A part of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit is our advocate and guides and teaches us. However, we can grieve the Holy Spirit. This devotion explores what that means, how we can do it, and what do we do about it when it happens.
Nuggets
- The Holy Spirit does care deeply for us, as evidenced by the fact that we can cause Him grief.
- We grieve the Holy Spirit by being unholy.
- When we grieve the Holy Spirit, we lose the benefits He brings us.
- We need to follow the Holy Spirit’s promptings.
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The Holy Spirit may be mentioned last in the lineup of the Trinity, but He is a very important player in the plan of salvation and our faith. “Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come” (Mt. 12: 32 NIV).
The Holy Spirit has an important job to perform. Let’s look at some of the things He does:
- The power of the Holy Spirit should provide us with a hope as we grow in our faith (Rom. 15: 13).
- The Holy Spirit will serve as an advocate for us with the Father (Jn. 14: 16).
- The Spirit will teach us what we don’t know and will remind us what we do know (Jn. 14: 26).
- When we pray in the Spirit (Jude 1: 20-21), He helps us pray when we cannot (Rom. 8: 26).
- The Holy Spirit helps us to speak when we are being persecuted for our faith (Mk. 13: 11) just as He carried the prophets in proclaiming God’s message (II Pet. 1: 21).
- The Holy Spirit is a witness to us about what God has done (Ac. 5: 32) and testifies about Him (Jn. 15: 26).
- The Holy Spirit knows the thoughts of God (I Cor. 2: 11).
- We will have help in following God’s laws and commandments (Ezek. 36: 27).
- We are saved by “… renewal by the Holy Spirit (Ti. 3: 5 NIV).
That is a pretty long list. Also, what is listed are very important things.
Don’t Grieve Him!
“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption” (Eph. 4: 30 RSV)
Wow! A spirit can grieve. We can’t say God is unfeeling and uncaring. He isn’t.
When we think about grief, we generally equate it with someone died. While it is usually associated with death, we can have deep sorrow over almost anything.
This verse is specifically talking about the Holy Spirit, though. He does care deeply for us, as evidenced by the fact that we can cause Him grief. If He didn’t care, He wouldn’t grieve.
How Do We Grieve Him?
What causes this grief? It is the times when we are unholy. Remember, holy means to be set apart, perfect, and pure.
Since we are still in our earthly bodies, we still sin. That means we aren’t perfect and pure!
Sin is when we disobey God and break one of His laws and commandments. Sin destroyed our relationship with God and caused us to die spiritually.
Paul has listed sins in a couple of his other letters. Paul tells us what to get rid of in Galatians 5: 19-21, Ephesians 5: 3-6, and I Corinthians 6: 9-10 (and this is just a partial list): sexual immorality, impurity, homosexuality, idolatry/covetousness, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, greed, drunkenness, filthiness, and all impurity. We also grieve Him by having impure thoughts.
Paul also gives us a list in verses 31 and 32. “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” (Eph. 4: 31-32 RSV). The things listed in verses 31 and 32 are those dealing with our relationships with others.
After we ABC, we are supposed to D. We are supposed to seek God.
The ABCDs of Salvation
A – admit our sins
B – believe His Son Jesus is our Redeemer
C – confess God as Sovereign Lord
D – demonstrate that commitment by making any changes needed in our lives to
live the way in which God has called us
If you have not become a believer in Christ, please read through the Plan of Salvation and prayerfully consider what God is asking you to do.
We do that by reading His Word, praying to Him, and meditating on what He is telling us. Through that meditation, we are to evaluate where we are in our walk.
Searching for and Seeking God
Hearing His Word (Rom. 10: 17 NLT).
Reading His Word (Rev. 1: 3 ESV).
Praying to Him (Heb. 4: 16 ESV).
Studying His Word (Ac. 17: 11 NLT).
Meditating on His Word (Ps. 1: 1-2).
Memorizing His Word (Ps. 119: 11 NLT).
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The Holy Spirit would be grieved when we don’t do evaluate ourselves. He would see us as not working out our salvation and not growing in His grace and knowledge (II Pet. 2: 18).
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Even though disciples are believers, we might have an instance of unbelief. Maybe we think God won’t answer a specific prayer. (That is different than He can’t.) The Holy Spirit would be saddened by that because it means our trust is not as strong as it should be.
Has God ever answered our prayers, and we forgot to thank Him? Our ingratitude would grieve the Holy Spirit.
Have we ever thought we did something on our own? The Holy Spirit would know our limitations and would be grieved at our pride.
We grieve the Holy Spirit when we don’t listen to His guidance. This is especially true when He is guiding us to search for Him for salvation.
Another thing that would grieve the Holy Spirit is when we put this world above God. Disciples are supposed to have the lure of the world decreased.
What Happens When We Grieve the Spirit?
Ooo baby. We went and did it. We grieved the Holy Spirit. So, now what happens?
When we grieve the Holy Spirit, we lose the benefits He brings us. We lose our joy and our hope. We lose the power that gave us that hope and joy. We lose our usefulness to God’s kingdom work. We lose the assurance that His presence brings. Why? Because we won’t feel His presence.
But will the Holy Spirit ever say, “Forget this noise. I’m out of here”? No.
“… You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.)” (Rom. 8: 9 NLT).
What’s the Big Deal?
Ummm. Can we say salvation? Can we say eternity? Can we say happiness here on earth?
We need to follow the Holy Spirit’s promptings.
It will not end well if we are indifferent. If we are not sincere in making a profession of faith, it will not end well. Nor will it end the greatest if we do not grow in our faith.
Making the Connections
The Holy Spirit begins dwelling within us when we ask Jesus to be our Savior and God to be our Sovereign Lord. He is our Helper and Guide.
How Do We Apply This?
We need to let the Holy Spirit guide us. When He is placing something on our heart, we need to recognize that and follow His directions.
We need to live like we are seeking God — and actively be doing just that. We really do have to grow in grace and knowledge of Him (II Pet. 3: 18).
Go back and look at the Searching for and Seeking God graphic. Yes, I know it is a favorite of mine. That is because that is the question to any answer. Seek God – what He has to say, where He is leading you, and how He wants You to grow.
Face it. We are going to grieve the Holy Spirit. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. We will.
We just admit we have sinned, ask God to forgive us, ask Him to have the Holy Spirit show us how we can do better next time, and then put that into our everyday lives.
Gracious Heavenly Father. We thank You that You sent the Holy Spirit to prompt us to search for You. Forgive us when we do not listen to His promptings – or even realize He is prompting us. Show us the sin in our lives that we have to remove. May we always seek You until You call us home.
What do you think?
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