“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.” – Ephesians 4:30
When we try to “walk this walk” alone without the power of God, it grieves the Spirit of God. That’s what today’s key verse is saying. Paul was explaining that when we don’t rely on God’s Spirit to help gain victory over our anger, our bitterness, and the control of our tongue…we grieve Him.
That word “grieve” is the same word used in 2 Corinthians 2 where Paul referred to the church’s sin causing him grief and sorrow. It’s also used to describe the disciples grieving at Jesus’ departure. It’s also the same word used to describe the disciple’s reaction when they heard one of them would betray Jesus.
This is a word that doesn’t just describe sadness or disappointment…it describes a broken heart. What Paul tells us in Ephesians 4:30 is, “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.”
Listen, all sin is painful to God, but when His children refuse to change the ways of their old life and depend on Him in their new life, it not only breaks the heart of God…it GRIEVES the Spirit of God.
Paul told the church that the Holy Spirit weeps when He sees Christians lying instead of speaking the truth. He weeps when we have unrighteous anger. He weeps when we’re stealing instead of sharing. He weeps when we tear people down instead of building people up.
It’s time for you to replace rejecting the Holy Spirit with appreciating the Holy Spirit. We have talked a lot about changing…about “out with the old and in with the new.” Do you want the old out? Do you want a new life? The Spirit is the way.