Latest / Teachings On This Day On FerventWord / On Apr 23, 2006: Ephesians 5:15-21
Transcript
- You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2006. Paul says in verse 15, See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise. He starts out with the words, see then. Referencing back to what he's been speaking to us about, about walking in love, If you look at verse 14 for a moment of chapter 5, he says, He commands us to awake, to arise from the dead, and Christ will give us light. And two weeks ago, as we studied that portion of scripture, walking in the light, we learned that darkness is the power of Satan. It's also the power of sin. We learn that darkness blinds you and hides the truth from you, and that darkness keeps you from seeing the way that you should go. And we found that the solution to darkness in our hearts and in our lives is to confess our sin to God, and that Christ, as we come to him, will give us light, that we'll be able to walk in light. And so Paul says, see then, since we're called to walk in light, since Christ will bring you light, Make sure that you walk circumspectly. This word circumspectly, I'm sure it's not a word that you use on a daily basis. So let me remind you of the meaning. It means to be careful to consider all circumstances and consequences. You get the idea of circumference or a circle from this word. And the idea is knowing what's going on around you, the situation that you are in and the consequences that result from those actions, from those situations. Now, this is very appropriate for us. As Paul has, just a few verses earlier, given us a great warning about those who will not inherit the kingdom of God. Remember in verse 5 of chapter 5, where Paul says, For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man who is an idolater has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. And so knowing this, knowing that how we live has eternal consequences, Paul says, live carefully, walk circumspectly, understanding the situation that you're in and knowing the consequences for the things that you do. This morning, I beg of you to make sure that you are not living in sin. That you walk in the light as he is in the light. Do not gamble with eternity. The stakes are too high. The results are devastating. So Paul says, make sure since how you live is important for the rest of eternity. Since coming to Christ, you will get the light of Christ. Make sure that you walk circumspectly. Considering your circumstances and the consequences. He goes on to say, not as fools, but as wise. Fools do not walk circumspectly. They do not consider the circumstances nor the consequences. We see that all throughout the book of the Proverbs. Where the fool just continues on, despite counsel, despite instructions, despite warnings. The fool doesn't give any consideration to the consequences, to their actions. Or maybe they think that they can escape the consequences of their actions. That's foolish. Paul says, fools don't walk circumspectly. You walk circumspectly. Not like fools do, but as wise. Now there's more that Paul is saying here though, because the word wise means to be an expert, to be skilled. And specifically, to be an expert or skilled in letters. or in the word of God. Christians, we are to walk circumspectly as experts in the word of God. Now may I ask you, how well do you know God's word? This book that you have in your lap, would you call yourself an expert? Paul is calling us here to live as experts, skilled in the word of God. In order for us to walk in wisdom, we must be students of God's word. Proverbs chapter 9, verse 10, tells us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. If you want to walk in wisdom, walk as wise do, the beginning of that road, the beginning of that trek to gain wisdom will be the fear of the Lord, the honoring of the Lord. The reverence of God. But the verse goes on in Proverbs 9, verse 10. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. Knowledge of the Holy One. If you want to gain understanding, to fear the Lord, that's the beginning. But to grow, to gain and to grow in understanding, is to have knowledge of the Holy One. In 2 Peter 1, verse 3, I share it often. It's one of my favorites. It tells us that his divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of him who called us by glory and virtue. So Peter tells us, much like the Proverbs, that it's through the knowledge of God that we receive everything that we need for life and for godliness. It's through the knowledge of God that we gain understanding, that we grow in wisdom, and that we are able to live this life wisely. Where do we get knowledge of the Holy One? Where do we get knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue? Of course, it's found in His Word, the Bible. And that's why Paul in 2 Timothy encourages Timothy to be diligent to present yourself approved to God. A worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. Paul says this is important, Timothy. You need to be diligent. You want to please God. You want to not be ashamed before him. then you need to be diligent to study the Word of God, to learn to rightly divide it or cut it straight according to the pattern, the way that God designed it. Learn to use God's Word the way He designed it. If you want to walk wisely, circumspectly, without being ashamed before God, you must learn the Word of God. Hebrews chapter 5 goes right along with this. As the author of Hebrews there says, encourages us to go on to maturity. Hebrews 5, verse 13, he says that everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. The