“Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts.”
Ephesians 5:18–19 (NLT)
The Holy Spirit is the only influence worth yielding to. Being filled with wine—or anything else the world offers—leads to emptiness and ruin. But being filled with the Spirit leads to life, joy, and strength.
The world is quick to hand us chains disguised as happiness: addictions, distractions, and temporary escapes (Ephesians 5:3–4). Each promises relief but delivers disappointment. The cycle always ends in guilt and leaves us searching for more, trying to recapture a fading glimpse of joy.
But Jesus offers something greater. When He fills us with the Holy Spirit, we no longer need the false substitutes the world insists will make us happy. True joy comes from Him alone. And Paul shows us what that joy looks like: it overflows in songs, hymns, and music from the heart. Singing lifts our eyes to God instead of down to our circumstances. Gratitude rises up, and joy takes root deep within.
So the question remains: What are you under the influence of?