Nougat 30

As we transition away from this series on God’s Spirit to our new series, I invite us to think about how our actions may be a distress to God’s Spirit. Consider Today’s Holy Nougat

1 Samuel 16:14 NIV‬

[14] Now the Spirit of the Lord had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord tormented him.

Grieving God’s Spirit

He was God’s chosen. The first king over God’s chosen people Israel. What more could he want? Too much, it seems. Saul tried to make decisions without God, made his position an idol, and then allowed himself to yield to jealousy. Not good.

My siblings in Christ, we will trace parts of Saul’s story over the following days. Please allow me to emphatically remind us that Saul was not just chosen, but he was anointed by God. The Bible tells us that though he was not of the Levitical order, he’d prophesied under God’s anointing. He had experienced God’s Spirit for himself and was recognised as one with whom God’s Spirit rested. The people had even created a proverb about his prophetic anointing.

Then, he got impatient with God. In all fairness, he thought he was just annoyed with Samuel. Samuel was late for their appointment, and he needed answers fast. He assumed the priestly role and made a priest’s sacrifice to God. That decision had life and death implications. In his impatience, Saul grieved God’s Spirit, and continued downwards.

In bypassing the appointed man of God, he lost his divine connection. The crown, rather its succession, was taken from him. His subsequent choices weren’t much better, and he listened less and less to God’s Spirit, and more and more to self. Therein lay the root of his demise.

And that’s the lesson we must learn. There’s a responsibility that accompanies God’s anointing. One we mustn’t abuse or take lightly. If we do, then we’ll find ourselves heeding (and hearing) God’s Spirit less and less. And, if we heed God less, we’re either going to heed our own spirit or the enemy’s spirits more. Just like Saul. That is guaranteed to grieve the Spirit of God.

1 Thessalonians 5.19 tells us clearly, do not grieve God’s Spirit. In some versions, the phrase is quench not God’s Spirit. This concept may be clear to most of us, but for us others, I invite us to think of how we feel when someone who’s dear to us keeps silencing us to listen to people with questionable motives. We are grieved and quenched all at the same time. I sometimes would get silent. I am still there, near enough to be available, but I recognize that my presence is unwelcome. I suspect that’s how God feels about us many times, especially when we pervious been operating in the giftings.

Let’s therefore take the spotlight off Saul and focus on our own lives. As we reflect, do we see points where we’ve grieved God’s Spirit? Have we sought God’s grace, or did we yield to self? If we failed to seek God’s grace, I guarantee it only gets harder to overcome pride. But not impossible. We can approach God’s mercy seat right now, this very moment, and as we confess our arrogance, deceit, impatience, or unfaithfulness, we will find God’s grace had already forgiven us.

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May all we seek be found in Christ