Many believers whom God wants to use in profound ways have not yet experienced what the Lord has planned for them. These believers are waiting for God to do something through them that will change the course of their lives. They are waiting for God to act, but God is waiting for them to act on His word. The word they need to hear and obey will many times only come as a thought or impression, not something plastered on a billboard that does not require faith, only sight.
Paul wrote, “Do not stifle the Holy Spirit” (I Thessalonians 5:19). We tend to apply Paul’s instruction to Church meetings and the freedom allowed in those gatherings. But there is something far more critical and expansive than the spiritual atmosphere of our meetings.
The word “quench” has been translated as something that extinguishes, suppresses, or stifles the work of the Spirit. Quenching the Spirit applies to anything we do that hinders the Spirit, not just in our worship services but in all areas of life.
It can be as simple as sensing something from the Lord and sharing that word with a child. It can happen in a board meeting when we hear the Lord say something that may not be on the meeting agenda but will turn the business in a new direction. This sensitivity can affect our travels, keeping us safe on our journey. Ignoring that word by suppressing its instruction can put us in great peril. The Spirit may speak a word of financial advice that the “experts” have ignored, but will release unexpected wealth for the expansion of God’s Kingdom. To stifle what the Lord is asking us to do because of our fears and insecurities will shut down the flow of God’s Spirit in our lives.
The Spirit is always speaking to us if we have trained ourselves to discern His voice and sense His impressions. Hearing ears are what have defined the heroes of our faith across time and served as their spiritual compass.
These spiritual heroes have been defined as people who heard God and acted on what they heard. Their obedience opened supernatural doors. This obedience is not about our qualifications. It’s about our willingness to say or act upon what the Lord has said, no matter the level of conflict our obedience creates.
One distinctive of God’s people is that they hear His voice. Jesus said, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me” (John 10: 27).
Acting on what we hear the Lord say should never be stifled or dismissed, no matter how impractical our obedience may sound or appear. Miracles are waiting to be released if we hear the Lord and follow His instructions. This is the reason why we need to press through all the reasons why we should stifle a word from the Spirit. It’s what true freedom in the Spirit looks like.
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Garris Elkins
Featured Image by Unsplash
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