What The Bible Says: Holy-Spirit FillingMuestra

WHAT HINDERS SPIRIT-FILLING?

1. Resisting the Holy Spirit

The truth is that not every believer is submissive to the Holy Spirit. Maybe you go to church or read a book and the Spirit of God directs you to forgive, or encourages you to forebear, or inspires you to give, or motivates you to serve—whatever it is—but you don’t do it. When this happens, you forfeit the Spirit’s filling. You are resisting the Holy Spirit.

2. Desiring against the Holy Spirit

“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh” (Galatians 5:16–17). Some translations say, “lusting against the Spirit.” Epithumeó is an emotional wanting. There is a war going on inside. As believers, we feel it every day, every week; that constant conflict between God’s way and our natural, sin-influenced way.

There is a battle going on. If you’re not even feeling it, you need to seriously examine whether you’re saved. But if, despite feeling it, you constantly desire against the Spirit and give your flesh the victory, you forfeit the Holy Spirit’s filling. 

3. Grieving the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 4:30 exhorts, “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” The word grieved there is lupeto which means to cause pain or sorrow. Grief is actually the feeling that accompanies repentance, according to 2 Corinthians 7:9. It’s as though you make the Holy Spirit regret His presence with you when you grieve the Spirit. 

Notice the second part, “by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” Are you a Christ-follower through faith in Him? If so, God gave you His Holy Spirit at the moment of your conversion. Not only will He not leave you, He cannot leave you. Everything you shouldn’t look at but do—He’s right there with you. Every place you shouldn’t go but do—He’s right there with you. 

Willful sin grieves the Holy Spirit.

4. Quenching the Holy Spirit. 

“Do not quench the Spirit” (1 Thessalonians 5:19). This refers to putting out the Spirit’s fire out and destroying His intended purpose in our lives. 

If you’re not fired up about the Lord the way you once were, you need to first understand that the fire was never you; the fire is the Holy Spirit. Prayerfully consider whether refusing to cooperate with His purposes has quenched His influence in your life.

When we grieve the Holy Spirit, we do things He doesn’t want us to do, but when we quench the Holy Spirit, we refuse to do the things that He does want us to do. As we refuse to listen to the Holy Spirit, His whispers become softer. 

If you don’t even hear Him anymore . . . if your sin doesn’t really faze you, and you’re not experiencing conviction . . . you are in real danger of having quenched the Spirit of God.

5. Rejecting the Holy Spirit. 

The primary messenger of God in your life is not your pastor or ultimately even the Bible. The on-board, open line messenger of God in your life is the Holy Spirit. But when you repeatedly say “No” to Him, then you can’t hear Him anymore.

Why are so many Christians sad, angry, fearful, and far from the birthright that they have as blood-bought sons and daughters of the living God through faith in Jesus? 

Because God has made no provision for you to live the Christian life. Only for Him, by His Spirit, to live His life through you.

Each of us is an awesome force for God when we are filled with the Holy Spirit; we are a massive problem in the way of God when we are in the flesh. It’s true of all of us. 

Today, if you still hear His voice, get quiet, get low, and do serious business with God.