The process of sanctification, which would be the process of learning to love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, pairs well with being filled with the Holy spirit. Being filled with the Holy spirit would only be possible if one were to empty one’s self of the sin they carry. This allows a complete filling of the Holy spirit in one's life, and in that moment. I think it is possible to be influenced by the Holy Spirit without being filled by it. For instance a non-believer who has not yet committed their life to God begins to feel a stirring, or a beckoning by something unknown to them. This would be an influence and not a filling. The connection between a filling of the Holy Spirit and sanctification I believe to be linked by one’s repentance. Grace is the chord that links the two together, but it is the act of repentance that allows the filling to take place in one’s life in a way that moves forward the process of sanctification.
I have neighbors like most Americans. I can tell you with certainly that there are days where I cannot rely on my own power to show them the love and kindness that the image of God they were created with deserves. It is the Holy Spirit that empowers us to love them with the grace given to us. To put it simply, the more I am filled with sin, the more my actions will reflect sin and the more I am filled with the Holy spirit, the more my actions will reflect the heart of God. Loving them to the fullest capacity is not a task a mere human can keep up on their own every single day of their life. But with the empowerment of the Holy Spirit and the revelation of a true understanding of grace, we can love others and God to the fullest of our human extent.