I am listening to a sermon series through Acts currently and throughout the scriptures you get the verbiage, “full of the Holy Spirit.” At first read you can start to think that we are vessels full of sin, then we accept Christ and are somehow emptied of that stuff and the poured “full” of the Spirit. Not too long ago I remember chasing a rabbit thinking about the question, “how does one become completely full, or gain more, of the Holy Spirit?” After all, the verbiage and the picture of the early disciples can give an image of holier people who possess something that is beyond what most people possess – I have never seen someone’s shadow cause miraculous healing. However, when I got to the bottom of the rabbit hole I realized this wasn’t how to view this at all.

The word used for “full” (plēroō) is the exact same word one would use to describe a glass filled to the brim with water. This is another reason I had the perspective of trying to be “fuller.” However, this mechanical imagery falls short. As believers, we are indwelt by God’s Spirit from the moment of salvation, meaning we are never “empty” of His Spirit. Therefore, being “full of the Holy Spirit” cannot mean receiving more of Him as if He were liquid or His presence is a percentage – “I am 80% occupied by the Spirit today.” Instead, it is a state of being completely under His direction. To be full of the Holy Spirit means to be “fully led” or “fully influenced” by Him in our thoughts, actions, and character.

Just as someone might be described as “full of rage” or “full of joy”—meaning that specific emotion is entirely driving and shaping their behavior—being full of the Spirit means His control permeates every area of our lives. Rather than a glass being topped off, it is a picture of a life yielding completely to His guidance, allowing His power and truth to dictate how we live each day. This can be seen in Ephesians 5:18 where Paul contrasts being drunk and being “filled with the Holy Spirit”, someone isn’t 100% full of wine but they are 100% under its control when they are intoxicated.

So, how do we allow the Spirit to fully control our actions? We must not smother it. 1 Thessalonians 5:19 tells us that the Holy Spirit is akin to a fire within us and we can smother it, “sbennymi”, or fan it into flame, “anazopyreo.” The Spirit of God desires we come close to Him, lean into His Will and away from sin; in this way, the Holy Spirit works in us to rid sin from our lives. That’s why in Chapter 4 of Ephesians Paul says when we don’t repent of sin, we make the Holy Spirit sorrowful, because He wants us to be repentant. The Spirit is the guide that sanctifies us when we read Gods word (John 17:17 & 2 Timothy 3:16-17). So, as we repent, remove sin from our life, read the Word and are guided and sanctified, we become fully led by the Spirit.

Writing this down I was reminded of something one of my favorite authors, who I unfortunately haven’t read of late, C.S Lewis said in “Mere Christianity.” This is from memory so excuse me if I butcher it slightly, but He challenges the reader to look at themselves as a home (vessel) with a particular renovation needed (say alcoholism) and that renovation need drives them to seek Jesus. God’s Spirit enters them and, like He does best, renovates that room. However, God soon starts disruptive renovations that seem painful and confusing. If that person yields to those renovations, before they know it their home soon looks nothing like its former structure.