Under the Influence
Ephesians 5:18 “Do not get drunk with wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.”
Two weeks ago while waiting to board my flight in Minneapolis, a gentleman who did not know me from Adam, sat next to me and started talking and talking and talking. It didn’t take long for me to see that he was “talking under the influence.” It’s illegal to “drive under the influence,” but perhaps, it might be worth considering a new law that would make “talking under the influence” illegal too. Just a thought!
Alcohol can alter a man’s personality completely. So can the Holy Spirit. That is why God says to us in Ephesians 5:18, do not get drunk with wine, but be filled with the Spirit. That is, instead of allowing alcohol to alter your personality, permit the Holy Spirit to do so. Start living your life under His supernatural influence. And watch Him change you speech, your thoughts, and your behavior!
How can you be filled with the Holy Spirit? Listen to what Jesus said in John 7:37-38. “If any many is thirsty, let Him come unto me and drink, and he that believes on me as the Scripture has said, out of His belly shall flow rivers of living water.” John says in verse 39 that Jesus was speaking of the Holy Spirit who those who believe in Him should receive.
To be filled with the Spirit you must first believe on and receive Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior. Have you done so? Once you give your heart to Jesus, the Spirit comes into you to live in you. That is a promise of God! But the Holy Spirit will not fill you and exert His influence in you unless you ask and allow Him to do so. He is a gentleman, does not force Himself on us, and will take no more of us than we yield to Him.
So if you have already invited Jesus to be your Savior, you may at this time invite the Holy Spirit to fill you and to influence every aspect of your life. Simply admit your need for His presence and power, and ask Him in the name of Jesus to fill you. Then believe by faith that He is flooding your life with Himself and start giving thanks.
Do this now. Do this daily. Do this every time you sense you need His strength and power. And with all that we have to deal with in this life, that will be often!
A Moment of Grace 
For those of us who have already invited Jesus to be (our) Savior, he is indeed able to influence every aspect of our lives. So, the question is, “what will we do with that “influence” to “influence” others who God happens to send into our paths? Prayerfully, this man who was “under the influence” was given a “shot” of something glorious like the gospel or better yet, some love!
The story of this man was included as a way of providing a little humor and an illustration of how thoroughly the HS can influence us. Hopefully, most people were able to relate and chuckle a little, while also being encouraged to allow the HS to make them at least as bold and unintimidated as he was while under the influence of alcohol.