Swearing grieves the Holy Spirit

Do you care at all whether or not your way of living offends God? We care so much about what people think and we try our best no to offend people. We try so hard to be politically correct and don’t offend people around us.

Does it even cross your mind to honestly look at your everyday actions and consider that the things you say or do might offend God?

The way we live and talk can grieve the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is not an “it”. The Holy Spirit is a PERSON with feelings. And our actions can grieve the Spirit of God living in us.

If there is anyone I should worry not to offend – that’s the Holy Spirit.

Yet, we often don’t even consider Him at all.

We should regularly pray and ask God to reveal in our life if there are things that offend Him. It’s so easy to think about some things as “not a big deal” but if the word of God says it’s a big deal for Him and things offend Him, I better pay attention because you and I don’t want to grieve the Holy Spirit.

I pray this often with sincerity because I do not want to have anything in my life that offends God.

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭139:23-24‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Whenever you pray be expectant because God will answer. I learned over the years that the prayers that God often answers the fastest are prayers that give God a place to move and change us personally. The fastest change God can do is in a willing person. God will not force you to do things, but if you ask Him to correct you and allow Him to move, He will.

So when you pray, be expectant and look for ways God is answering your prayers. Some people will totally miss God’s answers and corrections because they get offended how it arrives.

God uses the Word, people, circumstances, and yes direct communication with you to point out the things He wants to deal with you.

So pay attention! If you ask God to point out anything that may offend Him, then don’t get offended and pissed at people whom God uses to point out the things that offend God.

Don’t grieve the Holy Spirit even more by being pissed and mad at the people God uses to answer your request. Don’t be mad at the people whom God is using to expose your sin.

God often uses people to point out the very things that offend Him. Don’t get prideful and defensive. Recognize that the reason God is pointing out something that’s offensive in His sight because He loves you and wants you to repent and turn and not to do that anymore because when you grieve the Holy Spirit inside of you, the Holy Spirit simply won’t move freely and the things you’re doing that offend God will block the free movement of the Holy Spirit.

Whenever someone points out something that makes you defensive, bring it to the presence of God and ask your Father: is this something that offends you and I need to change? And God will confirm it. Either by a different source, His Word, or by the confirmation of the Holy Spirit. Then repent and be glad and I mean really glad.

God cares so much about your relationship with Him that He shows you everything and anything that grieves Him so that we can repent, be forgiven, and turn from those things. The Holy Spirit will help us overcome.

God just dealt with me with foul words. I wouldn’t say I swear, but I do use the word “sh*t” and would drop an “f” word here and there when pissed. But I never thought of a big deal about the “sh*t” word. It’s not like swearing. But … foul words grieve the Holy Spirit.

I was talking with someone and in our conversation, I used the “sh*t” word twice and he asked me if I have an issue with foul speak because he noticed that in our 30 minutes or so conversation I used the word 2x. It didn’t even register to me. Because often the things we do become part of your life. But if that part offends and grieves God we better repent and change fast.

And the Holy Spirit tapped into my heart. I was grateful that he took the boldness to point it out. I repented and I asked the Holy Spirit to cleanse and wash my mouth and fill my mouth with life-giving words. I didn’t get offended at all, but I can see how I could’ve totally missed it and even excuse it because the correction is often hard for people to swallow. Pride will block it.

There are many Bible verses that point out the importance of why we should not use foul words and the consequences if we do so.

“But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words, you will be condemned.” – Matthew 12:36-37

“If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless. – James 1:26

“My dear friends, with our tongues we speak both praises and curses. We praise our Lord and Father, and we curse people who were created to be like God, and this isn’t right.”
‭‭James‬ ‭3:9-10‬ ‭CEV‬‬

But THIS next Word was the one that God used to understand that foul words are literally grieving the Holy Spirit.

“Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭4:29-31‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

The amplified Bible version says

“Do not let unwholesome [foul, profane, worthless, vulgar] words ever come out of your mouth, but only such speech as is good for building up others, according to the need and the occasion, so that it will be a blessing to those who hear [you speak].”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭4:29‬ ‭AMP‬‬

Well, I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to grieve the Holy Spirit. To live a righteous life we must humbly ask God to point out anything that offends Him and then be ready to accept His corrections because He is doing it out of His love for us.

“For whom the LORD loves He corrects, Just as a father the son in whom he delights.” – Prov 3:12

God delights in you.

He loves you and He wants your relationship with Him to be without any blockage that may hinder His powerful move in and through your life.
Rejoice when he corrects you. Repent and turn.