Many people get confused when it comes to the baptism and the filling of the Holy Spirit. The baptism of the Holy Spirit occurs at salvation and only happens once.  When we are born from above, we are baptized with fire, as promised by John the Baptist.  We are placed into the family of God and forever secured by the power of the Holy Ghost.  The filling of the Holy Spirit occurs frequently; it is not a “second work” of grace, it is a continual occurrence as we yield our life to the Lord.

     To be filled with the Spirit means to be controlled by the Spirit.  We make a mistake in thinking that “filled” somehow means “getting more.” We have all of the Spirit of God we ever need the moment we are saved. However, as we grow in grace, the Spirit of God begins to have more of us: more of our thoughts, more of our heart, more of our time, more of our attitude, more of our behavior. 

     Much of the frustration we endure as believers come from our unwillingness to succumb to His control.  This is “grieving” the Spirit. This occurs when we refuse to yield entirely to His leadership.  Being controlled by the Spirit is an ongoing experience in which we minimize the flesh’s power in our decision-making process.  Being baptized means you have all of Him, being filled means He has all of you.