author of Hebrews says, listen, there is an appropriate time To not be an expert of the word. To be unskilled. Paul is calling us to be skilled, to walk as wise, as an expert, skilled in the word of God. There is an appropriate time for us to not be skilled in the word of God. And that is when we are a babe. If you are a new believer, you've only known the Lord for a short time, or you've only been walking with God for a short time, then it's natural and it's normal and it's even healthy for you to not be an expert in the Word of God, but continue to grow and to continue to go on to maturity. For many of us, though, we've been believers for some time. The question is, are we skilled in the word of God or are we like chapter 13 or 5 verse 13 says, everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness. Are we unskilled in God's word? Because verse 14 says that solid food belongs to those who are of full age, those who have matured. How do they mature? It goes on to say that those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. By reason of use. What does that mean? Well, it means we've used it a lot. And so as a result, we're skilled. We know it well because we use it continually. That is to be our approach, our attitude, our lifestyle. Centered around the word of God. In it continually. Studying it, meditating it, getting to know it. By reason of use, we become experts, skilled in the word of God. And he goes on to say, when this happens, by reason of use, they have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. Same thing that Paul is saying. He says, see then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise. Circumspectly, giving consideration to the circumstances and consequences for what you do and how you live. So Paul says, give consideration to that. Don't be foolish, but be wise. Understand the word of God and in the light of the word, live appropriately. Understanding your circumstances and applying the word of God to them. And that's what Hebrews says. Their senses have been exercised to discern both good and evil. See, because of using the word of God, they've come to a point where they can discern. They can be in the situation, walking circumspectly, recognizing the situation and the consequences, and have discernment. This is good and this is evil. This is not good. And they can walk appropriately. The idea that Paul is giving us is that we are to walk carefully, considering the circumstances and consequences in light of what the Bible has to say. This book is to be the basis for our decisions, our lifestyles, everything that we do. And that is why here we focus so much on the Word of God. Because our lives depend on it. You need to read your Bible. That's why we encourage you in going through the Bible in a year with us, so that by reason of use you may have your senses exercised, that you may walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise experts, having learned and known the Word of God. That's why we encourage you to be a part of the inductive Bible study, that you would be able to rightly divide for yourself, learn and know what God's Word has to say. That's why we offer Sunday morning services where we focus on the word of God and Wednesday evening services and the home Bible studies and the other ministries, the men's ministry, the women's ministry, the mother's Bible study, all those things. They're because we desperately need the word of God. And it's only by the word of God that we're able to walk circumspectly as wise. And if we walk disregarding the word of God, being unskilled in the word of God, we are fools. It's a foolish thing to do. Proverbs chapter 28 verse 26 tells us that he who trusts in his own heart is a fool. But whoever walks wisely will be delivered. If you and I walk trusting our own hearts, well, I think this is what's best. I think this is what's right. I don't need to seek God on this or pray about this or see what the Bible has. I know. I've been around a long time. Proverbs says that's foolish. If you trust your own heart and what you think and what you believe and how you feel, that's foolish. We need to base our lives upon the word of God. To live trusting in our own heart is living without knowing God, without knowing God's word, and it's foolish. Paul says, don't walk that way. Instead, do the opposite. Walk as an expert in the word of God. Now, why is this so important? He tells us in the very next verse, because the days are evil. Look at verse 16. Redeeming the time because the days are evil. We are to walk circumspectly, not as fools, but wise. Redeeming the time because the days are evil. Satan is the God of this world. And every single day, He is working tirelessly to further his kingdom. Every day he deceives more hearts. Every day he destroys more lives. Every day he is at work. And so time, he is using it against us. The days are evil. The world is caught up in his system and his control and his deception. And so we are not to walk in the course of this world, as Ephesians 2 said, but to walk circumspectly. How is Satan defeated? Do you know how he is defeated? Do you remember how Jesus defeated Satan's tactics and temptations in Matthew chapter 4? Do you remember the way that he neutralized the situation and crushed the power of Satan? It was by the word of God. Three times he came back. Even the devil himself used scripture, twisted it and used it wrongly. But Jesus, following 2 Timothy 2.15, rightly divided the word of God. He knew the way the word was supposed to be used and the way it wasn't. And he