Paul says
we can also quench the Spirit: “Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in
everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not
quench the Spirit; do not despise prophetic utterances. But examine everything
carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil” (1
Thessalonians 5:16-22). The word “quench” means to extinguish or suppress. It’s like
using a hose when suddenly the water stops running. You trace the hose backward
and realize a kink has developed, cutting off the flow of water. In a similar
way, we can develop spiritual “kinks” that suppress the flow the Holy Spirit in
our lives.
To
illustrate this point, I’m going to pay attention to Paul’s instructions to “rejoice
always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks.” From spring 2013
to spring 2015, I worked as a chaplain. Radio stations, construction companies,
restaurants, and other businesses would ask my company to come to their job
sites each week and check up on every member of the company. We would ask how
they and their families were doing and if there was anything we could do for
them that week. We would also provide various forms of pastoral care-like
services such as hospital visits, funerals, counseling, or just meeting someone
for coffee or lunch if he or she wanted to talk.
Throughout
the first few months of this vocation, I would be flooded with feelings of
anxiety as I drove to each job site. A couple of times I sat in the parking lot
of the establishments for about 15 minutes, focusing on how I was about to say
many stupid things and inevitably look like a fool. Basically, how it was about
to be middle school and high school all over again. Then, giving into my fears,
I would drive off to find comfort in a Chick-fil-A #1 with no pickles, telling
myself many reasons why tomorrow would be a much better day to make a visit.
Our
heavenly Father has promised to meet all our needs according to His glorious
riches in Christ Jesus. He has promised a steady flow of Living Water for His
children. However, He has also promised we have the ability to control, to a
great extent, how freely that river flows in our lives. Paul tells us in 1
Thessalonians 5:16-22 that one key to maintaining a steady flow of the Holy
Spirit is by engaging God throughout our day with an awareness of His goodness,
His greatness, and His Fatherly care.
One
morning as I was about to do my chaplain work, I was again inundated with worry
and fear concerning the task ahead of me. This time, however, I chose to engage
God. I began to sing one of my favorite hymns, “How Great Thou Art.” I dwelt on
how the great and awesome God of the universe loved me enough to send His Son
to die for me and take away my sin and how He is coming back to take me home to
be with Him forever.
I sang
louder and louder, engaging not just my heart but also my mind and spirit. I
sang until I entered God’s presence and believed the truth of the words I was
singing more than the lies of enemy. I kept singing until it was a prayer. I
sang until I was worshiping God. By the grace of God, I worshiped until I was
no longer in a place of quenching the Spirit but rather in a place of
excitement about obeying God out of a love for Jesus. I kept that posture of
prayer during the ride to the establishment, and God did amazing things in the
lives of the people I encountered that day.
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