The question for discussion is as follows:

We know that, at the moment of salvation, we are born again and receive the Holy Spirit of God. The bible also teaches that we can quench and even grieve the Holy Spirit. So the question(s) being put forward is how are we filled with the Holy Spirit? Why is it that some days we feel like we are overflowing with God’s Spirit and on others days not so much? Is it by what we do or don’t do? What we believe or don’t believe? Is it based on our feelings and emotions? Does God just chose arbitrarily who to fill and by how much? Is there anything we can do, say or think which will impact either good or bad the filling of the Holy Spirit? If so What?

3 thoughts on “The Filling of the Holy Spirit – Discussion

  1. Rich Chatfield Post author

    Please add your comments and answers here. Also, be respectful of others. God Bless.

  2. Bill Evanusich

    I wish to look k at Ephesians 5:18-21. Before this verse Paul the apostle is talking about how to walk in love (verse 1-2). How NOT to walk in love (verse 3-6). Then verses 8-14 how we walk in the light. Then starting in verse 15 we are shown how to walk in wisdom. Wisdom is not knowledge, but our understanding of knowledge in order to “apply” it in our everyday lives. It is as my pastor says (Gilbert DeLaO Jr.) “Where the rubber meets the road, if you will.” With that being said let’s begin.
    See that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. This is a very true scripture! Not only can one turn on the TV and see this, we can also know our own life before we came to Christ, or if we backslid, as I did, how quickly you move from the Lord the longer you stay away. So we are urged to redeem the time because it is short. After all what is the remainder of your life (60 if your very young and maybe 25 if your my age) when placed against eternity? We are asked to walk circumspectly which means walk looking “all” around; a 360 degree circle as well as up and down. Anyone with military combat training knows this doctrine is sound and cannot be broken if you want to make it out alive, right? In the spiritual sense this means all aspects of our life right? We are told by Jesus to love God with all our soul, mind, strength and spirit. He needs our all. That’s a tall order! How do we do it? With His Spirit! Okay back to the scripture.
    Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation, but “be” filled with the Spirit. So here I see a comparison, to do one or the other. You cannot do both as stated in Galatins 5:16 Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. So our days are filled with many things and duties and responsibilities and obligations and distractions. Is it any wonder we can find our day filled with no time for God? Well of course. We live in a very materialistic society here in America. Remember the bible says we have 3 enemies. Our flesh, the world and the devil.
    Back to Ephesians 5: speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks ALWAYS (emphasis added by me) for ALL things (again) to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God. So we see a description of things we ought to be doing. And when I read that I know and attest to you all I fall short in several of those things. I mean is our life to be a Broadway musical? Okay I digressed, but had to say it. You know? So as soon moly as I can say it the scripture just payed out how to be spiritual and not carnal. But to answer your question Rich, what about those days we don’t feel it so much? Remember Paul again in Romans 8:22 I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, WARRING (my emphasis added) against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God-through Jesus Christ our Lord! Notice the word “our”, meaning the church. We cannot do this alone. Believe me I’ve tried and crashed and burned. I think Christ knew what He was doing when He started the church. He started it, and hades he said would not prevail against it. Think about it. We have Christ in us, and others also filled with the Holy Spirit standing with us arm-in-arm. So to the synnic who says I don’t need church…really? Anyway back to point. So there will be days our flesh can overtake the spirit, but only when we ignore the spiritual things. As for emotions Rich. Great point! I simply say this. Emotions are very subjective. Emotions are reactive to situations and feelings external and internal. So with that being said you cannot rely on emotions being correct, especially if you are misinformed or don’t have all the facts. Acknowledge your emotions and feelings. But only use them to get to the bottom of the source or reason of why you are in a state, for if you sin because you reacted to a situation where you did not have all the facts or the whole picture, then those “feelings” and emotions were wrong as well. So remember the Proverbs 3:5,6: Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and Lean not on your own understanding,; In ALL your ways acknowledge Him, and he SHALL direct your paths. I think that kind of sums it up! Never exchange what you don’t know for what you do know. (Quoting Don Stewart there). The Word of God is true, always use that, know God has your best interest in mind, just remember he’s using you to help others as well, who are His, we just might not know someone is His, I mean He saved me, He can save anyone, and there is humility, but that’s another topic for another day. May I encourage all who read this to keep God foremost in your minds so you continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ! He came down and gave Himself for us so we may be with Him. God punished His son to satisfy both his righteousness and holiness in an ultimate act of love that will stand for all eternity. He did all this for the few who would believe. God gained nothing from all of this, but we sure did. How can we not be changed by this act, this love? Allow the Holy Spirit to work in you mightily every day….by asking….every day! Blessings my brothers and sisters! May your day and weekend be full of blessings that you give out and then in turn you receive by his grace. Amen

    • Rich Chatfield Post author

      Ok, Wow!

      Great Post Bill! You had a lot to say, but I went through and cherry picked from your posts.

      • See that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
      • Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is
      • And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation, but “be” filled with the Spirit. So here I see a comparison, to do one or the other. You cannot do both as stated in Galatins 5:16 Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.
      • I can say it the scripture just payed out how to be spiritual and not carnal.
      • Allow the Holy Spirit to work in you mightily every day….by asking….every day!

      So to be clear, we are not talking about salvation here. We agree that it is by Grace we are saved and this is not from ourselves or of works lest anyone should boast. What we are talking about here is our relationship with God, specifically the Holy Spirit which dwells in us. And depending on if we walk by the Spirit or not, depends on:

      1. With our Minds, knowing what God’s will is
      2. With our Hearts, seeking closeness and intimacy with the Lord. Worship and prayer. Setting our affections and desires upon Him and the things above
      3. With our Bodies, living pure and put hand to plow and be doers of His Word, serving Him
      4. With our Souls, trusting, believing and victorious. Fellowship. At peace and imbued with power by the indwelling Spirit. Our eternal being and Identity in Christ

      Salvation is what God did for us by grace, but developing a relationship with God, is something that requires us to be intentional in choosing to love God with our whole being as you have pointed out. We can either choose to walk in the Spirit or walk in the flesh, you can’t do both. I would suggest that when considering the concept of being full of the Holy Spirit, the idea would liken unto what John the Baptist said when he said, “I must decrease, so that He (Jesus) can increase.” If I am a large jar, if it is filled up with my own fleshly desires and the world, there is no room for the living water of the Spirit. If I surrender and empty myself, then there is room for the Holy Spirit to fill up my container and when people come to drink from my container, they taste the goodness and sweetness of the Lord and not the bitterness of my sinful nature. 🙂

      Thanks Bill for adding to the discussion. God bless Brother

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