“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.
Following Jesus, No Strings Attached
Today’s advertising experts would have to admit that Jesus had the worst marketing campaign in history! Instead of advertising all the good things up front and putting the bad things in fine print, He came right out and said that if anyone wanted to follow Him, they first had to deny themselves, take up a cross, abandon every other allegiance in life, give up everything they had, and follow Him, possibly even to the death. He made it painfully clear that no one could be His disciple if they were still holding onto anything that came before Him. And still today, He requires that we follow Him, no strings attached!
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