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“Yours O Lord are the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and the earth is yours; yours is the kingdom O Lord and you are exalted as head over all. Riches and honor come from you O Lord and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might; and it is in your hand to make great and give strength to all”. [1 Chronicles 29:11,12]
It is the grateful prayer of David as he acknowledges with thanksgiving the God who is the exalted head over all. And it is in His leadership that Grace takes you from where you are to where God wants you to be. He never forces or compels you as He leads you in love. He desires rather, that with a right understanding of the truth, you will be inspired in the power of the Spirit to apply it in your life and follow Him in love.
Christ Jesus, the Head:
Living now in the liberating truth of the New Testament it is Lord Jesus Christ who is the exalted Head over all and He [God] has put all things under His [Christ’s] feet and has made Him the Head over all things for the church, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. [Ephesians 1:22,23] Paul uses an analogy in the passage above as in the natural, so it is in the spiritual. As the head is to the physical body, so is Christ the Head of the church, His body. The Head who is Christ decides, taking into account all that is happening in and around your life. And as the church, His body, you receive His instruction to be led and guided in your actions. It is how the church, the family, and every single individual who is connected to Christ have been ordained to function.
His fullness fills you –
Christ fills you, His body, in all things, in every aspect, to the full measure of God. He is complete and therefore He will fill what is incomplete in your life, to make it complete. When you lack wisdom in handling a problem, as you ask in faith, Christ, who is the wisdom of God, will fill you with His wisdom. And with Him there is no problem for He is the problem solver. Your outcome therefore will be an overcoming victory through Christ. God the Father has it all. And He gives good gifts to those who ask of Him in faith. He begins to fill you that you may be the expression of God, His godliness here on earth. He is rich and He displays His richness through you. He is very skilled and He demonstrates it through the skillfulness of your hands wherever you are employed. There are many hurting people in this world. And the loving God loves you and loves through you to minister a healing touch that comforts.
The fullness of Christ –
For in Him [Christ] the fullness of the Godhead dwells in bodily form, and you have come to fullness in Him who is the Head of every ruler and authority. [Colossians 2:8,9] This is the truth of your new creation in Christ. The fullness of Christ is in you. It is the fullness of God which dwells in Christ. And it is through the church that the completeness of God’s wisdom is made known even in the unseen realm, to the principalities and powers. [Ephesians 3:10] Cementing this truth is the Lord’s promise to Peter, And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. [Matthew 16:18] Therefore do not resign yourself into accepting what the evil one is trying to do in your life, whatever it may be. For your Head is Christ, who is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and God created all for the church, and works it all out through the church.
This is the magnificent and powerful truth of the New Testament
How does God fill you ?
And suddenly from heaven came the sound like a mighty rushing wind and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues as of fire appeared among them and a tongue rested on each one of them. [Acts 2:2,3] This was the Holy Spirit’s coming on the day of Pentecost. If you are part of a church you need to be filled with the Spirit. It was what happened to the believers who were gathered in the upper room, praying with one accord. There were external signs on that day that accompanied the Spirit’s infilling. But insisting on external manifestations every time you are filled with the Spirit will see you miss out on what is the eternal truth. For, even if you do not physically fall under the power of the Spirit, you can still stand in the power of the Spirit when you rely on the word of God that says, ‘I will never leave you or forsake you’. You will then know that the Holy Spirit is in you whether you feel it or not. An external manifestation that you can see or feel visibly, every time you are filled by the Holy Spirit need not always happen.
1) Filled by the Spirit is to be instructed by Him:
I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go. I will counsel you with my eye upon you. [Psalms 32:10] This is the promise of God to you. It sees the Spirit leading you into all truth as He fills you, that you may know the truth and be set free. Even in your sleep, at times your heart may be awake, receiving instruction and counsel from the Lord to be inspired and illuminated by His word.
