Ephesians 5:18-20, "Be filled with the Spirit; speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."

We learned last week that God loves the word filled. It is very much part of His vocabulary. He doesn't want us to be half-filled, but filled to the top and spilling over. Bursting at the seams. Let's look at some other ways God wants us to be filled.

GOD WANTS US TO BE FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT

In Ephesians 5:18 the word filled is the Greek word pleroo which means "to fill up, to cause to abound, to supply liberally, to flood, and to diffuse throughout." The verb is in the present imperative tense which means that it is something that should happen continually. The full meaning is to be "constantly, moment by moment controlled by the Holy Spirit."

It is so easy to run dry, isn't it? We can start the day asking the Lord to fill us with His Holy Spirit but somehow the challenges and frustrations of the day drain us out. We need to continually ask the Holy Spirit to fill us--to control our thoughts, our attitudes and our actions. When you leak out, ask Him to flood your mind and heart again. Keep on being filled. It doesn't matter how many times you come to Him to be filled. God's well is inexhaustible and it never runs dry. Keep being filled to overflowing so you can bless your family. If you are only half-filled, you have nothing to give to others.

GOD WANTS US TO BE FILLED WITH JOY AND PEACE

Romans 15:13 says, "Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost."

God does not want us to have half peace and half nervous tension. He wants us to be filled with peace. Peace is not dependent upon what is happening in our lives but by the power of the Holy Spirit controlling us. Many things, little and big, happen each day to disturb our peace. But you don't have to let them disturb you. When something happens that upsets you, look to the Lord, instead of the problem.

God has promised to keep you in perfect peace as you keep your heart and mind fixed on Him.  The word "peace" in Isaiah 26:3-4 is a double word in the Hebrew. It should be translated "peace, peace." This promise is reiterated again in Philippians 4:6-7. God says that He will keep us in "peace that passes all understanding" when we stop worrying and turn our hearts to Him.

But there's joy too. Joy and peace are twins. When our hearts are filled with peace, we will be filled with joy. Once again, joy is not dependent upon our circumstances. When the people of Antioch persecuted Paul and Barnabas and expelled them out of their coasts, they didn't despair. Instead, they were "filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost." (Acts 13:52)

What about when people hate you, say you are evil, persecute you and speak about you because of your beliefs? Are you full of indignation and self-pity? That's how we naturally feel, isn't it? But Jesus tells us not to worry, but to "Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy; for, behold, your reward is great in heaven." (Luke 6:22-23) Leaping for joy sounds like being filled with joy, doesn't it? Have you ever tried it?

I think the secret is living in the presence of the Lord for "In thy presence is "fullness of joy." (Psalm 16:11) Read these wonderful Scriptures too: John 15:11; Acts 2:28; 2 Corinthians 7:14; 1 Peter 1:8 and 1 John 1:4.

GOD WANTS US TO BE FILLED WITH RIGHTEOUSNESS

Philippians 1:11 tells us we are to be "filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ." Our righteousness, of course, is only by Jesus Christ. We have no righteousness of our own. Christ lives in our lives by His Holy Spirit, but we must let Him fill our lives. As we Christ and His Word to fill our minds and lives, we will be filled with His righteousness. (Matthew 5:6)

More coming next week.

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL

PRAYER:

"Lord, I don't want to be half-filled. Please keep filling me with your Holy Spirit so I will be filed to the top and flowing over. Amen."

AFFIRMATION:
I want to be an overflowing vessel.

FURTHER STUDY:

EXAMPLES OF PEOPLE BEING FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THE EARLY CHURCH:
Acts 2:2-4; 4:8-10; 4:31; 6:3-5, 8; 7:55; 9:17-18; 11:22-24; 13:9-11; 13:52.

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Psalm 48:10, "According to thy name, O God, so is thy praise unto the ends of the earth: thy right hand is full of righteousness.”

We continue to discover how much God wants our lives to be filled. He is not a half-filled God but a God of fullness. He wants us to be the same.

GOD WANTS US TO BE FILLED WITH PRAISE

Psalm 71:8 says, “Let my mouth be filled with thy praise and with thy honor all the day.” Remember we are talking about the word filled. It is not enough to praise the Lord now and then when things are going great. Praise should fill our mouths so that it spills over in every circumstance. Even the frustrating ones!

I was recently reading a book about a missionary in Belize. Someone who was mad at her came and destroyed her beautiful flower beds—they ripped out all the plants, broke the rose bushes and threw them on the path. When she found this mess, instead of getting mad, she started saying, “Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord…”

“What are you doing?” a friend asked. She explained that she had read about saying “Praise the Lord” ten times before you say anything else when something traumatic happens or upsets you.

“Does it help?” the friend asked.

“At least it gives me time to reflect that for some reason God allowed this to happen to me,” She replied.

This might be something you could try too.

