Pastor John, another common question that we get in the inbox is how the Holy Spirit works in our

lives and how our lives are influenced by the Holy Spirit in our relationship to him, which raises

all sorts of questions in the practices of what we should do and not do in that relationship.

Mick from Arizona writes in to ask this, Pastor John, I was recently struck after reading

First Thessalonians 5.19, which instructs us not to quench the Spirit. What does this phrase mean?

Do not quench the Spirit and what are some ways that we might do this in our daily lives?

Let's get the specific text in front of us and a little bit of context. So here's First Thessalonians 5.16

into 22. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances,

for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise

prophecies, but test everything, hold fast to what is good, abstain from every form of you.

Now, let's get one thing really clear at the outset, namely that being able to quench the Spirit

of God does not mean that we are sovereign and he's not. It does not mean that we have

final or decisive control over the omnipotent Spirit of God. It means that God, for wise and

holy and good reasons, often allows us to resist the Holy Spirit, allows us, permits us, or as the

old word suffers us, to resist the Holy Spirit. It's plain that God can overrule our resistance

and quenching and bring us to repentance whenever he pleases. And I get that from 2nd Timothy

225, where it says, God may perhaps grant them repentance, leading to a knowledge of the truth.

Repentance from resisting the Spirit of God is a gift of God. So let's keep out of our minds

any thought here that our ability to quench the Spirit means we have decisive control over the Spirit

in our lives. We don't. He is sovereign and lets us for his purposes sometimes quench him.

Now, what does it mean? What do we do when we quench the Spirit and hear four quick answers?

Number one, it means to despise the supernatural work of the Spirit and treat it with contempt.

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