"Do not quench the Spirit...
The Word of God gives great caution to the issue of quenching the Spirit. As Christians, we must desire to remain intensely sensitive to the Spirit’s leading. It is the only way to respond to the “still small voice.” Here are six ways we restrain the Spirit’s effectiveness in our daily walk.
1.Not Setting Your Day
When we fail to command our morning, we miss the opportunity to set the day in motion under the guidance and influence of the Holy Spirit. Each morning remember to receive God’s new mercies and enlist Kingdom power to reign through the inner workings of the day.
2.Overly Distracted
Television, Facebook, cell-phone usage and just our daily life routines have a tendency to gradually consume time. Not only that, they drain energy. Take time to practice the replenishing discipline of silence and solitude. Daily plug-in to the Spirit and allow His fellowship to recharge you.
3.Ignoring Red Flags
Anytime the Spirit gives you a gut-check about something and you ignore it, you’re simply saying “Holy Spirit, I don’t need you. I can do this on my own.” Declaring independence in this way is the age old tragic flaw of man. Follow God’s fair warning at it’s onset. Otherwise, you may detour from the will of God.
4.Not Following Peace
The “peace test” is a safe way to guide and direct decision making. If the Holy Spirit doesn’t give peace in your heart about something, it’s wise not to move forward until He does. Preventing peace functions as a yellow-light or red-light to reveal something that’s hidden or missing.
5.Quieting The Inner Voice
Let’s face it, sometimes God tells us something we simply don’t want to accept. The worst thing we could do is twist what the Spirit has told us or quiet the Spirit through rebuttal and defiance. If a friend continually asks for advice and then never takes it, you would probably offer it less-and-less. Walking in the Spirit means letting Him have the final say – even with the tough stuff!
6.Avoiding Devotional Time
Skipping devotional time is just like skipping meal time in the natural. When we deprive our spirit of what it needs it gets weaker and it becomes much more difficult for it to maintain it’s primary function. Don’t become legalistic here, but just make sure you’re mindful of feeding your spirit just as much as you are about feeding your body. In doing this, you keep the Spirit’s role actively engaged in your life.
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