God gave us the Holy Spirit to guide us, to teach us, to lead us. In John 14:26 “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”
Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Matthew 28:19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
Romans 5:5 “Hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”
Romans 8:26-27 “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”
The Holy Spirit is our Helper, teacher, instructor, shows us wrong from right, pours out love. But when we quench the Holy Spirit, we put out the effectiveness of what He does for us. The Holy Spirit is part of the Trinity, the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. God has poured out His Spirit on us and when we do not follow what God has said, we grieve/quench Him.
What quenches the Holy Spirit? I believe when we say we know better than God, I will do it my way and not His, we are therefor quenching the Holy Spirit. In Ephesians 4:29-32 "29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God,with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."
God teaches us that we need to turn from our wicked ways, we need to humble ourselves and repent. Repent means to turn, not do a 360. but to turn from them and sin no more. Like the woman that the Pharisees brought to Jesus who was caught in adultery, Jesus said He does not condemn her, go and sin no more. We need to learn from that, God is teaching us through the Holy Spirit and is saying these things grieve Me, turn from them and sin no more.
When we make life about self, we grieve God. When we are more concerned about what other think then what God thinks that is pretty much saying that God doesn't matter, but what others may think is more important. In Galatians 6:7-9 "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life, Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."
I believe God is calling us to be a people that walk by the Holy Spirit, dying to ourselves and living by the power and strength of the Holy Spirit. My favorite verse is Isaiah 40:31 "but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." In and of ourselves we can't do it, we will grow weary, we will want to give up, but when we allow the Holy Spirit to strengthen us, teach us, guide us, live through us our strength is only limited by ourselves. We need to be a people that are willing to say I can't, but with God anything is possible. I want the Holy Spirit to be alive in me, not quenched, not grieved.
This is a good reminder to myself for I can't do it without God, but with God He will lead me, the Holy Spirit doesn't want to be quenched, but wants to be the my strength, my shield, teacher. Because the Joy of the Lord is my strength, not my strength, but His.
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