Discover the Book - Mar. 12, 2008

How Do We Quench the Spirit?

In using the word quench, Paul pictured the Spirit of God as fire (see Isa. 4:4; Acts 2:3; Rev. 4:5). Fire speaks of purity, power, light, warmth, and (if necessary) destruction. When the Holy Spirit is at work in our lives and churches, we have a warmth of love in our hearts, light for our minds, and energy for our wills. He “melts us together” so that there is harmony and cooperation; and He purifies us so that we put away sin. The fire of the Spirit must not go out on the altar of our hearts; we must maintain that devotion to Christ that motivates and energizes our lives.

The foremost ways that we quench the work of the Holy Spirit are these:

1.      We say no to something God directs us to do. We choose our will over His will. We choose to go our own way. The Holy Spirit can do nothing to help us and to keep us in the center of God’s plan and purpose for our lives if we willfully turn away from His leading and choose to pursue our desires and goals. He will not help us do something that He knows is contrary to God’s best for us.

2.      We can ignore His presence. Again, this is a matter of the will. We can go about living our lives and refuse to acknowledge His help, invite His help, or accept His help.

3.      We can sin repeatedly. Our sin causes the Holy Spirit to abandon any positive, forward-moving implementation for our blessing so that He might convict us of our sin. When we sin, we evoke the chastisement and chiding of the Holy Spirit in our lives. He cannot reward our unfaithfulness. He cannot participate in our rebellion. We quench His eager desire to produce good fruit in us, for us, and through us.

How Can We Avoid Grieving the Holy Spirit?

1.      We can choose to keep God’s commandments and to lead a disciplined life. When we sin, we must confess the sin immediately and repent of it, changing our minds and our behavior to conform to God’s statutes.

2.      As we ask the Holy Spirit to lead us and help us on a daily basis, we have His help in our Christian walk. He keeps our footing sure. He gives us the courage to withstand temptation.

When we grieve (Ephesians 4.30) and quench (1^st Thessalonians 5.19) the Holy Spirit there is an immediate impact upon THESE 7 KEY AREAS OF our lives:

1.     VICTORIOUSNESS Romans 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. WE IMMEDIATELY LOSE OUR POWER TO SAY NO TO SIN.

2.     CONFIDENCE Romans 8:12,14 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors?not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. WE INSTANTLY FEEL A LACK OF SPIRITUAL BOLDNESS IN OUR LIVES.

3.      ASSURANCE Romans 8:16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, WE START FEELING LIKE WE AREN’T EVEN SAVED.

4.     PRAYERFULNESS Romans 8:26 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. WE LOSE OUR CONNECTION AND FEEL OUR CALLS TO HEAVEN ARE ‘BREAKING UP’ LIKE BAD RECEPTION ON A CELL PHONE, BECAUSE THE HOLY SPIRIT IS OUR CARRIER OF OUR CALL SIGNALS.

5.     YEILDEDNESS Romans 12:1 I beseech (PARAKALEO one of the names of the Holy Spirit “Paraklete) you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. WE STOP THE LIFE OF CONSECRATION AND DAILY SACRIFING FOR CHRIST'S SAKE.

6.      FRUITFULNESS Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, THE PRODUCTION OF ATTITUDE AND ACTION FRUIT THROUGH THE POWER OF GOD CEASES.

7.      JOYFULNESS 1 Thessalonians 1:6 And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit, THE SPRINGS OF THE JOY OF THE LORD WHICH IS OUR STRENGTH – DRIES UP!

So how about it? Are you engaged in the discipline of Spirit Filled Living?

That is life as God made it to be with that mighty river of water flowing out of our lives. God wants us refreshed, God wants us victorious, God wants us rejoicing, God wants us serving joyfully. The Holy Spirit wants to flow through our new lives like the rivers of water that flowed in that new house of ours. That is the life of a believer as God intended it to be.

Discipline yourself for the purpose of staying filled with the Holy Spirit!