The Holy Spirit can be Resisted and Grieved.
Acts 7:51 “You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did.” Ephesians 4:30-31 “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.”
1 Thessalonians 5:18-21 “in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit; do not despise prophetic utterances.” The Holy Spirit is powerful but gentle. He does not force His will or His way on us. He is a perfect gentleman. The above three Scriptures when taken together are very sobering.
The stiff-necked can resist the Holy Spirit. The sinful believer can grieve the Holy Spirit. And the insensitive Christian can quench the Holy Spirit. He does not play the role of bully in our lives.
When we do not obey and yield to the still small voice of the Holy Spirit in our lives, that voice gets smaller still. He respects and honors our free will. He cannot be fooled.
The above three conditions can happen to an individual, within a marriage, a business, a ministry and especially within a church body or entire denomination. The Holy Spirit is our helper but not our taskmaster.
So what is revival and awakening? It involves humbling ourselves, confessing our sin and rebellious ways, forsaking our carnality and yielding to the Holy Spirit. Then we abide in Him and obey Him. We stop pushing and forcing our own will and agenda. We start listening to the Holy Spirits voice, leading and promptings.
This is not emotionalism. It is yielding to the will and ways of God as revealed in Scripture. The sword of the Spirit is the Word of God. He will never lead or guide us contrary to the truth of Scripture.
It is easy to discern when the Holy Spirit is being resisted or grieved. The deeds of the flesh emerge, agape love and the fruit of the Spirit are absent and the unity of the Spirit is replaced by tension.
Prayer and praise meetings are replaced with board meetings. Very little time given to seeking God. Instead, there is a focus on strategic planning and fleshly agendas.
These things can produce results, but they are void of the presence, power and glory of God. It soon becomes obvious that something is missing. The sense of awe is gone!
Daily Bible Commentary By Terry Baxter: Cofounder of GoServ Global Sent from my iPhone
Acts 7:51 “You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did.” Ephesians 4:30-31 “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.”
1 Thessalonians 5:18-21 “in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit; do not despise prophetic utterances.” The Holy Spirit is powerful but gentle. He does not force His will or His way on us. He is a perfect gentleman. The above three Scriptures when taken together are very sobering.
The stiff-necked can resist the Holy Spirit. The sinful believer can grieve the Holy Spirit. And the insensitive Christian can quench the Holy Spirit. He does not play the role of bully in our lives.
When we do not obey and yield to the still small voice of the Holy Spirit in our lives, that voice gets smaller still. He respects and honors our free will. He cannot be fooled.
The above three conditions can happen to an individual, within a marriage, a business, a ministry and especially within a church body or entire denomination. The Holy Spirit is our helper but not our taskmaster.
So what is revival and awakening? It involves humbling ourselves, confessing our sin and rebellious ways, forsaking our carnality and yielding to the Holy Spirit. Then we abide in Him and obey Him. We stop pushing and forcing our own will and agenda. We start listening to the Holy Spirits voice, leading and promptings.
This is not emotionalism. It is yielding to the will and ways of God as revealed in Scripture. The sword of the Spirit is the Word of God. He will never lead or guide us contrary to the truth of Scripture.
It is easy to discern when the Holy Spirit is being resisted or grieved. The deeds of the flesh emerge, agape love and the fruit of the Spirit are absent and the unity of the Spirit is replaced by tension.
Prayer and praise meetings are replaced with board meetings. Very little time given to seeking God. Instead, there is a focus on strategic planning and fleshly agendas.
These things can produce results, but they are void of the presence, power and glory of God. It soon becomes obvious that something is missing. The sense of awe is gone!
Daily Bible Commentary By Terry Baxter: Cofounder of GoServ Global Sent from my iPhone
