Do Not Quench the Holy Spirit
1 Thessalonians 5:19-22: "Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast to what is good. Abstain from every form of evil."
In Ephesians 5:18, Paul told the Ephesian church to be filled with the Spirit. Here, Paul told the church in Thessalonica not to quench the Spirit. We read in all four Gospel accounts that Jesus will baptize us with the Holy Spirit. Clearly, as God's children, we are also to be filled with the Spirit and to walk in the Spirit. So how would one quench the Spirit if he is living within the believer?
Sin is the primary way that a believer quenches the Spirit. When the Spirit speaks to us about what is good and right to do, but then we choose a different way, that is sin; it is clear disobedience to the Lord. Sin separates us from God. Where the Lord longs to be in an intimate relationship with his children, sin moves us out of that intimacy. As a result, the believer can feel disconnected from the Lord, unloved, or lacking peace. There is less dependency on the Spirit of the Lord and more dependency on self. The believer moves out of the Spirit's guidance and into the guidance of the flesh.
Beyond sin, there is also a complacency to the Spirit. When a person has put his trust in the Lord, asked Jesus to forgive him of his sins, and turned from his old way of life to the new life of Christ, the Holy Spirit is poured out on that person. Power, gifts, and the fruit of the Spirit become available through that Holy Spirit. While all that is available, the believer must receive the power, activate the gifts, and cultivate the fruit. Far too often, a believer gets a taste of the Spirit but does not fully surrender to his power and presence. How it must grieve the Lord to offer such an amazing gift and see his children turn away, unwilling to unwrap the fullness of what he offers.
Another way in which we can quench the Spirit is when the Lord nudges us to say something or do something, and we resist him. One day, I saw a vision for a friend, not a close friend, but one that I have seen and conversed with occasionally over the past three years. The Lord nudged me to share the vision, and I had absolutely no desire to do so. What if this guy thought I was crazy? What if I offended him? With everything in me, I wanted to run and just keep the vision to myself. Yet, I felt a certain fire in my bones and then a burning sense that I had to speak. It was almost as if the Spirit overrode my hesitancy. With great trepidation, I spoke the vision to this man. He graciously received it and seemed blessed by it. I felt peace and joy in choosing to surrender to the Spirit's prompting. While I was afraid, I chose to obey the Lord and trusted him with the results.
The Spirit is given to transform our hearts of stone to hearts of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26). The Holy Spirit convicts us of sin, guides us, empowers us, and equips us for every good work. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we are given the gifts of the Spirit. They are unique to us. When we use them, we build the body of Christ and we experience the joy and peace of living surrendered to the Lord. Through the work of the Spirit within us, we become people who produce the fruit of the Lord - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).
May we receive the fullness of the Spirit. May we activate the power with all the gifts entrusted to us. May we cultivate the fruit so that the Lord is seen and glorified through our lives, and may we turn from sin and hold fast to what is good.
Reflection:
In what ways have you been quenching the Holy Spirit's work in your life? Would you be willing to repent of these ways in order to receive, activate, and cultivate the fullness of the Holy Spirit today?
In Ephesians 5:18, Paul told the Ephesian church to be filled with the Spirit. Here, Paul told the church in Thessalonica not to quench the Spirit. We read in all four Gospel accounts that Jesus will baptize us with the Holy Spirit. Clearly, as God's children, we are also to be filled with the Spirit and to walk in the Spirit. So how would one quench the Spirit if he is living within the believer?
Sin is the primary way that a believer quenches the Spirit. When the Spirit speaks to us about what is good and right to do, but then we choose a different way, that is sin; it is clear disobedience to the Lord. Sin separates us from God. Where the Lord longs to be in an intimate relationship with his children, sin moves us out of that intimacy. As a result, the believer can feel disconnected from the Lord, unloved, or lacking peace. There is less dependency on the Spirit of the Lord and more dependency on self. The believer moves out of the Spirit's guidance and into the guidance of the flesh.
Beyond sin, there is also a complacency to the Spirit. When a person has put his trust in the Lord, asked Jesus to forgive him of his sins, and turned from his old way of life to the new life of Christ, the Holy Spirit is poured out on that person. Power, gifts, and the fruit of the Spirit become available through that Holy Spirit. While all that is available, the believer must receive the power, activate the gifts, and cultivate the fruit. Far too often, a believer gets a taste of the Spirit but does not fully surrender to his power and presence. How it must grieve the Lord to offer such an amazing gift and see his children turn away, unwilling to unwrap the fullness of what he offers.
Another way in which we can quench the Spirit is when the Lord nudges us to say something or do something, and we resist him. One day, I saw a vision for a friend, not a close friend, but one that I have seen and conversed with occasionally over the past three years. The Lord nudged me to share the vision, and I had absolutely no desire to do so. What if this guy thought I was crazy? What if I offended him? With everything in me, I wanted to run and just keep the vision to myself. Yet, I felt a certain fire in my bones and then a burning sense that I had to speak. It was almost as if the Spirit overrode my hesitancy. With great trepidation, I spoke the vision to this man. He graciously received it and seemed blessed by it. I felt peace and joy in choosing to surrender to the Spirit's prompting. While I was afraid, I chose to obey the Lord and trusted him with the results.
The Spirit is given to transform our hearts of stone to hearts of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26). The Holy Spirit convicts us of sin, guides us, empowers us, and equips us for every good work. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we are given the gifts of the Spirit. They are unique to us. When we use them, we build the body of Christ and we experience the joy and peace of living surrendered to the Lord. Through the work of the Spirit within us, we become people who produce the fruit of the Lord - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).
May we receive the fullness of the Spirit. May we activate the power with all the gifts entrusted to us. May we cultivate the fruit so that the Lord is seen and glorified through our lives, and may we turn from sin and hold fast to what is good.
Reflection:
In what ways have you been quenching the Holy Spirit's work in your life? Would you be willing to repent of these ways in order to receive, activate, and cultivate the fullness of the Holy Spirit today?
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