(by Dr. Larry Ollison)

A battery contains power, but if a battery is left uncharged or unused, the power will diminish, which can be disastrous in times of emergency. During a storm is not the time to discover the batteries in your flashlight are dead.

Likewise, we must keep our spiritual battery full of faith by filling it with the Word so that in times of peril, we will not be caught off guard. The Holy Spirit is the power of God and by praying in the Spirit, we build up our most holy faith (Jude 1:20). Faith is the catalyst that activates God's miraculous supernatural power.

Being filled with the Holy Spirit is not a one-time event and then it's over. The apostles were filled with the Holy Spirit in the upper room with the evidence of speaking in tongues. Their boldness brought the wrath of the chief priests and the elders and they were commanded to not speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus (Acts 4:18). Upon telling their friends what had happened, they prayed and were all filled with the Holy Spirit again.

"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" (Acts 4:31).

In Ephesians 5:18 Paul admonishes the church to be filled with the Holy Spirit. The Greek word used there is plerousthe. The literal translation of this verb can best be stated as "be being kept filled." Billy Graham, the great American evangelist, in his book, The Holy Spirit, said that Ephesians 5:18 literally says, "Keep on being filled with the Spirit.” In his book, he also said, "Unfortunately millions of God's people do not enjoy the unlimited spiritual wealth at their disposal because they are not filled with the Holy Spirit. We are not filled once for all, like a bucket. Instead, we are to be filled constantly. This would indicate that as believers we are to keep ourselves constantly filled as we live our lives each day. This process is how we daily are led by and walk by the Spirit.

So, keep your spiritual battery charged with the Word and by praying in the spirit.