Daily Devotional
By Pastor Jerry Teboe
A Closer Walk with Christ in 2026
Ephesians 5:18-21
And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Eph 5:19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Eph 5:20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Eph 5:21 Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.
The filling of the Spirit is a common theme in the Bible. Paul has a lot to say about this filling. The real meaning of “filling” is control. When we say we are filled with the Spirit, we are literally saying that we are controlled by the Spirit. There are several aspects of being filled with Spirit that we need to understand.
First of all, it is a command for all Christians. As a command, it is not optional, and through obedience to this command, we have many blessings.
Second, it is through the filling of the Spirit that we are able to have proper relationships with others. The context is the home and family. When the members of the home are in unity with the Lord, there will be unity and harmony in that home. One writer once said that the home is the only part of creation that retained the joy of Eden. But if the home is not ruled by the Lord, it can be like an outpost of hell.
Third, the filling of the Spirit produces fruit. This is seen in Galatians 5:22-23 which says, But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. This fruit is to be an experience that grows as we mature as believers. Notice the first in the list is “love.” This is the trunk from which each of the other fruit is produced. Jesus said in John 13:35, By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. It is the fruit of the Spirit that is evidence of being filled with the Spirit.
Fourth, there are also other evidences that are visible when we are filled with the Spirit. These are seen in the verses which follow the command. 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 5:20-21). These evidences are joy, thankfulness, and submission. When these three are seen, you can be sure that the Spirit has control of your life.
God has given us the command to be filled with the Spirit. This filling comes from the Lord. It is not something that we produce, but it is produced in us as we submit to the Lord. The true filling of the Spirit comes when we give full control of our lives into the Lord’s hands and allow Him to be our guide. Do we have these evidences of being filled with the Spirit in our lives?
Bible Reading for the Year
August 13th, Psalms 106; Romans 15:1-21
Prayer Needs
Thank you for praying for Dr. Joe Jordan. He had to go back into the hospital. The doctors are doing tests to determine an issue with his kidneys. Please continue to pray for him.
Please continue to pray for Faye Smith, Jack Gargis’ sister. She has been transferred to a nursing home. She is doing some better, but still has a long way to go. The family appreciates your prayers.
Please continue to pray for Shirley Deans. She is at home and getting stronger. She saw her cancer doctor on last Friday, and the doctor was pleased because everything looked good. Her lungs sounded clear. She has another appointment on Friday, August 14th with he same doctor concerning her chemo treatments.
Continue to pray for Jennifer Teboe Buchamer. Please keep praying for complete healing. She is still having side effects from the cancer. She had a Keytruda treatment on last Thursday. Pray for the treatment to be effective against the cancer. Her white blood cells are elevated. Pray for the infection to stay at bay.
Please continue to pray for Vickie Dalton. Pray for God’s healing. She was in the hospital to have a drainage tube put into her lung. She was able to go home but needs our prayers.
Linda Franks’ surgery has been rescheduled for August 31st.
Please continue to pray for Carolyn Tyson’s sister, Shirley Deal. She has been moved into the River Trace rehab center in Washington. She is showing some improvement.
Please continue to pray for Peggy Warren. She is facing some difficult challenges.
Please continue to pray for Robbie Harvey who has MAC lung disease. The doctor has prescribed a new medication, but he is not tolerating it well.
Please continue to pray for Marvin Silverthorne for his eyesight to improve.
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Pray for our Missionaries!
Sue Singleton and the mission in Cambodia
Dr. Joe Jordan and the CBM (Cross and Bible Ministries)
Travis and Caroline Fennessy – IBM missionaries to Southeast Asia