“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” Ephesians 4:29-30
Many years ago, the Holy Spirit spoke into me about a missional job opportunity in another country, even before the job was offered to me. However, it came when my life was in turmoil, and I was one course away from graduating from college. Rather than trusting what I thought the Lord was telling me, I sought the advice of someone who was a spiritual mentor. This individual essentially informed me that God would never put a woman like me into a position like that, and I needed to get my life together before I was worthy of taking on the role I had been offered.
Maybe your mouth is hanging open at the audacity. In hindsight, mine is too, but back then, I understood that person, who was older and wiser, to be more connected with God than I was. So, perhaps I had mistaken the voice of the Holy Spirit for something else. I had no context for 1 Thessalonians 5:19 says, “Do not put out the fire of the Holy Spirit.”
Aside from grieving the Spirit with our sin, we put out its fire in several ways. Well-meaning believers often speak personal opinion rather than scriptural truth. Sometimes even truth spoken without wisdom and without love is contrary to what the Spirit speaks into us. Thus, we quench His voice and power. Now and then, we approach worship with mechanical attitudes rather than with expectancy that the Holy Spirit will move. This is easy to do if church becomes simply habit or when we are uncomfortable in our church shoes, hungry, or when the worship schedule must fit into an exact time frame. Again, drenching the fire of the Spirit.
The enemy can use drudgery, complacency, and even external voices to steer us away from the abundance God has for us. The person I turned to for spiritual advice spoke partial truths. My life was indeed a disaster, and I would have left unfinished business to pursue that prospective job. Neither of which would have been a problem for God.
However, I believed the lies that I wasn’t worthy enough, spiritual enough, that I wasn’t capable of discerning the will of the Father on my own. And because of this, I let a God-ordained opportunity slip away from me. Thankfully, in His mercy, God didn’t leave me in a mess, and one open door I didn’t walk through did not thwart His plans for my life. Still, I can’t help but wonder how much I missed out on by listening to a loud voice over the still small prompting of the Holy Spirit that day.
What voice in your life is the loudest today? Is it dousing the fire of the Holy Spirit or kindling Its flame within you, and what do you plan to do about it?