A Spirit-Filled Life

Ever felt like you were going through life without much life going through you?

Mornings. I loathe them. I live by the quote, “The early bird can have the worm because worms are gross and mornings are stupid.” Truer words have rarely been spoken.

Every night when I set my alarm for the next morning, I do advanced calculus to figure out what time I need to get up. I take the time I need to be ready to go, minus the time it takes to get ready, minus the number of times I want to hit the snooze button (times those 9-minute snoozes), equaling what time the alarm will first go off. Whew.

Despite the multiple snoozes, many days I feel like I’m walking through life in zombie mode. Partially awake, mostly dead on my feet. I know I’m not alone. Studies show that one-third of us are zombie-ing through work, school, and family time because of a sheer lack of sleep.

It’s not just the sleep-deprived versions of ourselves shuffling around like the mindless, aimless walking dead. Most of us are sleepwalking our way through life, numbed by the same ol’, same ol’ nature of our daily routines.

Same job. Same commute. Same struggles. Same relationships. Same hurts. Same challenges. Same conversations. Same arguments. Same addictions. Same secrets. Same excuses. Same disappointments. Same heartbreaks. Same resentments. Same sadness.

Same. Same. Same.

We’re going through life without much life going through us. We’ve become captives to our complacency. It is time for a wake-up call.

Here in Ephesians 5:14, Paul is quoting what was likely a worship song of the church at the time so it would have been familiar to the Christians living in Ephesus.

This is why it is said:
‘Wake up, sleeper,
rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.’

Paul isn’t talking to people far from God in this passage. He’s speaking to Christians, followers of Jesus. Paul is saying: Hey, believers who love Jesus, it is time to wake up! You need to rise from the dead — from your zombie-walking life! You were meant for so much more than sleepwalking through life.

Many of us are living a drowsy life of faith. We’ve been lulled back to sleep in a stagnant spiritual life. We drift into autopilot in our relationship with Jesus. We’re drawn back to darkness and death.

That’s right. People who love Jesus, those who follow Him, can be asleep to the life He holds out for them. They can miss the incredible life Christ has for them.

Just because you’re alive doesn’t mean you’re living.

God offers us so much more than a stagnant life; we just need to wake up and rise up to live in it!

It’s time to wake up to God and also to rise up to opportunity. Paul goes on in verse 15,

Be very careful, then, how you live — not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.

If we wake up and understand the Lord’s will, we can rise to the opportunities He has before us. Time is short. The world’s a mess. Make the most of every opportunity, not just for yourself, but for the glory of God.

There is no one better at delaying opportunity than the procrastinators among us. It’s okay. It’s good for us to just admit it. I’m a procrastinator, too.

Here, Paul is saying: No procrastination. No delaying. No avoiding. Wake up and seize every opportunity you’ve been given by Jesus for Jesus.

How do we seize those opportunities? We lead a spirit-filled life.

When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. We have the Holy Spirit. But we need to be filled with the Spirit and keep being filled with Him daily — because we leak.

Every day we need to ask God to fill us with His Spirit.

To guide us and direct us by the Holy Spirit. To be under the control of the Spirit. We need to pray for God to fill us and keep on filling us with the outpouring of His Spirit.

The Spirit will lead you to take advantage of every opportunity God has for you.
He can use you as a tool in your workplace for His glory.
He can give you a word of encouragement for someone who is desperate for it.

He will prompt you to lift someone up in prayer at the moment they need it most.
He will move you to show kindness to a person who feels like the whole world is against her.

He can direct you to bless someone who feels overlooked or overwhelmed.
He can help you walk with your head held high.

Written for Devotionals Daily by Lori Wilhite, author of Ephesians, Beautiful Word Bible Study.

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Your Turn

Here’s the charge to us as believers: No procrastination. No delaying. No avoiding. We must wake up and seize every opportunity we’ve been given by God for Jesus. Let’s lead a spirit-filled life every single day! Come share your thoughts with us. We want to hear from you! ~ Devotionals Daily