“Do not quench the Spirit.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:19
This seems to be a pretty straightforward command. However, many Christians disobey it regularly. Do you???
The Holy Spirit enters a person the moment he or she first trusts in Jesus as their Lord and Savior. The Spirit seals them as genuinely belonging to God and He will never leave them. However, each person can either be filled with the Spirit or quench the Spirit at any given moment. To be filled with the Spirit is to live a life empowered and transformed by the Holy Spirit’s constant leadership, correction, and direction. To quench the Spirit is to block Him from controlling or even working in your life. It’s very easy to quench the Spirit.
How does one quench the Spirit? There are several ways. One way is to continue committing some sin. If you’re habitually disobeying God, you prevent the Spirit from working meaningfully in your life. That quenches the Spirit. Examine your life – is there some habitual sin (habit, addiction, attitude, or behavior) that God’s Word forbids? Recognize it, repent of it, ask God’s forgiveness for it, and refuse to indulge it again. Fiercely fight its ongoing temptation.
One way is to constantly fill your mind with the things of the world rather than the things of God. How much of the world’s news, entertainment, social media, and information are you consuming each day? How does that amount compare to your intake of God’s Word through reading, studying, and meditating on Scripture? If you’re mostly feeding your soul the world’s content rather than God’s, you’re quenching the Spirit. Devote your time to God’s Word each day.
Another way to quench the Spirit is to refuse to do what God calls you to do. When you know what God wants you to do (a sacrifice, a change, a gift, an action) and make excuses not to do it, that seriously quenches the Spirit. When you follow God’s promptings, you allow the Spirit to fill you. When you hold onto control over your life, you quench the Spirit. Surrender control to the Spirit if you want to be filled with the Spirit.
An unquenched life in the Spirit looks like total surrender and submission to the Lordship of Christ and the Word of God. It looks like turning your daily agenda over to the Lord with no strings attached. It looks like pursuing personal holiness and listening for God’s leading with the intent to do whatever He says. Anything short of that quenches the Spirit. Do not quench the Spirit! #FollowJesus