Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Eph. 5:18-20)

In the last post I compared our earthly journey to an expedition up Mt. Everest with the Holy Spirit as our Guide.

For our spiritual safety we see how important it is to stay near Him. But how do we do that in a practical sense?

Be filled with the Spirit.

I like Ray Pritchard’s definition of the filling of the Spirit. He says it’s what happens when the Holy Spirit has the controlling interest in your life. But it is “control by consent.”

Drunken and Spirit-filled people have one thing in common. They are both controlled people. Their lives and their behavior are radically changed by that which fills them.

—If a man is filled with anger, then anger controls his life.
—If a man is filled with greed, then greed dominates his life.
—If a man is filled with love, then love influences all he does.

Here’s a critical distinction. Being filled with the Holy Spirit doesn’t mean I have more of the Spirit; it means the Spirit has more of me. Being filled with the Spirit happens as you continually choose to live under his influence.

In His Presence

The second part of today’s scripture passage deals with another aspect of living under the influence of the Spirit, “… Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks…”

This has to do with living in the Lord’s Presence. There are many ways that we can practice being in the presence of the Lord: Bible reading, prayer, and service. However, one that is often neglected in our harried Western society is simply sitting at Jesus feet like Mary. Taking time to listen. Practicing the contemplative spiritual disciplines. Worshiping.

If we’re in a climber’s group and we always linger at the back of the crowd, we’d never get to know our guide very well. In the same way, the closer we stay near our Heavenly Guide, the better we’ll get at discerning His voice and hearing His instructions for the journey.

What kinds of things are keep us from walking more closely with our Guide? Are we distracted by other climbers around, playing the comparison game? Darting off on other paths, taking detours? Paralyzed with fear when danger challenges us? The Bible says, “Come near to God, and He will come near to you.” (James 4:8a)

Try This Exercise:

Spend some time “setting up camp” in the Lord’s Presence. Imagine erecting your tent, brewing a cup of tea, and settling around the camp fire to enjoy some quality time with your best Friend and Faithful Guide.

Put on your favorite Christian music, close your eyes and listen for His voice as you ponder these questions:

What is the Holy Spirit saying about who He is?
What is the Holy Spirit saying about who you are?
Even without answers to any whys, is He giving some specific instructions for your life right now? For taking the next step?

After listening, journal what you heard.

This exercise has been a great blessing to me. I’m praying it will refresh and energize your “climbing expedition” with the Lord too!

Much love,

Ruth