It's Stifling in Here

1 Thessalonians 5:14-22 ~

And we exhort you, brothers and sisters: warn those who are idle, comfort the discouraged, help the weak, be patient with everyone. See to it that no one repays evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good for one another and for all.  Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Don’t stifle the Spirit. Don’t despise prophecies, but test all things. Hold on to what is good. Stay away from every kind of evil.

Mondays have typically been the day when I do my reflection back over the previous week and find things to be thankful about in my life. This morning I was reflecting on the verses above and discovered a little nugget in this passage. 

Paul is giving a rapid fire checklist of instructions to the Thessalonians and it's easy to miss as you read this. After telling them to give thanks in everything because that is God's will for us, Paul says, "Don't stifle the Spirit." What does this mean? The definition of stifle is to not be able to breathe properly and to suffocate. Suffocation brings about death.

When we stifle the Spirit we are not allowing Him to move and live in us. I think it has a direct correlation to giving thanks. When we choose to be negative, complain, look at the glass as half full, have a poor-me approach to life we are inhibiting the work of the Holy Spirit. Our inability to be thankful blocks what the Spirit can do in our lives. When we do this it's hard to find things to be thankful about which just turns into a merry-go-round cycle that is hard to break.

Have you ever been around someone who is negative all of the time? They are draining and people start to avoid them.  Their negativity drains energy from the person they are dumping on. They cannot see the blessings in their life because they are so busy looking at all the things that are going wrong. 

Being thankful may not change my circumstances, but it certainly changes my attitude. Life is hard and bad things happen which can challenge our ability to give thanks and yet, we need to work hard at changing that negative cycle. I have days when it is easy to give in to negative thoughts, complaining words and just an overall bad attitude. But I fight hard to give thanks regardless of the circumstances. 

Giving thanks allows the Spirit to move in my own heart, in the situation and in the way I influence others. It changes me from the inside out. Practicing the habit of thanksgiving creates a new muscle memory and over time it gets easier. 

My encouragement to you today is the same as Paul's was to the church at Thessalonica. Rejoice always, pray constantly and give thanks in all things. Because when you do this the Spirit can move and flow in and through you.