Your Daily Devotional for September 15, 2007

 

September 15,  2007

 

 

A Spirit-filled Christian

by Dr. Paul Chappell

 

 

"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; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."

 

Ephesians 5:18-20

 

 

Some college boys were once trying to smuggle the school mascot, a goat, into their dorm. As they entered the dorm, the one stopped and said to the other, "What about the smell?" The other boy replied, "Well, he'll just have to get used to it!"

 

Many times as we live in this ungodly world, we can "get used to the smell" of the sin around us. God desires that we would come out from the world and live for Him. If we are saved, the fact that Christ lives in us is not just a Sunday principle, but a twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week reality! We must seek to be spirit-filled Christians as we live for God each day.

 

Everyone who is saved receives the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:9 says, "But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." He is to help guide us, protect us, and convict us when we are wrong. But the Holy Spirit also helps us live more like Christ. If we are to be spirit-filled Christians, we must make three choices each day.

 

First, we must choose to be completely committed to God. First Corinthians 6:19-20 says, "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." We must choose to follow God and His will for our lives. We are not our own and we must choose to be committed to God each day.

 

Many years ago a group of preachers were trying to decide who to invite to speak at an upcoming revival meeting. One older preacher suggested the evangelist D.L. Moody. A younger and more naïve preacher commented, "Why do we have to invite Mr. Moody? Does he have a monopoly on the Holy Spirit?" The older preacher replied, "No, but the Holy Spirit has a monopoly on him." We must be completely committed to our Lord if we desire to be spirit-filled Christians.

 

Second, we must continually choose to submit to God. God has a plan for our lives and we must daily yield our wills to Him. We cannot be spirit-filled Christians if we are fighting against His will for our lives! We must surrender our wills to God each day in order to be filled with the Spirit.

 

Last, we must choose to accept the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit already lives in us and has offered us His power each day. We must claim that power and live in it! There will be results in our lives as we choose to live in the power of the Holy Spirit!

 

Do you ever struggle with temptations or difficulties as you seek to live for Christ each day? We all do! And God has offered us the power of the Holy Spirit to live for Him! We must choose to be completely committed to Christ, yield our lives to Him, and accept His power in our lives. Spend time with God right now and ask Him to help you be a spirit-filled Christian today.

 

 

 

Daily Bible Reading

Proverbs 22-24 • 2 Corinthians 8

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