GOD WANTS US TO BE FILLED WITH LAUGHTER

Job 8:20-21 says, “Behold, God will not cast away a perfect man, neither will he help the evil doers: Till he fill thy mouth with laughing, and thy lips with rejoicing.” (Psalm 126:1-2)

We’ve all heard the phrase, “Laughter is the best medicine.” It is not an old wives’ tale. It is proved medically. Laughing protects the heart, relaxes the body, relieves stress, releases endorphins and boosts the immune system which improves resistance to disease. It sounds like we could do with a dose of laughing, doesn’t it? My mother told me about a man she read about who was diagnosed with cancer. He decided that if he only had three weeks to live, he might as well make them happy. He asked people to find all the funny movies they could find. He laughed so much that he laughed himself back to health! 

Sometimes life is so challenging that it is hard to find something to laugh about, isn’t it? But we need to look for it. Laugh at everything you can. Laugh when the children do funny things even when it messes the house. Most of all, laugh at yourself. When you hear laughter, join in. Laughing is contagious—more than coughs, colds and ‘flu’s. I remember reading a book on the plane between Los Angeles and New Zealand. Some incidents were so funny that I couldn’t stop laughing out loud. People around me started to laugh too, even though they didn’t know what I was laughing about.

We know the adage, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away” but recently I read that “A laugh a day will keep the heart attack away.” This sounds rather radical but my brother often says that people could get more refreshed laughing at some funny stories at church than listening to another sermon!

Start with smiling. Smiling is the prerequisite to laughter. The more you smile, just for the fun of smiling, the more apt you will be to laugh. Smile at your husband, smile at your children, smile at the joy of being a mother in your home, smile at the birds and butterflies flying by and smile because you are alive. The smile is the first thing we look for in our newborn baby—and then to hear their belly laugh. It fills the whole house with laughter.

Let’s be filled with smiles and laughter. Let laughter ring throughout every room of your home.

There’s still more to come.

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL

PRAYER:

“Fill Thou my life, O Lord my God,
In every part with praise,
That my whole being may proclaim
Thy being and Thy ways.”

AFFIRMATION:

I am choosing to praise instead of grumble!

BOOK MENTIONED:
Miss Nancy by Harvey Yoder
Available from Christian Aid Ministries, Ph: 330-893-2428

HYMN: FILL THOU MY LIFE

Fill Thou my life, O Lord my God,
In every part with praise,
That my whole being may proclaim
Thy being and Thy ways.

Not for the lip of praise alone,
Nor e'en the praising heart,
I ask, but for a life made up
Of praise in every part:

Praise in the common things of life,
Its goings out and in;
Praise in each duty and each deed,
However small and mean.

Fill every part of me with praise;
Let all my being speak
Of Thee and of Thy love, O Lord,
Poor though I be and weak.

So shall no part of day or night
From sacredness be free,
But all my life, in every step,
Be fellowship with Thee.

Many women like to save these devotions. They print them out and keep them in a folder to read over and over again. Some print them out and pin them on the fridge with a magnet to read through the week.

If you know others who would be blessed by these devotions, you are welcome to forward them or let them know they can subscribe by sending a blank email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
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KEEP ON BEING FILLED

Ephesians 4:13, “And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.”

Every attribute that God has, He has in fullness. And Jesus is the fullness of God who fills all in all. He wants his creatures, created in His image to walk in His fullness too. Read these wonderful Scriptures: Ephesians 1:23; 3:19; 4:10, 13 and Colossians 1:19 and 2:9.

GOD WANTS US TO BE FILLED WITH FAITH

Stephen and Barnabas were both filled with faith and the Holy Spirit. (Acts 6:5, 8, 15; 11:24) How I need the Holy Spirit to fill me with faith. Sometimes I find I am filled with unbelief. But that is the opposite to the life of Christ who lives within me. That proves I am living in the flesh and not in the spirit. When I live in the spirit I can trust God to work out His plan even when everything looks the opposite.

GOD WANTS US TO BE FILLED WITH WISDOM, UNDERSTANDING AND KNOWLEDGE

Paul prayed for the Colossian believers “that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God.” (Colossians 1:9-10; 2:2) Oh to be filled with knowledge of His will and His understanding. Pray this prayer for yourself. Pray it for your children.

It is through God’s wisdom and understanding that we fill our home with riches, not the so-called riches of material possessions, but the riches of the warmth of His love, peace, joy, security and the bond of family commitment.  Proverbs 24:3-4 says, “Through wisdom is a house builded; and by understanding it is established; and by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.” Precious and pleasant! What lovely adjectives to describe a home. I can’t think of anything more wonderful than filling our home with these riches.

GOD WANTS US TO BE FILLED WITH LIGHT

Matthew 6:22 says, “The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.” (Luke 11:33-36) Even a little bit of darkness of sin fades the light. Jesus, who is the light of the world, lives in us, and He wants His light to fill us and shine through us. This is why it is important to come before the Lord daily to let Him expose any darkness that has crept into our lives—the darkness of disobedience, deception, deceit, doubt, discord, discontent, despair, despondency and defeat. As we confess these sins and renounce them, God’s light can fill our lives again.

GOD WANTS US TO BE FILLED WITH GOOD WORKS

Do you remember the story of Dorcas who was raised from the dead? You can read about her in Acts 9:36-42. She was a woman who was “full of good works and almsdeeds which she did.” She cared for the poor and made clothes and coats for the widows.

