“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer.” Psalm 19:14 NLT

We used to recite that scripture at the end of choir rehearsal in college. I never really thought too much into what we were saying, until recently. I have been praying for guidance to make better decisions in my life and God has given me a deeper understanding of what that scripture means. Whether we knew it or not, our involvement in the choir made us ambassadors for Christ. There would be some people on campus who would never attend our concerts, but our lives should have remained a good representation of Christ everywhere where we went. I’m learning quickly that prayer alone isn’t enough, but I have to take responsibility for my actions. I understand now that my actions don’t always back up what I believe. My attitude doesn’t always complement what I write about. The words I speak don’t always demonstrate my faith or even my reverence for God. In many cases, I have failed to represent Christ the way I should. For the first time in my life, I am discovering that it is possible to be saved and not feel the presence of the Holy Spirit. The end result of this kind of lukewarm behavior is a Christian with no power..

I have been that powerless Christian who lacked patience, compassion, and discernment. I’ve been in a desperate situation before, and instead of praying and trusting, I’ve decided to complain and worry, which eventually led to me taking matters into my own hands. I have been that Christian who shied away from any opportunity to share Christ because I didn’t want to be offensive or judged. I’ve wondered how this was possible and the answer became clear. Ephesians chapter 4 speaks at length about how we can grieve or “quench” the Holy Spirit and lose our power.  I like the word “quench” because I think of the Holy Spirit as a fire that burns inside of every Christian. Because the Spirit resides within us, it’s directly affected every time we commit sin. When this happens, our sin can douse that fire. Without that blaze, our effectiveness and zeal are compromised. Our sensitivity to what is right and wrong decreases, our  light becomes dim and it’s suddenly more difficult to navigate through life’s darkness. It’s interesting to me that most of the ways we quench the Holy Spirit is categorized by how we talk about ourselves, our circumstances and about others.

How We Can Quench the Spirit: 

• Foul and abusive language – Ephesians 4:29
• Bitterness, rage, anger – Ephesians 4:31
• Slander, gossip and harsh words – Ephesians 4:31
• Holding grudges  – Ephesians 4:32
• Sexual immorality and impurity – Ephesians 5:3 (see also 1 Corinthians 6:9 NLT)
• Greed and materialism – Ephesians 5:3 & 5:5
• Lewd jokes and senseless talk – Ephesians 5:4

Things We Can Do to Increase Our Power

• Doing good for others with a sincere heart – Matthew 6:1-3
• Being compassionate and forgiving toward others – Ephesians 4:32
• Encouraging others and protecting their reputation – Ephesians 4:29
• Telling the truth – Ephesians 4:25
• Resolving conflicts and forgiving quickly…Don’t stay angry – Ephesians 4:26
• Always being joyful – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
• Praying continuously (constantly consulting with the Lord) – Ephesians 5:4
• Being thankful in every situation – Ephesians 5:4
• Renewing our minds and aligning our thoughts with God’s thoughts. Romans 12:2

Please understand that this list contains no gray areas. None of these commands are options that we can choose from like a menu, and they are not to be adhered to based on circumstance. God expects us to do these things in spite of what is going on and how we feel. It’s not about our feelings. It’s about obedience. One thing to remember is that God isn’t being mean to us by giving us guidelines for how we should live. He does this so that we can experience life in abundance as He intended. But what happens if we don’t? If we read further, Ephesians 5 says that we stand to lose a lot.

“You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of God.” – Ephesians 5:5

Please don’t make the mistake and think that this scripture means that you stand to lose your salvation if you mess up. You can rest assured that once you are saved, it’s final. This statement simply means that every time we sin, we compromise our access to the royal inheritance Jesus left us when He died for our sins and rose again. When He died, Jesus left us His peace, joy, love, grace, favor, victory, mercy, forgiveness, and power through the Holy Spirit. So in essence, when we quench or grieve the Holy Spirit, we forfeit our ability to experience the full benefits that are rightfully ours in Christ Jesus. There are so many benefits to choosing to obey and please the Lord in our daily activity. 1 Thessalonians 5:19 suggests that our anointing to serve God is strengthened by our obedience. God has the ability to blow our minds with the things He would do through us and for us if we would simply obey. Of course, we are imperfect and I will be the first to admit that I mess up a lot, which is why God is merciful and has promised to wipe the slate clean after we confess (1 John 1:9). God is more concerned with the condition of our hearts as we strive to give Him our best. If you are like me and desire to experience more of God’s power in your life, I  pray that you will not allow yourself to become desensitized to the truth of God’s word. Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to help you obey God’s word, for this feat is impossible without Him.  Remember that you can’t afford to pick and choose what you will obey and use human reasoning to justify doing some things your own way. According to the Word, we stand to lose a lot if we do. It’s just that simple.