1 Thessalonians 5:19 - How To Avoid Quenching the Holy Spirit.

1 Thessalonians 5:19 (KJV)  Quench not the Spirit.

1 Thessalonians 5:19 (NIV)  Do not put out the Spirit's fire.

1 Thessalonians 5:19 (NLT)  Do not stifle the Holy Spirit.

1 Thessalonians 5:19 (AMP)  Do not quench (suppress or subdue) 
the [Holy] Spirit.  

1 Thessalonians 5:19 (CWB)  Never ignore the Holy Spirit's 
promptings. 

APPLICATION COMMENTARY

Quench. "to extinguish," "to put out," "to stifle," "to 
suppress." [SDA Bible Commentary] 

The Spirit burns in a Christian's life and must not be put out. 
John the Baptist first associated the Spirit with fire.... Fire 
suggests great power; the tongues of fire at Pentecost suggest speech, 
powerful speech.... The Spirit, like fire, is not to be quenched or put 
out; specifically, His gifts of speech, either for prayer (v 17) or 
for proclamation (v 19) are to be accepted and used. [Disciple SB] 

To quench the Spirit means to resist His influence, like trying 
to smother a fire. One of the fundamental rules of walking with God 
is that we should not say no to the Spirit of God. [Nelson SB] 

"Do not put out the Spirit's fire" Older versions say, "Don't 
quench the Spirit." The meaning isn't mysterious at all. Have you ever 
had a youngster come to you, full of enthusiasm over an idea or 
project? And watched his or her face fall when you said no? 
Well, the Holy Spirit is enthusiastically committed to ideas and 
projects by which you can serve God and experience great blessing. And 
every time you say no to His prompting, it's like throwing a bucket of 
cold water. 
The Spirit won't force you or me to follow His promptings. We 
can quench His ministry to us by a simple no. But when we do, it is 
to our great loss. [The 365-Day Devotional Commentary] 

"Do not quench the Spirit" (1 Thess. 5:19) is an admonition to 
Christians not to resist and reject the ministry of the Spirit. The image 
is that of fire (Isa. 34:4; Acts 2:3; Rev. 4:5). Just as fire 
brings light, heat, and cleansing, so the Spirit enlightens, enables, 
and purifies His people. Paul reminded Timothy to "stir up the gift 
of God" (2 Tim. 1:6), which means "get the fire burning again." Are 
you allowing the fire to go out on the altar of your life (Lev. 6:9, 
12)? [Chapter by Chapter Bible Commentary by Warren Wiersbe] 

How can people put out the Spirit's fire? There are at least two 
ways individuals can put out the fire of the Spirit: (1) by not 
giving the Spirit the freedom to act or (2) by attempting to do the 
Spirit's work in human strength. [Quest SB] 

Christians are said to be baptized with the Holy Ghost and with 
fire. He worketh as fire, by enlightening, enlivening, and purifying 
the souls of men. As fire is put out by taking away fuel, and as it 
is quenched by pouring water, or putting a great deal of earth upon 
it; so we must be careful not to quench the Holy Spirit, by 
indulging carnal lusts and affections, minding only earthly things. 
Believers often hinder their growth in grace, by not giving themselves up 
to the spiritual affections raised in their hearts by the Holy 
Spirit.... We should abstain from sin, and whatever looks like sin, leads 
to it, and borders upon it. He who is not shy of the appearances of 
sin, who shuns not the occasions of it, and who avoids not the 
temptations and approaches to it, will not long keep from doing sin. 
[Matthew Henry Commentary] 

Christ has promised the gift of the Holy Spirit to His church, 
and the promise belongs to us as much as to the first disciples. But 
like every other promise, it is given on conditions. There are many 
who believe and profess to claim the Lord's promise; they talk about 
Christ and about the Holy Spirit, yet receive no benefit. They do not 
surrender the soul to be guided and controlled by the divine agencies. We 
cannot use the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is to use us. Through the Spirit 
God works in His people "to will and to do of His good pleasure." 
Phil. 2:13. But many will not submit to this. They want to manage 
themselves. This is why they do not receive the heavenly gift. Only to those 
who wait humbly upon God, who watch for His guidance and grace, is 
the Spirit given. The power of God awaits their demand and 
reception. This promised blessing, claimed by faith, brings all other 
blessings in its train. It is given according to the riches of the grace 
of Christ, and He is ready to supply every soul according to the 
capacity to receive.  DA671,2   

There are those who profess to serve God, while they rely upon 
their own efforts to obey His law, to form a right character, and 
secure salvation. Their hearts are not moved by any deep sense of the 
love of Christ, but they seek to perform the duties of the Christian 
life as that which God requires of them in order to gain heaven. Such 
religion is worth nothing. When Christ dwells in the heart, the soul will 
be so filled with His love, with the joy of communion with Him, 
that it will cleave to Him; and in the contemplation of Him, self 
will be forgotten. Love to Christ will be the spring of action. 
SC44,45 

From hours spent with God Jesus came forth morning by morning, 
to bring the light of heaven to men. Daily He received a fresh 
baptism of the Holy Spirit. In the early hours of the new day the Lord 
awakened Him from His slumbers, and His soul and His lips were anointed 
with grace, that He might impart to others. His words were given Him 
fresh from the heavenly courts, words that He might speak in season to 
the weary and oppressed. COL139  

One beautiful spring morning, an experienced hiker was walking 
with a friend down Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. The streets rumbled 
with the sounds of weekday rush-hour traffic. Suddenly the hiker 
stopped. "Listen," he said. "I hear a cricket." 
"That's nonsense!" his friend scoffed. "Why do you think you 
hear a lowly cricket in all this downtown uproar?" 
"I'm sure I do," the hiker said. "Watch this." He pulled a dime 
from his pocket and dropped it on the pavement. Almost all of the 
people nearby stopped at the sound of the coin hitting the concrete. 
"All of us are tuned to certain things," the hiker said to his 
friend. "Our ears hear what they are tuned to. Mine happen to be tuned 
to crickets." 
In a similar way we need to be open to God's word. Jesus said we 
need "eyes to see" and "ears to hear" before we can tune in to the 
gospel. How was the hiker's hearing the cricket like the ability to hear 
Jesus' message? [Youth SB re Mat.13:10-15] 

The voice of the Spirit of God is as gentle as a summer 
breeze-so gentle that unless you are living in complete fellowship and 
oneness with God, you will never hear it. [In His Time; My Utmost For 
His Highest] 

Romans 12:11 (NIV) Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your 
spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.  

2 Corinthians 6:1  We then, as workers together with him, 
beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.  

ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS

Only when the truth is accompanied to the heart by the Spirit 
will it quicken the conscience or transform the life. One might be 
able to present the letter of the word of God, he might be familiar 
with all its commands and promises; but unless the Holy Spirit sets 
home the truth, no souls will fall on the Rock and be broken. No 
amount of education, no advantages, however great, can make one a 
channel of light without the co-operation of the Spirit of God. The 
sowing of the gospel seed will not be a success unless the seed is 
quickened into life by the dew of heaven. DA671,2   

I have noticed this, that when a man is full of the Holy Ghost, 
he is the very last man to be complaining of other people. He loves 
everybody too tenderly He loves even a cold church, and is anxious to lift 
them up and bring them to a kinder feeling and sympathy. D. L. Moody