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“Do not quench the Spirit.”

1 Thessalonians 5:19

You might have come across this verse, or heard a preacher say something like “quenching the Holy Spirit,” but what does it mean?

Before discussing the “quenching” part, let’s first talk about the Holy Spirit. He is a Person, which means He possesses personality. If He can be grieved, he has emotions, just like you and me. The Holy Spirit is depicted as a fire in Scripture (Acts 2), and fire can be quenched. This means the Holy Spirit can be quenched and grieved (Ephesians 4:30) and even resisted (Acts 7:51).

Grieving is the personal anguish of the Holy Spirit when the believer quenches the fire that He has started in the heart—quenching the Spirit results in grieving the Spirit. The Spirit is our teacher, friend, guide, resource, helper, and comforter. He took over the roles Jesus had done during His time on earth. All Christians are indwelt by the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:9).

How Do We Quench the Holy Spirit?

To keep this blog as short as possible, I’ll give you three for now.

When We Resist His Sanctifying Work

He wants us to be more like Jesus. He wants to create a separation between us and sin to get us closer to God. He wants to decrease the frequency of sin, the power of temptation, and worldliness, and increase our yearning for God. When we fail to yield to His leading, resisting discipline, we quench the Holy Spirit. What is your attitude when God’s word tells you to stop doing something that causes you to sin?

When We Substitute God’s Wisdom with Human Wisdom

This happens when we read secular novels and similar forms of literature, filling our minds with human wisdom instead of studying God’s inspired word. The Holy Spirit is the Author and Interpreter of Scripture (John 14:26). The only one who can help us know God has to be God. We quench the Holy Spirit when we fail to study the Bible. God uses His Word to transform us into the image of His Son—and there are no shortcuts. We quench the Holy Spirit when we fail to apply God’s word in our life, which makes us mere hearers and not doers. Throughout the day, how much time do you spend reading and meditating on Scripture? How much time do you spend consuming non-Christian content?

When We Fail to Spend Intimate Moments with God

We need time with God. Any relationship needs time to develop, and the more time we spend with someone, the closer we get to one another. When other things fill our schedule and our time for God is set aside, we quench the Holy Spirit. How much time do you spend in prayer, Bible study, and worship?

The Holy Spirit is more than just a “force” or a divine genie that gives us the power to accomplish supernatural things. He is, first and foremost, God, equal to the Father and Son in nature, power, authority, and glory. Second, He is a Person, that is, one of the three Persons in the Holy Trinity. He has intellect, emotions, and will. Last, He sets us apart for God, making us Christlike. His work is necessary to produce Christlikeness in us.

Are you quenching the Holy Spirit?

Pursue the Saviour today!