Daily Devotional April 17 - Filled With The Spirit

"And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord." Ephesians 5:18-19

In the minds of men and women, good men and women there are too many interpretations of the scriptures. Ask a Baptist about being filled with the Spirit and you get a different answer than if you ask someone from a Pentecostal church. Ask a Catholic and you will find a much different view of the Spirit of God than if you ask a modern Non-denominational member. Even inside of any given church body you might find more than one version of what it means to be filled with the Spirit.

I'm not taking sides here, nor did I mention any of these denominations to set them apart as being more wrong or more right than any other. The point is that there are huge differences in philosophy among the churches. It is my point to clear something up about being filled with the Spirit.

The Bible speaks clearly and carefully lays out truths so that you can not only believe it but grasp it also. The Bible is the Word of God and therefore it will be profound, but God knowing our limitations has made it all understandable. The Bible defines the Bible. Truth upon truth is laid out for those who are seeking to be led by the indwelling Holy Spirit.

Being filled with the Holy Spirit is the most beautiful thing in all creation. This ongoing experience was not meant to be used as a tool for any church to separate one group from another. I've heard one person say to another that they have not been born again if they do not do this or do that. Foolish men and women and church leaders have built rules and regulations around this experience that are not in the Bible. That sounds a little like in the days when Jesus was visiting Jerusalem and met up with the religious folk of the times. I've heard men yell at others as if they were infidels simply because they did not posses a particular gift of the Holy Spirit.

My point is that being filled with the Holy Spirit is, was and will always be a beautiful thing.

• It will not be beat into you by those who think they are better than you.
• It will not come to you in the form of anything that others say should happen, but you don't sense in your heart.
• Being filled with the Spirit of God is gentle and wonderful and gracious.
• Being filled with the Spirit of God makes you humble and kind, wise and forgiving, consoling and gentle, patient and loving.
• Being filled with the Spirit of God is an inner work that God does to the faithful. It is best seen in the inner man and not by outward signs. It is a work of God that transcends our religious or denominational bents. God chooses the man, woman, teen or child that will represent Him.
• Being filled with the Spirit of God is not a game for leaders to play as if they could get a written tally and if everyone in their church possessed a certain gift of the spirit they would be elevated above others.

If anything you will find those who have been filled with the Spirit, speaking to themselves "in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in (their/your) heart to the Lord."