Five toxic behaviors that push the Holy Spirit away without you realizing it. Now, I want to assure you that as a born again believer, you have the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit doesn't abandon you just because you make a mistake. So, when I talk about pushing the Holy Spirit away, I'm talking about minimizing his influence, weakening his influence, and becoming unresponsive to his voice. I want to show you something in Galatians 5:1 17. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the spirit wants. And the spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. This is why sometimes you can sense that conflict. You want to do something for God, but then there's another side of you that doesn't. Maybe you feel pulled toward temptation, but then there's the spirit within you resisting that temptation. So you may sometimes feel like you're being pulled in between two places and you don't want to behave in a way that pushes the Holy Spirit away. And it's especially scary because the influence of the Holy Spirit shrinks as we disobey. It shrinks as we ignore him. And often we don't even realize that we're pushing away that influence in our lives. So your daily decisions, whether they be big or small, those daily decisions will determine your destiny. They determine who you become. They determine your habits. And so, you have to be careful about how you go about living everyday life. Not in fear, but in reverence toward the Holy Spirit. Here's that first behavior, that first toxic behavior. Number one, being lazy. Yes, laziness minimizes the influence of the Holy Spirit. And it's time we do away with the excuses. Matthew chapter 25 beginning at verse 24 popular parable. Then the servant with the one bag of silver came and said, "Master, I knew you were a harsh man harvesting crops you didn't plant and gathering crops you didn't cultivate. I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back." But the master replied, "You wicked and lazy servant. If you knew I harvested crops I didn't plant and gathered crops I didn't cultivate, why didn't you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it. Then he ordered, "Take the money from this servant and give it to the one with the 10 bags of silver. To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away. So then we see that God takes very seriously stewardship. What you do with your time, what you do with your resources, what you do with your energy and the influence that God has given to you, you have to consider, am I being lazy? Am I really living to the fullest potential that God has called me to live or do I waste time? Do I let the hours just slip by? Maybe you're not using your spiritual gifts. Maybe you know you should be teaching or encouraging others or serving at your local church or mentoring those who God is bringing your way and you say, "I'm just I'm just not ready right now. Maybe next year. Maybe in this next season, maybe when things become simpler and we're pushing off the use of our spiritual gifts out of laziness. Or maybe you're avoiding responsibility in your calling. Maybe you sense that God has called you to start a ministry. Maybe he called you to start a small group or maybe even a media ministry and you're saying, "I'm too busy. I don't have the resources. I don't have the right connections." And again, you're giving into laziness. Or you might say, "Someone else is more qualified." Or maybe you might be spiritually passive and you're choosing entertainment over the things of God. You're choosing scrolling through reals instead of looking at the scripture. You're choosing social media and different series that you watch on different streaming platforms and you're just entertaining your life away. Hours are slipping by. Valuable, precious moments are being wasted. And I'm not saying there's never a moment to relax or to enjoy entertainment. But what I am saying is a lifestyle of laziness will cause you to receive that entertainment at the expense of your calling. Maybe the Holy Spirit prompts you now and then pray for that person. Share the gospel. Step out and speak that word of knowledge. But there's that not wanting to get involved, not wanting to be inconvenience, not wanting to be troubled, not wanting to have your schedule disrupted. That minimizes the influence of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit works through diligent vessels. That's something people need to know about his nature. And speaking of the nature of the Holy Spirit, if you want to learn more about the Holy Spirit's nature, make sure to get my book, Holy Spirit, God within you, available now at encounterthespirit.com. Number two, thinking negatively. And thinking negatively can be manifested in two ways here, at least two ways that I'll address right now. The first is a doubtful mindset and the second is an anxious mindset. So let's first address that doubtful mindset. James chapter 1 beginning at verse 5. If you need wisdom, ask our generous God and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver. For a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as the wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. We waver sometimes between doubt and faith. The Holy Spirit works through our faith. When we doubt, we're putting our faith in what we have deemed as reality rather than what the Holy Spirit says is reality. Maybe you're praying for direction constantly and you're secondguessing every thought and the Holy Spirit is speaking to you and instead of acting, you're saying, "Well, that can't be him." Instead of responding, you're saying, "Well, let me just pray at this a little more." And look, I'm not attacking prayer. Of course, we should pray. Of course, we should be responsive to the voice of the Holy Spirit. Of course, we should seek his instruction. Please understand, I'm saying that very clearly. But often we become filled with doubt and what we call wisdom is actually just doubt and because of that we