But…
The Spirit’s work can be hindered. It’s sad but true.
Consider these words from the Apostle Paul.
“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” Ephesians 4:30
and
“Do not put out the Spirit’s fire.” I Thessalonians 5:19
Here’s what happens. We grieve the Holy Spirit when we do things He does not want us to do. God does not stop us from making our choices. We are not robots. God won’t leave us when we make foolish choices, but He will step aside until we ask him to take control and confess our sins.
And we can extinguish the Spirit’s fire, too. Who of us hasn’t known the Spirit asked us to do something and we said, “No.” Well, if we flat out say no to where God is working, that puts out the Spirit’s fire.
My friend John Doyel says it well:
When we grieve or extinguish the work of the Spirit in our lives, we are then not going to experience His power. Thankfully the opposite is true. If we obey and follow Him, asking Him to help us get out time of temptation and then doing what He tells us to do – His power and work in our lives increases and we grow stronger in our battle with the flesh.
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