Welcome back to our study of the Holy Spirit. In this lesson we want to discuss how we can maintain the spirit-filled life. By that I mean, how we can keep ourselves in a spiritual position that allows the Holy Spirit to fully use us and manifest Himself through our lives.

In 2 Timothy 2: 20&21, from the Good News Bible we read, “In a large house there are dishes and bowls of all kinds; some are made of silver and gold, others of wood and clay; some are for special occasions, others for ordinary use. Those who make themselves clean from all those evil things, will be used for special purposes, because they are dedicated and useful to their Master, ready to be used for every good work.”

In these verses Paul uses the illustration of household utensils. If we were using modern terminology we would say, in a house, especially in the kitchen, there are many different types of containers and dishes. Some are only used for special occasions. Other containers are used in everyday ordinary situations.

Paul is saying that there is something that we must do in order for God to use us in a special or extraordinary way. We could say in a supernatural way.

Please understand that we must never think that some Christians are better than others, or that some have come to a place that they are super-spiritual. Paul is simply saying that you can make yourself more usable or less usable. That usefulness is not up to God, it is up to you.

How do we make ourselves more usable by God? If we read through the New Testament, especially the letters written to the church, we can find many spiritual principles that help us grow to a place that God can fully manifest Himself through our lives. Some of those principles include, spiritual growth and maturity; being full of the Word of God, being full of the Holy Spirit, listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit, walking in divine love, operating in the God kind of faith, guarding our heart, controlling our words, walking in forgiveness, honouring the marriage covenant, just to name a few.

It is walking in obedience to the combined truth from God’s Word and the leading of the Holy Spirit that enables us to place ourselves in a position to become a vessel that is fully useful in God’s service.

One principle that helps us accomplish this is maintaining the spirit-filled life. In Ephesians chapter 5 we find several remarkable verses. Let’s read verses 17 through 21. 

Eph 5:17  Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.

Eph 5:18  And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;

Eph 5:19  Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;

Eph 5:20  Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

Eph 5:21  Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

In these verses, Paul is writing to born again, spirit-filled Christians. In verse 18 Paul instructs believers to place themselves in a position so that they can stay saturated with the Holy Spirit on a continual basis.

Paul’s grammar clearly says, “be constantly being filled with the Holy Spirit.” The filling of the Holy Spirit is not a one-time event that we live off of the rest of our days. There is a wonderful and significant first experience with the filling of the Holy Spirit, often thought of as the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. This is an experience valid and important for every believer. Much of the weakness, defeat and lethargy in our spiritual lives can be attributed to the fact that we are not constantly being filled with the Holy Spirit. The ancient Greek grammar for be filled also indicates two other important things. First, the verb is passive, so this is not a manufactured experience. Second, it is imperative, so this is not an optional experience. (David Guzik Commentary)

We live in a world that runs on batteries. Every electronic device in my home, from my handphone to my computer requires charging. As a matter of fact, I have so many charging cables it is hard to keep track of them all.

Many times we seem to be more concerning about keeping our handphone charged than we do our spiritual life. These verses that we just read talk about keeping our spiritual life charged.

I am not insinuating that the Holy Spirit is like a battery and He needs to be constantly charged so that we have His presence operating at full power. No, the Bible clearly teaches us that once we become Christians, the Holy Spirit comes to live in our spirits. We know the Holy Spirit will never leave us or forsake us. (Hebrew 13:5)

What I am talking about is the fact that we need to keep our spirits in a spiritual condition that allows the Holy Spirit to fully work through us and manifest His presence through us. We know that God never changes. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. We also know that God cannot become bigger than He already is.

However, God can become bigger and greater to us. How we think about Him. How we see Him. We can magnify God in our own lives. In Acts 10:46 we read, “For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God.” This is speaking about the story of Peter sharing God’s word with the Gentiles. We understand that these Gentiles received the preaching of Peter, they became believers and were baptised with the Holy Spirit.

Notice, Peter heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. As we previously stated, we cannot make God any bigger than He already is. God does not change. However, from our standpoint God can become bigger. When you look through a magnifying glass the actual object you are looking at does not become bigger. The magnifying glass makes the object you are looking at appear bigger to you.

There are things we can do as believers that help us see God in a different way. God can become bigger to us. That means we begin to see the goodness of God and the greatness of God in a magnified way. When God becomes bigger to us than everything around us, our lives change. We become like Caleb and Joshua in Numbers chapter 13. The other 8 spies magnified the giants and the walled cities. Caleb and Joshua magnified God. As a result, Caleb and Joshua were able to enter the promised land and experience the blessings of God.

We need to stay full, saturated with the Holy Spirit. There is one initial experience we call the baptism with the Holy Spirit. But we need many re-fillings. I am not inferring that the Holy Spirit comes and goes in our life. I am saying we need to maintain a freshness and an awareness of the Holy Spirit in us and His desire to flow through us.

How do we maintain the spirit-filled life? The Bible gives us the answers in the verses we read in Ephesians 5:17-21. These verses are written to believers (Christians) who have been baptised in the Holy Spirit.

Verse 19 says that we are to speak to ourselves in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in our hearts to the Lord. We need to worship and praise God on a daily basis. As we worship Him and praise Him, He becomes bigger in our life.

Verse 20 says we are to give thanks. We should constantly find something to be thankful for. Every day find something to be grateful for and give God thanks.

Verse 21 says to submit ourselves to one another in the fear of God. Make it your aim to walk in love toward others.

All of these verses help us come to an understanding of what it means to maintain the spirit-filled life. Let me encourage you to make a daily practice of doing what the scriptures teach us. You can live a life that is controlled and saturated by the presence of the Holy Spirit.