Do not quench the Spirit. (1 Thessalonians 5:19)
This morning, I awoke unusually refreshed and the daylight seemed brighter than normal. I stretched comfortably, enjoying my sheet’s softness and warmth. Then panic set in as I realized I overslept—on a workday.
Snatching up my phone, that also serves as my alarm, I wondered if the battery died or if I forgot to set the alarm. No, the battery was fine and the alarm reflected properly on my phone. But why didn’t I hear it? Then I remembered turning my phone’s volume down the day before while watching a video online.
The alarm was working just fine. I couldn’t hear it because the low volume wasn’t enough to awaken me.
As I rushed through an abbreviated morning routine, God reminded me how I similarly treat His Spirit’s conviction. His alarm works just fine; unfortunately, the sound gets diminished as I desensitize myself to His call. His influence remains constantly available; yet, my daily choices, activities, and lifestyle often numb me to His purifying and renewing work.
Quenching the Spirit
Some ways of quenching the Spirit’s convicting influence include:
- Reading trendy magazines with provocative, suggestive articles or ads
- Listening to popular songs containing raunchy, illicit lyrics
- Watching movies with immoral plots that promote promiscuity or today’s degenerate culture
- Excusing when people use the Lord’s name in vain or vulgar context
- Joke-flirting with a coworker as just “harmless fun”
- Sidestepping the opportunity to witness to a friend in need
- Misusing God-given talents and gifts
Although easy to minimize, justify, or explain away each of these, the slow erosion still occurs. Step by step, choice by choice. Condoning, excusing, and avoiding steadily turns down the volume knob of the Spirit’s alarm and quenches His influence to purify, edify, equip, and mature.
Oh, He still speaks. We just can’t hear Him in the self-serving, distracting, noisy environments created by our choices. Then panic sets in when we spiritually “over sleep” and find ourselves in our self-made moral quagmires.
But what a sweet sound when tuned in to the Spirit’s call. It guides our direction, aligns hearts with the Father, protects from what hinders or harms, comforts and renews when distressed or discouraged, teaches His unchanging truth, and promotes spiritual growth.
So, tune in, my friend, and turn up the volume!
