“be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18) is to be controlled by the Holy Spirit. This is a present continuous action and requires a believer to be (a) daily yielded to God, (b) daily in repentance with confession with godly sorrow, (c) daily allowing the word of God to richly indwell the inner man. Being controlled by the Holy Spirit empowers a believer (a) daily in spiritual battle (Spirit versus flesh) and, (b) daily in living out the person and character and conduct of Christ and in being obedient to the will of God.
Christmas Eve 2016
The birth of Jesus would have been very different if you and I had arranged the details. We would have chosen a better place for Him to be born instead of an unsanitary stable. We might have chosen a different time in history, a different city, even different parents. But God knew exactly what He was doing when He chose such lowly circumstances, and our lives are forever changed because of it.
