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Objective

In this lesson, we’ll learn that the Christian life is one of surrender to the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit who enables us to follow Christ.

Key Verse

Ephesians 5:18: And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit.

Introduction

Walking with Christ is not something we can do in our own strength. From the moment we are born again, God places His Holy Spirit within us to guide, strengthen, and transform us from the inside out. Yet many Christians struggle in their spiritual lives because they try to live for God through their own effort rather than yielding to the Spirit’s power.

The Spirit-controlled life—a life yielded to the Spirit—requires us to surrender our natural desire to be in control. This means yielding our will, our plans, our desires, and our strength to the Holy Spirit who lives within us. The power of the Holy Spirit is what makes this life possible. When we look at the early church in the book of Acts, we see believers who were empowered by the Holy Spirit to live extraordinary lives. They spoke boldly, served sacrificially, and demonstrated Christ’s love in powerful ways. This same Spirit who filled them is available to fill us today.

The word “filled” in our key verse doesn’t mean a one-time experience, but rather a continuous lifestyle of yielding to and being controlled by the Holy Spirit. Just as being drunk with wine affects how a person thinks, speaks, and acts, yielding to the Spirit transforms every aspect of our lives.

In this lesson, we’ll explore what it means to yield to the Spirit by examining:

• Why we need to yield to the Holy Spirit’s power
• How God calls us to be filled with the Spirit
• How we can recognize when we’re yielding to the Spirit
• How we can live each day surrendered to His control

Why We Need to Yield to the Holy Spirit’s Power

The Christian life goes against our natural human tendencies. Our flesh wants to be in control, to live for ourselves, and to follow our own desires. But God calls us to deny ourselves, serve others, and live lives of holiness that are impossible in our own strength.

Galatians 5:17: For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.

This internal struggle between our old nature and our new life in Christ is real for every believer. We face a daily choice between walking according to the flesh or walking according to the Spirit. When we try to live the Christian life in our own power, we will always fall short and become frustrated.

Romans 7:18-19: For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.

Even the apostle Paul experienced this struggle! He understood that good intentions are not enough. We need divine power to live the life God calls us to live. This is exactly why Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit to His followers.

John 14:16-17: And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.

The Holy Spirit is not merely an influence or a force—He is a Person, the third member of the Trinity, who comes to live within every believer. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to fulfill four essential roles in our lives:

First, to be our Comforter. The word means “one called alongside to help.” When we face trials, discouragement, or fear, the Spirit comes alongside us to provide comfort and strength.

Second, to teach us more about Christ. The Spirit’s primary ministry is to reveal Jesus to us and help us understand God’s truth more clearly.

John 14:26: But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.

Third, to guide us into holy living. The Spirit convicts us of sin and leads us away from what grieves God’s heart.

John 16:8: And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.

Fourth, to give us power to be witnesses. We cannot effectively share Christ or serve God without the Spirit’s enabling power.

Acts 1:8: But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.

When we learn to yield to His leadership in these areas, we discover the power to live as God intends.

(Notebook Moment: Think about areas in your life where you’ve been trying to change yourself through willpower alone. How might yielding these areas to the Holy Spirit make a difference?)

How God Calls Us to Yield to the Spirit

Yielding to the Spirit is not optional for the Christian—it’s a command. Notice that our key verse is written as an imperative: “be filled with the Spirit.” This is not a suggestion but God’s expectation for every believer.

Ephesians 5:18: And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit.

The contrast here is instructive. Just as alcohol can control a person’s behavior, speech, and decisions, the Holy Spirit should control every aspect of our lives through our willing surrender to Him. But unlike the destructive influence of drunkenness, yielding to the Spirit leads to life, joy, and spiritual fruitfulness.

The Greek word for “filled” implies being controlled or dominated by something. When we yield to the Spirit, we place ourselves under His influence and direction. This doesn’t mean we become passive or lose our personality, but rather that we willingly surrender our will to God’s will.

Luke 11:13: If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!

God wants us to yield to His Spirit even more than we want to surrender control. He is not reluctant to give us this gift—He delights in it! The key question is whether we are willing to ask for it and yield control of our lives to Him. Notice that Jesus says we must ask for the Spirit’s filling. This isn’t because God is unwilling to give, but because asking demonstrates our dependence on Him and our desire to surrender control to Him.

James 1:17: Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

The Holy Spirit is a good gift from God, and He will not withhold this from us when we genuinely seek Him.

Yielding to the Spirit is both an event and a process. We can pray right now and ask God to fill us afresh with His Spirit, but we must also continue to surrender to Him moment by moment, day by day. It’s like breathing—we need fresh air constantly, not just once.

Acts 4:31: And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.