lag. We fall behind. Or maybe you're growing more confident in what you're hearing on secular podcasts experts or maybe a circle of friends is causing you to think what you call more realistically. All the while God is calling you to think according to his word. You know, most people, and this might be why you have trouble fitting in sometimes, most people just don't think big. They think in very small terms, very doubtfilled terms, very limited terms, because they're basing what they believe on their own ability rather than on God's. Or maybe you're dealing with this toxic self-talk that drowns out the voice of the Holy Spirit where you say things like, "Well, I'm not good enough." and none of us technically are, but we have the righteousness of Christ because we put our faith in him. Or maybe you might say, "Well, nothing ever works out for me, or why would God use me?" Or, "Why would anything ever happen that's good to me?" That's doubtfilled thinking. There's also the anxious mind. Matthew 6:24, "No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other. You will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money. That's why I tell you not to worry about everyday life, whether you have enough food and drink or enough clothes to wear. Isn't life more than food and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don't plant or harvest or store food in barns. For your heavenly father feeds them, and aren't you far more valuable to him than they are? Now, of course, Jesus in context is referring to money when he talks about that fear. But consider the many things that we become anxious over, not just finances. Many believers are worried about their financial future because they're just listening to what the media says. Do you realize that the media is going to have something for you to be afraid of at least every six months? These are news cycles because they have to keep you watching and they get you addicted to watching by propagating fear-based nonsense. Do you realize that God is in control and that you can be at peace concerning your financial future because God is the one who provides? Or maybe you're always imagining the worst case scenario instead of trusting in God's plan. Or maybe you're saying, "I know God can. I know God will, but I don't know if God can in my case. I don't know if God will for me." And we're always excluding ourselves from the promises of God for some reason. I don't know. That's just anxiety. Or maybe we refuse to give to ministries that we know God is calling us to give to. Maybe we don't give to our local churches. Maybe we don't give to the online ministries that we receive from. Why? Because we're afraid. And because we're afraid, we withhold. And when we withhold, we stop that generous nature of the Holy Spirit from flowing through us. So if you're doubtfilled and you're anxious, that's going to minimize the work of the Holy Spirit in your life. If you're filled with doubt, you're not going to step out in faith. How are you supposed to see the miraculous if you're walking in doubt, not in faith? How are you supposed to see the breakthrough if every step you take is calculated based on your ability instead of God's? How are you supposed to believe for greater things in your future if you're so filled with fear that you only believe the worst case scenario or you only believe that God will bless others but not you? We have to be rid of negative thinking, that doubtfilled mindset and that anxious mindset. Number three, procrastinating and rushing. So I'm talking about two different extremes. Sometimes we procrastinate, that is lag behind the instructions God gave to us. And sometimes we rush, that is move ahead of the instructions that God gave to us. In Luke chapter 9, beginning at verse 59, we read, "He said to another person, come follow me." The man agreed, but he said, "Lord, first let me return home and bury my father." But Jesus told him, "Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead. Your duty is to go and preach about the kingdom of God." Another said, "Yes, Lord, I will follow you. But first, let me say goodbye to my family. But Jesus told him, "Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the kingdom of God." Procrastination where we know what God is telling us to do, but we delay. Remember, delay is disobedience. Maybe the Holy Spirit has prompted you to apologize to that person you offended or who offended you, and you need to apologize for holding unforgiveness. You might say, "That doesn't sound right. That doesn't sound just. That doesn't sound fair. Ah, but we are dead to self. We're Christians. We're not like the world. We don't hold things in. We don't keep a record of wrong. We act when the Holy Spirit says to act. And maybe the Holy Spirit is prompting you to apologize to someone, to reconcile to someone, and you're procrastinating. You're being indifferent. And then you're praying for peace all the while. Lord, give me peace. Give me peace. Give me peace. And your mind is tormented because of the unforgiveness. you can't see clearly because of the bitterness and you're praying for peace, but you're acting in a way that brings about chaos. Or maybe you're saying, "Lord, I'll serve you, but only if it fits the schedule." or Lord, I I I will eventually take the calling seriously, but you know, first I got to finish school or first I got to get that job or first I have to get married or first I have to have the kids or first the kids have to be out of the house and then and then once I'm out of debt and once I've reached that goal and once I've bought that house and once I move to that state, once I've reached this health goal, then Lord, then I'll begin to take seriously the plan you have for my life. Well, that will never come because the moment you reach that goal, you're just going to find another excuse that pushes the call of God away. And the Holy Spirit is prompting you, act, move, take the step of faith, and you're saying, "Not now. Let