What are you being filled with?

Welcome back to Reach One, Reach All! It’s been a while, right? I’m so glad to be back with you all. There is so much that the Lord has been putting on my heart lately and I’m excited to share it with you!

Lately, I’ve been reflecting on being filled. I want to ask you: what are you being filled with currently? Are you being filled with news from around the world? When we are consumed and filled with the worries of life, we can then begin to feel afraid. We wonder what will happen and go into self-preservation mode. Are you being filled with pressures from society? Maybe you’re at a point in your life where you thought things would be different than they are. Being filled with pressure can bring feelings of hopelessness and despair. I want to encourage you that instead of being filled with bad news, pressure, or anxieties, be filled with the spirit!

Ephesians 5:18 talks about being filled with the spirit of God. For context, Paul was advising the church of Ephesus to not be filled with wine or alcohol. When they filled themselves with this, they became wasted and lived unproductive lives. This life has so much more to offer!

So how do we go about being filled with the spirit? Well, I believe the first step is to be intentional about what you are putting into your body/spirit/mind. Take inventory of what you are watching, what music you listen to, and what foods you are eating. Take for instance what you are eating. According to an article from Harvard Medical School titled “Nutritional psychiatry: Your brain on food”, your brain is like an expensive car that only functions well on premium fuel. “Eating high-quality foods that contain lots of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants nourishes the brain and protects it from oxidative stress — the "waste" (free radicals) produced when the body uses oxygen, which can damage cells” (Selhub, 2022). Filling ourselves with low-premium foods such as sugars can impair brain function. This shows how important it is for us to be mindful of what we feed our bodies.

The next step would then be to be disciplined. Great job on setting your intentions right! Now it’s about maintaining this feat. As children of God, we have the Holy Spirit living inside of us. The Holy Spirit is our guide, our helper (John 14:26). This means that when we turn to him for help, he can help us on our journey to be more intentional and disciplined. When you walk with the Lord and become disciplined to fill yourself with the Word, meditating on his promises, and singing his praises, you’ll find that your worries become so distant. It’s such a beautiful thing to be filled with the spirit instead of what this world has to offer. Being filled with the spirit of God puts everything in the right perspective. You begin to see that our God indeed does rule and reign above every problem you have.

So, friend, I encourage you today to really begin to be intentional and disciplined on what you are putting into your mind, body, and most importantly your spirit. I believe that as you do this, you will begin to experience living life on a completely different level. I pray your life begins to be changed for the better!

References

MD, Eva Selhub. “Nutritional Psychiatry: Your Brain on Food.” Harvard Health, 18 Sept. 2022, https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/nutritional-psychiatry-your-brain-on-food-201511168626.