~ Ephesians 5:18
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Paul’s words here are short but weighty. In one sentence, he contrasts two ways of living: a life controlled by substances and desires, or a life controlled by the Holy Spirit. The choice determines not only our spiritual health but also our physical well-being.
The Greek word for “debauchery” (asōtia) means reckless living, wastefulness, or a life without self-control. To be drunk is not just to misuse alcohol it’s to surrender control of mind and body to something other than God. It dulls the senses, weakens judgment, and often leads to destructive choices. That is why Scripture consistently warns against drunkenness (Prov. 20:1; Rom. 13:13).
Instead, Paul commands believers to “be filled with the Spirit.” The verb here is present tense in Greek, meaning continuous action: “keep on being filled.” Just as drunkenness influences the whole person, so does the Spirit’s filling but with life, joy, and holiness rather than corruption. One enslaves, the other frees.
This principle connects directly to the biblical health message. While Paul speaks specifically of wine, the application extends to anything that impairs or controls us: drugs, overeating, digital addictions, even stress-driven habits. Whenever we turn to substitutes for comfort, escape, or identity, we risk debauchery wasting the life God entrusted to us.
Instead, health and holiness mean allowing the Holy Spirit to fill every part of us body, mind, and soul. Just as alcohol permeates the bloodstream and alters behavior, so the Spirit permeates the believer and transforms attitudes, words, and actions. The result is not recklessness but fruitfulness: “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Gal. 5:22–23). Notice that self-control, the opposite of drunken indulgence, is Spirit-produced.
For modern believers, Paul’s command is both a warning and an invitation. The warning: don’t give control of your body to substances or habits that destroy. The invitation: let God’s Spirit fill you, guide you, and empower you to live in freedom. This doesn’t mean denying pleasure altogether but finding our true joy in Him.
Think of Acts 2, when the disciples were filled with the Spirit. Onlookers thought they were drunk, but Peter explained it was the power of God. Spirit-filled living may look strange to the world, but it leads to clarity, courage, and holiness, not waste and ruin.
Today, consider: what fills me? Is it the Spirit, or substitutes that leave me empty? God calls us to a better way. Health, holiness, and wholeness flow when we yield control not to substances but to the Spirit of truth.
Prayer: Lord, thank You for the gift of Your Holy Spirit. Forgive me for the times I have sought satisfaction in things that harm or control me. Fill me afresh with Your Spirit today, that my life may overflow with joy, self-control, and holiness for Your glory. Amen.
