Western Hills Christian Church: “You are family here!”

Do not quench the Spirit.
1st Thessalonians 5:19

We cannot prevent God from accomplishing His work in the world around us, but we can quench His Spirit in our lives. God has given us the freedom to withstand the Holy Spirit’s activity in our lives. When we ignore, disobey, or reject what the Spirit is telling us, we quench His activity in us. The prophet Isaiah described the result: "Hearing you will hear and not understand, and seeing you will see and not perceive; for the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them" (Isaiah 6:9; Matthew 13:14-15).

When you sin, the Holy Spirit will convict you of your need for repentance. If you habitually ignore Him and do not repent, your heart will grow hardened to God’s Word. If the Spirit speaks to you about God’s will for you, and if you refuse to take action, a time will come when the Spirit’s voice will be muted in your life. If you continually reject the Spirit’s promptings, a day will come when you no longer hear a word form God. If you repeatedly stifle God’s word to you so that you are not longer sensitive to His voice, He will not give you a fresh word. Be wary of resisting the voice of the Spirit in your life. You may not always be comfortable with what the Spirit is saying to you, but His words will guide you to abundant life.

Henry and Richard Blackaby
Experiencing God Day-by-Day

But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.
Isaiah 40:31

At times you may feel so worn out and stressed that you are not sure you can take another step. You may seem to spend all your time running from crisis to crisis and to be constantly giving your time and energy to others. Your Lord wants to renew your strength and enable you to enjoy the abundant life He intends for you. The key is to wait upon Him to do so.

Our generation does not enjoy waiting. We are harried by all the commitments we have made and the many responsibilities we hold. We rush through our lives without stopping to evaluate our activities. Sometimes in our haste to get on with our work, we race ahead of God. Part of God’s restorative process is to slow us down and make us listen to Him. As we wait on Him, God will remind us of our utter dependence upon His strength. When we slow down and seek His will, He will reveal His plans.

Biblically, waiting on the Lord is never passive; it is always active. Waiting requires us to cease our own pursuits and give God our complete attention. We may have to give up some of the activities we have allowed to inundate our lives. We may need to take an entire day to sit quietly before the Lord. If we ask Him, God will show us the resources He has provided to help with the work we have been attempting on our own. God may address feelings of guilt that have motivated us to do things that He has not asked us to do.

Jesus carried more responsibility than you do. More people needed Him than will ever need you. Yet He was never overwhelmed or inadequate for the task. Now Christ offers to guide you so that you will fulfill your heavenly Father’s will and gain the strength necessary for each day (Matthew 11:28).

Henry and Richard Blackaby
Experiencing God Day-by-Day

Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness;Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
Isaiah 5:20

It is Satan’s practice to convince people that what God calls good is actually evil and what God declares evil is, in fact, good. Satan persuaded Adam and Eve that their disobedience, rather than their obedience, would guarantee a full life. They believed him and immediately began to experience sin’s consequences! Despite the absurdity of Satan’s logic, he continues to deceive people into doubting that God has clearly said.

King Saul sought Samuel’s affirmation for the sacrifice he had offered, even though he had acted in direct disobedience to God’s command (1st Samuel 15:13). Ananias and Sapphira expected praise from the early church for their offering, though they were blatantly lying (Acts 5:1-11). An Amalekite soldier sought David’s gratitude for killing Saul, God’s anointed king (2nd Samuel 1:1-16).

We, too, will face the temptation to call something good that God has declared wicked. We may be persuaded that we can accomplish more good by lying than by telling the truth. We may claim that we are mobilizing Christians to pray for someone in sin when, in fact, we are spreading gossip. We may assert that we are following God’s will in our job when, in fact, we are striving to that which God declares is good. We may assert that we are following God’s will in our job when, in fact, we are striving to pursue our own ambitions. We will also be tempted to call evil that which God declares is good. God says it is good to love our enemies, yet we might decide our task is to hold them responsible for their actions.

It is so important to hold ourselves accountable to God’s Word. God does not need us to find exceptions for His commands. He requires our obedience.

Henry and Richard Blackaby
Experiencing God Day-by-Day

Go and tell Hezekiah,"Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father:’I have heard your prayers, I have seen your tears;surely I will add to your days fifteen years.’ "
Isaiah 38:5

The fundamental premise of Christianity is that God knows what is best better than we do.  When we are experiencing God’s blessing, it is easy to believe that God knows what is best.  But when God allows sickness and sorrow in our lives, we may be tempted to question His wisdom.

The Lord told King Hezekiah that his life was coming to an end.  God advised him to prepare himself for death and to make arrangements to turn over the kingdom.  Instead, Hezekiah plead for his life, begging God to spare him from death (Isaiah 38:3).  God loved the righteous Hezekiah and, in His grace, granted him an additional fifteen years to live.  Those fifteen years would prove that Gods wisdom far exceeds human wisdom.  During those added years, Manasseh was born, and he eventually succeeded Hezekiah as king of Judah.  Manasseh, who reigned for fifty-five years, was the most evil king ever to rule over Judah (2nd Kings 21:2).  Manasseh encouraged the worship of idolatry throughout the nation.  He passed his own son through fire according to the abominable practices of idolatry.  He shed much innocent blood during his reign; every part of the nation suffered from his cruelty.  Manasseh’s wickedness provoked God to anger, but Manasseh ignored God’s warning (2nd Kings 21:16; 2nd Chronicles 33:10).  All these hardships were caused by Manasseh, a king who would never have been born if Hezekiah had accepted God’s will for his life!  Furthermore, Hezekiah’s extended reign led to Judah’s eventual defeat by the Babylonians (2nd Kings 20:12- 20).

So much suffering resulted from Hezekiah’s unwillingness to accept God’s will for him.  God knows what is best.  Whether your circumstances are easy or difficult, you can completely trust His guidance.

Henry and Richard Blackaby
Experiencing God Day-by-Day