Ephesians 2:10 says that we have been “created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” We are not saved by our good works, but we saved to do good works.

One of the greatest works that we can do is to embrace motherhood. 1 Timothy 5:10 talks about a woman who is “well reported of for good works.” It then goes on to list her good works—the first being motherhood! Isn’t that interesting? That is the first good work that is mentioned.

When you have all your little children around, you may not have time to do many other good works, such as sewing for the poor and feeding the hungry. But God says that you are doing the most important work when you embrace motherhood and train and teach your children well. Dear mother, give it all you have got. Don’t mother half-heartedly. Walk in the fullness of motherhood. Be filled to overflowing with the anointing of motherhood as you nurture you children each day. Please don’t think what you are doing is insignificant.

As your children grow and you have more time, you can move on to many other good works, which will all be an extension of your motherhood. You can read about the rest of the good works in 1 Timothy 5:10.

Two more devotions to come in this series.

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL

PRAYER:

“Lord, thank you for reminding me that motherhood is the first good work that I am to do. Help me to do it fully and not half-heartedly. Amen”

AFFIRMATION:
I’m filling my home with precious and eternal riches.

Many women like to save these devotions. They print them out and keep them in a folder to read over and over again. Some print them out and pin them on the fridge with a magnet to read through the week. If you are printing this devotion and need it to be smaller, highlight and change to a smaller font.

If you know others who would be blessed by these devotions, you are welcome to forward them or let them know they can subscribe by sending a blank email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

KEEP ON BEING FILLED

Part 5

Ephesians 4:13, "Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ."

GOD WANTS US TO BE FILLED WITH GRACE AND TRUTH

John 1:14-16 says, "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,)full of grace and truth...And of his fullness have we all we received, and grace for grace." Jesus was full of grace and truth. But the amazing truth is that we have received of his fullness. Because Jesus lives in us by His Holy Spirit, we too, can be full of grace and truth.

Jesus never compromised truth, but he ministered it with grace. There are many who do not believe or understand God's truth. We must not hold back speaking the truth to them, but we must share it with love and compassion, remembering that we too were once deceived and are still learning each day.

GOD WANTS US TO BE FILLED WITH MERCY

God's wisdom is filled with mercy. (James 3:17) God Himself is filled with mercy and He wants us to be the same.

GOD WANTS US TO HAVE FULL ASSURANCE OF FAITH

Hebrews 10:22 says, "Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water."

Have you done things in your past that make you feel unclean? You feel you are not worthy? Do not undermine the power of the cross of Jesus Christ. When Jesus died, He did not die in vain. He died to completely free you from the guilt of your sin. When you come to Him in contrition and repentance and confess your sins, He promises to forgive you, cleanse you and make you clean. When you have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus, you are totally cleansed. God sees the blood of His beloved Son and no longer sees your sin. This is what God does:

• He cleanses and forgives you totally. There is no sin that is too hard for God to forgive. The death of Jesus was not in vain. Read 1 John 1:7, 9 and Hebrews 7:25.
• He never remembers your sin again. It is buried under the blood of Jesus. Read Hebrews 8:12
• He removes your sins as far as the east is from the west. Read Psalm 103:12. Back in the time of the tabernacle in the wilderness, once a year Aaron, the High Priest, had to take two goats. One was to be a sin offering. The goat was slaughtered and the blood was taken into the Holy of Holies. After this he had to lay his hands on the other goat's head and confess over it all the sins and rebellion of the Israelites. A man was chosen to take this goat, carrying all the people's sins upon it, into a desolate land. It was called the scapegoat. It reminds us of how are sins are taken away, never to be recovered again. I have a picture of the scapegoat on my computer screen as a reminder of this wonderful truth. You can read about it in Leviticus chapter 16.
• He blots out your sins like a thick cloud blots out the sun. Read Isaiah 43:25 and 44:22.

You can come into God's throne room with full assurance of faith.

Next week will be our last message in this series.

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL

PRAYER:

"Lord, I thank you that your death upon the cross and your precious blood you shed is effective to cleanse me from all my sin. I thank you that I am cleansed and come into your presence with full assurance. Amen."

AFFIRMATION:

I'm tired of being half-filled; I want to be filled to overflowing.

FURTHER STUDY:

GOD IS FULL OF COMPASSION:

Psalm 78:38; 86:15; 111:4; 112:4; 145:8.

THE EARTH IS FULL OF THE GOODNESS OF THE LORD:

Psalm 24:1; 33:5; 50:12; 89:11; 119:64; 1 Corinthians 10:26.

THE EARTH WILL BE FULL OF THE GORY OF THE LORD.

Numbers 14:21; Psalm 27:19; Isaiah 6:3; 11:9; Habakkuk 2:14; 3:3.

THE EARTH WILL BE FULL OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE LORD.

Isaiah 11:9

Many women like to save these devotions. They print them out and keep them in a folder to read over and over again. Some print them out and pin them on the fridge with a magnet to read through the week. If you are printing this devotion and need it to be smaller, highlight and change to a smaller font.

If you know others who would be blessed by these devotions, you are welcome to forward them or let them know they can subscribe by sending a blank email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.