“Do Not Quench the Spirit”

Devotional guides to help strengthen your walk in Christ

“Do Not Quench the Spirit”

Postby John_Smith » Wed Aug 13, 2014 3:48 am

Aug 13

Do not quench the Spirit —1 Thessalonians 5:19*

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. The sense of warning and restraint that the Spirit gives comes to us in the most amazingly gentle ways. And if you are not sensitive enough to detect His voice, you will quench it, and your spiritual life will be impaired. This sense of restraint will always come as a “still small voice” (1 Kings 19:12*), so faint that no one except a saint of God will notice it.

Beware if in sharing your personal testimony you continually have to look back, saying, “Once, a number of years ago, I was saved.” If you have put your “hand to the plow” and are walking in the light, there is no “looking back”— the past is instilled into the present wonder of fellowship and oneness with God (Luke 9:62* ; also see 1 John 1:6-7*). If you get out of the light, you become a sentimental Christian, and live only on your memories, and your testimony will have a hard metallic ring to it. Beware of trying to cover up your present refusal to “walk in the light” by recalling your past experiences when you did “walk in the light” (1 John 1:7*). When-ever the Spirit gives you that sense of restraint, call a halt and make things right, or else you will go on quenching and grieving Him without even knowing it.

Suppose God brings you to a crisis and you almost endure it, but not completely. He will engineer the crisis again, but this time some of the intensity will be lost. You will have less discernment and more humiliation at having disobeyed. If you continue to grieve His Spirit, there will come a time when that crisis cannot be repeated, because you have totally quenched Him. But if you will go on through the crisis, your life will become a hymn of praise to God. Never become attached to anything that continues to hurt God. For you to be free of it, God must be allowed to hurt whatever it may be.


from My Utmost for His Highest


*1 Thessalonians 5:19: Do not quench the Spirit.

*1 Kings 19:11-12: Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the LORD.” And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.

*Luke 9:61-62: And another also said, “Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.” But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

*1 John 1:6-7: If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

Matthew 5:29-30: If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.

Sitting alone, in a pew, surrounded by brothers and sisters in church. ‘Hallelujah’ dry as paper; ‘Amen,’ with the enthusiasm of a sleepy cat.
We've spoken a little about those that leave faith. This is about those that keep it, at least, outwardly. But inside, they are spiritually dry. They cling to their faith, but no longer know how to express it. Whenever they are forced to bring it up, they quickly resort to regurgitating what they know and ‘recalling their past experiences.’
The cure? (Matt 5:29-30) Whatever it is which drowning God out, and cut it out, remove it from your life. That doesn’t mean it will be easy. But it does mean that you can take the first steps to start seeing God work in your life again.
User avatar
John_Smith
 
Posts: 197
Joined: Fri Sep 06, 2013 8:41 pm
Location: Sharing orange chicken with lurkers

Re: “Do Not Quench the Spirit”

Postby Nate » Wed Aug 13, 2014 3:57 am

John_Smith wrote:They cling to their faith, but no longer know how to express it. Whenever they are forced to bring it up, they quickly resort to regurgitating what they know and ‘recalling their past experiences.’

Quit reading my diary. ;~;
Image

Ezekiel 23:20
User avatar
Nate
 
Posts: 10725
Joined: Thu Sep 02, 2004 12:00 pm
Location: Oh right, like anyone actually cares.

Re: “Do Not Quench the Spirit”

Postby John_Smith » Fri Aug 15, 2014 1:16 am

Nate wrote:
John_Smith wrote:They cling to their faith, but no longer know how to express it. Whenever they are forced to bring it up, they quickly resort to regurgitating what they know and ‘recalling their past experiences.’

Quit reading my diary. ;~;


Actually, it was taken out of a page from mine. I wonder if I was too quick to jump to the Matt 5 verse. But I know that from the experience I was written from, said verse was fitting.

That being said, this is different from zeal and emotional serving. When in a state like that, we still have the option of doing God's work, it's just that we do not have emotional 'yee-hah!' for doing it. I consider 'quenching the Spirit,' to come from actively ignoring the word of God, and giving into temptation multiple times.
User avatar
John_Smith
 
Posts: 197
Joined: Fri Sep 06, 2013 8:41 pm
Location: Sharing orange chicken with lurkers


Return to Devotional Readings

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 54 guests