came back with the word and Satan's plan, his temptation was crushed. This is why we must walk circumspectly. This is why we must walk as experts in the Word of God. Because it's in that, the Word of God, that his temptations, his deceptions are crushed, rendered powerless. It's important for our own sakes that we walk circumspectly so that we do not become deceived or seduced by the enemy. There's great deception in all types of different forms and ways. And we all think we're above it. But the truth is, if we're not grounded in the word of God, we're susceptible to all of it. We need to walk circumspectly for our own sakes, but also for the sake of those around us. Redeeming the time, buying back the time from the enemy. And how do we do that? By sharing the word of God with people around us. We redeem the time by reading, studying, living, and sharing God's word. It's so important. We need the word of God in our hearts. We need to learn by reason of use to be skilled experts in what the Bible has to say. Verse 17, Paul says, Therefore, do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. So walk circumspectly. Don't be foolish. Know the word. Redeem the time by reading it, studying it, living it, and sharing it. And therefore, since we're to do this, since it's the word that... We need to walk circumspectly. Paul now goes on again to say, don't be unwise. Learn the word. Study it. Meditate on it. It's there. It's available to you. Take advantage of it. This verse gives us something to consider as well. Because basically, Paul is saying that we are fools if we do not understand what the will of the Lord is. Now, on one hand, we should be offended by that because Paul has just called us fools. Because there's been times, if you're anything like me, Well, you don't know what the will of the Lord is. You don't know what God wants to do or where God wants you to go. But in another sense, we should be encouraged in that it's commanded to us to understand the will of God. And therefore, we know that the will of God can be understood. You can understand and know what God's will is for your life for this day. We are able to understand. Don't be unwise, but instead understand. To understand it means to set or to put together in the mind. I get the picture of a detective here, putting together the clues of a case, trying to figure out what actually happened and what took place. That's what Paul is saying. It's the amazing thing about God's Word. As we study the Word of God and we learn more about Him in His Word, we also learn about His will for our lives. We learn His character, His nature, And then He speaks to our hearts. And so we're able to piece those things together, knowing the character and nature of God, knowing how He works, and knowing what He's speaking to us. We can know what He wants us to do next, and where He wants us to go. And so understanding this, knowing this, we can easily see how foolish it would be to disregard the Word of God. How foolish it is to ignore it, or to treat it lightly. With life's many difficult decisions and situations, And so much at risk in the choices that we make. It's foolish not to pay attention to the one who can give us the perfect direction. It's foolish for us. It's like having a GPS system in your car but never using it even though you get lost all the time. It's right here to give you direction. For God to speak to you. And I know you've got difficult things. And I don't have the answer. And the person next to you, chances are they don't have the answer. But God does. And He can lead you and guide you just like Nabquest. Just turn here, go there, stay here for five miles, whatever the case. He knows how to do that. He's able to deliver His will to you. Now, granted, I'm sure that you know we need to understand God doesn't give us the whole thing at once most of the time. But He gives us the next step. He gives us each day. what we need to do his will, to walk pleasing to him. We all make foolish decisions. We do stupid things. Paul says, don't do that. Don't do that. Consider the circumstances and the consequences in the light of God's word, and you will discover his will and then walk in that. You are unwise if you do not know or understand what the will of the Lord is. And this is what makes Christianity different than any other religion. Because this truly is a relationship with God speaking to us, directing us, telling us what His will is and what He wants us to do. It's not just a ritual, a thing we kind of come do, and okay, we did this service, great service, oh, I feel so great. But it's daily, spending time with the Lord, and moment by moment, allowing Him to share with me His will. What he wants to do and accomplish and where he wants me to go. Don't be unwise. Understand God's will. And if you do not, then spend some time with him and ask him to reveal his will to you because he wants to. He wants to give you direction. He wants to show you where to go next. It's not meant to be some great mystery and you get a prize if you discover it. He will give to you his will as you seek him in his word. Again, it doesn't happen overnight. He doesn't give you the whole thing at once. But you commit to spending time with the Lord in his word. And he will give you what you need for that day. Verse 18. