OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL: SUNDAY, 16TH APRIL 2017- GRIEVE NOT THE HOLY SPIRIT

Memorise: And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Ephesians 4:30
Read: Acts 5:1-6
1 But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession,
2 And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles’ feet.
3 But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?
4 Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.
5 And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things.
6 And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried him out, and buried him.
Bible in one year: Numbers 3, Jeremiah 14:13-22

1 One of the attributes of the Holy Spirit that confirms to us that He is a person is that He can be grieved.
2. Indeed, the Holy Spirit can be abused to the point of being grieved.
3. At this point, He can decide to show His Almightiness like the other two personalities of the Godhead.
4. This is the reason why Apostle Paul admonished us not to grieve the Holy Spirit of God (Ephesians 4:30).
5. There are many reasons why it is dangerous to grieve the Holy Spirit. One of such reasons is located in today’s memory verse.
6. We are sealed unto the day of redemption by the precious Holy Spirit in our lives. This seal serves as a covering that shields us from the activities of Satan and his cohorts.
7. If you make your Covering annoyed to the extent that He deserts you, in that case you will be left without a shield protecting you against evil spirits.
8. This is very dangerous because we cannot pass through this world of evil as pilgrims without the assistance of the Holy Spirit.
9. Another reason why it is dangerous to grieve the Holy Spirit is that His wrath could be very devastating.
10. The story in today’s Bible text confirms that no man can withstand His wrath. Ananias and Sapphira his wife grieved the Holy Spirit and they were punished by death. What did they do to grieve the Holy Spirit? They lied to Him.
11. Many so-called believers would regard this as a “simple lie”, but it was enough to grieve the Holy Spirit, and He struck them dead.
12. Cooperating with a liar can also grieve the Holy Spirit as in the case of Sapphira, Ananias’ wife.
13. It is dangerous to keep company with liars because the same punishment meted out to the original liar would be received by the accomplice.
14. In times past, Christians used to be persecuted in various establishments because they would not cooperate with liars who would get to work at 10 a.m. but register 7 a.m. as their resumption time. Today, some Christians are doing worse, even in Church offlces.
15. Rebelling against the Lordship of the Holy Spirit over your life is another way through which He can be grieved.
16. When you get to a point where you refuse to take instructions from the voice of the Holy Spirit within you, then you have rebelled against His Lordship. The Bible in Isaiah 63:10 says, “But they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them.”
17. Beloved, let us heed the admonition of Paul and desist from grieving the Holy Spirit by all means.

The Holyspirit is our friend. He is our comforter and teacher. We should never grieve our friend, comforter and teacher by any means. It is very abnormal to pay good with evil even in real life scenerio and in the same vein when we ignore the Holyspirit, blaspheme or lie against or to the Holyspirit we grieve him and it is not just bad but dangerous because when the relationship breaks the friendship and union is lost. Also the edge gets broken hence devil gets a loophole to penetrate through.
The key to living the right way and in God’s will is the indepth study of the word of God and the help of the Holyspirit. This is why we must do everything to maintain our relationship with the Holy Spirit and not grieve him. God will help us in Jesus name. We are grateful to God for blessing us with Pastor E.A Adeboye. May His grace never depart from him in Jesus name.

Prayer Point
Father, please pardon me in any way I have grieved Your Holy Spirit, and give me the grace never to do so again until I see you in glory.
HYMN
O spread the tidings ’round,
Wherever man is found,
Wherever human hearts
And human woes abound.
Let every Christian tongue
Proclaim the joyful sound:
The Comforter has come!
Refrain:
The Comforter has come!
The Comforter has come!
The Holy Ghost from heav’n,
The Father’s promise giv’n,
O spread the tidings ’round,
Wherever man is found:
The Comforter has come!
The long, long night is past;
The morning breaks at last;
And hushed the dreadful wail
And fury of the blast,
As o’er the golden hills
The day advances fast!
The Comforter has come!
[Refrain]
Lo, the great King of kings,
With healing in His wings,
To every captive soul
A full deliv’rance brings;
And thro’ the vacant cells
The song of triumph rings;
The Comforter has come!
[Refrain]
O boundless love divine!
How shall this tongue of mine
To wond’ring mortals tell
The matchless grace divine –
That I, a child of hell,
Should in His image shine?
The Comforter has come!

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