God's Will for You Today, Part Four Be In Tune With The Holy Spirit!

1Thesselonians 5: 19 - Do not put out the Spirit's fire;

We often lament our seeming inability to discern the will of God for our lives. We can find ourselves facing life changing decisions and seeking the will of God only to hear nothing. Too often, we have decided and then seek "confirmation" as opposed to seeking the will of God before making decisions. The bible is filled with direction on the will of God but nowhere does it seem clearer then in Paul's closing remarks to the Church at Thessalonica (1^st Epistle). As the Apostle Paul is signing off his letter, he provides seven instructions which he refers to as, "God's will for you in Christ Jesus." Seven of course is God's number of perfection and each of these imperatives are given their own separate verse, even though they are contained within only two sentences. No matter what circumstance you may face in your life, you can match it up with these seven imperatives to discover the will of God for you in Christ Jesus!

Perhaps the most misunderstood of the trinity is the Holy Spirit. We speak about the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and baptism in the Holy Spirit but too often we fail to grasp the nature of the relationship we are meant to have with the Spirit. It is meant to be communal in nature.

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; - 1Corinthians 6:19

We are no longer our own. We are now one with the Holy Spirit when we become born again. If our body is His temple, then it is clear that He lives in us. Paul understood this truth:

What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you--guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us. 2Timothy 1: 13-14

What are some other names for the Holy Spirit? According to Jesus He is our Counselor, Comforter, and the Spirit of Truth:

But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. John 14:26

Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. John 16:7 (KJV)

"When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me. John 15:26

He is our comforter, our counselor, and the very Spirit of Truth! Marvel of marvels, He lives within each of us! The actual term for the Holy Spirit is Paraclete, meaning an advocate or intercessor! He is our direct line to God! In fact, the Bible says that when we do not know what to say or pray to God, the Holy Spirit will intercede for us:

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will. Romans 8: 26-27

In accordance with what beloved? God's will! Here we have this indispensable bastion of truth and direction; counsel and comfort, wisdom and insight and what do we do with Him? It is clear that it is God's will for you to not put out the fire of the Spirit. In other words, we are not to diminish the relationship we are to have with Him. How can we put out the Spirit's fire?

Throughout the Bible, fire is used as a representation of the presence of God amongst His people. When Moses encountered God is was in a burning bush. When God led the Israelites through the desert by night He was a pillar of fire. When the presence of God was delivered at Pentecost through the Holy Spirit there appeared tongues of fire. This fire burns inside all of us and will continue to do so unless we actively quench the fire. How? Through disobedience to God. Naturally any sin is disobedience but this is referring to a repeated pattern of disobedience. If you are saved but living a lifestyle of sin, then you are actively quenching the Holy Spirit. If you have a calling on your life from God but continue to ignore it, then you are actively quenching the Holy Spirit. You are actively saying "no" to God. There is a story in the Book of Acts that highlights when someone harbors deceit in their hearts which quenches the Holy Spirit. Acts tells of a couple named Ananias and Sapphira who sold a piece of property of theirs and pretended to give all the proceeds to the work of the Apostles but secretly they held back a portion of the profit. They were allowed to of course but they lied to the Apostles to make themselves look better. This was the response of Peter:

Then Peter said, "Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? Didn't it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God." Acts 5: 3-4

When we behave one way in front of man and another in front of God we are indeed also lying to the Holy Spirit. We have heard about church masks and had sermons preached about integrity meaning how we behave when no one else is watching. It is at those moments that we can help stoke the fire of the Holy Spirit or help to quench it. Note that Ananias lied to God and the Holy Spirit, not to man. He thought he was lying to Peter and the Apostles but in reality he was lying to God himself. Let us not fall into such traps brethren. Here are just some of the biblical references made to the Holy Spirit:

       Breath of the Almighty - Job 32:8; 33:4; 34:14-15

       Breath of Life - Genesis 2:7

       Breath of the LORD - Isaiah 40:7

       Counselor - John 14:16

       Deposit - Ephesians 1:13-14

       Eternal Spirit - Hebrews 9:14

       Eyes of the Lord - Zechariah 4:10

       Finger of God - Exodus 8:19; Luke 11:20

       Gift - Acts 5:3-4

       God's Testimony - 1 John 5:9

       Hand of God - 2 Chronicles 30:12

       His Holy Spirit - Isaiah 63:10-11

       His Spirit - Isaiah 48:16

       Holy Spirit Sent From Heaven - 1 Peter 1:12

       Holy Spirit of God - Ephesians 4:30

       Lamp of the Lord - Proverbs 20:27

       Lord Who Is the Spirit - 2 Corinthians 3:18

       Mind of the LORD - Isaiah 40:13

       My Spirit - Genesis 6:3

       New Spirit - Ezekiel 11:19

       One Spirit - 1 Corinthians 12:13

       Power of the Lord - Luke 5:17

       Power of the Most High - Luke 1:35

       Promise - Acts 2:33; Galatians 3:14

       Seal - Ephesians 1:13

       Servant - Genesis 24:34

       Spirit From On High - Isaiah 32:15

       Spirit Given Without Limit - John 3:34

       Spirit He Gave Unto Us - 1 John 3:24

       Spirit Himself - Romans 8:26

       Spirit of Christ - Romans 8:9

       Spirit of Counsel and Power - Isaiah 11:2

       Spirit of Glory - 1 Peter 4:14

       Spirit of God - Genesis 41:38

       Spirit of Grace - Hebrews 10:29

       Spirit of Grace and Supplication - Zechariah 12:10

       Spirit of Him Who Raised Jesus - Romans 8:11

       Spirit of His Son - Galatians 4:6

       Spirit of Holiness - Romans 1:4

       Spirit of Jesus - Acts 16:7

       Spirit of Jesus Christ - Philippians 1:19

       Spirit of Judgment and Fire - Isaiah 4:4

       Spirit of Justice - Isaiah 28:6

       Spirit of Knowledge and of the Fear of the LORD - Isaiah 11:2

       Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus - Romans 8:2

       Spirit of the Living God - 2 Corinthians 3:3

       Spirit of the LORD - Micah 2:7

       Spirit of Our God - 1 Corinthians 6:11

       Spirit of Power, Love, and Self-Discipline - 2 Timothy 1:7

       Spirit of Prophecy - Revelation 19:10

       Spirit of Sonship - Romans 8:15

       Spirit of the Sovereign LORD - Isaiah 61:1

       Spirit of Truth - John 14:17

       Spirit of Your Father - Matthew 10:20

       Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding - Isaiah 11:2

       Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation - Ephesians 1:17

       Spirit Who Gives Rest - Isaiah 63:14

       Spirit Who Goes Out From the Father - John 15:26

       Spirit Who Is From God - 1 Corinthians 2:12

       Streams of Living Water - John 7:38

       Streams on the Dry Ground - Isaiah - 44:3

       Vindicator of Christ - 1 Timothy 3:16

       Your Presence - Psalm 139:7

       Your Spirit of Creation and Renewal - Psalm 104:30

This is just a partial list! This is the power that resides in all believers! This is the deposit God made into our lives when we accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. Yet so many of us do not cultivate the relationship with this counselor; our comfort. We cannot expect to mature as Christians and grow into the will God has for our lives if we do not cultivate our relationship with the Holy Spirit. We cannot cultivate that relationship if we are putting out the very fire God has put inside each of us. Paul warns us of that in this verse. It is the will of God for you today to actively pursue a communal relationship with the Holy Spirit and rely on Him for guidance in our walk. He lives in you today; are you living in Him?

Anthony Wade February 27, 2008