When you spend time with God, you
get to know His ways as well as His Word (assuming you are reading His Word).
More than that, you develop sensitivity to the Holy Spirit. You eventually get
to know His ways to the extent that you sense when you are about to grieve Him.
The problem is, when we grieve
Him, we almost never know we did it! We find out later. But you rarely know at
the precise moment. Samson told his secret to Delilah and didn't feel a thing.
But he found moments later than his prodigious strength had gone. (See Judges
16:20-21)
I would define spirituality as
"the time gap between sin and repentance." In other words, how long
does it take before you realize or admit that you sinned - that you were wrong?
Some take years. They say, "I'll never admit I was wrong." And they are true to
their word.
Some, however, after a long time,
cool off or come to themselves and say, "Well, perhaps I got it wrong after
all." But what a pity that it took so long! Some narrow the time gap to months,
some to weeks, some to hours (that's better), some to minutes, some to seconds.
And if you can narrow the time gap to seconds, you are often able to sense the
wings of the dove flapping and ready to fly off - and you stop yourself!
Don't finish that sentence! Don't
write that letter! Don't make that phone call!
Nothing is worth grieving the
Holy Spirit.
Getting to Know God's Ways
So, if you want to have a lively,
real, unfeigned and constant relationship with God, His Son and the Holy
Spirit, you must get to know God's ways. One of the ways of the Holy Spirit is
that He is sensitive - like a dove.
Did you know that pigeons and
doves are in the same family? But they are not the same! You can train a
pigeon; you cannot train a dove. The pigeon can be domesticated; the dove is a
wild bird. A pigeon is belligerent; the dove is loving. A pigeon is boisterous;
a dove is gentle. A pigeon will mate with more than one pigeon; the dove mates
with only one dove for life.
The pigeon represents the
counterfeit spirit - strange fire. The dove represents the Holy Spirit - holy
fire. I reckon there are services where people imagine that the Holy Ghost came
on the church, but when you get to the bottom of it, you discern it may be
pigeon religion. Strange fire. Personally, I think it is an absolutely
wonderful but probably rare moment when the authentic Holy Spirit comes down in
great measure. Holy fire.
It is so easy to grieve the
Spirit. It happens to people on the way to church. They shout to each other as
they drive into the parking lot. Then they worship as if nothing is wrong and
wonder why there is no sense of God. It happens to a minister as he prepares
his sermon. It can happen at any moment.
Although we have only ourselves
to blame when we lose our tempers, point the finger or speak of another person
in an unflattering manner, it is also true that our adversary the devil lurks
about, looking for an opportunity to seize our weak spot. We all have them.
The Connection of the Ungrieved Spirit
The ungrieved Spirit in me will
connect with the ungrieved Spirit in you. If you get two or three people
together when all have been walking in the ungrieved Holy Spirit, there is
richness of fellowship. That doesn't mean everybody is in total agreement
theologically or politically. But the sweetness is there.
Imagine what it would be like
when congregations of a dozen, or 1,200, or 12,000 are all - everyone - walking
in the same ungrieved Holy Spirit! Who knows what would happen when marriages
are healed, people start forgiving their parents, Christians start speaking to
one another, ministers finally start speaking to one another and everybody
truly loves each other!
First the dove, then the fire.
I wonder how many people pray for
the fire to fall but take no notice of their personal attitudes. I wonder how
many pray for revival but do not think of examining themselves. I wonder how
many go to church to worship God and hear a sermon but have no awareness of
personal issues that cause the dove to stay at bay. I wonder how many times we
grieve the Spirit and feel no conviction of sin whatever.
If, therefore, you want to know
what grieves the Holy Spirit, read Ephesians 4:30-32.
Keep short accounts with the
Lord. As soon as you sense bitterness - and the dove lifting from you - turn to
the Lord. Remember 1 John 1:9. He is faithful.
The goal is to enjoy unbroken
fellowship with the Holy Spirit so that there is no discontinuity in sensing
His smile and presence. After all, you want the dove to remain.
R.T. Kendall
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