Don’t!

Focus: Ephesians 4:30-31 KJV - And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:                                       

To grieve the Holy Spirit means to cause Him deep sorrow, pain, or heartbreak. Because the Holy Spirit is a living person who dwells inside a believer, He is directly affected by our internal attitudes and external behavior. The exact toxins that break the heart of God include: a deep-seated, resentful spirit that refuses to let go of past hurts; internal fury and explosive, emotional outbursts; loud, public arguing, shouting, or brawling; gossip, slander, and using words to tear down someone's reputation; and the deliberate desire to see someone else suffer or fail. When we harbor these toxic emotions, we act in direct opposition to the Holy Spirit's nature of love, unity, and peace, thereby bringing Him grief.

When the young shepherd David defeated Goliath, the people sang, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands, instead of celebrating, Saul became deeply bitter and he "eyed David from that day and forward," letting toxic resentment fester in his soul. Saul’s hidden bitterness rapidly escalated into violent, uncontrolled anger. On multiple occasions, while David was quietly playing the harp to soothe him, Saul launched a javelin at David’s head to pin him to the wall. His fury was loud, public, and chaotic. Saul's anger turned into pure malice, a calculated plot to destroy David. He lied to David, sent assassins to his house, and used his words to slander David as a traitor to the kingdom, turning an entire nation against an innocent man. Saul had originally been anointed by God, and the Spirit of God had come upon him mightily. However, Saul's persistent disobedience, unchecked rage, and malicious hunt for David completely grieved the Lord such that the Spirit of the Lord departed from him.

Saul didn't ruin his life overnight; it started when he chose to harbor bitterness rather than putting it away. The Bible in Ephesians 4 warns us that these negative emotions are not harmless moods: they are destructive forces that break our fellowship with God. When we feel resentment or anger rising, we must actively put it away before it grieves the Holy Spirit and drives His peace from our hearts. Please do not grieve the Holy Spirit. That is the one being never to pitch tent against. Drop the works of the flesh today.

Prayer

Thank you, father for your Spirit that dwells in me and makes me who I am in you. In all my doing, help me to bring forth only the fruit of the Spirit and never the works of the flesh, in my walk with you. No matter what it takes, please prevent me from ever grieving your Spirit. Never cast me away from your presence and please, do not ever take your Holy Spirit from me, in Jesus’ name.

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