"Do not be drunk with wine, wherein is excess, but be filled with the Spirit." (Ephesians 5:18). If a person is under the heavy influence of alcohol...they have no control. When a person has drunk to the point of excess their mind and body cease to be influenced by self, but by what is controlling their reactions: the alcohol. They have relinquished command of all function, and have succumb to the effects of something else.
Paul compares being "filled with Spirit" to what happens when alcohol enters the body "in excess"...one becomes under the influence of something else. For Christians to be filled with the Spirit means that we are under the influence of God. We have relinquished control of our minds and bodies to Him. Our speech is effected. Our actions are effected. Just like a person who is drunk is totally different than a person who is sober...Spirit-filled Christians live under the influence of something other than ourselves and our surroundings. We are led, guided, and directed...we are under the influence of God.
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