Knowing God's Will For Your Life: Being Filled With the Spirit

[The following was originally posted on 5/9/12.]

What is God's will for my life? I believe that God's will can be summed up in one statement: God wants me to be filled with the Holy Spirit. I believe that this is the teaching of Ephesians 5:17-18. The filling of the Holy Spirit is indicative of God's active, indwelling presence in my life: granting me spiritual gifts, growing spiritual fruit within me, and bringing me into blessed fellowship with Him.

Quenching the Spirit

I can fail (and often do fail) to be filled by the Holy Spirit as I "quench" the Holy Spirit in my life (1 Thess 5:19). This 'quenching' occurs through engaging in sins: either sins of commission or sins of omission. Sins of commission can occur through the instrumentality of a foreign substance (Eph 5:17-18 mentions "wine") or through my own flesh (1 Thess 4:3 mentions "sexual immorality;" cf. 1 Cor 6:18). In either case, in committing sins of commission, I am giving myself over to the control of something other than the Holy Spirit. The chief sin of omission is the failure to prayerfully study God's Word.

Filled With the Word

Being filled with the Holy Spirit is directly tied to being filled with God's Word. This is seen in the close parallel between Ephesians 5:17-33 and Colossians 3:15-25. (Notice that whereas Eph 5:18 says, "be filled with the Spirit," Col 3:16 says, in the same basic position of the argument being presented, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.") Holy Scripture—the Word of God, presenting the message of Christ—is the vehicle of the Holy Spirit. Faith comes (initially) by hearing the Word of God (Rom 10:17). Faith grows through being nourished on the Word of God (Matt 4:4; 1 Pet 2:2). Faith is the instrument by which disciples take hold of Christ and receive all spiritual blessings found in Him.

Prayer, Wisdom, and the Word in Action

My study of God's Word must be prayerful, because I am commanded to "let the Word of Christ dwell within you richly in all wisdom" (Col 3:16), and because the way to obtain wisdom is through asking God (Jas 1:5). Wisdom is needed so that I may put God's Word into action in how I deal with others, as outlined in Ephesians 5:17-33 and Colossians 3:15-25.

Thankfulness and Evangelism

If I am filled with the Holy Spirit—if I am thus pursuing God's will for my life—it will be evident in my attitude and actions. Correct attitude and correct actions will primarily be characterized by thankfulness and evangelism. I will have an attitude of thankfulness toward God in all circumstances (1 Thess 5:18-19). My actions—in addition to being characterized by the love, submission, and justice described in Ephesians 5:17-33 and Colossians 3:15-25—will also be characterized by active evangelism. In performing God's will for my life, I must be active in evangelism because it is God's will that all be saved (1 Tim 2:3-4) and the Lord is not willing that any should perish (2 Pet 2:9).

Conclusion

God's will for my life is that I be filled with the Holy Spirit. The chief ways to be filled with the Holy Spirit are by simultaneously: abstaining from sin, prayerfully studying God's Word (seeking to put what I find in His Word into practice in my life), having an attitude of thankfulness to God in all circumstances, and engaging in evangelism.