Don't Resist the Holy Spirit

"You stiff-necked people,

with uncircumcised hearts and ears!

You are just like your fathers:

You always resist the Holy Spirit!"

Acts 7:51

All the believers were gathered together, making for a motley crew crowded into a single home.  Suddenly, what sounded like a violent wind storm swept through the group, only the air wasn't moving.  Perplexed, everyone looked around at each other, wondering what was happening.  The sound seemed to be coming from above but there was no place from which to flee the cacophony within the house; the din was everywhere.

All at once, a great fire came down from the ceiling, dividing itself into separate tongues of flames, each one resting upon a believer.  A great sense of power filled each person and they mysteriously received the ability to speak in other languages.  When outsiders gathered to investigate the sound, they wondered at the wide range of tongues coming from these people.  How could they each hear the message in their own language, as diverse as the onlookers were?  Some thought these believers must be drunk, but what had really happened was that God had sent His Holy Spirit upon those who trusted in Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

I have the very power of God living within me in the form of God's Spirit.  Even so, it is easy to get into the habit of resisting His direction, His guidance and His power.  How could I defy such a mighty force?  There are many ways.

Stiff-Necked

God had provided everything they needed.  They had a continuous supply of delicious and nutritious food, delivered daily to their doorsteps. (Exodus 16:13-14) Their clothing and shoes stayed in good condition. (Deuteronomy 29:5)  When they needed water, He could make it appear from a rock, or turn bitter water into sweet.  (Exodus 15:25, Exodus 17:6) God Himself led the group, giving them guidance through a pillar of fire by night and a cloud by day. (Exodus 13:21)  In essence, the Israelites had it made.

Knowing that I have everything I need does not necessarily give me a sense of contentment.  Many times I yearn for more, desiring things I don't need but suddenly think I can't live without.  My wants morph into needs in my heart.  

The Israelites were no different.  Despite the fact that God had provided everything they needed, they still had a way of focusing only on what they didn't have and not on what God had provided.  They forgot they were God's chosen people and that He promised to take care of them.  Consequently, they complained a lot.

I'm equally as stubborn and set in my ways.  If I'm used to existing at a certain standard of living, I balk at the thought of giving up some income.  If I have my heart set on a new electronic gadget, car, or house, I resist the idea of settling for less.  If I'm accustomed to being around family at holiday time but this year everyone is split up, I mope if things don't go the way I want.

God is constantly at work in and around me, but I oppose Him when His provision or effort doesn't look like what I'm used to experiencing or what I expect to see.  I fight against what He's trying to do in the way that I direct my focus.  If I look for trouble, I'll find it.  But if I look for God's hand, I also will discover how He's at work and join in with Him.  Instead of being a part of the problem, then, I'll take part in God's amazing plan for my life.  

I resist God's Spirit in my life when I insist on my stubborn ways instead of letting go of my expectations in order to free Him to work in my life without limits.

Uncircumcised Hearts and Ears

They faced a tremendous challenge.  I mammoth city loomed above them, fortified with impenetrable walls.  This metropolis stood between them and the land God had promised the Israelites.  The men were not quite up to fighting yet as they had recently undergone the painful process of circumcision.  Yes, the people of Israel were coping with quite a dilemma.

Thankfully, God had a plan and it had nothing to do with the might of their soldiers.  Instead, it had everything to do with the power of God.  He commanded the people to march around the impassable wall of Jericho one time each day for six days.  On the seventh day, they walked around seven times, blowing their horns and shouting on the seventh time.  At the sound of the trumpet blast, the walls collapsed, allowing the men to rush in and conquer the city. (Joshua 6)  The faith of God's people had given God free reign to accomplish His will.

There are powerful things God has planned for my life, as well.  Many times, however, my heart does not desire to please Him and my ears do not hear His direction.  Instead, I'm more focused on looking holy outwardly but fail to commit, or circumcise, my heart to the objective of listening to and obeying God.  

Every time I depend upon my common sense instead of seeking God's will, I'm guilty of the same.  When I use my intellect to come up with a solution instead of leaving it in God's hands and paying attention to His direction, my heart is far from Him.  During the times when I betray my lack of faith by worrying about tomorrow, God is not glorified in my life.

The Apostle Paul explained this idea of setting my heart upon God as opposed to striving to look like I follow God.  He said, "A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical.  No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code.  Such a man's praise is not from men, but from God." (Romans 2:28-29)

I can only please God when I'm devoted to following the lead of His Spirit instead of putting in the effort to try to do the right thing.  One is by the power of God, the other in my own strength.

I resist God's Spirit in my life when I depend upon my own resources instead of waiting for Him to direct me.

Generational Transfer

His father was the most evil king that ever ruled the nation of Judah.  He worshiped false idols, sacrificed his own sons in the fire in order to appease these gods.  He never turned to the one true God, even in the face of great trouble, instead opting to give sacrifices to the gods of his enemy, hoping to bring favor upon himself.  Instead, all he managed to do was draw God's wrath. (2 Chronicles 28)

Hezekiah, his son, must have worried that he'd follow in his father's footsteps.  Instead, he has the reputation as a king who did right in the eyes of the Lord.  Not only that, but it is said that there was no one like him among all the kings of Judah and that the Lord was with him, giving him success in all his endeavors.  (2 Kings 18:1-8)  Only God can break this kind of family line.

Similarly, there are negative qualities and areas of sin that have been passed down in my family from generation to generation.  It's easy to think I'm doomed to follow in the footsteps of my ancestors.  Thankfully, God is bigger than this trend.  I am not bound to do things as they have always been done.  Instead, I can step into the light of Jesus and walk in His ways.  (1 John 1:7)

The Lord gave a powerful message through the prophet Isaiah to the unfaithful people of Israel. He said, "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.  See, I am doing a new thing!  Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?  I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland." (Israel 43:18-19)

It doesn't matter what's been done in the past.  Maybe I'm plagued with the legacy of sexual sin. It could be that I think I'm doomed to a life of depression.  I may think that child abuse and an atmosphere of fear may be my lot in life.  Letting God have His way in my life, however, means that I will experience new things; abundance where once there was shortage, joy in the place of sorrow, success instead of failure.  

I resist the work of God's Spirit in my life when I bow down to generational transfer instead of letting Him break that family cycle of sin.

The gift of the Holy Spirit is available to all those who have accepted Jesus as their Savior.  Unfortunately, there are many ways I block His work in my life.  Instead of continuing in stubbornness, relying on my own strength and doing things as they've always been done, I can walk with Him onto a new path.  As I stay close, I'll experience His power in a way I can't explain, and I'll never be the same again.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I will let God's Spirit have His way in me.

How do I insist on getting things my way, even though God's way is so much better?

In what ways do I feel doomed to walk in the steps of my family?