the basic message # E74
John 16:12
“I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth.”
For too many years, I went through the church ritual where we would talk about the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, not really understanding what the Holy Spirit was. I just thought it was some sort of symbol to worship, not a real thing. I realize now that the Holy Spirit is a he, not an it, and he is very real, and very present. As John says above, the Spirit will guide us into all truth. How?
Romans 8:26-27
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.
Sometimes when you give a little kid too many choices, he’ll choose the wrong thing. How many times have you heard a mother say, “Oh, honey, you don’t want that.” Mommy usually knows best, and like Mommy, the Holy Spirit knows what’s best for us. Notice that the passage above says the Holy Spirit “intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will”. Living in alignment with what God wants is crucial for the growing Christian. Too many adults act like babies and whine and pout if they don’t get their way. Friend, let me tell you that we’re lucky when God short-circuits some of our lame-brained ideas.
Romans 8:11
And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.
“If” the Spirit lives in us, our mortal bodies will get life. How does the Spirit live in us? I think that we must first issue an official invitation to the Holy Spirit. Something like, “Holy Spirit, I pray that you will live in my heart and soul and instruct and correct me in all ways, that I might become more Christ-like.” Whenever the Holy Spirit has permanent residence in our life, he will constantly remind us of our shortcomings. Things like foul language, improper joking, negative conversation, and personal attacks on other people will become just like needles pricking your skin. But the Holy Spirit doesn’t just point out your failings, he offers you the tools to improve. Without his help, you can make some improvements on your own accord, but major, long-lasting change only comes through him. I compare the Holy Spirit to a surgeon in a couple of ways. A surgeon can remove a cancer from my body, while the Holy Spirit can remove a cancer from my soul. And like the surgeon, the Holy Spirit needs my authorization before beginning any surgery. Think about it, a surgeon can know that you have a life threatening cancer and know how to remove it, but until you give him permission, he can’t begin a life-saving work. The Holy Spirit is patiently waiting for you to issue authorization to begin his soul-saving work. Are you ready to give your permission?