me get things in order." Look, now is the time to begin obeying God. Now is the time to listen to the Holy Spirit and to step into the calling that he's set aside for you. Or we're rushing. Exodus 32 verse one. When the people saw how long it was taking Moses to come back down the mountain, they gathered around Aaron. Come on, they said, make us some gods who can lead us. We don't know what happened to this fellow Moses who brought us here from the land of Egypt. And so Aaron said, take the gold rings from the ears of your wives and sons and daughters and bring them to me. Then Aaron took the gold, melted it down, and molded it into the shape of a calf. When the people saw it, they exclaimed, "Oh Israel, these are the gods who brought you out of the land of Egypt." So rather than waiting for the revelation that Moses was bringing from the mountaintop, they rush ahead and they create for themselves graven images. They create for themselves idols. So in other words, the the true God is taking too long according to our opinion. And because the true God is taking too long, I'm going to craft a god in our own image or in my own image. and I'm gonna serve that. And that's what we do because we say things like, "God, we're missing this window." You realize that God's not in a rush. He's not worried about the timing of anything. He's got it all planned out. He's already in the future. He's waiting for you to meet him there. But we have to trust in the meantime and not rush beyond his instructions. Look, I'm not saying you should never try things. Of course, you should step out in faith. You should do what you think is the Lord. And of course, God will guide as you go. But when we knowingly rush ahead or try to knock down doors that God has locked or when we try to take a path that God has tried to close off, then we're rushing ahead of him and we may think that we're losing time. We may think that we're missing out. We may think that we're going to miss opportunities, but God is saying, "Trust me." That is go at the pace of grace. Or maybe we rush in that God gives us an assignment. We take on that assignment and then instead of waiting to see the fruit come about, we say, "Well, maybe this wasn't God." And we just stop right away and we move on to something else. Or maybe we proc we we abandon the process halfway. We serve faithfully. We have a spiritual goal, maybe a certain prayer goal, a fasting goal, a ministry goal, and then if it's not met right away or if it becomes too difficult, we just we just rush beyond that. Let's move on past this season. Or maybe you're praying for healing or for breakthrough or for some type of deliverance in your life. And if it doesn't happen quickly, we turn around and we live in doubt instead of waiting in faith. Of course, you should try practical means if you're sick or if you're believing for deliverance. If you're believing for deliverance, you should try discipline while you also pursue God. If you're believing for healing, you should take proper medical advice while you're believing God for the miracle. If you're believing for a breakthrough, you should take practical steps toward that breakthrough while you're waiting for God to bring about the breakthrough. But don't rush out of it and beyond it and into doubt by saying, "Well, it didn't happen." Or, "If it was going to happen, it would have happened by now. So, let me move on." We're rushing. We want God to do things in our timing. That relationship, that career, that major decision, that fear of missing out, these things cause us to rush beyond the voice of the Holy Spirit. Now, the next one can really prevent the flow of the power of God in your life, but not just in your life. It could prevent the flow of the power of the Holy Spirit in the lives of others. But first, if you are being blessed and challenged by this content, and I want to stay connected with you. I believe God connected us for a reason. Make sure to like this video right now so that others can see it. And also subscribe. And when you subscribe, click the notification bell so that you don't miss any of my teachings about the Holy Spirit. If you want to continue to receive my teachings on the Holy Spirit, then make sure you subscribe and click that notification bell. Number four, the mocking of the Holy Spirit's power. Now, I don't think that the part of the body of Christ that mocks the Holy Spirit's power is growing. In fact, I think that part of the body is shrinking. But I think we see more of it because of social media and it's more out there and in your face. 1 Thessalonians 5:19, "Do not quench the Holy Spirit. Do not treat prophecies with contempt." 1 Corinthians 14:39 and 40. So my dear brothers and sisters, be eager to prophesy and don't forbid speaking in tongues, but be sure that everything is done properly and in order. Think about how people often roll their eyes at the spiritual gifts. tongues, prophecy, healing. They treat it as weird, unnecessary, or even dangerous. Let me tell you something. Believers around the world and unbelievers, whether they know it or not, are hungry for the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit's movement is growing and there's nothing anyone can do about it. So, you might as well get on board with what he's doing. But there is a portion of the body that is trying to label certain manifestations of the Holy Spirit as weird, unnecessary or dangerous. And especially around unbelievers and new believers, they don't want these manifestations taking place. Well, that that is to scoff at the Holy Spirit. That is to be ashamed of his power. I know there are clever ways of trying to explain this or excuse it, but there are no excuses. So, we as believers, it's not time to tone it down. It's time to raise the volume. Embrace the power of the Holy Spirit. Yes, even embrace the fact that manifestations of his power are sometimes strange. Oh well, so be it. We're strange. We are strangers in this world anyway. We're different. And