“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” Ephesians 4:30
December 12, 2023
God the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Jesus Christ (Rom. 8:9). But being a person, the Spirit can be grieved. He can be made sorrowful by our sin. When the believer harbors resentment and keeps score of wrongs the Spirit’s works of teaching, guiding, and assuring are hindered. A sad and distressed Spirit can make the believer less interested in studying the Scriptures and not be bothered by yielding to temptation. A critical and unforgiving attitude makes the Christian look like an unbeliever. Do you wonder why a church can become ineffective in reaching the lost, where marriages are breaking up, the Word is not taught, and hypocrisy flourishes. A grieved Holy Spirit becomes a seed plot for unbelief. Jesus could not do mighty works in His own hometown because of unbelief (Matt. 13:58). Am I a hindrance to the work of the Holy Spirit in my family, my marriage, or my church? Such a spiritual deep freeze can only be remedied by the warmth of repentance and allowing the Spirit to do His life changing work.
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“Father, open my eyes to any ways in which I am suppressing the power of the Holy Spirit to display the presence of Christ.”