DO NOT OFFEND THE HELPER

Dear Believer,

Please take a moment to think about how it feels to feel grieved about something or someone, and then read what I have to say today.

We read a short but pertinent admonition from Paul the apostle which is:

“Grieve not the Holy the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.” (Ephesians 4:30).

We can extract some very important points from this passage.

The first point is that it is possible to grieve the Holy Spirit. I have heard it said that the Holy Spirit is a ‘gentleman.’ That is true. But He is also a Spirit of power. He has emotions and is capable of feelings. Our actions and inaction have a direct impact on the way He feels. He can be offended.

This truth is often glossed over or neglected by modern Christians. The Holy Spirit has come to be viewed as a tool we use to accomplish our vision and get our needs met. When you think of the Holy Spirit this way, you act towards Him as though He is an inanimate object: a thing or an ‘it.’ You don’t expect a ‘thing’ to be offended when it is misused or insulted, so you can treat it anyhow. And that is exactly the way many believers treat the Holy Spirit.

We all know the feeling of grief to one degree or the other. It isn’t a pleasant feeling. No one loves to stay with someone who continually grieves them.

Another point is that we have the power (or choice) to grieve or not to grieve the Holy Spirit. This is to say you don’t have to grieve Him. You don’t have to offend his sensibilities. It isn’t a normal thing to make Him feel bad. 

But He is also a Spirit of power. He has emotions and is capable of feelings. Our actions and inaction have a direct impact on the way He feels. He can be offended.

Too many believers today have internalized the mentality that it is impossible to please God at all times. When a believer, or even a Christian leader, commits a grave error, we tend to say, “Well, you are just being human.” While this may seem to help some people, we have to destroy the belief system that makes us lower the standard of holiness for ourselves and others.

It says you should not grieve the Holy Spirit because it is by Him you are “sealed unto the day of redemption.” This is important. It shows that a believer who keeps grieving the Holy Spirit is jeopardizing his chances on the day of redemption. God doesn’t condemn or reject His children, but some will eventually become a castaway because they made it a habit to grieving the Holy Spirit of God.

Furthermore, we are admonished in 1 Thessalonians 5:19 with these words:

“Quench not the Spirit.”

To quench is to put out. To quench the Spirit is to stop His operations and His work. It is to render Him inactive in your life or ministry as you do your own thing without bothering to be led by Him.

The sign of Sonship is divine guidance. “Only those who are consistently led by the Holy Spirit can claim to be sons of God.” (Romans 8:14)

We grieve the Spirit when we refuse to obey His instructions. We quench His fire in our life when we know His will and refuse to do it. 

Don’t grieve the Holy Spirit.

People who claim to be believers sometimes get involved in the wrong thing, say the wrong thing or act in wrong ways. Why does God seem to look on when a Believer commits adultery? Why doesn’t He tell an angel to slap a Believer who’s about to steal? It is because He has given us the Holy Spirit who sensitizes us.
Let us realize and believe the truth that we can please God’s Spirit and not grieve Him.

You can say this after me:

I am a child of the Most high God. I have the Spirit of the Lord in me. I live to please Him and do His will. I shall not grieve the Holy Spirit. I shall not quench His fire in my life and ministry. Lord, if have lived to grieve Your spirit, I am sorry. I choose to obey and live for You by the faith of the Son of God. In Jesus name. Amen.

Have a blessed day.

Your friend,
Deon
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For further studies read Revelation chapter 3.