Ezekiel 11:19-20 “And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh: That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.”
The promise of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is one we cannot and should not ignore. A born-again, bible-believing child of God now houses the most significant source of knowledge, the direct line to the throne of God within them.
I can resist and fight His leading, or I can submit and am led by the One who has my best interest in mind.
I can ‘vex,’ or irritate or make angry, the Holy Spirit.
Isaiah 63:10 “But they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them.”
An unsaved, unrepentant sinner can blaspheme (revile, reject, or speak evil of) the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 12:31 “Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.”
We can lie to Him and resist Him.
Acts 5:3 “But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?”
Acts 7:51 “Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.”
We can grieve the Holy Spirit with our actions and our speech.
Ephesians 4:30 “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.”
It is the selfish act of a selfish heart to act against the leading God gives to us through the Spirit’s leading. We have His promise that we will be led truthfully by Him.
John 16:13-14 “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.”
It is His purpose to do whatever is necessary to become more and more like Jesus.
Romans 8:29 “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.”
Finally, I leave you with this thought:
Ephesians 5:18 “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit“
If we are to be filled with the Spirit, how full are we?
James 4:7 “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
If I am to be submitted to God, how submitted am I? If the Spirit of God indwells me, how much of me does He have?
