What It Means To Be Full Of The Holy Ghost

What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s 1 Corinthians 6: 19,20.

Have you ever experienced a time in your life when you sensed you needed the presence of the Spirit of God? I have. It is at those times that we realize how helpless we are to change our present reality. And when we can’t change things in our life that needs to be changed, we need a different perspective.

I have found myself in trials that just would not end. One voice within says, "I know I’ve got the victory", but yet another say "quit kidding yourself". It’s difficult to not feel threatened when we face a doctor’s report, a family crisis or a decision we have to make with life-changing implications.

When things like this happen, we have to tell ourselves not to worry; but when our heart starts racing and pounding, and we get sweaty and shaky, we realize that a panic is trying to come on us. We need help, and not just from anyone. We need God.

We need God to step in and calm us down. We need Him to take charge, and to let us know that He is there at that moment to increase our confidence. It doesn’t take an audible voice or a color snapshot of our future. But an inward knowing that He is there and He cares.

To begin a Christian life, we have to be born again. We have to repent, give our life to Jesus Christ and accept Him as our Lord and Savior. That’s the easy part. To live a successful Christian life, we must live under the control of the Holy Ghost. As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him: Rooted and built up in Him, and stablished in the Faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving Colossians 2: 6,7.

Receiving Christ is how we become Christians. But walking in Him (living the life) requires being filled with the Holy Ghost.

Now when I say "filled", I don’t mean like filling up a glass of water. We are filled with the Holy Ghost to the extent that the Holy Ghost controls us. If you are full of the Holy Ghost, then that means God is influencing and directing your every pursuit. It gives the idea of willful humble submission to the Spirit of God whether we want to or not. We trust that the Holy Ghost knows.

Therefore, we submit to God in the words we speak, relationships, entertainment, how we spend our money, how we perform on our job, how we deal with our neighbors and church members, and on and on. I believe that there are a lot of Christians, but very few are genuinely filled with the Holy Ghost. They just do whatever they want to do. And that’s a tragedy, because if many are converted but few are full of (controlled by) the Spirit, then the majority are missing God’s best. The best that God has to offer should be demonstrated in the life of His people.

The Holy Ghost encourages us to stay in the race without giving up. He motivates us to adhere to the Word in spite of the obstacles that come our way. He keeps us going when the going gets tough and the vision gets cloudy. When real distress comes, the Holy Ghost is our comforter. He is our consoler in the times of calamity and our companion when we are feeling alone and in despair. He turns our vision into action and gives us insight and discernment to keep us from making a mess of things. The power of the Holy Ghost is not just a casual option, we need to be full of it.

But when we try to operate without the authority of the Holy Ghost, we are like a car running out of gas. We stall and stop. No matter what our destination is, we won’t reach it without the influencing power of the Spirit of God.

A Christian should always be controlled (filled) by the Holy Ghost. When we come to Jesus Christ, we are not our own anymore. Our body is His temple. We are His dwelling place. Jesus is our Master and He has every right to use us any way He chooses. Our bodies should glorify Him; In fact, we should glorify Him in everything.

Everyday and all day, sun up until sun down, I am full of the Holy Ghost. Nothing is accidental, incidental, meaningless or superficial. I am on my way to something purposeful. I don’t know all of the details, and events in my life may seem to be at a standstill. But He is in control; I am full of Him.

No matter how many people sincerely submit their lives to Jesus, the reality is that the multiplied masses operate apart from His control. When that happens, and it does everyday, the Christian life suffers. When the Holy Ghost guides us, the potential for peace and consolation are boundless.

If you want the Holy Ghost, just receive it from God. It’s a free gift of His grace. If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him? Luke 11:13. I tarried (waited) for a week to be filled with the Holy Ghost, and when I acknowledged that I had it, only then did I realize that I had it from the time I received Jesus. I just had to beleive it and confess it. Why tarry? Why wait? It’s here.

The problem with most Christians is not in the receiving, but in how to operate in the Holy Ghost. You see, fullness and operation go together. Paul said, "Be not drunk with wine, but be filled with the Spirit" Ephesians 5:18. That’s not an option, it’s a command. You be filled. It’s our responsibility. Paul’s not just talking to the Ephesians, he’s talking to us.

Do you know how a person gets drunk? He drinks the stuff. He gets so full of it until he loses himself. We get filled with the Spirit by involving ourselves in the process. I can’t be filled with the Holy Ghost if I’m gossiping and backbiting, harboring known unconfessed sins and never study the Word of God. Jesus said "Abide in me and my Word abide in you; for without me ye can do nothing" see John 15.

Being full is not like "I’m half full, so fill me on up". It’s more like "I know you’re with me, but I need your guidance on this and I don’t want to miss you. So fill me this hour, empower me for this challenge, give me the grace to complete this." I more I live this life, the more aware I am that I need Him in everything.

I don’t know about you, but I want to be filled. I want to be available. Above all, I want to be obedient. Therefore, I find myself slowing down and listening. I have become so conscious of the need to submit to His control. I want to glorify Him in all things.

Do you want the presence of God in your life? Do you feel the acute need to know that He is there for you right now? I know how you feel. The peace you seek will become a reality as you walk in obedience to the Word of God.

By: Edmund Brown