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit. Do you see the contrast that Paul is giving to us? He started out by saying, walk not as fools, but instead as wise. He says, do not be unwise, but instead understand what God's will is. And now he tells us, do not be filled with wine, but instead be filled with the Spirit. In these contrasts, Paul is asking us, what are you filling your life with? What is your life consumed with? He specifically deals with the issue of drunkenness. Now, drunkenness is always spoken against in the scriptures. The Proverbs have much to say about about the foolishness of drunkenness. It's definitely not a part of God's will for your life. You cannot accomplish the will of God in drunkenness. And drunkenness, in fact, is the exact opposite of what Paul has just commanded us to do in redeeming the time. It's the opposite of redeeming the time because Paul goes on to say, do not be drunken with wine in which is dissipation. Dissipation is another word. I'm sure you probably don't use it on a daily basis. Let me remind you of what it means. Dissipation means to break up and drive off. Or to break up and vanish. Or something we're more familiar with, to squander. To squander. It's the idea of wastefulness. He says, don't be drunk with wine because that's wasteful. You're wasting your time instead of redeeming the time. It's like having a $20 bill in your wallet. Have you ever noticed that as soon as you break that $20 bill, it disappears? Who knows where it goes? Can't figure it out. In fact, you could carry the $20 around in your wallet for a week, even a month, and it's there. But as soon as you break it, it's gone. Where'd it go? That's the idea here of dissipation. You're involved in drunkenness. Your time, your life, it's going to... Where'd it go? Wasted. Useless. Fruitless. So Paul says, don't be... drunk with wine or stop being drunk with wine and be filled with the Holy Spirit. Drunkenness causes your time to be broken and then it vanishes. You cannot redeem the time in drunkenness. Same thing could be true of drugs. You cannot be getting loaded, getting wasted and redeeming the time. It's a waste of time. It's squandering the time instead of redeeming it. Now, Paul addresses drunkenness specifically. It was a major problem and a major issue back then as well as it is today. But you know, this morning, even if you do not deal with drunkenness or that's not an issue for you, we should apply the same principle to our lives. What things keep you from redeeming the time? What is causing you to squander your time? You know, my personality, the way I am, I've always been very obsessive. I live in extremes. If I get involved in something, I get involved all the way. An example of this is Jack in the Box, right? You guys know, oh man, Jerry loves, he's always going to Jack in the Box. If he could use a food illustration, he'll talk about a jumbo jack or something. But you know, that was an extreme for a time. But now there's a new extreme in my life. Jack in the Box, it's kind of faded away. Now it's Taco Bell. For some reason, it just always sounds good and I'm always craving Taco Bell now. So that's the new extreme in my life. And so many times throughout my life, I've had those extremes. Activities that I get involved in and things that I do, relationships that I'm in, and they consume me. And I just go to the extreme far end of the spectrum. All out involved. And very many times throughout my life, God has had to wake me up and cause me to step back and say, look it, you're not redeeming the time. You're squandering the time. This is consuming your life. And it's keeping you from walking circumspectly and understanding what the will of God is. It's keeping you from what I want to do in your life. Instead of filling our lives with things that waste our time, we're to be filled with the Spirit. Let God deal with those areas. where you're wasting your time and not redeeming the time. Being filled with the Spirit now, Paul addresses, and it's essential for every Christian. When you were born again, the Holy Spirit came and indwelt you. God takes up residence in our hearts when we're born again. And so every single believer has the indwelling of the Holy Spirit without exception. It happens at conversion. But what Paul is talking about here is something different. He's commanding us to be filled with the Spirit. And as you study through the book of Acts, you will find that being filled with the Spirit is the same thing as being baptized with the Holy Spirit. It's synonymous and used interchangeably throughout the book of Acts. The baptism of the Spirit or the filling of the Spirit is when the Spirit comes upon you in power that you may be a witness for Jesus Christ. And that is the contrast. Instead of filling your life with things that waste your time, redeem the time by being filled with the Spirit and being a witness for Jesus Christ. That's what we're called to do. That's the contrast. We can waste our time or we can be filled with the Spirit and be a witness for Jesus Christ. He commands us here to be filled with the Spirit. How do we obey this command? How do we get filled with the Holy Spirit? Jesus tells us in Luke chapter 11, verses 9-11. I'll read to you verse 13 in summary. He says, How do we get filled with the Holy Spirit? We ask. We simply ask God in faith. We believe Jesus at His word and we ask. Now, the word or the command to be filled with the Spirit is is in the present tense, which means to us that it's not just a one-time thing, but it's something that we're to continually do. Keep on being filled with the Spirit, is what Paul is saying. Continually be filled with the Spirit. And so we are to keep ourselves in a state that we are constantly, continually asking God to fill us with His Spirit, that we might be empowered to live for Him and to be His