What does it mean to be filled with the Spirit?
From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham
Q: What does it mean to be filled with the Spirit? – S.F.
A: To be filled with the Spirit is to be controlled by the Spirit; to be so completely yielded to Christ that our supreme desire is to do His will. When we come to Christ, the Spirit comes to dwell within us—whether we are aware of His presence or not. As we grow in Christ, we find ourselves wanting to please the Lord in all that we do: our conversation, our speech, and our actions.
Now, we can’t produce this fruit in our own strength. When the Spirit of God dwells in us, He will produce the fruit. It is ours only to cultivate the soil of our hearts through sincere devotion and obedience, and we learn to do this by reading God’s Word, praying for strength to understand, and then obeying it.
If the soil in orchards is not enriched and the bugs controlled, the fruit trees will not yield a full crop. As Christians, we have the Spirit of God in us. But it is our responsibility to nourish it with the Word of God and keep sin out of our lives so that the Spirit can produce His fruit in us.
We should begin the day with the Bible, and at the end of the day, we should let the Scripture speak its wisdom to our souls. Let it be the Staff of Life upon which our spirit is nourished. Let it be the Sword of the Spirit that cuts away the evil of our lives and fashions us in His image.
For those who are true Christians, the fruit of God’s Spirit will be revealed in our daily lives, and all other Christian virtues that round out a Christlike personality.
========
(This column is based on the words and writings of the late Rev. Billy Graham.)
©2022 Billy Graham Literary Trust. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
(c)2022 BILLY GRAHAM DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.
