Charles Stanley (July 24, 2025) Daily Devotional: The Holy Spirit: Filling the Believer.
The Holy Spirit will fill believers who follow His directions.
Ephesians 5:15-21 - Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, 16 making the most of your time, because the days are evil. 17 So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; 20 always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father; 21 and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.
At the moment of salvation, we were permanently indwelled by the Holy Spirit. From then on, God’s Spirit will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5 - Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, ``I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU,"). But being filled with the Spirit—that is, being led by Him—requires something of us: submission.
Unless we submit to the Lord’s authority, we’ll miss out on things He wants to accomplish in and through us. We need His power in order to overcome sin, to become the people He designed us to be, and to complete the work He has called us to do. The filling of the Spirit is His provision for this kind of supernatural living.
The Lord has various ways of motivating us to desire His fullness above all else. Sometimes He plants within us a deep longing to be closer to Him. Other times He leverages our failures and feelings of inadequacy that result from trying to live in our own strength. God may even use the example of other believers to inspire us.
The Holy Spirit promises to fill every believer who is willing to yield all aspects of life to Him. This isn’t an instantaneous event, but a gradual removal of a desire for self-rule. As the heavenly Father reveals an area that you have kept under your own control, surrender it and let Him fill you with His Spirit.
Bible in One Year: Isaiah 8-10