witnesses. It's a constant thing in our lives, a continual asking of God and relying upon him and the power of the Spirit in our lives. Man, there's so much more that could be said here, but we will keep going. The next three verses, as we conclude the portion this morning, describe for us four things that will result when we are filled with the Spirit. Four things that happen and take place, four evidences that the Spirit exists. is indeed filling us and overflowing through us. Look at verse 19 with me. He says, The first evidence, result of the filling of the Spirit that Paul talks about here, is that those who are filled in the Spirit will be speaking to one another in spiritual songs. Now, does this mean that we're to sing all of our conversations? Hello, Mario. How are you? I'm doing fine, Jerry. Thank you for asking. You know, no, that's not what Paul is talking about. What is he talking about? You know, there's a very important element of singing songs with each other and singing to the Lord together corporately, coming together to worship God. We're built up and we're strengthened. One of the ways, Paul says, that we know that we're filled with the Spirit is we're able to sing together about God. We're able to come together because we're in love with God and worship Him and sing to Him, magnify His name. You know, if you are not able to participate as we worship together, something is wrong. If you're not able to lift your voice and sing to the Lord with us, something is wrong. And you need to ask yourself, are you filled with the Spirit? Has He filled your life? So that you could speak to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. Singing together is so important. It's an important element. Now, another side of this, in speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, we remind each other of how David praised the Lord. Of how God delivered David. You know, songs were often how the children of Israel would learn and remember spiritual truths. God commanded Moses in Deuteronomy chapter 31 to write a song for the children of Israel that they would remember the things that took place and what God said and what his law commanded. And so Deuteronomy chapter 32 is a song that was written by Moses so that the children of Israel would remember the things about God that they had learned. And so we share speaking with psalms and songs and hymns to one another to remind each other of who God is and what he's done, of how great he is. You know, to someone who is down or depressed, there's so much in the word of God that we can share. There's much more, though, that takes place as we sing together. And get our eyes and our focus on Jesus Christ. With someone who is in love with the Lord, oh, we can speak to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs in joy and gladness. Talking about how great God is. When someone's overwhelmed, so many psalms and hymns and spiritual songs that we can turn to and remember and remind each other about and encourage each other in and lift each other up. Getting our eyes again focused back on the Lord and off of our circumstances. So being filled with the Spirit, the first evidence, speaking to one another in spiritual songs. The second thing we see, it's also here in verse 19, it's making melody in your heart to the Lord. Not only do we sing together about the Lord and build each other up that way, but when the joy comes from being filled with the Spirit, we cannot stop singing. So that even when our mouths are closed, our hearts are rejoicing and praising God. We're to be singing and making melody in our heart to the Lord. This again is describing the incredible joy that comes as a result of being filled with the Spirit. If you don't know that joy, it can't be described to you. All I can say is ask God to fill you with the Spirit and experience the wonderful joy that God gives. It's one of the primary fruits of the Spirit that Paul deals with in Galatians 5, verse 22. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy. Peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control. The Spirit will overwhelm our hearts with joy. There should be great joy within us. We should be in love with Jesus Christ, excited about Him, passionate and overflowing with joy. And that takes place as the Spirit fills our lives. It's an automatic result of the Spirit's filling. This morning, how is your joy? Do you need a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit today? Your joy, your love, your passion to be rekindled in your relationship with God. You need to be filled with the Spirit. Verse 20, we find the third thing. He says, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. So the third evidence or the third result of being filled with the Spirit is that we give thanks every November. No, that we give thanks always. Always. A heart's of gratitude, of thanksgiving. It's a natural response as the Spirit works in our hearts because the Spirit gives to us the right perspective. He reminds us and helps us to recognize that we deserve judgment and that God just keeps pouring out mercy and grace, mercy and grace upon mercy and grace. So thanksgiving is a natural product as we're reminded the proper perspective. I remember hearing Brian Broderson share one time, and he shared about difficult circumstances and the idea of being joyful or thankful through them. And he says, you know what we have to remember is that what God has done for us is far greater than we can imagine. And if God never blessed my life and never gave me wonderful things or times, if my life was full of pain