The Dangers of Grieving the Ghost
Christians, we are held to a higher standard. When we grieve God's Holy Spirit, we lose His power.
“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.” Ephesians 4: 30-31
In 1991 during Operation Desert Storm, the 101st Airborne Division had the Apache Helicopter, the most advanced Attack helicopter in the world. At the time, Saddam Hussein and the Iraqi Army had one of the world's most sophisticated Air Defense systems. They had complex radar and early warning systems against pending or potential air attacks. Before the U.S. Air Campaign in Desert Storm, Apache Helicopters from the 101st conducted a secret operation. They flew 150 miles deep into Iraq at extremely low altitudes, hugging the terrain for the entire route. They flew this way because the sophisticated Iraqi radars could not see below 1000 feet. Flying at this altitude, they were vulnerable, and they could never see the Apaches coming because they stayed below 1000 feet the entire mission. The 101st Airborne that night destroyed nearly every air defense radar in Iraq, and they never saw them coming. Then after the last radar was destroyed, the most extensive air campaign in warfare began with the U.S. Air Force. Bombing Saddam Hussein’s Million Man Army into the Stone Age.
I tell that story to say simply this when we grieve the Holy Spirit of God, we lose our defenses against Satan’s attacks, and bad things happen in our lives. Satan flies under our radars. God is not punishing us; Jesus already died for our sins; we lose our “Radars” when we can’t see Satan and his Demons. We don’t have the power to deal with Satan’s Apache Helicopters. We can’t see what we’re shooting at! We shoot, then aim a technique that typically doesn’t work out for us.
Since the glorious Day of Pentecost, the Holy Ghost has a fire that resides in believers, and the Holy Ghost will show the will of God in our activities and mindsets. When we do not allow the Holy Ghost to be seen in our interactions or daily lives, or when we do something wrong, we suppress, reduce, quench, or put out the fire. It’s like this hunger or thirst that we are always trying to quench our thirst. Sometimes, our sin prevents us from experiencing God's true revelation as He intends it. When we lose the fire, we also lose the power that comes with it.
To understand how we grieve the Holy Spirit, we must recognize that the Ghost or the Spirit possesses a distinct personality. Although we often acknowledge the Personhood of God the Father and God the Son, we often overlook the Holy Spirit's Personhood. We cannot grieve inanimate objects like wind or gravity; only a person can be grieved. Therefore, the Holy Spirit must be a divine person with the capacity for feelings. By acknowledging this, we can better understand how the Holy Spirit can be grieved, as we, too, experience grief.
Why does it matter? Simply, when we grieve the Holy Spirit or grieve the Ghost and quench the Spirit, we put out His fire in our lives. When we lose His fire, we lose His power and His presence. We lose his ability to see with Kingdom eyes and become vulnerable. Military radars provide observation when human eyes can’t see the enemy; the Holy Spirit provides observation so we, as His Disciples, can see our enemy Satan. The question becomes, how do we grieve, or how do our radars falter? Many times we grieve the Ghost with our mouths! Matthew’s gospel states:
“Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.” Matthew 15:11
One of the most common ways we grieve the Holy Spirit is by not controlling what we say. Unfortunately, we are all guilty of this to some extent. While we consume many harmful things, most of our defilement comes from our words.
The Apostle Paul addresses the dynamic in the book of Ephesians and gives wise counsel when he states:
“Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another. 26 “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, 27 nor give place to the devil. Ephesians 4:25-27
When we put out half-truths about someone or try to keep up with the “Joneses” on Facebook, this modern-day dynamic is what Paul refers to. So many people are trying to live a lie in social media land. Sharing a reality that’s not true with their neighbors. Or talking about another person on social media, texting, in the lunch room, or telling half a truth, not the whole truth. Then the question becomes, is this person you’re talking about a Christian? If this person you are having the conflict with is a Christian, that’s when it gets dicey with the Holy Ghost and gets to the heart of what Paul is talking about.
When Paul speaks of “members of one body,”; he’s not talking about the entire human race; he’s refereeing to other Christians. When we receive Christ, we assume his identity, right? Trash your Christian neighbor if you want to hack the Holy Spirit off. Paul is inferring if you trash your neighbor, your trashing Jesus. We are members of one body. How many times have we seen this in our Church or communities?
As Disciples of Jesus, I believe we all try and act like Jesus, and sometimes we might pull it off. But the real test for all of us is reacting like Jesus. Reacting like Jesus is hard. When someone says something about our family or children or speaks poorly about your business or our politics, it hurts then we become defensive. Paul implores us to react like Jesus; the question is, why? The answer is simple— “nor give place to the devil.” When Jesus was on earth and living in human form, the Devil aimed to attack Jesus on all fronts. When Jesus was resurrected, the Devil’s strategy changed to attack the Church, which he does through the Church’s people. This is why Paul says: “nor give place to the devil.
Paul would continue to say:
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. Ephesians 4: 29
As Disciples of Jesus, our sins are magnified, and Satan will use the club of “ unwholesome talk” to show every non-believer what hypocritical tools we Christians are! Unwholesome talk can be everything from using the Lord’s name in vain to common words to being your average Bitter Bob and Hostile Holly! Yes, as Disciples of Jesus, we live to a higher standard.
Conversely, Paul gives us a solution in the same verse “building others up according to their needs.” The antonym of grief is rejoicing! When we rejoice in the Spirit, our strength in the Spirit and through Christ enhances, I believe, it goes off the charts. When the lost see the encourager at work, home, or social media that gives grace; they see Christ in us.
How much does grace cost? Amazing grace saved you and me; how much would it cost to give a little grace to a neighbor or a co-worker that gets on your nerves? Grace is priceless! All our work in this life is on the display of grace, and all our speech is to be a display of grace. We must offer grace with our mouths—encouragement, inspiration, and praise. Because we are His children, we must act like His children. We must be different from others and be light in the darkness. Don’t confuse this grace and humility with calling out the wicked or fighting Satan in the current culture war. Because, in the end, this is not a culture war. It’s Satan’s war against God!
We must be the salt of the world as much as we are the light. God is not the Father of all men; He is the Father only of those who believe in Jesus (John 1:12). He is the Creator of all men, but He is only a Father to those who follow Jesus. Through the Holy Spirit, all things are possible. Let’s keep our shields and radars running when we are strong in the Ghost; we are encouragers, and we win in Christ! Go Bold Brothers and Sisters!