He > I.

He > I.

Ephesians 5:18TPT

And don’t get drunk with wine, which is rebellion; instead be filled with the fullness of the Holy Spirit.

Let’s look at part ‘a’ of this verse again, “Don’t be drunk with wine…” The Aramaic can be translated “the wine of the prodigal.” The Greek is “reckless living,” or “debauchery.” —

Debauchery is the excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures.

These indulgences take you away from the Spirit, and then indulgences become competitive to the Spirit. —Simply put,

They compete for your time.

Ephesians 5:18aTM  Don’t drink too much wine. That cheapens your life.

You were created for fellowship with God. To hear His voice, to din, and sup with Him. The— communion of the Holy Spirit becomes all important.

Paul speaks of this in, 2 Corinthians 13:14NIV May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

Grace

Love

Fellowship

Again, Ephesians 5:18b…Drink the Spirit of God, huge draughts of him.

The five short words, “be filled with the Spirit,” in Ephesians 5:18 are powerfully filled words.

The verb translated, “be filled,” is in the imperative mood. This means it is not a suggestion to be filled with the Spirit. It is not a request or simply a good idea.

This is a command of God to every believer!

The fullness of God is not a secret, Paul wrote in Ephesians 3:19NLT May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

John 1:16ESV For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.

Remember, And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.

In other words, to attempt to live the Christian life apart from the Spirit’s filling is not just a mistake. It is more than just bad judgment—It is a sin.

Here’s a definite, It is the will of God for every Christian to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

The previous verse, Ephesians 5:17, says: “Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.”

The very next command is, “…be filled with the Spirit.” Or to be inebriated in the Spirit’s fullness.”

If every Christian is indwelled by the Holy Spirit, why is God commanding that we also be,“filled with the Spirit?”

Not only is “be filled” an imperative verb, it is also in the present tense. Therefore, Ephesians 5:18 doesn’t say, “get filled,” but rather, “be filled.”

So the question is not, “Have you ever been filled with the Holy Spirit?”

The Apostle Paul was writing to Christians in Ephesus, so he knew that they had been filled.

He isn’t asking, “Have you recently been filled with the Holy Spirit?” His question is, “Right now, are you filled with the Holy Spirit?”

If you’re a believer—The Holy Spirit already lives within, we receive Jesus Christ by grace through faith the moment we surrender our lives to Him. As believers we don’t choose for the Holy Spirit to live in us.

However, we do choose whether to be led by the Holy Spirit; We must continually choose on a daily basis whether we are going to be controlled by the Holy Spirit, or controlled by something else.

Remember, He > I.

Luke 4:1NET Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness,

Jesus was filled and led by the Spirit, so you could be too!

He was led by the spirit into the wilderness.

Hebrews say’s, He was tempted, yet without sin.

2. He was ministered to by angels.

3. He came out of the wilderness stronger than He was before.

4. The spirit’s leadership prepared Jesus for ministry, and even death.

When you choose to follow Jesus and surrender your life to Him, at that moment God’s Spirit comes to live in you forever. From then on, you have to make a conscious choice to be filled with and controlled by the Holy Spirit.

Romans 8:14NIV For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.

Powerful statement: Being led by the Spirit is a life of submission.

Romans 8:14TPT  The mature children of God are those who are moved by the impulses of the Holy Spirit.

“Jesus won’t share His seat on the throne of your heart.” P.H

Let’s go on and look at the results of being filled. Ephesians 5:19-21NKJV speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, 20 giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another in the fear of God.