“And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit!”
Ephesians 5:18
Last month we began addressing the question of why every Believer should be filled with the Holy Spirit! Remember that we are focusing on John chapters 14, 15 and 16, because these chapters contain a time of ongoing discussion by Jesus concerning His soon-coming departure, and the ministry His disciples would soon be leading. A significant part of this discussion focuses on the role the Holy Spirit will fill in the life and ministries of the disciples, and those that will follow them! In this discussion Jesus deals with three reasons why every Believer needs to be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18). The first reason is because the Holy Spirit indwells the Believer, both with you (John 14:16), and in you (John 14:17). To review scroll down and re-read last month’s devotional!
The second reason every Believer needs to be filled with the Spirit is He instructs the Believer. “He will teach you all things.” (John 14:26a). All the Believer truly knows of the Lord is taught/revealed to us by the Holy Spirit! He instructs us in three ways. First, He reminds us, “He will bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.” (John 14:26b). Some times we don’t need to learn something new. Sometimes our memory needs to be prompted to remember Truth we have already learned! That could happen when we are meditating on Scripture we have just read, or just heard, or in a conversation we are having with a fellow Believer. The Spirit uses all kinds of instruments in His ministry to us!
The second way the Spirit instructs us is He refines us, “But when He, the Spirit of Truth comes, He will guide you into all the Truth.” (John 16:13a). You may well ask, “Isn’t that the same thing as John 14:26?” NO! These are two separate things. One is that the Spirit teaches us all things; the other is He not only teaches Truth, but He leads us INTO the Truth! This is one of the ways of God that David referred to in Psalm 103:7, “He made known His way unto Moses, His acts to the sons of Israel!” He reveals Truth to His servants and follows it by putting them in life experiences that will require them to validate the Truth in personal experience. Only then can they minister the Truth in the Lord’s power!
Finally, the third way the Holy Spirit instructs the Believer is He reveals to us, “He will disclose to you what is to come.” (John 16:13b). The word “disclose” means to “tell back.” If you want to know that for which you need to be prepared, pay attention to what the Lord is teaching you today! There are no “accidents” in the life of a child of God, especially one who is committed to be a loyal follower! Any educator will tell you the best environment for learning is one teacher for every student, and that is what the Lord has provided for each of His children! Each Believer has the undivided attention and ministry of the Holy Spirit. That is another reason every Believer needs to be filled with the Spirit!
Jon Moore
