In Ephesians 3:17–19, Paul prays that the Ephesians will come to understand and experience God’s love. To truly understand and experience this love, you must accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior. You also need to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Paul’s prayer was specifically for the Ephesians. (The Book of Ephesians is one of the sixty-six books of the Bible. The Bible is the living Word of God.) Paul was praying that the Ephesians understand and experience God’s love. His prayer extends to all living people today as well. If you are not a believer, are you being called to become a believer today? If you are a believer, are you in a fruitful relationship with the Holy Spirit? Do you think and function as if you are in control or do you submit to His influence?

Think about the nature of your relationship— are you fully invested in it? Are you content with the Holy Spirit simply residing in you, or do you desire something more?

Jesus promised you, and everyone throughout time, an advocate when He ascended to sit at the right hand of God. Luke the author of the Book of Acts teaches that the Holy Spirit is the advocate. He was sent to dwell in you the moment you become a believer. The Holy Spirit wants to influence your life. He desires more of you. Nonetheless, if you only accept Him as a resident, you are limiting His impact on your life.

As a believer, you entered a relationship that is instantaneously rooted and grounded in love. As humans, it is beyond our full understanding. In that moment, you realize you are filled with God’s fullness and that you belong to Him.

God, loves you unconditionally and dwells in you through the Holy Spirit. He desires for you to engage more deeply in your relationship with Him. He is a living partner. He serves as your advocate, guiding you on our journey. He speaks to the Father on your behalf. He redirects you, and He protects you from harm and so much more. In the Book of Acts, Luke encourages you to surrender to His influence.

As your advocate, He communicates with you, but how you respond is your choice. You can decide to listen to His messages or ignore them. When you surrender to His influence, you grant Him the authority to shape your behavior, character, and spiritual growth. When you let Him influence your life, the relationship deepens and grows more intimate spiritually.

Your greatest resource is the Holy Spirit. Your relationship with God is the most important one you will ever have. When you desire His influence, while keeping Him at a distance you have not fully surrendered to the Holy Spirit. You have not relinquished control over your life.

You are missing out on the fullness of God’s love. According to Charles Stanley, “We are filled with God’s Spirit the moment we accept Christ as our personal Savior. We are not repeatedly refilled, we have all we are going to receive of the Spirit at Salvation. As we grow in our Christian walk, we learn more about God’s ways, character, and presence within us through His Spirit. The more we know, love, and obey, the more we learn how to live a life to the fullest.” (Life Principles Bible, Second Edition. Thomas Nelson, 2011, page 1575)

In closing ask yourself, how can I move beyond selective listening to obeying His commands? What steps are necessary to fully submit to the influence of the Holy Spirit in my life? Am I willing to let go of the things that hold me back? Does my behavior prevent me from advancing to the next stage of my spiritual maturity? Is today the day I choose to surrender to the influence of the Holy Spirit?

Note: According to Charles Stanley’s Life Principles Bible, “the phrase ‘filled by the Holy Spirit’ was not used again, except for being mentioned in Ephesians 5:18. In that phrase, Paul talks about surrendering to the influence of the Spirit-not to the indwelling ministry of the Holy Spirit, which every believer receives.”

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