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There are really three stages of our heart and of our life. As an unbeliever, you are not going to have any Holy Spirit, but most believers are right here (and any of us can be here can be here at any given time if when we’re living for self instead of living for Christ). We have a divided heart, don’t we? We can have a split heart in conflict. So, we lack some of the love, peace, and joy that result from the filling of the Spirit. (View Heart Diagram)
In Romans 7 again, Paul said, “For in my inner-being I delight in God’s law, but I see another law at work in the members of my body waging war against the law of my mind, and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work in my members. What a wretched man I am.” We really have somewhat of a Civil War going on in our heart. Have you ever felt like that? Like you’re wrestling with an internal struggle? Paul describes I want to do the good thing, but I can’t do the good thing. We really have a spiritual civil war going on in our hearts. (View Diagram)
The Abiding Room, which we described as this smaller circle here of believers led and filled with the Spirit is not an “elitist place” but it is an exclusive place, though, isn’t it? (View Circle Diagram) There aren’t that many believers who are walking in the Spirit. To enter is far harder than to exit. For us to be led by the Spirit, we need to be repentant, and believing, and surrendering our will to God, and abiding in Christ. (View Abiding Room Explanation) But, if we harbor any sin, if we have any unbelief, or if we are disobedient, we’re back out. This door is very well lubricated. It swings this way and we move from walking in the Spirit to walking in the flesh very quickly. We have to have all four of these going for us to walk in the Spirit, but we only have to have one of those to walk in the flesh.
Sometimes people who pursue what it is to Abide in Christ and walk in the Spirit, and they talk about this they can come off as superior, or holier than thou—I know something you don’t know, so that’s why I put this up here to say that it’s unique, but it’s not arrogant or elitist. It’s just that it’s very, very, unique – very rare in the Christian church today.
Grieving the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 4:30 “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” (View Grieving Illustration) So when we sin, we exit. We are no longer in this place where we are filled by the Spirit and led by the Spirit. We’re back out here in the flesh. God is holy; His temple has to be cleansed and purged. We as His temple have to be clean to be filled with His Spirit. If there is any sin in our life that we are aware of that we don’t repent of, we grieve the Holy Spirit, and we are no longer filled and led by the Spirit, we are walking in the flesh.
1 Thessalonians 5:19 “Do not quench the Spirit; do not put out the Spirit’s fire.” Quench means: to put out the fire. We are often talking about the fire passion of the Holy Spirit. When we have sin, or unbelief, or disobedience, if we have anything in our life like that, God says, “I want you to do this. I want you to talk to that person at work. I want you to go apologize, I want you to forgive. That quenches and grieves the Holy Spirit if we do not do that. (View Quenching Diagram) Likewise, if it’s just disobedience or something you won’t surrender such as God says….“That’s a hobby I have, there is nothing wrong with that hobby, but it is not sin, but I want you to give it up.” If you refuse to give it up even though it is not sin, we are disobedient, aren’t we. We want to live the way we want to live. We refuse to surrender….whatever that is that we refuse to surrender, we are disobedient, and we are no longer walking in the Spirit, but we are walking in the flesh, and we exit the Abiding Room. (View Diagram)
