Holy Spirit “Failures”

Tim Hughes – Blessed You Are Holy

I think one of the most discouraging things being a Christian is witnessing people getting touched powerfully by the Lord… and then falling back into their lifestyle of sin and struggle. This is so discouraging that it has caused many Christians to reject anything of the Holy Spirit, because they are so jaded witnessing “Holy Spirit touched” people act in very non Christian ways. Such people are common, including in the Bible!

1Samuel 10 gives the account of Saul becoming the first king of Israel. In 1Samuel 10:6 the prophet Samuel tells Saul, “The Spirit of the Lord will rush upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man.” This happens powerfully in verse 10, so powerfully that everyone there witnessed the transformation and spoke of it. Despite this power encounter, Saul pretends afterward that nothing happened and keeps to himself.

In 1Samuel 11:6 the Holy Spirit stirs mightily within Saul and gives him strength to lead Israel into battle against the Ammonites and conquer them. Saul has his moments where the Spirit of God works mightily through him, and moments where he reverts to his former character and doesn’t act so strong, and even acts foolishly. His pride eventually gets the best of him and God rejects him as king over Israel with the Spirit of God leaving Saul in 1Samuel 16:14.

Samson is another example of a man anointed mightily by the Lord who eventually loses the power and the anointing because of his disobedience to the Lord (Judges 16:20). He eventually prays for God’s grace to return to him and God anoints him one last time before his death.

How do we avoid being a “Holy Spirit failure?”

1. God’s touch is real and powerful, but what we receive from Him must be stewarded correctly. If God releases a spiritual gift in our life, then we need to practice it and grow in it. If God hits us mightily with His power and we get wrecked by His fiery love or calling, then we need to pray and ask for God’s leading in how to steward His love and walk out the calling He has given us. Matthew 10:8 reads, “Freely you’ve received, now freely give.” We aren’t called to be wells that only give when we are full, we are instead called to be pipes that God’s love, power, and blessings flow through. Saul and Samson were anointed to deliver and bless the people of Israel. In the same way today, God anoints us to deliver and bless those around us (Isaiah 61). Having a church family with pastors/mentors can help tremendously in learning to steward God’s touch in our lives.

2. We need to avoid grieving the Spirit (Ephesians 4:25-32) and quenching the Spirit (1Thessalonians 5:15-22). We grieve the Spirit by acting in ways that are not love (anger, bitterness, unforgiveness, etc). We quench the Spirit by not connecting with God in prayer/thanksgiving and by critically judging when the Spirit moves. When we do these things we are basically rejecting God’s presence in our lives and choosing our own way, like Saul and Samson did.

3. Always seek power encounters, but keep a long term perspective. Every healthy marriage needs fireworks now and then (a special weekend away, a really nice date/romantic evening, or something else special). Healthy marriages should never be based only on those few really special moments each year, but without those moments the love can grow routine and dry. It is the same in our walk with God. We need His daily bread (the day-to-day love) and should enjoy His presence daily, but we should also look for special moments in the year where we go deeper with him. This is why retreats, conferences, and even certain mission trips can be extra powerful. Just as any couple experiences surges in love during a special weekend away together, so should we expect and pray into such surges in love during a retreat or conference away with the Lord. This is so good for us and God loves it too! We should never base our relationship with God only on such special moments, but we need to make sure to have them at least a few times each year.

God’s love never fails (1Corinthians 13:8). It wasn’t that God failed with Samson, Saul, or any other person who was touched by God but never lived it out. Jesus loved the multitudes but only a fraction of them kept faithful to Him. It wasn’t that Jesus failed, it was just that only a few who chose to walk with Him wholeheartedly (John 6:68). It’s how we work out our salvation (Philippians 2:12) that will determine the fruit and power of our lives.

Seek the Lord! Be a pipe and not a well. Walk in love and keep connected to Him in prayer and praise. Set aside special times for Him. Be blessed!