If you’ve ever gone through life wondering if we can know what the will of God is, STOP wondering and know that you can!

“Stay Filled with the Holy Spirit” is the second of four thoughts on how we can better prepare our hearts to hear from our Lord.

When God seems to be less-than-descriptive with His plans for your life, know that you can always be a doer of His Word, and in so acting, you will be living in His perfect will for your life. In fact, sometimes when you just don’t know what to do, doing only what the Bible says is the best thing you can do.

For example, the Bible is clear that we should…

• Pray for our brothers and sisters in the Lord
• Love and pray for our enemies
• Carry each others burdens
• Give out of our abundance to those who are in need
• Walk by faith, not by sight
• Meditate on God’s Word

And this is just a short list, things off the top of my mind. If I were to ask all of you to name just one thing you know the Bible tells us we should do, we’d fill up pages of instructions. That’s plenty to keep us busy for the rest of our lives doing exactly what God wants us to do!

However, there’s one command in particular that’s part of God’s written will for us that will also help us to know God’s perfect will for our lives as well. Let’s look at Ephesians chapter five to find out what it is.

Ephesians 5:17-18
17Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 18Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.

This passage tells us two things, 1) that we can know the will of God, and 2) that we need to be filled with the God’s Spirit.

The phrase “be filled” in the Greek actually means “be being filled”; to maintain a constant flow of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Not just to be filled to overflowing once and never again, but to allow the Holy Spirit to constantly keep us filled with Him.

Romans 12:11 further supports the degree to which we are to be being filled with the Holy Spirit.

Romans 12:11 AMP
11Never lag in zeal and in earnest endeavor; be aglow and burning with the Spirit, serving the Lord.

Is is possible to be filled with the Spirit once and be “aglow and burning”? Well, depending on how you look at it, yes and no. Yes, initially we can be filled and be aglow and on fire for God, but there are two things that will “drain” the fire of the Holy Spirit out of us:

1. The current world system (anything of the flesh) because it is at war with the Spirit (Galatians 5:17).
2. And we are given the command in Matthew 10:8 which says, “Freely you have received, freely give.”

The book of Acts records that the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit for the first time in chapter two. Then it says in chapter four that they were filled again upon their request!

So what happened to warrant a “re-filling”? Here’s a quick list:

• Peter preached to Jerusalem, leading about 3,000 people to be saved and baptized.
• Many converts devoted themselves to the disciples/apostles teaching (they started organized church).
• Peter used to heal a crippled beggar.
• Peter again preaches to the crowds.
• Peter and John preached before the Sanhedrin, Sadducees, priests, and other church leaders.
• Many other miracles, signs and wonders were done by the disciples.

I know I sure would need a re-filling after God used me to do all of that! But instead of getting caught up in the specifics of what God did through them, let’s back up and look at the whole picture.The disciples were just simple, unschooled men that followed the command of Jesus–the command to stay in the upper room till the Spirit had come. They obeyed and upon being filled with the Spirit, what did they do? Did they continue to pray and ask God to reveal His specific will for each of their lives?! NO!

After being filled, they simply did what they felt impressed to do because they were being led by the Holy Spirit. And if you notice, what they “felt” impressed to do are the same things we are told to do in the New Testament. Would you say that what the disciples/apostles did after being filled with the Spirit was actually God’s perfect, specific plan for their lives? YES! They were impressed to do the will of God just like we can be impressed by God today. I believe many times we become overly concerned with the specifics of God’s will for our lives instead of simply doing what we already know He’s called us to do.

Being filled and staying filled with the Holy Spirit is one of the best things we can do to make sure we are being led by the Spirit of God.

I think many times in pentecostal churches people are more concerned with getting filled with the Spirit then they are with maintaining the continued flow of the Spirit in their lives. Romans tells us how we must maintain the Spirit of God in our lives so that we may know His will.

Romans 12:1-2
1Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. 2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

If you want to know God’s good, pleasing, and perfect will than 1) guard your body by giving it to God and 2) guard your mind by renewing it in God’s Word.

When we allow the Spirit of God to continually fill us with Himself by actively guarding our bodies and minds from the things that hinder His control in our lives, then we will find ourselves naturally knowing and doing God’s specific will for our lives more and more.

So just to recap, being filled and staying filled (continually maintaining the Holy Spirit’s control in our lives) will put you in a better place for knowing and doing the perfect and specific will of God.