1 Thessalonians 5:16-22 — Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Quench not the Spirit. Despise not prophesyings. Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil.

Did I write about these verses before? I love them — they’re a manifest for daily Christian living. I’m only focused one verse in this piece though … “Quench not the Spirit.”
I have to share something. I really wasn’t sure about my devotion yesterday. I mean — the Japanese Education Ministry? Really? Today, however, I had an amazing thing happen.
Somebody “liked” that devotion on a social media site — Somebody that I didn’t even know read these pieces. I realized I’d fallen into a trap. It’s the same trap that I fall into sometimes when I think about witnessing. I made the mistake of thinking it was about me … what I did … what I wrote.
Sometimes I have an impulse to speak out, to witness. Then I pull back. “No”, I say. “The circumstances are not right. I’m not ready. I can’t do this. He won’t listen.” Did you see that? That was pretty much all about me!
The Holy Spirit is a person. And like anybody else, He has feelings! See for instance what Isaiah records — “But they rebelled, and vexed his Holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them.“(Isaiah 63:10) As the Holy Spirit is a person, it seems He doesn’t like being rejected and refused, so that when I do He stops prompting me for a while.
“Quench” … it’s the perfect word. It speaks of the putting out of a fire. The Holy Spirit breathes an inspiring fire. There are days when these devotions are a complete mystery to me, but I’m learning that I cannot write anything except what I’m given.
This is how it is with all the persons of the Trinity. They are, and will always be, mysterious. They are, in the Biblical sense, mysteries. Their nature and operations are, to a great extent hidden — but gradually revealed to us as we mature in faith and grow closer to Jesus. “For now we see through a glass, darkly, but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.” (1 Corinthians 13:12)
Until I know … I know that I must trust the Holy Spirit, because He may do great things … You never know!