I want you to stop for just a minute, think back over your childhood, and pick out some of the key people who have influenced your life. Can you see them? Can you remember the way they spoke, the words they used, how they acted?
Often as we are growing up, we don’t realize the influence others are having on our lives. But when we are a little older we might catch ourselves saying a certain phrase or using a particular gesture that reminds us of one of the people who influenced us as children. The degree to which we've become like someone else can often come as an unwanted surprise!
Influence is like that. When you let something influence you, it changes you.
Paul says in Ephesians 5:18, “Do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit.” Being filled with the Holy Spirit is to be under His influence, allowing Him to change you, shape you, and make you more like Jesus.
We often hear others talk about being filled with the Holy Spirit. But what exactly does that mean? And furthermore, what steps can you take as a Christian to live a life that’s truly filled with the Spirit?
I examine three important steps to really opening our lives up to the Spirit’s influence in my booklet, Three Steps to Living the Spirit-Filled Life:
- The step of purity. This is where we let the Spirit examine our hearts to show us where we need to be cleansed and make changes to be more in line with God’s will for our lives.
- The step of power. Here we discover the unique divine giftedness that God has given to each of us, and we learn to use these strengths in building up a powerful body of believers, in unity, diversity, and maturity.
- The step of prayer. A truly Spirit-filled life is one where prayer takes center stage. As we pray and observe the Spirit at work in our lives, we begin to know and understand the mind and will of God.
Walking through these three steps will open your life up to the Spirit’s powerful influence, and bring about more change for good than you could think possible!
You and I are no longer children. We are adults, and these days we influence others. The great joy of letting the Spirit influence your life is that you can pass that positive influence on to others. As you become more like Jesus through the Spirit’s work, imagine the influence you can have in your family life, church, and community!
