May what grieves the Holy Spirit never give you pleasure or make you happy. May the things that offend God never be things you celebrate. May sin never become entertainment to you. May compromise never become normal to you. May disobedience never feel comfortable to you. May everything that causes the Holy Spirit to turn away cause your heart to tremble.
There is a dangerous blindness that settles on the soul when a person begins to take sin lightly. There is a deep spiritual tragedy when a believer finds joy in the things that nailed Jesus to the cross. When the Spirit of God is grieved, your intimacy with Him begins to die. When the fire of God is quenched, your discernment begins to fade. That is why you must pray constantly—Lord, deliver me from delighting in what offends You.
In a vision, I was crying out to the Lord and asking, “Lord, what is the problem? What is the problem?” And the Holy Spirit spoke so clearly, so gently, yet so deeply: “Love. Love is the problem.” Not the love of the world. Not romantic love. Not love of self. But love for God. That is the problem. That is what is missing. That is what is shallow. That is what is often broken.
Love for God is all that matters. That is the first and greatest commandment. That is the foundation of every other commandment. That is what gives power to obedience and joy to sacrifice. If you do not love God, everything else will fail. You will struggle to pray. You will resist surrender. You will become lukewarm. You will live for your own desires.
But when you love God deeply, obedience becomes your joy. When you love God sincerely, His presence becomes your treasure. When you love God above all else, sin becomes bitter to your soul. You cannot love the Holy Spirit and enjoy what He hates. You cannot be in love with Jesus and flirt with darkness. You cannot claim to walk in the Spirit and still walk in the flesh.
The greatest love of all—after God’s love for you—is your love for Him. That is the love that transforms you. That is the love that makes you holy. That is the love that casts out fear and drives away sin. That is the love that causes you to say, “Lord, take everything, but never take Your presence from me.”
May God fill your heart with His love. May He baptize you with His love. May His love consume you, overwhelm you, flood every part of your soul. May His love break every chain. May His love uproot every idol. May His love make you whole.
May God give you grace and ability to love Him with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. May your whole being burn with affection for the Lord. May you long for Him in the morning, yearn for Him in the night, hunger for Him more than anything else. May His word be your delight. May His commandments be your joy. May His presence be your home.
May your delight be in constantly pleasing the Lord. May your daily cry be, “Lord, what will please You today?” May your ambition be to walk in purity, in truth, in love, and in power. May your heart be sensitive to His whispers, and your soul quick to repent. May you never become hard-hearted. May you never silence conviction. May you never run from His correction.
May anything that grieves the Holy Spirit never give you joy. May you hate sin with perfect hatred. May you hate compromise. May you hate pride. May you hate lies. May you hate lust. May you hate rebellion.
May God give you all grace—grace to walk uprightly, grace to walk blamelessly, grace to walk faithfully. Grace to walk away from everything that pulls you down. Grace to keep His word even when it’s difficult. Grace to stand for truth even when it’s lonely. Grace to carry your cross with joy. Grace to obey His voice no matter the cost.
In Jesus’ name, amen.
