Have you ever not known the answer to a question? Or have you ever been baffled by a situation and seen no solution in sight?
Most of us (if we’re willing to admit it!) would answer these questions with a resounding “yes.” We all frequently get caught between a rock and a hard place in life. Maybe we run into a situation where we just don’t know what Jesus would do, or maybe we get puzzled over a section of scripture.
What do we do when we run into these difficult situations?
Many of us would turn to a mentor or a friend that knows more than we do and ask for their help. That’s a legitimate solution, but sometimes they don’t know the answer either.
When that happens, there is another Person we can turn to, one who knows the answer to all of our questions, big or small:
His name is the Holy Spirit.
- He is willing to make His home in our hearts.
- He wants us to learn to rely on Him as our loving helper and friend in all situations.
- He is our daily teacher and guide.
- He is not an impersonal force, but a very personal Person of the Trinity.
And He will take control of our lives as we give more of ourselves to Him. Each one of us must learn to lean on His abilities and not our own.
So, He’s a Person?
It might surprise some to hear that the Holy Spirit is so personal. It’s a common misconception that He is just an impersonal force, but the Bible makes it quite clear that He is a Person.
When the Holy Spirit is mentioned in scripture, He is referred to by the pronoun “He” and “Him.” In Matthew 28:19, we are told to “[Baptize] them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…” which indicates that He is also an equal member/person of the Trinity.
What is He like?
Now that we have established that the Holy Spirit is a Person, let’s talk about what He is like. He is God, so we know that He is perfect and good, but let’s list some of His characteristics:
- He knows:
- 1 Corinthians 2:10 says, “…these things God had revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.” When we don’t know something, we can always turn to Him, for He knows, always. (See also Psalm 139:1-7)
- He has a will:
- 1 Corinthians 12:11 says, “All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as He wills.” He has a will and it is good.
- He loves:
- In Romans 15:30, there is a phrase, “… by the love of the Spirit…” indicating that He loves, which is not surprising, seeing how He is one part of our all-loving God.
- He communes with believers:
- “The communion of the Holy Spirit be with you” (2 Corinthians 13:14).
- He makes intercession:
- Romans 8:27 says, “He maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.”
- He can be grieved:
- Ephesians 4:10 says, “And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God.” And Isaiah 63:10 also says, “They rebelled, and grieved His Holy Spirit.”
- He instructs and teaches:
- “When He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He shall guide you into all the truth” (John 16:13). (See also Nehemiah 9:20, John 14:26)
- He is a witness:
- “He shall bear witness of me: and ye shall also bear witness” (John 15:26).
- He speaks:
- “Be not anxious how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that hour what ye shall speak. For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father that speaketh in you” (Matt. 10:19-20). We can also rely on Him when we are at a loss for words! (See also Hebrews 3:7-8, 2 Samuel 23:1-2, Acts 1:16 8:29, Revelation 2:7)
- He is the director of the affairs of the church:
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- Acts 13:2, 4 says, “And as they…fasted, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Separate unto me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them…’ So they, being sent forth by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia.” (See also Acts 20:28, 10:19-20)
And there you have it. The Holy Spirit is not just our helper and guide, He is also the guide of the whole church of God. Whenever we need to, we can turn to Him for guidance and help because He is readily available as our loving friend and guide.
