OPEN HEAVENS Devotional – Tuesday
November 1st 2016
TOPIC: GRIEVE NOT THE HOLY SPIRIT
Memorize: And grieve not the
holy spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Ephesians
4:30
Read: Matthew 12:24-31,
24 But when
the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by
Beelzebub the prince of the devils.
25 And Jesus
knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself
is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall
not stand:
26 And if
Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom
stand?
27 And if I by
Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? Therefore
they shall be your judges.
28 But if I
cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.
29 Or else how
can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first
bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house.
30 He that is
not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.
31 Wherefore I
say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but
the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.
Bible in one year: Revelations
1:1-3:13, Psalms 91
MESSAGE
There are many Christians
living in frustration and defeat because they have set themselves against the
flow of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the key to the outpouring of
revival and every endeavour in this new dispensation. The Holy Spirit is the
secret behind every super-national occurrence. Do you desire to know the plan
of God for your tomorrow? Get the Holy Spirit. Do you want to live a successful
Christian life? Get the Holy Spirit. Without the power of the Holy Spirit, you
will live a life of continuous defeat. As helpful as the Holy Spirit is, one
should be careful in relating with Him.
Ananias and Saphirra lied to
Peter about how much they sold their land, they felt they were deceiving
Peter, unfortunately, it was too late for them to realise that they had grieved
the Holy Spirit.
There are numerous ways by
which grieve the Holy Spirit. The moment a person begins to rebel against the
instructions in God’s Word, such a fellow is asking for trouble from the Holy
Spirit. At several points in the life of the children of Israel, they murmured
against God. They were never satisfied with His provision. Psalms 78:40 says:
“How oft did they provoke him
in the wilderness, and grieve him in the desert!”
They grieved God for forty
years in the wilderness. Their hearts were hardened and they refused to
acknowledge the ways of God. As a result of this attitude, they were not
allowed to enter into the rest of the Lord. May this not be your portion in
Jesus’ name.
Another way people can grieve
the Holy Spirit is when they despise the truth of God’s Word.
The apostle, in 1st Thessalonians
5:19 said that the church must not quench the Spirit of God. The Holy
Spirit can be grieved when disciples begin to disobey God. Believers today
should do everything possible to pattern their lives after the beliefs and
practices that were maintained by the disciples of the early church. There
should be no room for bitterness or evil feelings towards one another. There
are some people who make deliberate attempts to deceive their leaders. Some try
to act very cleverly. Some Christians still see themselves as being smart
because their sins have not yet been found out. All these people are only
waiting for the judgement of God unless they repent. Do not do anything that
will make you an enemy to the Holy Spirit. Do not make yourself a stumbling
block to the progress of others around you. Don’t have the ‘pull it down’
mind-set. Don’t scatter the good works others have done simply because you are
in a position of influence. All those who do these will see the anger of God.
The Holy Spirit must not be
grieved. He is always working hard against sinners. You have to allow the Holy
Spirit to breathe on you with the breath of God so that your life can be filled
anew. When your life is filled anew, you will find it easy to love what He
loves.
Prayer Point
Father, help me not to grieve
your Holy Spirit.
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