THEOLOGY - FILLING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT - Like Wind in Our Sails

There are two ways in which we experience the Holy Spirit – the filling of the Spirit and the grieving of the Spirit. These two experiences are polar opposites, one positive and one negative. And it should be understood that if you are not experiencing both the joy of the filling of the Spirit and regret over grieving of the Spirit, you are not walking by the Spirit. These twin experiences prove if we are truly walking with God or not. So, what does the Bible mean when it says, “If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25)? What real, tangible difference does the Holy Spirit make in our everyday lives? Here’s the difference. The Spirit-filled life is Christ living in us. It’s the Spirit enabling us to live like Jesus and to live for Jesus. As wind fills the sails of a sailboat, so the Spirit fills us, and enables us to live a joyous and dynamic life in moment-by-moment relationship with God.