by Barbara Latta @barbaralatta
When we give
instructions to our children and they refuse to obey, we don’t throw them out
of the family. But our hearts suffer because we see that when they rebel, they hurt
themselves and sow seeds that will reap destructive consequences later.
How much more
does our heavenly Father desire what is best for us? He doesn’t want the enemy
of our souls to grasp us with his talons of evil works.
Paul’s
instructions to the church in Ephesus told them not to grieve the Holy Spirit.
And
do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of
redemption.
(Ephesians 4:30 NIV)
All sin
grieves the Holy Spirit. We will focus on 6 behaviors that can cause pain to
the Spirit of God found in the book of Ephesians.
1. Negative Speech
Do
not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful
for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who
listen. (Ephesians
4:29)
The Israelites
complained about everything while they were in the wilderness.
The same
heart-breaking attitude can be reflected in our words if we don’t keep a watch
over our mouths.
2. Uncontrolled Emotions
Let all bitterness, wrath,
anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. (Ephesians 4:32 NKJV)
All these words
sound like the same emotion, but they are different in subtle ways.
Bitterness is a
root formed by unforgiveness that can produce other sins.
Wrath is
indignation that can rise gradually and then subside. These are feelings that
come and go due to thoughts and exposure to actions of others.
Anger rises
when we abhor injustice. This feeling can be used righteously as in Jesus’
cleansing of the temple. But we must guard ourselves that we don’t use anger in
a vengeful way when we feel that we have personally been wronged (Ephesians
4:26).
Clamor is a
deep crying or wail in distress, like self-pity.
Malice is the
destruction of a person’s character through slander or to blaspheme and give no
respect to God.
We can all be
guilty of these emotions at times, and we know how destructive they can be to
our lives.
3. Lying
Therefore, putting away
lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members
of one another. (Ephesians 4:25 NIV)
It’s hard to admit that we, as
Christians, sometimes tell a fib. We may think we don’t fall under this
category, but we can find ourselves not telling the whole truth at times. And a
little bit of falsehood is still a lie. False flattery is one way we lie to
each other. We don’t want to offend our brothers and sisters, but we also
shouldn’t say something we don’t mean.
What about gossip? Words disguised as
prayer requests or stories spread as attempts at aid can still be classified as
lying.
We are members the same family (1
Corinthians 12:26). When one hurts, we all hurt so why would we want to damage
each other with untruths?
4. Falling for Deception
Let no one deceive you
with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are
disobedient.
(Ephesians 5:6)
Jesus warned about wolves in sheep’s
clothing coming in with false words (Matthew 7:15). The Galatians swallowed the
lie that they also needed to obey the Law of Moses along with belief in Christ
to be saved (Galatians 5:4).
We can only stay on course by knowing
the truth and not listening to anything that contradicts what the Bible says.
We do this by grounding ourselves in the Word. (Romans 12:1-12).
The result of listening to false
doctrine can draw us away from Him and into sinful actions.
5. Stealing
Let him who stole steal no
longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he
may have something to give him who has need. (Ephesians 4:28)
Robbery is not part of the lifestyle of
Christians. We don’t hold up banks or stores and ride off into the sunset with
the loot. But the size or value of an item is not what determines theft. Even
if we didn’t intentionally take money or products, keeping incorrect change, or
not returning an item a clerk mistakenly places in our bag is defrauding the
store.
Cheating on taxes or falsifying business
documents could also fall under the category of lying.
These are small indiscretions, and these
behaviors may seem insignificant. But they do matter. God sees all, and He is
saddened when we don’t reflect His character.
6. Drunkenness
Do not get drunk on wine,
which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18)
The debate about Christians
drinking alcohol will probably continue until Jesus comes back. But the Scripture
is clear about drunkenness. This is another problem Paul addressed in several
places due to the background the new Christians converted from.
The same principle can apply to alcohol
as to the eating of food outlined in Romans chapter 14. We are not to judge,
but we are also told not to be a stumbling block to another person’s faith
(Romans 14:13). We should consider how all activities and attitudes we engage
in can be interpreted by others.
Live in the
Fruit of the Spirit
We are forgiven
for all these soul wanderings, but that doesn’t give us a free pass for
committing any fleshly act. Living in the fruit of the Spirit will
keep us sensitive to God's voice and will empower us against any temptations.
Rather than
grieving the Spirit, we can praise and thank Him.
Join the
conversation and share your thoughts.
Image by Dorothe from Pixabay
Forgiveness doesn't give us a free pass for committing any fleshly act. Living in the fruit of the Spirit will keep us sensitive to God's voice and empower us against any temptations. (share on X)null
This post is an excerpt from an article that appeared on Crosswalk.com.
