“Do not stifle the Holy Spirit.” -1 Thessalonians 5:19 (NLT)
I can think of plenty of times in my life where I stifled the Holy Spirit as He talked to me. Usually, I went and did the opposite of what I knew I should have, or I played other voices louder and listened to them instead.
When I look at the first definition of “stifle,” I think how awful it must be to be on the receiving end. The word “stifle” is defined as “to suffocate and make someone be unable to breathe.” How can we possibly suffocate the Holy Spirit? Is there such a thing? Yes. It’s like disobeying your parent’s commands by purposely ignoring them or turning to another resource. Sound familiar?
To put it into perspective, the Holy Spirit is only given to those who are truly God’s children. The Holy Spirit is a gift. Jesus gave us that gift as a guide to us when He ascended into heaven. If we cut off that resource, we reject that connection to Jesus. Essentially, stifling the Holy Spirit means stifling the voices of both God and Jesus since they are a three-in-one package deal. Without that gift being used daily, we fall short. Lack of communication with the Spirit leads us to sin, hopelessness, and uncertainty in our lives.
Whenever I stifled the Holy Spirit, I led myself into worse circumstances I wouldn’t have faced otherwise had I just listened. Those situations included embarrassing and shameful acts of disobedience I had to ask repentance for.
When we stifle the Holy Spirit’s voice, we increase the volume of the enemy’s voice. Both fight for our attention, yet one is for us and the other is against us. It’s up to us to choose to listen and be on the receiving side. Allow the Holy Spirit to speak, and you will never miss the message you need most.
Discussion Questions:
1. What are some ways you stifle the Holy Spirit both knowingly and without realizing it?
2. What steps can you take to keep the connection between you and the Holy Spirit?
3. By using the steps from question two, what areas of your life do you want to see improve?
Read: John 14:26; Acts 2:38; Romans 8:14
