Greg Laurie Harvest Daily Devotional

Get guidance on Bible study from C.S. Lewis - Free Course!
<< Greg Laurie Daily Devotions

Greg Laurie Daily Devotion - Sept. 5, 2007

 

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

Ready for a Refill?

And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.

—Acts 4:31

If you want to be used by God, then you need to be filled with the Holy Spirit. The word “filled” as used in the Bible—and specifically in Ephesians 5:18, which says, “Be filled with the Spirit”—carries many shades of meaning.

One translation is the idea of the wind filling the sail of a ship at sea. The wind carries the vessel along. To be filled with the Spirit means that He fills your sails and guides you through life. You are led by the Spirit, making God’s commands not drudgery, but a delight.

“Filled” also carries the meaning of being permeated. The term was used to describe salt permeating meat in order to flavor and preserve it. God wants His Holy Spirit to permeate the lives of His children in what they say, think, and do. God’s Spirit should permeate every aspect of our lives.

In the original language, “Be filled with the Spirit” could also be translated, “Be constantly filled with the Spirit.” It is continuous.

What would you think if your friend bought a new car and, after driving it for a week, he tells you, “This piece of junk. I can’t believe it! The car just stopped running, and I can’t find anything wrong with it.”

“When did you fill it up last?” you ask.

“When I bought it.”

In the same way, a lot of Christians wonder what’s wrong with their lives. They put the key in the ignition, but it just won’t start. It is because they need a refill. They need to constantly be filled with the Spirit.

God is ready to fill you and empower you and use you. Are you filled with the Spirit? 


For more relevant and biblical teaching from Pastor Greg Laurie, go to  www.harvest.org.

Copyright © 2007 by Harvest Ministries.  All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version.  Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.  Used by permission.  All rights reserved.  Bible text from the New King James Version is not to be reproduced in copies or otherwise by any means except as permited in writing by Thomas Nelson, Inc., Attn: Bible Rights and Permissions, P.O. Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214-1000.



More Greg Laurie Daily Devotions Articles