And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18 ESV)

It is intriguing the Lord compares the drunken state with that of the Spirit-filled life. It turns out wine’s influences upon us have remarkable similarities to that of the Spirit’s operations. Drunkenness is a sin and is in fact, debauchery and we have a clear commandment not to get drunk with wine. However, let us review a fascinating analogy between the operations of wine and the Spirit.

Wine operates in two distinct phases: the process of drinking and the drunken state. A person drinks and drinks until they become drunk. Drinking is a process of receiving, and drunkenness is state where a person is under the control or influence of wine. There is a process by which we receive the Spirit( be filled as in the verse above) and there is a a state called “full of the Spirit” where we are under the control and influence of the Spirit.

When a person gets drunk with wine, debauchery results. They lose control of themselves, and wine takes them over to exhibit its behavior. Wine has a bad character. The drunk makes a fool of themselves in doing and saying things they would never say in their right minds. It is the wine, not them, that is in charge. When we are full of the Spirit , love, peace, joy, righteous living, wisdom, power etc begin to show in our character. Who can say no to these virtues??

Contrary to wine, when the Spirit takes over us, we do not lose our minds. We are fully aware but yielded to His control. Also, just as a drunkard does not drink once and remains drunk for ever, so after the initial infilling of the Spirit, we continue to drink( the process) repeatedly again and again as we  feed on the Word and fellowship with the Lord in prayer.

Do not get drunk with wine. It will make a fool of us. Rather, we should be filled with the Spirit!

MEDITATE

I have compressed so much in the short piece above. Space will not allow me to explain all the similarities and also the differences fully. Please ensure you read the devotional above again to capture what it is saying fully.

APPLY THE WORD

There is a state called full of the Spirit. Live from there every day. Drink again and again of the Spirit. I know some of you might ask if we still have to be filled with the Spirit or we have been filled already. I will not detail that here; you can find prior devotionals on this. Two things are needed to remain in that state of fullness of the Spirit: receiving and yielding. Receiving is in the place of prayer, the Word and fellowship with brethren. Yielding is in surrender to the leading of the Spirit. 

PRAY

Ask the Father to help you live permanently in the state called “full of the Spirit”. 

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