Fan the Flame - January 23
- Back to the Bible

- Jan 23
- 3 min read
Read 1 Thessalonians 5:19

Do not quench the Spirit.
Reflect
What is the role of the Holy Spirit? How can we cooperate with His work in our lives?
In John 14:16-17, Jesus promised: “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.” In verse 26, He added, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”
According to Jesus, the Holy Spirit is our Helper. He lives within believers forever, teaches us, guides us in truth, and reminds us of Christ’s words. We can read about the coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost in Acts 2. After Jesus ascended into Heaven, the apostles were gathered together when the Holy Spirit rested on each of them like a tongue of fire and enabled them to preach the Gospel in other languages (Acts 2:1-6).
This isn’t the only time the Holy Spirit is associated with fire in the Bible. In Luke 3:16, John the Baptist said (speaking about Jesus): “I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.”
This is the Spirit that Paul commanded the Thessalonians “do not quench.” In other words, don’t put the fire out. Don’t extinguish the flame of the Spirit working in your life. But how can believers quench the Spirit anyway? What does that mean?
True believers in Jesus Christ can rest assured that the Spirit will never leave them. He lives in us (Romans 8:9)! But we can reduce or restrict His power in our lives. How? Well, the number one thing we do that puts the fire out is failing to read and engage with the Bible. One of the roles of the Holy Spirit is to illuminate Scripture and help us understand what God told us. But if we neglect the Word of God, the Holy Spirit doesn’t have much to illuminate in us.
Another thing we do that stifles the Holy Spirit’s work is failing to pray and praise. The Holy Spirit fosters our intimacy with God. Think about the people you are closest to. Do you communicate with them regularly? Do you share your innermost thoughts and feelings with them? Do you regularly express how much you care about them and appreciate them? Do you trust them? Do you depend on them? Do you turn to them when you need help?
If we want to have a deeper connection with the Lord, we need to do likewise. We need to communicate with Him in prayer and tell Him our intimate thoughts, feelings, and concerns. We also need to express our thanks and praise to Him in worship.
It’s also important that we trust Him and depend on Him rather than relying on our own strength and our own works. Jesus told us that the Spirit is our Helper! The Spirit will work in our lives to gradually sanctify us and make us more like Christ. He will also guide us and direct us. But in order for that to happen we have to cooperate with Him. In Galatians 5:16, Paul said that if we walk by the Spirit, we won’t give in to the desires of our flesh. He also wrote that: “If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25).
Believers quench the Spirit when we live as if He doesn’t exist in us or doesn’t have any impact on our lives. But Christians who live by the Spirit, “set their minds on the things of the Spirit.” May it never be said of us that we tried to quench the Spirit or keep Him from spreading like wildfire. Instead, let’s be believers that fan the flame (2 Timothy 1:6-7).
Respond
Lord, thank You for the gift of the Helper, Your Holy Spirit. I want to live by the Spirit and walk through life with Him. Show me how to fan the flame rather than quench the Spirit. Amen.
Reveal
When we walk by the Spirit instead of our flesh, we reveal the Lord’s power to those around us.



Amen!!! Jesus, we thank You for the greatest Helper, Your indwelling Spirit, Who enLightens us with the Truth! Lord Jesus Christ, our hearts are overflowing and crying out to You with thanksgiving and praises! You are worthy and wonderful, O God, beautiful beyond descriptions! Hallelujah! We glory in Your dominion, glory, and honor! Residing Spirit, please fill and guide us, so we will be holy vessels for Your glory today.
Jesus our First Love, You love us beyond what we could ever fathom. We thank You for that steadfast love. Lord, You love us so, so much, and You desire for us to walk in holiness and the righteousness so much that You gave us Your Spirit to fill, enLighten,…
🔥🔥🔥 Amen! "It’s also important that we trust Him and depend on Him rather than relying on our own strength and our own works. Jesus told us that the Spirit is our Helper! The Spirit will work in our lives to gradually sanctify us and make us more like Christ. He will also guide us and direct us. But in order for that to happen we have to cooperate with Him. In Galatians 5:16, Paul said that if we walk by the Spirit, we won’t give in to the desires of our flesh. He also wrote that: “If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25). "
We can do nothing apart from…