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Ephesians 5:18 - Controlled and Powered by The Spirit.

Ephesians 5:18 (NLT) Don't be drunk with 
wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, 
let the Holy Spirit fill and control you.  

INTRODUCTION

Paul contrasts getting drunk with wine, 
which produces a temporary "high," to being filled 
with the Spirit, which produces lasting joy. 
Getting drunk with wine is associated with the old 
way of life and its selfish desires. In Christ, 
we have a better joy, higher and longer 
lasting, to cure our depression, monotony, or 
tension. We should not be concerned with how much of 
the Holy Spirit we have, but how much of us the 
Holy Spirit has. Submit yourself daily to his 
leading and draw constantly on his power. [Life 
Application SB] 

True communion with God is not induced by 
drunkenness but by the Holy Spirit. Paul is not speaking 
of the Holy Spirit's indwelling (Rom. 8:9) or 
the baptism by Christ with the Holy Spirit (1 
Cor. 12:13), because every Christian is indwelt 
and baptized by the Spirit at the time of 
salvation. He is rather giving a command for believers 
to live continually under the influence of the 
Spirit by letting the Word control them, pursuing 
pure lives, confessing all known sin, dying to 
self, surrendering to God's will, and depending on 
His power in all things. Being filled with the 
Spirit is living in the conscious presence of the 
Lord Jesus Christ, letting His mind, through the 
Word, dominate everything that is thought and 
done. Being filled with the Spirit is the same as 
walking in the Spirit. [MacArthur Daily Bible 2003] 

COMMENTARY PEARL

Keep On Being Filled
   The command to "be filled with the 
Spirit" actually has the idea of continuously being 
filled in the original Greek language. We are not 
filled once for all, like a bucket. Instead, we are 
to be filled constantly. This verse might be 
translated, "Be filled and keep on being filled." Dr. 
Merrill C. Tenney has compared this to the situation 
of an old-time farmhouse kitchen. In one corner 
was a sink; above it was a pipe through which 
came a continuous stream of water from the spring 
outside. The water, by running constantly, kept the 
sink brimful of good water. 
   In the same way, we are not to let 
ourselves be filled and then emptied of the Spirit - 
like a leaky bucket - only to be refilled later 
on, again and again. Rather, the Holy Spirit 
should flow within us constantly - and He will, as 
we yield ourselves to Christ's presence and 
power every day. 
   Do you find yourself returning to 
something that refreshes momentarily but leaves you 
empty in the long run?  Christ promises that those 
who come to Him will receive the living water 
that springs up from within. [Hope for Each Day 
by Billy Graham] 

COMMENTARY

Fighting Our Foes
   Abiding in Christ, as taught in John 15, 
is the only possible course for the Christian 
who has to be "in" the world but does not want 
to be "of" it. In relation to the devil, we 
resist him only as we submit ourselves to God. In 
relation to the world, the Bible says, "This is the 
victory that overcometh the world, even our faith" 
(1 John 5:4 KJV). In relation to the flesh, the 
Bible says, "Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not 
fulfill the lust of the flesh" (Galatians 5:16 
KJV). 
   Here is glorious news to you who have 
already been fighting these battles and temptations: 
You are not asked to fight the battle alone. 
Jesus left us with a Helper - the Holy Spirit - 
who comes alongside and walks with us. 
   Just as Christ came to make God visible 
and redeem mankind, so the Holy Spirit came to 
make Christ visible in the life of the believer 
and enable the individual Christian to offer 
Christ's redemption to a lost and dying world. 
   Are you battling temptations alone, or do 
you rely on the Holy Spirit? [Peace for Each Day 
by Billy Graham] 

CLOSING THOUGHT

To be spiritually filled we must continually 
empty ourselves of our selfish nature.  SS Lesson 
June 7, 2012. mod 

LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY

Ephesians 5:18 - Controlled and Powered by 
The Spirit. 

http://www.abible.com/devotions/2021/20210122-0923.html 

Ephesians 5:18 - Filled With The Spirit.

http://www.abible.com/devotions/2020/20201006-1027.html 

LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT

https://abible.com/links/