*WISDOM FOR TODAY.*
*THE SPIRIT'S LIBERTY (3)*
*Scripture Treasure.*
2 Kgs 3:13-15:
*And Elisha said unto the king of Israel, What have I to do with thee? get thee to the prophets of thy father, and to the prophets of thy mother. And the king of Israel said unto him, Nay: for the Lord hath called these three kings together, to deliver them into the hand of Moab.*
*And Elisha said, As the Lord of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, surely, were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would not look toward thee, nor see thee.*
*But now bring me a minstrel. And it came to pass, when the minstrel played, that the hand of the Lord came upon him.*
*Insight and Highlight.*
The spiritual can be limited.
*Scripture Commentaries.*
While we must daily sustain the divine attribute of the Spirit in such a way that affords Him to manifest Himself as He wants, contrarywise, it remains true to say that the Spirit can be obstructed.
Paul warns us of two limitations while Christ warns us of one major limitation that could prevent the move of the Spirit.
First, when there is suppression.
Paul warned in 1 Thess 5:19 that we do not quench the Spirit.
We can quench the Spirit by suppressing Him.
This tells us that people can suppress the Spirit of God that exists in them.
This can happen when we deliberately ignore His voice or do anything otherwise from His bidding. When we choose self-service, men-pleasing service over righteous service.
The encounter of Elisha with the kings of Judah and Israel (Jehoshaphat and Ahab) teaches us how Elisha had to call for a minstrel.
Elisha, in his lifetime, as recorded in the scriptures, did not need to call for a minstrel before he delivered his Spirit filled messages.
On this occasion, the hand of the Lord came upon Him after the presence of God was invoked through the minstrel.
One possible cause might have been his mood. His remarks, asking why the kings could not go to their fathers' prophets and that if not for Jehoshaphat's presence both had an angry tone that may have limited the move of the Spirit.
So anger can limit the move of the Spirit.
Second, Paul further warns against grieving the Spirit.
Ephesians 4:30: *And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.*
Anyone who tries to suppress or quench the Spirit is already grieving Him.
While to quench the Spirit is to put out or extinguish the power of the Spirit, to grieve Him is to make Him angry.
Both to quench and to grieve have the power to limit the Spirit.
Third is limiting the Spirit through blasphemy.
Jesus ultimately warns us of the danger of blaspheming the Spirit.
He says in Matt 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.*
Jesus is not making exceptions of His attribute of forgiveness.
All sins are forgivable. This was why Jesus came. Matt 1: 21 tells us *"....for he shall save his people from their sins."*
As all unrighteousness is sin, 1 John 5:17, so are all sins forgivable, 1 John 1:9 says *If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.*
So Jesus is forgiving, and there is no sin He can not forgive if we ask for His forgiveness.
So, Jesus's statement as to unforgiving the blasphemer tells us that if anyone
blasphemes the Spirit, he is refusing and denying His power to save, redeem, or forgive.
By so doing, the person is rejecting the free gift of Jesus's forgiveness and will ultimately lose the hope of salvation.
The person will be lost in his sins, and he will not receive the Spirit's forgiving power.
So, it is not the Spirit that is not willing to forgive but the person who refuses the Spirit's free gift to forgive him.
By a sinner's refusal to receive the power of the Spirit that could convict him of his sin and save him, he would be blaspheming the Spirit's power saying He is not enough to save him or that He does not have any transformative power over him.
Anyone who grieves, quenches, or blasphemes the Spirit will lose His presence. God will cast him away by taking away His Spirit, and the hope of salvation is lost totally, ref Ps 51: 11.
Do not limit the Spirit!
*Remorse corner.*
Whosoever refuses to be born-again has refused the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
He has limited himself and has thereby refused the opportunity to be saved from his sin, and because of his refusal, he can not receive forgiveness.
*Call to Word action.*
The Life giving Spirit has given us the liberty to live. We ought not limit Him, ref 1 Cor 15:45.
*The Christian clarion duty.*
When we limit the Spirit, we will be depriving ourselves of what Christ has freely given us.
*Prayer.*
Psalm 51:11 *Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.*, in Jesus name
Good morning all, and have a blessed day.
God bless you.
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