1 Thessalonians 5:19 - How To Avoid Quenching the Holy Spirit.
1 Thessalonians 5:19 - How To Avoid Quenching the Holy Spirit.
1 Thessalonians 5:19 (NKJV) Do not quench the Spirit.
The sin described in Scripture as "blasphemy against the
Spirit" rarely occurs in the life of a Christian. It is rather a
conscious resistance, and anyone worrying about it has not committed it.
There is, however, a more frequent sin. It is one that almost all
Christians have committed and is known as "quenching the Spirit."
How do we "quench" the Holy Spirit? We can do this in many
ways, but the chief way is by refusing to let Him have full control of
our lives. The Amplified Bible says: "Do not quench (suppress or
subdue) the (Holy) Spirit." You see, it is possible for you to possess
the Holy Spirit without the Holy Spirit possessing you. Dr. Handley
Moule, the great Anglican bishop of a past generation, used to say:
"The difference between someone who is quenching the Spirit and
someone who is allowing the Spirit to have free course in their life, is
the difference between a well in which there is a spring of water
choked, and a well in which the obstruction is removed so that the water
springs up and fills the well." If we are choked by fears, resentments,
indecision, self-centeredness, then we are suppressing the Holy Spirit who
resides in us in order to free us.
I know that many are afraid to surrender completely to the
Spirit, afraid that they will become what some people call "hot pots."
But the danger to the present church is not from "hot pots" but from
"cold fish"! Unless I am greatly mistaken, our churches are more in
danger of freezing up than burning up.
O God, forgive me, I pray, for not allowing Your Holy Spirit
to have full sway in my life and experience. Let Your divine fire
burn within me, and help me not to dampen it. For Jesus' sake. Amen.
[Every Day With Jesus Bible with Selwyn Hughes devotional]
The Holy Spirit is bold like a lion. He came with loud noise
like a rushing wind at Pentecost. He inspired Peter to stand up that
same day and preach to thousands of people. He moved Paul to speak
decisive words to opponents of the gospel. He can change the environment
in an instant. He is not afraid to make a scene or go against the
flow.
He can, however, be sensitive to the sins of His people. He
is, after all, the Holy Spirit, and He withdraws His Presence from
unholy thoughts, words, and actions. He is aware of them, of course,
and He never exactly leaves. But He flows freely through those who
have acknowledged their offenses and presented themselves for
cleansing. He works through those who don't force their own agenda but step
into the flow of His. He works most powerfully when we give Him free
rein in our lives. And He doesn't when we offend Him and don't
notice.
Learn to notice. Ask to be made sensitive to Him. Be so
familiar with His Presence that you are immediately aware when He
withdraws it. Be so well acquainted with things being right with Him that
you notice when something's wrong. Give Him permission to notify you
when you've offended Him. It may seem strange to "give Him
permission," but Scripture makes it clear that we can harden our hearts
toward God. Invite Him to soften yours.
Spirit, I need to be extremely close to You, not just sort of
close or somewhat aware of Your Presence. Please make me sensitive. I
give You blanket permission to let me know emphatically when I've
offended You, and I commit to making whatever adjustments I need to make
when You do. [The One Year Experiencing God's Presence Devotional by
Chris Tiegreen re Eph. 4:30]
The God of all power and strength has put His Spirit within
us - a Spirit who can sway hearts, inspire heroic acts, raise the
spiritually and physically dead into new life, perform supernatural
miracles, and bear supernatural fruit. As a member of the sovereign
Trinity, there is no limit to His power. Even so, according to the Word
this Spirit breathed into His people, He can be stifled.
How? By resisting Him. By functioning out of our assumptions
or principles instead of by His unpredictable leading. By refusing
to go with His flow because we have an agenda or a program. By
living in a way that's decidedly out of line with His character. There
are so many ways. Whenever we wonder where He is and why He doesn't
seem more powerful in our lives, one of those ways is probably the
reason.
Do not stifle the Spirit. He is all-powerful, but He prefers
to work with us and through us, not over us and around us. When His
movement is flowing and we decide to assert our own agenda rather than
His - even when ours is a good agenda that we believe is God's will
- the flowing ceases. He works powerfully when we respond to Him,
not when we attempt to manipulate His response to us. The only way
not to stifle Him is to listen attentively to Him, heed every prompt
He gives, and depend on Him for the outcomes. Anything else is
human, fleshly effort.
Hear His heart: "When you depend on Me - in faith, without
worry, and without assuming your own plans are the right ones - I am
free to work. I love that dynamic between us. That's how our
relationship flows as it should. Seek that alone, and you will experience
Me."
Spirit, I want to experience You. Forgive me for living by
principles and not by relationship with You, for assuming my best-laid
plans are Yours, and for not depending on You. I invite You to flow
through me and from me freely. [The One Year Experiencing God's Presence
Devotional by Chris Tiegreen]
Let My love stream through you, washing away fear and
distrust. A trusting response includes Me in your thoughts as you consider
strategies to deal with a situation. My continual Presence is a promise,
guaranteeing that you never have to face anything alone. My children teethe
on the truth that I am always with them, yet they stumble around in
a stupor, unaware of My loving Presence all around them. How that
grieves Me!
When you walk through a day in trusting dependence on Me, My
aching heart is soothed. Gently bring your attention back to Me
whenever it wanders away. I look for persistence - rather than perfection
- in your walk with Me. (Psa. 52:8; Deu. 31:6; Eph. 4:30) [1Jo.
4:18].[Jesus Calling by Sarah Young]
To live in My Presence consistently, you must expose and
expel your rebellious tendencies. When something interferes with your
plans or desires, you tend to resent the interference. Try to become
aware of each resentment, however petty it may seem. Don't push those
unpleasant feelings down; instead, let them come to the surface where you
can deal with them. Ask My Spirit to increase your awareness of
resentful feelings. Bring them boldly into the Light of My Presence, so
that I can free you from them.
The ultimate solution to rebellious tendencies is submission
to My authority over you. Intellectually you rejoice In My
sovereignty, without which the world would be a terrifying place. But when My
sovereign Will encroaches on your little domain of control, you often
react with telltale resentment.
The best response to losses or thwarted hopes is praise: The
Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.
Remember that all good things - your possessions, your family and
friends, your health and abilities, your time - are gifts from Me.
Instead of feeling entitled to all these blessings, respond to them with
gratitude. Be prepared to let go of anything I take from you, but never let
go of My hand! (Psa. 139:23, 24; 1Pe. 5:6; Job 1:21) [Jesus Calling
by Sarah Young]
LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS PASSAGE:
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2013/20131014-1311.html
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2008/20081002-1946.html
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