Let it Burn!

I Thessalonians 5:19 (NKJV) “Do not quench the Spirit.”

To quench means to extinguish or to put out, as of a flame of fire. By saying do not quench the Spirit, this scripture is telling us that the Spirit of God in our lives is a fire that can be extinguished or put out. Hebrews 12:29 says our God is a consuming fire. Matthew 3:11 says that Jesus is the Baptizer of the Holy Spirit and fire. The Holy Spirit is the fire of God.

The New Living Translation says, “Do not stifle the Holy Spirit“. The Passion Translation says, “Never restrain or put out the fire of the Holy Spirit“.

We are instructed to not quench, extinguish, put out, stifle, or restrain the Spirit. The fire of God in our lives should be constantly burning! So, what does quenching the Spirit involve?

The Amplified Translation explains it as to “subdue, or be unresponsive to the working and guidance of] the [Holy] Spirit“. To subdue means to overcome or bring into subjection. This paints a picture of resisting or wrestling with the Holy Spirit’s influence in your life. This is one of the ways that the fire of the Spirit can be quenched. The other way is described as being unresponsive to His working and guidance. This is a picture of ignoring the Spirit altogether in disregard for Him. These are things we do not want to do!

When we resist the Holy Spirit or ignore the influence He is trying to have in our lives, we smother and quench Him. An important part of any believer’s walk with God is obedience and submission to His Spirit. These things keep the fire of God burning. We should pay attention to the Spirit of God’s voice and do whatever He says to do. We should never quench the Spirit.

This is especially important for anyone looking to have more of God in their life. God is a consuming fire! You cannot have more of Him while putting out His fire. I encourage you today to let the fire of God burn in a greater way in your life. You could even pray and ask for more of the fire of His Spirit. Luke 11:13 says the Heavenly Father will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!

If you have never received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, Jesus references it in Acts 1:5. He told His disciples “For John baptized with water, but not many days from now you shall be baptized with (placed in, introduced into) the Holy Spirit” (AMP). The fulfillment of this was seen on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2. The baptism of the Spirit is for any born again believer in Jesus Christ.

The Holy Spirit is identified as the Promise of the Father (Luke 24:49, Acts 1:4). Acts 2:33 (NKJV) says “Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear.” What happened on the Day of Pentecost was the result of the believers receiving the Promise of the Father, being baptized in the Holy Spirit. Today, God is willing to give this same gift to any believer who asks Him!

If you have been quenching the Spirit of God and are finding that this message has stirred a desire in your heart for more of His fire, say this quick prayer:

“Father God, I believe that Jesus is Your Son and that You sent Him to die for my sins, and that He is risen from the dead. Today, I ask for forgiveness of my sins and receive the mercy that You have for me in Jesus by making Him the Lord of my life. Father, thank You for the Promise of the Holy Spirit. As a believer, I believe this gift is for me! Right now, I ask you to ignite Your flame in my life by filling me with your Spirit.“

If you prayed this prayer, believe that God has heard you and let His fire burn continually in your life.

One of the initial evidences of the infilling of the Holy Spirit is praying in other tongues. Acts 2:4 says that on the Day of Pentecost, “they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance” (NKJV). You can believe and ask God for this evidence of His filling you. Growing in your heavenly prayer language is a good place to start letting the fire of God burn in your life. I Corinthians 14:2 (NLT) says “For if you have the ability to speak in tongues, you will be talking only to God, since people won’t be able to understand you. You will be speaking by the power of the Spirit, but it will all be mysterious”. Verse 14 (NLT) says, “For if I pray in tongues, my spirit is praying but I don’t understand what I’m saying”.

Good scriptures to start reading more about the Holy Spirit’s work are John 14:27, 15:26, and 16:7-15.