The Spirit-Controlled Life

It is amazing how we can use something negative such as being drunk with wine to learn a truth about being controlled by the Spirit of God. Check out what the scripture says: “Do not get drunk with wine, which will only ruin you; instead, be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18 GNT). Rather than be filled with wine, be filled with God’s spirit. What you are filled with determines where you end up. It is automatic. You have no say in the leading. Where you have a say is in deciding what you fill yourself with.

You never become drunk by drinking once. You get drunk by drinking again, and again; and again. Likewise, you must keep taking in the word of God again; and again; and again. The drunks keep drinking because it is pleasurable to them at the moment. The word of God is pleasurable to us: “Your words were found, and I ate them, And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart…” (Jeremiah 15:16 NKJV).

There are different product or brand of drinks but for you to get drunk they must have alcohol in it. So also to be filled spiritually is by the Holy Spirit. A person is drunk when the alcohol has taken over his body. You can see the person is drunk by his staggering walk and slurred speech. The alcohol is influencing his action. So also to be filled by the holy spirit means that the Holy Spirit has you. The Holy Spirit influences your action, your walk, your speech and your thinking. Your actions are spirit controlled. Your life, career, marriage, money is under the influence of the Holy Spirit.

Get this, if your decision of a job is based on which one pays higher irrespective of how it will affect your spiritual life or family, you are money controlled. Someone hurt you badly and you know that you are to forgive the person but you do not then you are controlled by your emotions. What you yield yourself to controls you, if it is not to righteousness then it is sin (Romans 6:16 ).

When we are spiritually intoxicated, every other thing loses its grip on you. There is a King in everyone’s heart, let it be God. Your friends, money and even you will make a horrible king. Anything outside God that you yield control to will become a tyrant and tear your life to pieces. There are three C’s to living a spirit-controlled life. A life that only exhibits what God has approved which is always good and not evil. So let’s go into the first “C.”

The Confinement of the Walk

Scripture says: “…Walk in the spirit and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh” (Gal 5:16 KJV). It did not say walk after or walk with, it says walk in the spirit. Our victory is in the walk. To walk in the spirit is to walk in the word. Your life is confined, boxed up by God’s word. There is no thinking outside this box. When you are outside God’s word you are not in control anymore. The flesh will be the one in control. If you feel that there is something more pleasurable outside Jesus then victorious life won’t be possible for you.

The Continuity of the Walk

Walking in the spirit is a continuous action. You started with the word, you continue with the word (Colossians 2:6 KJV). How did you receive Jesus? It was by faith through grace. The two legs to walk with is Faith and Grace.  Faith is practising God’s word. It is responding to God’s grace by practising it. You keep on doing God’s word because you know that it works. You know that it gives freedom.

Elisha told the king of Israel to strike the arrow on the ground and did so only three times. Elisha in anger said: “…Thou shouldest have smitten five or six times; then hadst thou smitten Syria till thou hadst consumed it: whereas now thou shalt smite Syria but thrice” (Kings 13:19 KJV). The prophet was angry with the King that he stopped. He already told the king that he will smite them till they are all consumed but the King showed by his actions that he had already quit in his heart.

You may be saying, Well I have been in faith. I have done everything and yet I cannot see anything happening. Well, you have not done one thing, not quit. If you continue victory is sure. There is always victory for those who continue.

The Character of the Walk.

As Jesus lives in us we are to walk as He walked (1 John 2:6). If people cannot see Jesus in you then you are not Spirit-controlled. When people call you a Christian based on your actions of love rather than religious affiliations then you are being Spirit-controlled.

Some people say “We can’t all be like Jesus.” If you are a believer what else can you be like? There is no other life. When Jesus was raised from the dead, you were raised as well and the life you have now is Christ life. Your old life is gone. I repeat there is no other life. There is no other way to live. He is the way to go, the truth to believe and the life to live by (John 14:6).