I have been thinking about being filled with the Spirit and how to be filled with Him. It came to me that there must be a difference between being self-centered and being Spirit-filled. Which one would be constantly expressing love, joy, peace, goodness, kindness, patience, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (the fruit of the Spirit – Galatians 5:22,23)? Which one would be evidence of being born again? Jesus told his disciples: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” Matthew 16:24. Jesus told Peter: “You are not setting your mind on the things of God but on the things of man.” Matthew 16:23. One more scripture to finish this thought is Colossians 3:1-17 “If you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above…Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth…Put to death therefore what is earthly in you – sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire and covetousness, which is idolatry…you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Put on then compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness and patience, bearing with one another. And if one has a complaint against another, forgive each other as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love which binds every thing together in perfect harmony.”

Joe