“And do not get drunk with wine, which is debauchery, but be filled by the Spirit,” – Ephesians 5:18
You come under the influence of alcohol when you get drunk. You come under the full influence of the Holy Spirit when you are filled with Him. The Spirit-filled life is a lifestyle under the loving leading and righteous guidance of the Holy Spirit.
It is a lifestyle and a daily habit of being filled with the Holy Spirit. Just as you can submit to Christ and give the Holy Spirit the control of your life, you can take it back and run your life with your own wisdom and strength. So, to be filled with the Holy Spirit is a choice you make moment by moment.
“Now without faith it is impossible to please him, for the one who approaches God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” – Hebrews 11:6
To be filled with the Holy Spirit is also an act of faith.
“And this is the confidence that we have before him: that whenever we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in regard to whatever we ask, then we know that we have the requests that we have asked from him.” – 1 John 5:14-15
You can be sure that because being filled with the Holy Spirit is God’s will for you, God will hear you and you will have what you have asked from Him if you ask and trust Him to fill you with the Spirit.
Once you have asked God to fill you with the Holy Spirit and trust Him that He has answered your request, you can confidently go about your life, trusting in the Holy Spirit that He is now leading and guiding you. Since you do not feel anything different, you must know by faith that the Spirit is now in charge of your life.
The Holy Spirit will guide and direct you in many different ways. You need to be attentive to your thoughts, feelings, and surroundings.
Sometimes, you may think of a Scripture verse, or someone comes to your mind. Sometimes, you just “feel” like you need to do “this” or “that”. Your “gut” may tell you something. The Holy Spirit dwells in you; so, the chances are that you will not hear “a voice from above”. The gentle guidance of the Spirit will be coming from within you as your own thoughts, feelings, insights, and instinct. As long as these things are not contrary to the Word of God (Bible), you can wisely and prayerfully act on them. Because being filled with the Holy Spirit means to be led and controlled by the Spirit, you must be willing to submit to His guidance and obey Him.
Your attitude should be one of being mindful of the Spirit throughout the day. Imagine that someone very important and you highly respect is following closely with you wherever you go. Knowing that He is with you, you can keep talking to the Spirit quietly, always rejoicing that He is leading you, and giving thanks in everything.
Now, if you are knowingly disobedient to God, you cannot be filled with the Holy Spirit. Because being filled with the Holy Spirit is to be obedient to God, you will not be filled with the Spirit if you are disobeying Him in some areas of your life. If you willfully sin, practice Spiritual Breathing. As long as you are living in harmony with God, you can be confident that God will be glad to fill you with His Holy Spirit.