2) Filled by the Spirit is having intimacy with God:
God knows everything about you and He wants you to know Him more and more, be in intimate fellowship with Him. He loves you with an eternal love. He comes into your heart to fill your life and reveal Himself continually to you through His word as it dwells in you richly. Intimacy with God is being influenced by Him in your thoughts, your outlook and every aspect of your life, as He fills you with the fullness of Christ that you may be an expression of Him, His godliness here on earth.
3) Filled by the Spirit–is to be led by Him:
For all who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. [Romans 8:14] The scripture is unequivocally clear. Being led by the Spirit is the place of expression, the proof of being a child of God. The scripture also declares when we cry Abba Father, it is that very Spirit testifying with our spirit that we are children of God. [Romans 8:16] The inner witness of the Spirit that you are a child of God, may seemingly appear to be easier, when compared to being led by the Spirit to validate the same truth by your actions. But it need not be the case because you have the promise of God. And an interesting passage in the book of Acts throws light upon it. While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul passed through the inland regions and came to Ephesus, where he found some disciples. He said to them, ‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers ? And they replied, We have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit’. [Acts 19:1,2] They were disciples, learners, but were not aware of the Holy Spirit. Similarly many Christians today, know about the Holy Spirit, but find it difficult to be led by the Spirit. But the proof that you are a child of God is established as you are led by the Spirit. Also, if you are not led by the Spirit in your life, by default, you will end up being led by the world, for there is no spiritual vacuum. And only walking in God’s leading as He guides you through His Spirit and His word, will take you to the place where He wants you to be.
The world’s culture:
The cultures and traditions of the world are often in contradiction to God’s ways and His word. therefore, you will find that Christianity can never be sub-culture, but more often than not, it will be radically counter culture. In the world, there is the notion that What is legal is also morally right. But looking around you will see that what has been legalized cannot always be moralized. It is God who knows what is right and good for you.
What has become acceptable, is also approvable
Many things will come to your mind – life style orientation for example, that is increasingly becoming more and more acceptable in society but does not find favor in the sight of God. And what He approves is what will lead you to good success and prosperity.
What is validated by society is also valuable
The advertising industry thrives on this principle, deluding you into buying things, all because it is promoted by a famous personality, things that you may not actually need. If the social media is what is driving your life philosophy, you are on the wrong track; and God calls out to you in love to make a U turn in repentance to follow the Spirit’s leading.
God will give what suits you –
Led by God and trusting in Him, David knew that Saul’s armor would not suit him when he went to face Goliath. Indeed, God knows you, even better than you know yourself. And He is a good God, who gives only what is suitable and best for you. He knows also, when to give it to you. Therefore, let your thoughts spring forth from the word of God, and your actions be empowered by the Spirit in you.
For, following the philosophies of the world, you will be –
Led by circumstances –
This is a path that will ultimately prove fatal – because, when you are running away from God, the devil will have a boat waiting, a favorable circumstance. It is what happened to the prophet Jonah. And unfavorable circumstances in your Spirit led path should not deter you either, for then there is a Breaker who goes ahead of you.
The word of God and the Spirit must be your ultimate authority, not your feelings.
Led by feelings –
You will begin to think that what makes you happy and feel good, though it may be a poisonous addiction, is God’s will for you. But God wants you to have what is more than a mere happy feeling that can vanish any moment. He wants the joy of the Lord to be your strength. ‘I did it because I felt it’ is the wrong track that would lead you astray. God wants you to be led by the Spirit, not a gut feeling. The world’s philosophy is subjective and changes from day to day. It is twisted and alien to God’s word. Meditating upon God’s word day and night is what will see you become like a tree planted by the waters, that whatever you do may prosper. Your life will be like a house that is built upon the rock, standing firm in the midst of stormy challenges.
God is there to help – It is His promise:
When you find it challenging and difficult to be led by the Spirit, God is always there to help you. You are never ever alone.
This is His promise to you –
I am the Lord your God- Who teaches you what is profitable, Who leads you in the way you should go. [Isaiah 48:17,18] God wants you to be filled with the Spirit. He wants you to be sensitive to the voice of the Holy Spirit in you, that He may lead you, so that your peace may flow like a river and your righteousness like the waves of the sea.
