January 19, 2025

Be Filled with the Spirit

(Ephesians 5:18)

Overseer Sung-Hyun Kim

Be Filled With

(Ephesians 5:18)

“Be filled with the Spirit!” Some people accept this command as meaning, “Seek more of the Holy Spirit so that any lack of spiritual inspiration and power may be filled.” They believe that each time they are filled with more of the Holy Spirit, they become energized, their level of inspiration increases, and they reach a state of deeply affected inspiration.

1. The Measure of Your Heart
One reason people misunderstand the Holy Spirit is their self-centered attitude. Even when God reveals His will, they judge it by their own standards: “Is this beneficial to me?” “Does it align with my knowledge?” “Is it safe for me?” Such attitudes make the fullness of the Holy Spirit seem like a temporary experience. Be filled with the Spirit! This does not mean that the Holy Spirit has not fully come upon us and must come more. It means that the measure of our heart to submit to the Holy Spirit must be filled.

2. A Heart of Obedience
God has given us the Holy Spirit—not in part, but without measure (John 3:34). Therefore, being filled with the Holy Spirit does not mean seeking the remaining parts of the Holy Spirit to fill ourselves. Rather, it means having a heart that fully submits to the guidance and control of the Holy Spirit who dwells within us.

3. Faith for the Present
When we have this attitude, the words Jesus promised can finally be fulfilled through us. Of course, being filled with the Holy Spirit is entirely His work. However, the Holy Spirit does not work unilaterally, apart from our willingness. First, we must have a heart that submits to Him. Let us maintain a heart that submits to the Holy Spirit at every moment we call “today.” Let us be prepared in faith to welcome the work of the Holy Spirit so that God’s will may be fulfilled through us.

Overseer Sung-Hyun Kim