HCC Weekly - March 31st

Pastor Ken

Ephesians 4:29-30

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

Notice the word “grieve.” It is a very aggressive, painful word which instills in us the knowledge that the Holy Spirit’s grief is not a petty, overly sensitive grief, but rather a profound, weighty grief. The Holy Spirit’s grief is founded primarily in the fact that He knows, in advance, the suffering that sin and selfish choices can bring into your life.

While I suppose there are many ways one can grieve the Holy Spirit, Paul implies that the most common way is through our speech. This is because we are “sealed.” A seal is a mark of authenticity, that which distinguishes a fake from the genuine article.

For Christians, our seal is the Holy Spirit. However, careless, unbecoming, or offensive talk grieves the Holy Spirit because it He knows it compromises our authenticity; it makes us look like “fake Christians.”

I think we can all agree that this principle is most commonly relevant to our everyday conversation, but have you ever stopped to consider how it might apply to your prayer life? Jude 1 teaches us to “pray in the Holy Spirit,” which means allowing the Holy Spirit to speak through you – cleaning up your language so as to give God the praise He deserves before bringing your petitions before Him. It’s what “authenticates” your prayer, making it valuable and real to Him. And when your prayers are authentic, chances are you’ll emerge from your prayer closet authentic as well.

Have a great Monday.