A Matter of Control
And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit.
Ephesians 5:18
Recommended Reading
Proverbs 20:1 ; 23:31-35
If you have ever been involved in any type of drug rehabilitation training or education, you have no doubt heard these phrases: "Don't pay attention to what he's saying. Those are the drugs talking." Or, "She doesn't mean that. That's the alcohol acting out." The meaning is this: It's possible for human beings to be controlled by outside forces.
But being influenced, even controlled, by something else is not a bad thing. In fact, in the case of the Holy Spirit, it is something every Christian should seek. To the Ephesians' church, Paul wrote the imperative admonition not to be "drunk [controlled by] wine" but to be "filled with [controlled by] the Spirit." When under the influence of powerful substances like alcohol or drugs, we lose control of our mind. But when we are under the influence of the powerful Holy Spirit, we are given a new mind: the mind of Christ (John 15:15; 1 Corinthians 2:16). Which would be better: a lost mind, the mind of the natural man, or the mind of Christ?
Moment by moment, confess your sins to God and ask the Holy Spirit to fill your heart and mind that you might live totally under His control.
Ephesians 5:18 is not just an experience to be enjoyed but a command to be obeyed.
Dwight L. Moody
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