Abide And Be Filled
John 15:7 (KJV) says:
If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
The word abide means to be vitally united to Jesus, to remain, continue, to live in Jesus, to continue in His Word.
John 8:31 (Amplified Bible Classic Edition, AMPC) states:
So Jesus said to those Jews who had believed in Him, If you abide in My word [hold fast to My teachings and live in accordance with them], you are truly My disciples.
So, to abide in God means we spend time with Him in His Word daily. Then, we put into practice what God has shown and said to us in His Word. It’s like buying a home and occupying it- it is yours. When we abide in Christ, we live in Him and He becomes our life. The more we abide in Jesus, the more we will be filled with Him.
Ephesians 5:18 (KJV) says:
And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;
The phrase “be filled” actually means “be being filled” in the Greek. This means we need a continual filling of Jesus’ Spirit. The book of Acts bears this out.
And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. Acts 2:4 (KJV)
That was the first time the followers of Jesus were filled with the Holy Spirit. However, throughout the book of Acts, we see some of these same people getting refilled. Why? Because in ministering to others and just in living life, they emptied themselves of the deposit they had received. Therefore, they came before the Lord again and were refilled. That’s why Ephesians 5:18 is most accurately translated “be being filled.”
As we abide in Him (spending time in the Word, praying in tongues, worshipping in His presence, fasting, and so on), we are continually being filled with God’s Spirit (Ephesians 5:18) and His Word (Colossians 3:16). We will be filled to overflowing, and we will have what we need to live life joyfully and minister to the needs of others.
So, instead of running on empty, abide in Christ, and His Word and His Spirit will overflow you, giving you an ample supply of everything you need.
