All of my life, I have heard the phrase, being filled with God.  Having a life full of God’s presence.  To be filled with God’s Spirit. If you walk in the Spirit, you will not fulfill the desires of the flesh. This morning, I woke up with thoughts of what it means to be filled. If we take a water bottle and run water into it under a tap until there is only water inside, we say it is full. I had an incredible thought this morning.  To be filled means to get rid of all the empty space.  Before the water went into the bottle, it was full of air, but we considered the vessel to be empty.

I pray, God fill all the emptiness.  Don’t leave one small portion without him.  I used to pray, “Empty me of me and fill me with more of you.” God is going to do amazing things. We all walk through seasons when we feel that God is far away.  We feel empty.  It is in this time that we must trust. Learning to wait for him to show us the next step can be a lonely place. If we wait on Him, He will speak and guide us.

When we are filled with God’s Spirit, we will be full. As Christians, we must be so full of God that others can feel his presence. They should be able to see Christ in us without us saying, “I am a Christian or I believe in Jesus.” They should know, even if we are not wearing our Christian t-shirts and ballcaps. (Not that I have an issue with t-shirts; I own several.)

 I Cor. 3:16 16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If God’s Spirit dwells within us, we will be filled. It will take over all the empty spaces within us.

When Moses had been in the presence of God, he glowed.  How many people do you know that glow with God’s presence? I pray that God helps us to not just let our light shine but that we will glow with his presence and love.  Gal 5:16 16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. We have to have his Spirit in order to walk in the Spirit. (Let our light shine)

Most Christians I know are dealing with serious things at this time. I am not saying we should wear a fake smile and pretend all is fine. It is ok to be who we are and allow those closest to us to know our struggles. The word says to confess our faults to one another. I also think that can be true of our struggles, pain, and the battles we are fighting.  But be careful who you share those things with; not everyone who acts concerned will do the right thing and pray. Some are waiting to gossip and tear you down. Now more than ever, we need to have discernment about the events in the world and other people. God will show us who is not going to have our back, but who will shove a knife into it. These people know the right things to say. But they are not full of God, they will not have God’s glow.

Being full means there is no lack. Everything we need we already have in our hands. I have said this before; if our Lord Jesus Christ dwells within you, you have everything you will ever need.  When we need something, it will rise to the surface. If we need strength, it will rise up.  If we need encouragement, it will rise up. If we need his healing power, it too, will rise up within us to bring deliverance.

Healing sometimes comes in miraculous ways; instantaneously. But other times, healing comes in stages. God knows what is best for us. Sometimes, when he works in those instant right now kind of ways, it is to increase our faith or show someone around us that he is God. Other times, when we have to walk out our healing, it is to teach us to lean on Jesus.

Christians are not exempt from troubles, we have the same trials of life that sinners do. But we have someone who is with us and will help us. I pray, Lord never let any type of pain or disappointment be for no reason. Help me learn from it, so that I can help others to be encouraged.