Page 11 - Grace Connections August Edition
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SPIRIT FILLED LIVING cheered as if they had just hit a
By Pastor Mike Forbis home run in the world series. It
Ephesians 5:18, “And be not was great fun for all of us. But
drunk with wine, wherein is what if I had put Lindsey who was
excess; but be filled with the the youngest and smallest child,
spirit.” up there and told her if she didn’t
hit the ball into the field, then she
Let’s begin this study of living a would be grounded. Not fair, most
spirit filled life by examining the would reply, because she simply
truth revealed in this verse that wasn’t physically capable of
God wants us living in a constant hitting a baseball that distance. In
state of spiritual fullness. The other words, it simply would not
Amplified translation of be just, to require someone to do
Ephesians 5:18 clarifies this point, something that’s not possible.
“… but ever be filled and Accordingly, it would be unfair
stimulated with the (Holy) Spirit.” for God to expect us to live a life
Over the years I have heard other of constantly being filled with the
Bible teachers state that it is Spirit if that wasn’t possible.
easier understood as repeatedly
being filled, in other words, it is So, if I am to live a Spirit filled
not referring to a one-time event, life every day, does that imply
but a way of life. that I can vary in the amount of
the Holy Spirit that I have? I
Is that possible? Let me share remember while working in a
with you an illustration that I prison ministry, one of my co-
often use to answer that question. workers often wanted to engage
When my children were young we in a good-natured debate about
lived in a country home with the issue. Always stating to me
slightly more than an acre of land that scripture doesn’t really mean
for our yard. On the property was that we are filled with the Holy
an old concrete block building Spirit, but that we are
that we used as a backstop for our surrendered to the Holy Spirit in
family baseball games. Not too far various degrees. To which I
from the block building was a replied, that either we are
farmer’s field, so occasionally one literally filled to different
of the kids would hit the baseball measures or else that is how God
into the field, and we always wants us to think about it,
