A Little Help From Your Friend
How many times have you felt overwhelmed by daily situations? Work deadlines, family life, church obligations, social commitments? They all pile up one after the other, and you begin to feel at a loss on how you’ll accomplish them. You may feel alone and on the hook for all of it but guess what… you’re not.
Lucky for you, as a Christian, you have not been left to your own devices to muddle through this life. Rather, you’re given an earthly guide—the Holy Spirit—to help you on your journey.
But Who Exactly is the Holy Spirit?
The Holy Spirit is God’s Power in action. In the Bible, the word “spirit” is translated from the Hebrew word ruʹach and the Greek word pneuʹma. Those words often refer to God’s active force, or Holy Spirit, which, when you become Christian, is instilled in you! Think about that. GOD’S active force is inside YOU.
Although that’s pretty awe-inspiring in itself, what does it mean exactly? Through the Holy Spirit, God gives insight into His purpose for you and your life. This spirit of God empowers you to do specific God-given tasks with specific God-given gifts and talents.
What is more, God’s Spirit is consistent and dependable. He will never leave or forsake you. When you need encouragement, strength, and decisiveness, the Holy Spirit will encourage and help you.
- John 14:26 “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”
At the beginning of Christ’s mission, He is baptized in the Jordan River. The Holy Ghost, God’s Spirit, comes down on Him in the form of a dove and empowers Him to begin his mission of healing the human condition and starting a new creation. Jesus paved the way for us to receive this powerful gift too!
- Matthew 3:16 “As soon as Jesus was baptized, He went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on Him.
Why is This Important?
The Christian life is often seen as one of opposites—thinking and living opposite of the way the world thinks and lives. This is because God’s ways are not always man’s ways. The Bible says we must put God first; the world tells us we should put ourselves first. The Bible says we need to humble ourselves and let God promote us. The world tells us we should work for our own promotion. With these two completely opposing forces in our lives, we desperately need the Holy Spirit to guide us according to the Bible and give us specific instruction as it applies to our daily lives.
Exercise: Write down one question that you’d like the Holy Spirit to help you with. Now take a couple of minutes and just talk to God about it.
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BUT THE ADVOCATE, THE HOLY SPIRIT, WHOM THE FATHER WILL SEND IN MY NAME, WILL TEACH YOU ALL THINGS AND WILL REMIND YOU OF EVERYTHING
I HAVE SAID TO YOU.
