The Quill and Me—Devotional Blog•Oswald Chambers Reflections
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Aug 13
Today's Reading: My Utmost for His Highest
1 Thessalonians 5:19
"Do not quench the Spirit"
You Are Here • I Am Listening
The voice of the Holy Spirit is so gentle, so quiet, that if you are not listening, you will miss it.
If you have ever felt a cool summer breeze you will remember it. It comes unexpectedly out of nowhere, and even though it is a hot day the breeze is cool. It flows past you and you are amazed at it. That is what it is like to notice the voice of the Holy Spirit. Unexpected, gone in a heartbeat, did it really happen?
1 Kings 19:12 ". . . a still small voice" We must be attentive, listening, in fellowship with Him to sense Him. It is internal, quiet, barely discernible, when the Holy Spirit speaks.
If we ignore Him, our sensitivity will be dulled, we will not hear Him, we will miss His warnings. This is quenching the Spirit.
Past experiences will not carry you into tomorrow. He is a God of the now, of today, of the moment. Stay surrendered, stay obedient, stay sensitive today, in this moment right now . . . or there will be no messages for tomorrow.
The Spirit will restrain you, nudge you, warn you, check you, whisper "don't do that," "don't go there," "don't say anything, keep silent." If you ignore these gentle restraints, you quench Him.
When a crisis comes, when fear rises, when trouble appears... our first reaction reveals whether we are relying on Him or ourselves.
When trouble comes, we may be upset but we do not panic, this is resting in God. We may obey Him and trust Him and still be upset but we quickly settle down because we are obeying Him, relying on Him in times of trouble, we do not let the crisis take us down, we do not spiral out of control. We stop and praise Him, rest in Him, knowing He is there and will see us through it.
If there is anything in our life that causes us to ignore the Holy Spirit, something that dulls our sensitivity to Him, quenches the Spirit, pulls us away from God... we must let it go.
Our sensitivity to the Holy Spirit is too precious to sacrifice it, we must let nothing dull our senses to the Holy Spirit.
If there is something in our life that prevents the Holy Spirit from being heard, it must be removed. If there is something that causes us to ignore the Holy Spirit, it must be removed.
Sensitivity to the Holy Spirit can be lost, when we stop responding to His gentle checks, ignore His restraints, quench His influence... this dulls our spiritual hearing and one day we just won't hear Him anymore. He does not leave, He does not stop speaking, we just stopped listening and now we have lost that sensitivity to Him. Our awareness of Him is gone.
So, keep the relationship current, active, ongoing, sensitive, open, present. Protect it. Nourish it. Be obedient, be listening, be aware.
Do not quench the Holy Spirit. He is alive, He is active, He is present, He is near. Walk in the spirit, walk in the light, and never ignore His gentle conversation.
Selah.
Breath Prayer
Lord,You are here
I am listening.
~ Quil
Share God with someone today:
Scripture References
1. The Spirit’s voice is gentle, quiet, easily missed
1 Kings 19:12 — “a still small voice”
Isaiah 30:21 — “your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way…’”
John 16:13 — the Spirit guides quietly, not speaking of Himself
2. The summer breeze metaphor — His presence is subtle
3. We must be attentive, listening, in fellowship with Him
Psalm 46:10 — “Be still, and know that I am God.”
James 4:8 — “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.”
1 John 1:6–7 — walking in the light keeps fellowship clear
4. Ignoring Him dulls sensitivity — quenching the Spirit
1 Thessalonians 5:19 — “Do not quench the Spirit.”
Ephesians 4:30 — “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God.”
Hebrews 3:7–8 — “Do not harden your hearts.”
5. Past experiences cannot carry you into tomorrow
Luke 9:62 — “No man, having put his hand to the plow and looking back…”
Lamentations 3:22–23 — His mercies are new every morning
Matthew 6:34 — God works in today, not yesterday
6. The Spirit restrains — gentle checks, warnings, whispers
Galatians 5:16 — walk in the Spirit
Galatians 5:25 — keep in step with the Spirit
Isaiah 30:21 — His quiet “don’t go there” guidance
Acts 16:6–7 — the Spirit restrained Paul from going certain places
7. Crisis reveals whether we rely on Him or ourselves
Psalm 56:3 — “When I am afraid, I will trust in You.”
Psalm 34:4 — He delivers from fear
Philippians 4:6–7 — peace in crisis
Isaiah 41:10 — “Fear not… I will uphold you.”
8. Let go of anything that dulls sensitivity to Him
Hebrews 12:1 — lay aside anything that hinders
1 John 2:15–17 — do not cling to things that pull you from God
Proverbs 4:23 — guard your heart
9. Sensitivity can be lost through neglect
Revelation 2:4 — losing first love
Hebrews 2:1 — “We must pay more careful attention… so we do not drift away.”
Mark 4:19 — things that choke spiritual hearing
10. Keep the relationship current, active, ongoing
Psalm 63:1 — seek Him early, daily
John 15:4–5 — abide in Him
Colossians 3:2 — set your mind on things above
11. Walk in the Spirit, walk in the light
Galatians 5:16 — walk in the Spirit
Galatians 5:25 — live by the Spirit
1 John 1:7 — walk in the light
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