Full of the Holy Spirit —what does it mean?
And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost…. (Acts 6:5, KJV)
What does it mean to be “full of the Holy Spirit?” It will be a difficult task to explain what this means fully in a very brief devotional. However, I will give you a few critical insights that will be very helpful to comprehend this important scriptural truthfully. The first is that “filled” or “full” of the Spirit do not refer to just one process or state in the scripture. There are different infillings and we should be careful to allow the context to help us understand what the specific verse is referring to.
Secondly, we should remember the difference between verbs and adjectives. The verb “to fill” refers to the PROCESS of being filled, while the adjective “full” as used above describes that STATE of being filled which follows the filling process.
The third point is critical. The phrase “Holy Spirit” in the new testament is used both for the PERSON, PRESENCE or BEING of the Holy Spirit and His POWER. So we can be filled with both the Person of the Holy Spirit( God) which is what happens at salvation and also His power which is what happens when we get baptized in the Spirit( with the power). You are filled with God’s PERSON once. His presence comes to live in you at salvation. But you can be filled with His power and His virtues such as love, joy and peace multiple times.
Lastly, being full of the Spirit(mostly His power here) is the STATE in which the Spirit has complete CONTROL and full EXPRESSION in and through you. Think of a person that is drunk and full of alcohol. The difference between being full of alcohol and being full of the Spirit is that the drunkard has lost his or her mind while alcohol takes over. On the contrary, when you are full of the Spirit, you are entirely still you, yet not you but the Spirit living and working powerfully through you producing an endless flow of the supernatural!
MEDITATE
I have compressed volumes in the short devotional above. Please re-read it to ensure you get the full meaning of every statement.
APPLY THE WORD
Eph. 5:18 tells us not to be drunk with wine but to be filled with the Spirit. This instruction is not to be filled AGAIN with the Presence or Being of God but His virtues and power that can be done repeatedly. When you are full of the Spirit, one word will describe your daily life “Glory!” Be filled with the Spirit every single day!
PRAY
Ask the Father to help you stay full of the Spirit 24/7.
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