It’s impossible to lead a Christian life if the Holy Spirit isn’t empowering you. When you became a Christian, God’s Spirit came to live inside of you, and He wants to have total freedom to empower you and influence you in the choices you make throughout your life. But you also have your own flesh – the reality of your sinful nature – still in you battling with the Holy Spirit over your will.

In Ephesians 5, we learn about what it’s like to turn away from ungodly things, and then we read in verse 14:

14 For this reason it says,

“Awake, sleeper,
And arise from the dead,
And Christ will shine on you.”

What we see here is a mental turning or becoming aware that what you’ve been living out is not what God wants. Then we see this:

15 Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, 16 making the most of your time, because the days are evil. 17 So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

We all, as Christians, want to do the will of God. But, sometimes, we get lost in the distractions that life brings our way or the temptations of the world and we get off course. So, in the midst of telling us to wake up, recognize what we’ve been doing and instead do the Lord’s will, Paul writes:

 18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; 20 always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father; 21 and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.

So, he gives us a command here: You must be filled with the Spirit in order to live out God’s will for your life. Now, soldiers understand the gravity of a command. When an authority gives you a command, you obey it no matter what.

So, we see God commanding us: If you want to understand my will and live wisely, then be filled with the Holy Spirit.

Now, it’s important to know that in the original language the phrase “be filled” is in the present tense. Therefore, it’s a constant, moment-by-moment walk with the Holy Spirit of God filling you as He indwells you. This means that you need to make decisions that do not quench or grieve Him.

This is where confession comes in. When you see sin for what it is, and that it grieves God, and ask His forgiveness, He not only promises to forgive us, but also cleanses us of all unrighteousness, allowing the Holy Spirit to fill us again.

This is God’s will for our lives!