19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not treat prophecies with contempt 21 but test them all; hold on to what is good, 22 reject every kind of evil. 1 Thessalonians 5:19-22

Have you ever passed by a street preacher and wondered what would ever possess a person to do what they do? Have you ever criticized your pastor’s sermons? These are two very common examples of quenching the spirit. Rather than join in with the street preacher or say nothing about the pastor’s teaching, you’ve chosen poorly.

D.L. Moody said it best when his fellow Christian critics sad bad things about him: “my way of evangelism is better than you way of non-evangelism.” We can extrapolate that to other contexts.

Do you realize how difficult it is to stand in front of congregations week after week speaking in public, knowing full well that what you say is up for critique by those sitting under your teaching? If doctrine is the problem, that’s one thing. If it’s merely method over substance, that’s where you’re in the wrong.

These are merely two examples. Being critical or being mean in general (or worse, mocking) certainly doesn’t please the Spirit of God. I think as Believers we know when we quench the Spirit but don’t want to admit it. If we don’t know that we’ve quenched the Spirit, then that’s a bigger problem because it means we’re “immune” to His leading and discernment.

The takeaway for today is just to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and His gentle nudging and “checks” in your spirit.