Ever feel like you are spiritually running on empty? Maybe you just don’t have the spiritual connection that you once had. Maybe it seems like the Holy Spirit is on break. Or napping. Is it possible to get it back?
In 1 Thessalonians 5:19 Paul writes, “Do not quench the Spirit.” Some translations read, “Do not put out the Spirit’s fire.” The implication is that it is possible to extinguish the Holy Spirit’s work in our life. If it is possible to extinguish the work of the Holy Spirit, then it is also possible to add fuel to the fire of the Holy Spirit. By doing so, we can reignite a fire that may be smoldering.
Four accelerants that fuel the work of the Holy Spirit:
1. Confession
18 If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; – Psalm 66
Sin will block the work of the spirit in your life. Confession is a powerful tool which fuels the work of the Spirit. You have sin, I have sin. Getting rid of sin, while costly for Christ, is easy for us,
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. – 1 Jn 1:9
2. Forgiveness
21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” 22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. – Mt 18
Unforgiveness can eat us alive and extinguish the work of God in us. When I am wronged I use my time, emotions, energy, and creativity for one thing: retaliation. This type of behavior pours water on the fire of the Spirit and locks us up. Roberto Assagioli says, “Without forgiveness life is governed by… an endless cycle of resentment and retaliation.”
Paul says it like this: Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. – Col 3:13
Christ forgave us. We forgive others. The Spirit flames up in our lives. Perhasps the most spiritual thing you could do this week is to finally forgive the person who wronged you. Let it go. Feel that? It is the feeling of freedom and the movement of the Spirit in you life.
3. Listening
Jesus says, Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me. – Rev 3:20
We are great talkers. We speak, tweet, post, write, chat, and text. Even our prayers are mostly one way. Perhaps the most powerful thing we could do would be to say, “God I am here just to listen. Do you have anything to say to me?” Then, stop. Shut. Up. And listen.
4. Speaking
Near the end of the Bible, Satan and his band of punks are getting a cataclysmic smakdown. Those who have been faithful to Christ are actually winning over the forces of darkness. Their secret weapon? Christ, of course. But it is interesting in Revelation 22:11 that Paul reports that the weapon was not just Christ, but a combination of something else as well.
They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; . . . – Rev 22:11. Get that? Our words have the power to defeat darkness. I get the whole “Be a witness at all times and if necessary use words” business, but we have to talk about what is in our heart. Go ahead. Don’t be afraid to talk honestly about the God that you are getting to know. I know what you are thinking. “Scot, if I talk about God I will sound like a dork.” You know what? You will sound like a dork if you talk about God the way someone else would talk about him. Don’t get all hung up on this. Stop treating it like you are about ready to give a toast at a wedding. Just talk about what God is doing in your life. That is your testimony. Simple and powerful. Some examples:
“How is your wife doing, I have really been praying for her.”
“Man, did you see that sunset last night? God did a spectacular thing with that.”
We all have a choice. We can extinguish the work of the Holy Spirit or we can fuel it. I say we pour fuel on some burning embers and see what happens.
What do you do in order to fuel the Holy Spirit in your life? Comment below.
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