To Be Filled With the Spirit!

To Be Filled with the Spirit!
By: Cheryl - YG Counselor and Intern (2009-Present)

In my life there are days I wake up and wonder if it is worth getting out of bed because the temptation to roll over and go back to sleep sounds much better than facing what I know will be a difficult day. Instead I opt for a compromise of hitting the snooze three times before coming to terms with the inevitable realization that I’m late and it actually is time to get up. Sometimes the day ends up just as terrible as I thought it would with the seeming endless list of things to do, but other days I find a little of that promised peace and joy from the Holy Spirit.

Do you ever feel like that? Generally if I can pull my attention off myself and what I want for a few minutes then I can look around and really see and hear people. I can see the heartache, the brokenness, busyness, and fatigue which overwhelm the people standing right next to me. It is at these moments I feel the Spirit cry out within me, filled with love and compassion.

Read Ephesians 5:15-20. Now read it again and take some time to reflect.

Paul calls us to be filled with the Spirit. To speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Not only that but to sing and make music in your heart to the Lord while always giving thanks to God the Father for everything! Take a moment to think about what it means to be filled with the Spirit. Have you ever felt it? Can you describe it?

For me, when I am truly filled with the Spirit the fruit of the Spirit can barely be contained. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control rush out of me like a whirlwind consuming anyone or anything in my path. I feel like singing, dancing, weeping with joy, and hugging everyone around me. That is my response to the love of God as His Spirit fills me. No wonder we are called to filled with the Spirit! I just wish I could get out of the way more often so God would fill me. But much of the time I do live unwisely, filling my life with so much busyness and noise that I just let the Spirit fill me when it seems convenient or when I can’t seem to control what is going on in life.

It was in one of these moments of brokenness, where I felt like everything was overwhelming me and falling apart, that I found myself talking to Pastor Ben after a staff meeting, but He did much more than just listen. He went and got his guitar and we spent a few wonderful moments worshiping God together with spiritual songs. I will never forget that moment. You see, it was much more than just listening to everything and saying ‘I’ll pray for you’, he helped me turn towards God and be filled with the Spirit.

God gave us many wonderful ways to worship Him. How often do we sing and make music in our hearts to the Lord? How often do we speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs? What our brothers and sisters need is not for us to just listen and say they’ll be praying but for us to direct them to God, to be filled with His Spirit. So I ask you: how do you do this? What are ways you can encourage those around you or even allow yourself to be so filled with His Spirit you can’t help but lead others into His presence? It is only when we are filled with the Spirit that we will always give thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.