3 Important Things a Spirit-Filled Woman Does

I was going to start today’s post by talking about how we’re about to wrap up another month. But instead, I decided that I just want to live in the moment and stay in full-on summer mode for a bit longer!

I’ve made it to Ephesians in my current read-through of the New Testament. The passage below is a familiar one, but I want to dive into it a little bit.

“And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but 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; Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.” ~Ephesians 5:18-21

We receive the Holy Spirit when we make the decision to trust Jesus as our Savior. He is the down payment on our eternal salvation, the “earnest of our inheritance.” [Ephesians 1:12-14]

In verse 18 above, we’re instructed to avoid being controlled by alcohol, but instead to allow the Holy Spirit to dictate what we do. Our natural tendency is to allow our flesh – aka our own desires and emotions – to control us.

Yet as we grow in our faith and allow the Holy Spirit to guide us, what evidence is there that we’re filled with the Spirit? What’s our part in the process?

I find it interesting that these verses are filled with verbs – speaking, giving, and submitting. Those are things we do. Being filled with the Holy Spirit isn’t just a feeling. It involves action…things we can do because the Spirit gives us the ability to do them.

So how does a spirit-filled woman act?

1. She gets a song in her heart.

This portion of the verse uses the phrase “speaking to yourselves.” We can talk to ourselves – but not just with words, but through songs.

Whether or not we’re musical, we can cultivate this in our lives. We can read a favorite Psalm or a hymn, maybe even out loud. Put together a playlist of uplifting, encouraging music. Have a set time during the day to turn it on and sing along.

The more we make time to worship and praise God, the more it becomes a part of us. We will still have days when we’re down, but music can lift us up.

2. She is grateful.

Just like cultivating that song in our hearts, being grateful is a practice. It’s not a Pollyanna, everything’s-great outlook because some days everything won’t feel so great. Rather it’s acknowledging that it’s His will for us to be thankful in all things [1 Thessalonians 5:18] and that every good gift comes from our Heavenly Father [James 1:17]

How do we make gratefulness a practice? In his mind, my husband rolls through three new things he’s thankful for before his feet hit the floor each morning. I write out at least three in my journal during my regular time with the Lord. Those journals have become a treasure, a diary of God’s faithfulness.

Is it always easy to find something to be thankful for? No, but as we do, we can find our whole attitude changing.

3. She has a humble spirit.

The word used in the verse above is submit. Here again, we need the Holy Spirit to empower us. It’s not in our human nature to submit. We are prideful people who want our own way.

But as Spirit-filled women, we get to choose to yield to someone else. Maybe it’s our husband or another family member or a co-worker. We can live humbly as we put others ahead of ourselves and strive to model Christlikeness in our relationships.

I hope that we’ll all seek to be filled with the Spirit and have that song in our hearts, a grateful mindset, and a life marked by humility!

Related posts:

• What Does It Mean to Walk with the Lord?
• 11 Different Ways to Study the Bible
• How to Make Our Words and Thoughts Pleasing to God