and hard times and things, His death on the cross for me, what He gave and His Son dying for me, more than enough for me to praise Him and to thank Him every day and every moment of the day. Because we deserved eternal judgment. It was our right. It's what we had coming to us and we deserved it. But He instead has offered to us eternal life. And so there must always be thanksgiving pouring out of our hearts as we remember and recognize what God has done for us. The Spirit brings that into our hearts and our lives. It's a result of the filling of the Spirit. Are you a thankful person, a grateful person? Has the Spirit filled your heart with gratefulness to God for His goodness? Finally, verse 21. We find the fourth thing. He says, Submitting to one another in the fear of God. Submitting to one another in the fear of God. That's the fourth thing, and I'm sure it's probably our favorite. Submitting to one another. Notice, though, that it says in the fear of the Lord. Paul is not saying here that we're just supposed to do everything that everybody tells us to do. That's not submitting to one another in the fear of the Lord. But he's telling us that we are to submit to one another as we speak and do the will of God. None of us are above submission. God will use you to encourage, direct and correct others. But don't forget that he will use others to encourage, direct, and correct you and me. Submitting to one another in the fear of God. Knowing that he is using brothers and sisters around us to bring us to the understanding of his will. And to the right place where he wants us. You know those times where you're told or maybe asked to do something. And you know it's the right thing. But you just hate that it was that person that asked you to do it. And you don't want to do it, even though it's right. I just don't want them to be right. Our hearts scream that. Maybe we don't say it so much, but you know what I'm talking about. Sometimes it's our spouse. Sometimes it's others that we don't really care for too much, but they tell us something. Oh, it hurts. Paul says, submit to one another in the fear of the Lord. It doesn't matter who it is. God will use other people to speak to us. And we need to submit to one another in the fear of the Lord as God speaks to us through others, no matter who. We need to be obedient and submit to those things. Do you have trouble receiving instruction? You need to be filled with the Spirit. This morning, Paul has encouraged us to walk circumspectly, which means that we're to walk as experts in the Word of God. Now, the great thing about the filling of the Spirit as well, Jesus told us in John, I believe it's chapter 16, that the Spirit, when He comes, He will guide us into all truth. And so as we're filled with the Spirit, We can walk as experts in the word of God. He told us to walk circumspectly, which means to redeem the time, to share, to live, to study the word of God. To walk circumspectly means to understand the Lord's will. Isn't it great that we can understand, that we can ask the one who knows everything and he'll give us direction? Walk circumspectly. Use wisdom. Use the word of God that you have in front of you and understand the Lord's will. And finally, walk circumspectly means to be filled with the Spirit. It's a place of dependence, reliance upon God, asking Him to fill us, to work through us, to empower us, to be a witness, to stay away from sin, to understand His Word, to be pleasing to Him in all that we do. And as we're filled with the Spirit, we can know He gave us great things to look and examine our own lives. Where do we stand? Are we walking circumspectly? Do we speak to one another in spiritual songs? Do we make melody in our hearts to the Lord? Do we always give thanks? And do we submit to one another? This morning I would ask you, do you need a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit, a rekindled relationship with the Lord that you would be able to walk circumspectly? That you might worship together with the body of Christ. That you might have an overwhelming, refreshing joy that causes you to sing, to make melody in your hearts to the Lord, and to overflow with thanksgiving because of what He's done and what He's doing. You need to be submissive and obedient. You need the filling of the Holy Spirit. This morning I challenge you to walk circumspectly. Be an expert in the Word of God. This is what the Bible says. Live by it. Study it. Believe it. and ask God to fill you with this Holy Spirit. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, your word speaks powerfully to us, right to our hearts. God, and we confess that we need you desperately, Lord, in our lives. We ask, God, that you would help us to walk circumspectly. Lord, that we wouldn't be as unwise, but that we would be wise, students of your word, learning your will, redeeming the time, and being filled with more of you. God, we need you. And your word says that if we ask, you will fill us with your spirit. So Lord, consume our hearts with you. Put yourself back on the throne of our lives that we might walk in wisdom, redeeming the time and reaching out to those around us that they would know you and be drawn close to you. God, I pray that you would help us to walk according to your word, that you would keep us from the deceptions of the enemy. Lord, that we would not be seduced by the lies of sin. We pray you have been blessed by this Bible teaching. The power of God to change a life is found in the daily reading of His Word. Visit ferventword.com to find more teachings and Bible study resources.