“Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God” Ephesians 4:30. We are also told “quench not the Spirit” 1 Thessalonian 5:19. Only someone with the Spirit of God, a believer, can grieve the Holy Spirit When a believer quenches the Holy Spirit in himself; he grieves God. It is similar to throwing water on fire. When you grieve the Holy Spirit, you are rejecting God’s work in your life and turning away from His guidance and power in you. You are constricting the Spirit in your life.
The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Godhead. He is God; He is a Spirit Person with emotions and one of His functions is conforming us into the image of Christ, and inspires us toward producing spiritual fruit Galatians 5:22,23. We cannot produce spiritual fruit without obedience and abiding in Christ John 15:4. We cannot abide in Christ without the Holy Spirit. Imagine all the self-inflicted pain and loss for any believer who grieves the Holy Spirit. When believers quench the Spirit, they can expect sickness, depression, anxiety, prayers unanswered, and whatever else the enemy will think of; because disobedience is an invitation to demons. We only have to look at the condition of today’s church.
Quench Not the Spirit
Continuous sin quenches the power of the Holy Spirit, even leading to physical death. Remember the Spirit is life. Sin short-circuits the power of the Holy Spirit in your life and ministry. If you have influence in a family or group, it will have a negative affect, stunting any spiritual growth. It is an invitation for demonic influence to come and bring their friends in to harass, torment, and kill you. You will lose the gracious influences of God. The more sin, the less sure you are of God’s love for you, no revelations, the less joy you have, less faith you have to believe God will answer your prayers. “God’s eyes are upon the upright and answer the prayers of the righteous” 1 Peter 3:12.
You risk quenching the Holy Spirit when we choose to maintain close intimate relationships with unbelievers, allowing them to influence you into sin. That is why the scripture says “be not unevenly yoked with them“ 2 Corinthians 6:14. If you are married to a unbeliever or doubter do not get spiritual counsel from them (Married folks should read 1 Corinthians 7:12-16). You are God’s temple. We are told to “get away from them and be separate”. Do not mix the Holy with the unclean or idols, anything dead. We are children of light, God lives in us, we have no business with darkness 2 Corinthians 6:17. When we obey, God says, “Then I will welcome you, I will be your Father and you will be my sons” 2 Corinthians 6:18. Do not limit the Spirit, but be filled with the Spirit.
Secret Sins must be Uncovered
Unacknowledged or unrepentant sin in your life will suppress the Holy Spirit in you. Not only will sin quench the Spirit in you, but you will put to shame the name of Jesus. When outsiders or youthful believers see other believers in sin, it cause them to doubt Jesus or lose faith. That is only one reason repentance is a necessary tool in the maturity process of believers. Self-examination along with truthfulness will lead to you to discover hidden, unacknowledged sin that crept in and become part of your life. Sin is subtle and starts small, but like a snowball rolling downhill will increase in size. (a little leaven spoils the whole batch) James 1:14,15, Galatians 5:9.
Sin Destroys
Sin breaks our communion with God the Father. He will never leave the believer; but he will go silent and sin will make you hard of hearing and seeing spiritual things. You will become useless in accomplishing Gods plan in your life or others. Today many believers feel empty, even lost. They seek forgiveness and love, but will not stop sinning. Because of their ignorance and blindness, they will not repent. God hates sin, sin in believers always disappoints Our Heavenly Father.
When a believer practices idolatry; lying, stealing, using foul language, unforgiving, bitterness, and uncontrolled or slow burning anger; they severely limit the power of God in their lives Ephesians 4:17-21. When you quench the Spirit, you grieve the Spirit.
