We’ve all been there – we finish our shower or brush our teeth and the water we used hasn’t gone anywhere. Clogged pipes are never fun to deal with, they often involve pulling up the ‘gunk’ inside the drain and/or using special solvent to try to get the water flowing again. Preventative measures can then be taken to protect what goes down the drain. Even worse is when the clogged pipes are your arteries. Build up of plaque inside the arteries can lead to heart attack, stroke and even death. Angioplasty can be required to get the vital fluids moving properly again. Afterward, there need to be lifestyle changes, like diet and exercise, to keep the plaque from coming back and causing additional blockages and long-term issues.

Similar to water pipes and blood vessels, the pipeline of the Holy Spirit can be slowed and even brought to a stop in our Christian lives (1 Thessalonians 5:19). In 1 Thessalonians 5, Paul is encouraging Christians by telling them how to conduct themselves as Christians (spiritual diet and exercise). These include encouraging others, being patient, doing good for each other, and rejoicing and praying continually. Then he throws in a couple of things to avoid (think high sodium, cholesterol and trans fats) including “quenching the Spirit.” How exactly do we clog our spiritual arteries that keep the Spirit from flowing through us as His conduit? The main way is by not being on the path He wants us to follow (like a hose that gets kinked when it bends where it’s supposed to go straight). The Bible says, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6. Leaning on our own understanding and failing to acknowledge His leading will only lead to sin and destruction (James 1:14-15). Additionally, we cloud our minds from hearing His voice by focusing on our desires and sinful lusts and fill our lives with so much junk (including being overly busy and neglecting time with God so He can speak), that we can no longer see the path we are supposed to on.

So, how do we get the fruits of the Spirit (“love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self control” Galatians 5:22-23) to flow freely again? First, you need to clear your pipes of the plaque or hair or other gunk that is blocking the living fluids from flowing (…let’s rid ourselves of every obstacle and the sin which so easily entangles us…” Hebrews 12:1b). Then with a good diet (Scripture, prayer, fellowship) and exercise (helping the needy, encouraging each other and actively listening to the Spirit), we can begin to increase the flow so we can bear the fruits of the Spirit. The closer you are to someone, the more in tune you are with them, the more easily you can hear and when they speak and you can discern what is needing to happen. The same thing applies with your relationship with God through Jesus by the Holy Spirit – the closer you are to Him and communicating regularly, without all the extra gunk in the way, the better you can hear when He speaks (or doesn’t speak) and directs your life.

Let’s clean those pipes and improve the flow of the Holy Spirit in our lives. “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13