SUPPRESSING THE SPIRIT OF GOD

In recent days, I’ve been overwhelmed by sadness and anxiety, a heaviness that drains my strength both physically and mentally. One morning, as I walked to the park, I asked God why I felt this way. Why has this sudden sadness stolen my joy, and more importantly why can’t I overcome it? I pleaded, “Please speak to me. Show me how to get through this.”

I know the truth: Christ lives in me, and through Him, I can overcome. But today, that truth felt distant and hard to apply. To my surprise, God’s answer was simple: “Through me.” It wasn’t the dramatic sign I expected—no angel, no miracle—just the quiet, powerful truth I already knew.

As I walked, I opened my daily devotional. It was about drunkenness, something irrelevant to me—or so I thought. But halfway through, it pointed to Ephesians 5:18: “Be filled with the Spirit.” Instantly, I knew God was speaking to my heart. My prayers had opened me to this reminder: to overcome fear and depression, I don’t need extraordinary signs—just to let His Spirit fill me.

Being filled with the Spirit means focusing on Christ’s presence vividly and joyfully. It means rising above life’s tragedies and casting out all the fear, sadness, and stress. Today, I realized I had been suppressing that Spirit by inhaling too much of the world’s negativity.

The choice is mine: the poisonous fumes of this world, or the life-giving Spirit of God. Today, I both failed and succeeded. Praise God for His grace!