is made to all believers that, when we pray according to Gods will, He hears and answers us. If we claim the fullness of Gods Spirit in prayer, He will hear and answer us. He will fill us. Instantaneous experiences of sanctification and baptism in the Holy Ghost follow sincere prayers made to God by faith. Being filled with the Holy Spirit, however, is not a once-and-for-all experience. It’s not enough to take one drink of the Holy Spirit. You have to keep on drinking. It’s a daily process to satisfy the thirst of your spirit, to sustain the spirit, and enable you to grow. There are many fillings, as is made clear in Ephesians 5:18. This command of God means to be constantly and continually filled, controlled and empowered with the Holy Spirit as a way of life. However, you cannot control yourself and be controlled by the Holy Spirit at the same time. Christ cannot be in control, if you are on the throne. So you must abdicate. THE ESSENCE OF SPIRITUAL MEDITATION IN GOD’S WORD: Joshua 1: 8; Colossians 3: 16; Psalm 19: 14; Psalm 46:10; Acts 17: 27-28. Meditation in the word of God is the power behind the abundant or spirit filled Christian life. No believer can maintain his Christian experiences or constant relationship with God without being filled with the word of God. To live a spirit-controlled life, scriptural meditation is the answer! The believer’s progress in meditation largely determines the quality of his life and ministry, because it directly affects the manifestation of the fruit of the spirit. Setting aside time for communion and meditation is essential for our spiritual well being as well as continued possession of the abundant life (Ephesians 3: 14-19; John 10:10). Persevering in meditation can however be a challenge, so it is important to set aside time and space everyday to wait upon the Lord in His word (Isaiah 40: 30). “But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing” (James 1: 4). Psalms 1:1-2 (KJV) 1” Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night”. Meditation is about absorbing scriptural truth and should naturally follow the study of God’s word. God is no respecter of persons. If you put His word first place in your life and meditate on it on a consistent basis, it will change you (2Cor. 3:18). As you meditate on the Word, faith rises and the Spirit leads. Many people miss this increase in faith and a spirit filled life because they read the word, but don’t meditate on it day and night. ENJOYING THE SUPERABUNDANT LIFE AND MINISTRY THROUGH MEDITATION IN GOD’S WORD: Ephesians 5: 18-20; Galatians 5: 22-25; John 10: 10; John 15:5. When a believer tries to live the Christian life by personal effort, it becomes complex, difficult and even impossible. But when you invite the Lord Jesus to direct your life; when you know the reality of having been crucified with Christ and raised with Him by faith as a way of life; when you walk in the light as God is in the light in the fullness and power of the Holy Spirit, the Lord Jesus simply lives his abundant life within you in all of His resurrection power. The Christian’s secret to a consistent life is for Christ to live His life through us. “ I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2: 20). Maintaining a spirit filled life involves daily yielding to Christ through meditation in His word. When this is done, the believer’ life and ministry will be a glorious one and the abundant spirit filled life that Christ came to offer will be enjoyed to the fullest.
Posted on: Fri, 18 Jul 2014 09:04:24 +0000
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