EPHESIANS 5:18-19 “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;”
I love dessert. Desserts can give you a sweetness and satisfaction unlike most anything. But as much as I love dessert, I rarely ever order any when I go to a restaurant. You see, I also love appetizers, my personal favorite being chips and salsa, and after eating an appetizer and polishing off a hearty meal there I have little room left for dessert. The only time I ever get dessert is when I think about it before ordering and make sure I leave plenty of room in my tummy for it.
Something else capable of giving you a sweetness and satisfaction unlike anything in the world is the Holy Spirit of God. But just as I do at the dinner table, most of us fill ourselves with everything else in the world to the point where we leave little to no room for the Spirit in our lives. Then we wonder why God does not answer our prayers.
It is common for Christians to follow the command of Ephesians 5:18 and pray God would fill them with His Spirit, but how often do we do so without making the proper preparations in advance? Would you go grocery shopping if there were no room in the car for the groceries?
Recording artist Chris Sligh had a hit titled “Empty Me”. The chorus says, “Empty me of the selfishness inside, Every vain ambition and the poison of my pride, And any foolish thing my heart holds to, Lord empty me of me so I can be filled with you.”
We need to find a way to empty ourselves of our selfish desires so we can be filled with God’s desires. Having a good career and enjoyable hobbies are great, but not when they cut into your prayer and worship time.
We need to quit focusing on what we want to do so we can follow what God wants us to do. No matter how much we want to do something, if it is not God’s will then it will not be fruitful so there is no need in wasting our time on such acts of futility.
We also need to put aside our pride and learn to forgive and submit. Any enmity existing between you and another also exists between you and God and until you take this barrier down, the Spirit cannot enter in.
When we do He will be able to speak to us, “in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs” and make melody in our hearts for which we will be more than grateful enough to give Him thanks. Then and only then will we become an empty vessel suitable to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
Mount Nebo Baptist Church - Fred, Texas 