Filled With the Spirit

Luke 11:24–26 NKJV

24 “When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ 25 And when he comes, he finds it swept and put in order. 26 Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first.”

Jesus is giving a teaching after delivering a person from demonic oppression. In it, He is emphasizing the need to “fill the house” after God has evicted the demon and made the person clean.

After a while, the spirit who was ejected will come back to see if there is a way back in. This is a consistent strategy of the enemy: after he was denied by Jesus in the wilderness, the Bible states that the devil departed from him until an opportune time (Luke 4:13).

Illustration: Hasty defense.

We can not approach life passively. Once God delivers us, we are no longer to be slaves to sin and prisoners to the flesh. We are not under the dominion of the evil one. The thing about the devil is that he will keep coming and coming and coming if he perceives there is an opening. He is looking for every opportunity to destroy (1 Peter 5:8).

As Christians, we must have an aggressive mentality when it comes to possessing the kingdom (Matthew 11:12). We must remember that the gates of hell will not prevail against the revelation of Jesus and the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 16:18).

Jesus continued His teaching a few verses later by declaring that the people who are truly blessed are those who hear God’s word and keep it (Luke 11:28). When we fill our lives with truth—reality—we become less of a target of opportunity for the enemy.

Jesus Was Filled With the Spirit…And You Should Be Too

Luke 4:1–2 NKJV

1 Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2 being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry.

Jesus is our prototype—the firstborn of many brethren (Romans 8:29). As such, He is our example in how to truly live. And He was filled with the Spirit. If He was filled with the Spirit, how much more do we need to be filled with the Spirit of God?

It was so important that Jesus told the disciples to not leave Jerusalem to go do the work that He called them to do until the first received the infilling of the Holy Spirit (cf. Acts 1:4).

The Holy Spirit filled Jesus and led Him in the will of God. The world, flesh, and the devil want to lead you too. These forces work to move you, manipulate you, and make you submit to their version of reality. The children of God are led by the Spirit of God (Romans 8:14). Having the abiding presence of the Spirit of truth to lead us into all truth is a powerful weapon against the things which wage war against our souls (John 16:13).

The filling of the Holy Spirit was not only about leading and direction. It was about power to live according to the leading and truth of God.

Matthew 12:28 NKJV

28 But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.

Acts 10:38 NKJV

38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.

Not only do we need to be filled with truth so that the enemy does not gain a stronghold in our lives, we need to be filled with the Spirit so that we have power to live the life God invites us into.

You Are God’s House

1 Corinthians 3:16 AMP

Do you not discern and understand that you [the whole church at Corinth] are God’s temple (His sanctuary), and that God’s Spirit has His permanent dwelling in you [to be at home in you, collectively as a church and also individually]?

Collectively the Church, and individually the believer is the place with the Holy Spirit desires to dwell and be at home. The condition of your life has an impact on the whole church. In other words, my holiness, or lack thereof, affects you and vice-versa.

Not just that, the Bible is clear that God the Spirit wants to make His home in you.

Illustration: From shack to castle.

He not only cleans out the home, He remodels it. He not only moves trash out of the home, He fills it with good things.

Staying Filled Means Staying Free

In light of these things, we need to stay filled with the Spirit.

Ephesians 5:15–18 NKJV

15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,

The idea of being filled really is about control and influence. It is about who, or what, is behind your behavior.

In the initial text, Jesus was talking about life free from demonic control and influence. In this passage, the apostle contrasts being under the influence of alcohol with being filled or under the influence of the Spirit.

Before coming to Christ, we were not our own. We were influenced by “deceptive ideas” that led to “disordered desires” that create a “sinful world” (As John Mark Comer would say lies from the devil, manipulating the flesh, leading to a fallen world).

And then Jesus came and set us free. But God doesn’t set you free only to leave you subject to the power of the world, flesh, and devil. He came to dwell with you and give you life everlasting.

1 Corinthians 6:11–20 NKJV

11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. 12 All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. 13 Foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods, but God will destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14 And God both raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power. 15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not! 16 Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For “the two,” He says, “shall become one flesh.” 17 But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him. 18 Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. 19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.

Paul is making the case that our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. As a result, we need to make every effort to glorify God in our bodies.

Illustration: Forged in Fire TV Show: two metals that are incompatible won’t mix into a billet to be shaped into a blade. The blade will be worthless. You can’t reheat it or reforge it. You have to throw it away. It’s worthless.

Paul is emphasizing the incompatibility of sin, especially sexual immorality, with the holiness of God. The Holy Spirit does not want to live in a defiled home.

When we are filled with the Spirit, we choose to live by the Spirit. We are now submitted to His influence and leading.

1 Corinthians 6:12 The Message

12 Just because something is technically legal doesn’t mean that it’s spiritually appropriate. If I went around doing whatever I thought I could get by with, I’d be a slave to my whims.

Staying filled by the Spirit means staying free. We are no longer a slave to our desires. We no longer come under the power of the flesh. We no longer fall for the lies of the devil.

How to Be and Stay Filled

If being filled with the Spirit means living free from the power, influence, and control of the world, the flesh, and the devil it is important that we know how to be filled and how to stay filled.

Ask God to Fill You

The first step is the simplest one. Ask God to fill you.

Jesus said that the Father would give the Spirit to those of His children who asked Him (Luke 11:13). When the disciples were waiting for the gift, the promise of the Spirit, they were in prayer (cf. Acts 2:1-4, 33, 38).

Jesus redeemed us from the curse and offers us the blessing so that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith (Galatians 3:13-14).

Submit to God in Faith

Romans 6:12–14 NLT

12 Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. 13 Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. 14 Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.

When we submit to God in faith, we present ourselves to be used by Him. This is not restricted to “ministry” but to our whole lives.

We are free to choose who and what we will serve. Therefore, stay away from things that do not serve God. Walk in the power of the Spirit and offer yourself to Him moment by moment, day by day.

Set Your Mind on Spiritual Things

Romans 8:5–6 AMP

5 For those who are according to the flesh and are controlled by its unholy desires set their minds on and pursue those things which gratify the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit and are controlled by the desires of the Spirit set their minds on and seek those things which gratify the [Holy] Spirit. 6 Now the mind of the flesh [which is sense and reason without the Holy Spirit] is death [death that comprises all the miseries arising from sin, both here and hereafter]. But the mind of the [Holy] Spirit is life and [soul] peace [both now and forever].

It is imperative that you curate your thoughts.

The more you watch, listen to, and think about things that do not honor God, the more you come under bondage to those things.

Illustration: Comparisons on social media lead to lies about reality. News leading to anger, etc.

The more you set your focus on the things of the Spirit, the more life and peace you will experience.

Conclusion

God wants you and I to be free. If we are going to live in the freedom for which Christ set us free, we will need to fill our lives with truth and with the Holy Spirit.

This is an ongoing, daily process.

Ask God to fill you afresh.

Submit yourself—your schedule, activities, etc.—to the Lord.

Set your mind on spiritual things. Curate what you take in so that you can live in soul peace.

Pray - for deliverance from the devil, for people to receive a fresh infilling, and for people to take the next steps to participate with God to fill their house and make it a place where the Spirit of God is pleased to dwell.