Stop Quenching the Spirit (μὴ σβέννυτε)
“Quenching” involves the ceasing of a function by extinguishing it. It is used for not dousing smoking flax in Matthew 12:20 and putting out a lamp in Matthew 25:8. By faith, the saints of old were even able to quench the violence of fire, Hebrews 11:34. For those who reject the truth of the Gospel for salvation, they will abide in a place where the worm is not quenched, Mark 9:44. The worm is referring to the sin nature; therefore, it is a place where the sin nature will never cease its cravings, for it will at no time be satisfied.
As Christians, we have been given the tools in Christ that enable us to quench the fiery darts of the malignantly evil one, Ephesians 6:16. These are his attempts to get us to act independently from God by persuading us to be bitter, disappointed, discouraged, lie, steal, gossip, or in any other way speak and act in a manner that is contrary to who we are in Christ. They are rightly described as fiery darts, for when we allow them in, they burn within us as they seek to overtake our thoughts and impact our actions. However, the shield of faith is able to quench them all.
We are not to quench the Holy Spirit, 1 Thessalonians 5:19. The Holy Spirit impacts us through our desires, Galatians 5:17. He does this by giving us desires that are contrary to the cravings from our flesh, which is where the sin nature resides. When we quench Him, we are rejecting His desires over the yearnings from the flesh. By applying the truth, we are able to have victory over our sin nature and will seek to fulfill the […]
The Daily Christian Life – Dealing with the Strongholds in Our Mind
For our weapons of warfare are not fleshly, but inherent ability by the God towards the tearing down of strongholds, casting down logics and every high thing lifting itself up against the knowledge of the God and bringing every thought into captivity into the obedience of the Christ, 2 Corinthians 10:4-5
Within our mind we can build up strongholds that are very difficult to overcome. These can be false beliefs or temptations like living by law, speaking in tongues, drinking alcohol, pornography, lying, stealing or anything else that holds us. Often these strongholds are built with the help of others who influence what we believe and how we perceive life. However, when they come up against the knowledge of God, we struggle to overcome them.
Dealing with what goes through our minds can be very difficult when we are not using the methods provided for us in Christ. Our battle is not fleshly, it is spiritual, it is a battle for the mind, and this is why it is important for us to frame our minds correctly. Remember, framing the mind is about setting a proper boundary around who you are and what you allow to remain in your mind. As Christians our frame of mind needs to be on the things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
Therefore, since you have been raised with Christ, seek the things above where the Christ is seated at the right hand of the God, Frame your mind of the things above, not the things upon the earth – Colossians 3:1, 2
Having this frame of mind, we can then compare the thoughts in our mind with whether or not they fit and if they […]