Notice that these believers were filled with the Spirit multiple times. Even though they had already received the Spirit, they continued to seek fresh fillings for new challenges and opportunities to serve God.

How We Can Recognize When We’re Yielding to the Spirit

When we surrender to the Holy Spirit’s control, several wonderful things begin to happen in our lives. The Spirit produces spiritual fruit, gives us power for service, and helps us become more like Christ. But how can we know when we are truly yielding to the Holy Spirit? There are three clear signs that we are living under the Spirit’s control:

First, we will serve God with humility when we yield to the Holy Spirit. Why is this true? Because the Holy Spirit points people to Christ, not to ourselves! When we are truly surrendered to the Spirit, we become less concerned about receiving credit or recognition and more focused on glorifying Jesus.

John 16:14: He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.

Second, our lives will be marked by joy, not drudgery. We will rest in the Lord, since we aren’t relying on our own effort or power. The Spirit brings supernatural joy even in difficult circumstances.

Galatians 5:22: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

Philippians 4:6: Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.

Third, there will be purity in our lives. The Holy Spirit guides us into truth and away from sin. When we surrender to the Spirit, we find victory over the flesh and its desires.

Galatians 5:16: I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

The apostle Paul gives us the best example of yielding to the Spirit. Throughout the book of Acts, we see Paul praying, preaching, and making decisions while surrendered to the Spirit’s power.

Acts 13:9: Then Saul, who also is called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him.

(Notebook Moment: Which of these three signs—humility, joy, or purity—do you most need to see grow in your own life? How might yielding more fully to the Spirit help in this area?)

How We Can Live Each Day Surrendered to His Control

Learning to yield to the Spirit is a daily discipline that involves both our heart attitudes and our practical choices. Jesus promised that we can have rivers of living water flowing from our lives:

John 7:38-39: He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive.

Do you have rivers of living water flowing from your life? Jesus says you can have this through the Holy Spirit. Your life can water others with the blessings of God. Here are key principles for yielding to the Spirit’s control:

First, we must acknowledge our need and ask for His filling.

James 4:2: You do not have because you do not ask.

How can you have this power? You must ask for it. Jesus taught His disciples to pray, and He emphasized that our heavenly Father wants to give us the Holy Spirit when we ask.

Luke 11:1-14: So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened… If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!

Second, we must confess and turn from any known sin.

1 John 1:9: If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Sin grieves the Holy Spirit and hinders His work in our lives. Regular confession keeps our hearts clean and our fellowship with God unbroken.

Third, we must yield our will to God’s will.

Romans 12:1: I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

Yielding to the Spirit requires surrendering control of our lives to God. This means being willing to obey Him even when His ways don’t make sense to us or when obedience costs us something.

Fourth, we must stay connected to God through His Word and prayer.

Colossians 3:16: Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

The Spirit uses God’s Word to guide, correct, and encourage us. As we fill our minds with Scripture, the Spirit has more material to work with in transforming our thinking.

Finally, we must choose to walk by faith rather than by sight.

2 Corinthians 5:7: For we walk by faith, not by sight.

Yielding to the Spirit’s control means trusting God’s promises even when circumstances look difficult, and obeying His Word even when our feelings tell us otherwise.

(Notebook Moment: Which of these five principles do you most need to focus on in your own life? What specific steps could you take this week to grow in this area?)

Conclusion

The Christian life was never meant to be lived in human strength alone. From the moment we believe in Christ, God places His Holy Spirit within us to provide the power, guidance, and transformation we need to follow Jesus successfully.

Yielding to the Spirit is not about having emotional experiences or spectacular spiritual gifts, though God may choose to work in these ways. It’s fundamentally about surrendering control of our lives to God and allowing His Spirit to direct our thoughts, words, and actions through humility, joy, and purity.

The same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you. The same Spirit who empowered the early church to spread the gospel throughout the known world is available to work through you today. As the apostle Paul demonstrated throughout his life, when we learn to yield to the Spirit’s leadership moment by moment, we discover the joy and freedom that come from living in divine power rather than struggling in human strength.

But we must remember this crucial truth: the only work that God will bless is work done in the power of the Spirit. Everything else is wood, hay, and stubble that will not survive God’s testing.

Zechariah 4:6: So he answered and said to me: “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts.”

1 Corinthians 3:11-17: For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is.

This is not a one-time decision but a daily choice to yield fresh areas of your life to God’s control. Some days will be easier than others, but God’s Spirit is faithful to help you, strengthen you, and transform you as you trust in Him. The Spirit-controlled life is not perfect, but it is powerful—and it’s available to every believer who is willing to yield control to the One who loves them perfectly.

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