Demonstrate God’s Will

“… For this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18

One of the ways that you can quench the Spirit of God is to refuse to do the will of God. That is why Paul was careful to add the exhortation, “For this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus,” after the command to rejoice, pray, and give thanks given in verse 17. It is God’s will for believers to come together in worship. When we do, it is God’s will for us to be full of joy, prayerful, and to be thankful regardless of what is going on in our lives.

Anytime the Spirit of God speaks to your heart and is leading you to do something and you don’t do it, you quench the Holy Spirit. Have you ever had the experience of knowing you should read your Bible but decide instead to turn on the TV…or you knew God was leading you to speak to someone, but you kept your mouth shut? Has there been an opportunity to stand up for your beliefs, but instead of speaking up you remained silent? These things quench the Holy Spirit.

How is all of this connected in the Christian life? The Word of God will reveal to you the will of God. The Spirit of God will always lead you to do the will of God. Whenever the Spirit of God leads you to do something in the will of God and you refuse – you refuse to listen or obey what you know you are being led to do – you quench the fire of the Holy Spirit in your life.

Let’s be practical. It is the will of God that we believe God. When we doubt God, it quenches the Holy Spirit. It is the will of God that believers be unified. When there is division, complaining, and griping, we quench the Holy Spirit. It is the will of God that His people each be kerosene on the fire that makes it burn brighter and hotter – not that we be water that puts it out.

Someone once said, “If a church will be set on fire by the Holy Spirit, people will come out just to watch it burn.” The same is true in the life of every believer. If our lives are set on fire by obeying the will of God, then people in a cold, dark world will feel the fire and see the light of Christ in us.

Dear Lord, thank you that you are the sovereign, all-knowing God. I pray that you would allow my life to be a demonstration of your will. Help me to follow you and trust you so that I do not quench the Holy Spirit's influence in my life. Amen.