JUN 20

Hebrews 3:7-9
Memorise 1 Thessalonians 5:19
“… Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live.”

Have you experienced the Holy Spirit guiding you? New believers may have to learn how to discern the promptings of the Holy Ghost, but the Holy Spirit works in all believers. There is a real relationship and communication between God and His children. However, it is not in the manner one might expect. It is not in how a man speaks to a man, as some Charismatics might claim. Neither is it usually in spectacular fashion. No lightning from above, no miracles. Mostly, it is through simple things, such as the faithful reading of the Word of God, or the encouragement from a brother or sister in Christ, or the preaching of the Word from the pulpit. It is usually, not forceful, it is usually very gentle. In fact, if one is not alert and is careless, one might miss it. Hence Scripture often describes the good believer as being “watchful”; one who pays attention to the promptings of the Holy Spirit among other things. God often speaks to us in a “still small voice” (1 Kings 19:12) and with the Word comes an assurance of the heart from the Holy Ghost. But this does not mean that God will not speak to us in force and power. We read this occurring in Scripture. God can choose any way He deems fit to speak to us.

Yet the fact remains that the Holy Spirit does speak to us. What we should next ask ourselves is, do we obey when we hear? Do we obey the Holy Spirit when He speaks to us? When one disobeys the Holy Spirit, Scripture describes it as “quenching” the Spirit. Of course, mere man cannot quench the Spirit like putting out a fire. What is being referred to is the surpressing of the promptings that Holy Spirit gives us. When the Spirit guides us, we can choose to ignore Him. Scripture says that in so doing, we actually cause grief to the Spirit (Ephesians 4:30). In service, God will guide us on how best to approach certain matters. Through the study of His Word, prayer and waiting on the Lord, God’s will is revealed through the Holy Spirit. This is one aspect of the grace of God given to us. This helps us to serve correctly for His sake. However, when God’s will is not what we expect or prefer, one can quench the Spirit too by rejecting God’s revealed will and following our own way. This ultimately results in grief and misery upon us and yes, the Holy Spirit is grieved too. This is a sin. We need to be sensitive to the promptings of the Spirit and be prepared to obey God in all manner of life and not quench the Spirit.

Thought: My life is not my own, but Christ’s alone.
Prayer: Lord, teach me to be watchful and obedient to the Holy Spirit.