Christian, I want to remind you that you have a person living inside of you, namely the the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit. God’s Holy Spirit is a person & He dwells within each of us who have believed in Christ & become children of God (Ephesians 1:13, 1 John 4:13). God has “sealed” you with His Spirit & He is staying with you & in you. So don’t grieve the One who lives inside of you, who hears every word you speak, knows every thought you think, motive of your heart & feelings you have towards others. The Apostle Paul exhorted the Ephesian Christians with these words:
“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” Ephesians 4:30 ESV
- When was the last time you grieved the Holy Spirit?
- What does it meant to grieve the Holy Spirit?
We all need the reminder that God’s Spirit is a person dwelling in us & that He is there to stay. He leads us, guides us, teaches,us, comforts us, speaks to us, speaks through us, intercedes for us, helps us, secures us, enlightens us, empowers us & convicts us. Christianity cannot be walked out in our own human strength, wisdom & will power. Christians have the Holy Spirit to help us carry out the mission that we have been given here on earth. When a Christian doesn’t cooperate with the direction that the Spirit is leading by their words, attitudes & actions then they can quench or grieve the Holy Spirit.
Just before Paul gave the exhortation not grieve the Spirit he exhorted the Ephesians to have wholesome speech; Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear (Eph. 4:29). When a Christian speaks words that don’t convey grace & edify those who hear then the Spirit is grieved. God wills to build people up & shape them through words of grace that are timely & appropriately spoken. God wants your speech to be a conduit of His grace into the lives of those around you at work, in your family, among your friends & neighbors.
Grieving the Spirit is also done by the attitudes & actions we display towards others. Paul after exhorting the Ephesians not to grieve the Spirit wrote: Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice (Ephesians 4:31 ESV).
The negative attitudes & actions listed above each grieve the Holy Spirit when a Christian harbors them or carries them out. If we are the home or dwelling place for the Spirit to reside in & we are living with those attitudes & actions it’s time to clean house. It’s not pleasant to dwell in a dirty & stinky home. And we don’t have to clean house all by ourselves, we have a Helper, the Holy Spirit, who wants to assist us & guide us in the cleaning & organizing within our hearts & lives. He is all-wise, all-powerful & all-loving. He is gracious & patient with us in the cleaning process (sanctification). When we allow the Spirit to clean house within us, what it looks like is what Pauls exhorts the Ephesians with in verse 32:
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you (Ephesians 4:32 ESV).
These gracious actions & attitudes will mark the Christian who is cooperating with the Spirit & not grieving Him. Walking in a gracious, loving & Christ-like manner is a sweeting smelling aroma to God (Ephesians 5:2). So not only can we grieve & displease God with our words, attitudes & actions, we can also please & delight God. Let’s make it our aim to please God in every way & cooperate with the work of His Spirit in our lives. This might mean that we first have to do some inventory & examining of ourselves before God with the help of the Spirit.
Here are some possible indicators that you may be grieving the Spirit:
- You lack peace in your heart.
- You don’t have positive things to say to those around you.
- You’re irritable, sharp & impatient with others.
- You don’t sleep & rest well.
- You’re anxious & fidgety.
- You’re cynical & doubtful.
- You have thoughts of regret.
- You’re haboring, unforgivness & bitterness.
- You feel disconnected with God.
- You’re struggling to focus on your responsibilities.
Here is a helpful prayer to prayer as you allow the Spirit to search your heart:
How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart? Cleanse me from these hidden faults.Keep your servant from deliberate sins! Don’t let them control me. Then I will be free of guilt and innocent of great sin. May the words of my mouth the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer Psalm 19:12-14 ESV
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