so we need to fully embrace the power of the Holy Spirit. Or maybe there's sarcasm about the spirit. Maybe they make jokes about people who fall out under the power when God's power touches them. Or when they cry or when they laugh in church, they'll say things like, "Well, that's not really God." And they call it discernment when it's actually just criticism. They call it discernment when it's actually just doubt. Think about it. Someone can encounter the Holy Spirit in such a way where their body is trembling. They're shaking. They're crying. They're being transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit. It is a divine reverent moment. And the majesty and the glory of God is manifesting on that person. They're catching a glimpse of who God is forever changing who they are. and we sit back arms folded and we say, "Well, that that doesn't look like God or that looks a little strange. God help us because that is dangerous if anything." Or maybe we shut down worship. We criticize people who raise their hands, who dance, who jump around, or who speak in tongues. I mean, no issue, right, if they want to jump around and celebrate during a sporting event. No issue, right? if they want to jump around and celebrate during maybe a certain scene of their favorite movie there. If if there's some announcement made in the family or some announcement made in their business, if they jump up and down and cheer and shout and clap, well, that's perfectly good. We call that wholesome and heartwarming and beautiful. Yet, when they rejoice like that because of the goodness of God, we somehow label that as unnecessary, strange, or dangerous. I rebuke that religious spirit in Jesus' name. And I say that we as the people of God need to stop mocking the Holy Spirit's power. We need to stop trying to explain him away. You live in that way and you definitely minimize the influence of the Holy Spirit in your life. Number five, the fear of man. Luke 12:es 4-5. Dear friends, don't be afraid of those who want to kill your body. They cannot do any more to you after that. But I'll tell you whom to fear. Fear God who has the power to kill you and then throw you into hell. Yes, he's the one to fear. 1st Samuel 15:24. Then Saul admitted to Samuel, "Yes, I have sinned. I have disobeyed your instructions and the Lord's commands. For I was afraid of the people and did what they demanded." Oh, isn't that what we're seeing today? Where people, some are offended by the move of the Holy Spirit. And to try to plate to that, people reject the Holy Spirit. I'm telling you that this movement is organic. It's grassroots. It's from the ground up. Millions of everyday Christians are crying out for the power. And the religious elite are holding on to their power. They're holding on to what they think is intellect. They're holding on to what they imagine is control. That is breaking down and God will have his way. But now, please forgive my sin and come back with me so that I may worship the Lord. But Samuel replied, I will not go back with you since you have rejected the Lord's commands. He has rejected you as king of Israel. Oh, when the Holy Spirit tells you to speak and you stay silent, that's the fear of man. When you change your theology or what you believe about the manifestations of the Holy Spirit's power in order to fit in with others, that is the fear of man. When you say yes to things God never asked you to do because someone else is asking you to do it, that is the fear of man. When you act one way in public than you do in private because you don't want those in public to know who you are as a Christian in private, that is the fear of man. When you change your decisions after consulting with others, you've prayed about something, God spoke to you, you know something is right, but then someone else comes along and dissuades you from doing what God has told you to do. That is the fear of man. People pleasing will minimize the work of the Holy Spirit in your life. So, Holy Spirit, I pray first of all that you give us humility. Give us the grace to repent. Help us to turn from these toxic behaviors that minimize your influence in our lives. We say, "Welcome, Holy Spirit." And so precious Holy Spirit, I pray even now as they surrender, as they repent, that you would bring upon them fresh power, fresh power from on high. Give them fresh boldness. Give them new clarity. Give them joy and peace and love overflowing. And let them sense your presence and power on them even now. I thank you, Lord. Come on, just receive that. I thank you Holy Spirit that you are moving upon them in this moment. Touch their lives in the mighty name of Jesus I pray. Say it because you believe it. Amen. Now remember I mentioned that generosity is of the nature of the Holy Spirit. So here's an opportunity to put into practice what we've talked about. I want to give you an opportunity to sew financially into this ministry. It's our responsibility as Christians to support Christian works because that is how the kingdom works. So I want to invite you now to become a monthly ministry supporter. Don't allow fear to keep you from giving. Don't allow greed to keep you from giving. Don't allow procrastination to keep you from giving. Let the Holy Spirit have his way. If you sense the Holy Spirit asking you right now to partner with this ministry, then do it and he'll take care of the rest. david her hernandezministries.com/partner to give a monthly automatic gift. david her hernandezministries.com/donate to give a single gift. Give sacrificially, give generously, and give in obedience to the Holy Spirit as you help this ministry. We're growing very rapidly and we need all the help we can get. So get on board and let's win the world to Jesus. Now, if you were challenged by this message, make sure to also watch very similar title, five behaviors that push the Holy Spirit away without you realizing it. And that's where I reveal five more behaviors that diminish the Holy Spirit's influence.