Evidence that You are Filled with the Holy Spirit
What is the evidence that we are being filled with the Spirit? Following the command to be filled with the Spirit, we find a list of spiritual attributes that counteract fleshly, selfish living. By displaying these positive traits, we show that the Spirit is in control of our lives! Here they are:
1. "Singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord" (Eph. 5:19). Joyful music, not doleful music, characterizes Christianity. When I am controlled by the Spirit, my heart is filled with joy and harmonious music.
2. "Giving thanks always unto God" (Eph. 5:20), not grumbling and griping. The world and the flesh are "unthankful" (Rom. 1:21; 2 Tim. 3:2).
3. "Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God" (Eph. 5:21). The world is filled with rebellion against all authority. Violence is rampant as never before. The flesh rebels at authority, but a Spirit-filled person will respect authority "in the fear of God."
4. "Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord" (Eph. 5:22). Celeste and I have been married for 55 years. She is a spiritual woman, and not once has she not been in submission to me. Not because I have an iron fist, but because she has a Spirit-filled heart, and I honor her for it (1 Pet. 3:7).
5. "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ loved the church and gave himself for it" (Eph. 5:25). Women don't want their husbands to die for them, but to live for them, to love them, and to lead them in a godly fashion. A man who is domineering, demanding and dictatorial to his wife does not love her, for "love is kind and doth not behave itself unseemly" (1 Cor. 13:4–5).
Oh, dear people, we must be Spirit-filled Christians to live this way. We must walk in constant dependence on the Holy Spirit.
Prayer: Father, help each of us to be consumed to live this way by the Spirit's power and not to be so concerned about how our brothers and sisters treat us. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Quotes for the Day: "'Flesh' is self." —Lewis Sperry Chafer
