The Helpful Holy Spirit

The Bible describes the Holy Spirit as ‘the Helper’ as well as a teacher in John 14:26 (NKJV). He truly is our helper, and we should praise God for this truth.

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. (Joh 14:26 NKJV)

The Holy Spirit will teach us all things and remind us of what we have learned from Him. For example, when we get riled by some inconsiderate driver in traffic, and call that person an unflattering name, the Holy Spirit will convict us to repent and to pray for that driver.

. . . because I know that your prayers and the help that comes from the Spirit of Christ Jesus will keep me safe. (Phil 1:19 CEV)

The help that comes from the Holy Spirit keeps us safe. Hallelujah!

Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers. (Act 9:31 NIV)

The Holy Spirit gives us the wisdom to have a respectful reverence for the Lord. He helps us to learn about the wonderful characteristics of the love of God, and to appreciate them.

But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. (Rom 8:9 NKJV)

Because the Holy Spirit dwells within us (1 Cor 3:16), we know that we are led by the Lord, especially in spiritual matters.

The Holy Spirit helps us to know how to pray, and will even give us the words to pray, if we will be sensitive to His guidance.

The unity of the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ) and the Holy Spirit forms the Godhead. The Godhead is united in purpose and implementation of God’s plan for mankind.

God’s plan for mankind is good and gives us a future and a hope. (Jer 29:11)

The Holy Spirit gives us life and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. His work is to exalt Christ in our hearts. The Holy Spirit strengthens us and by grace, enables us to persevere in faith. Glory to God!

Don’t Make Yourself God’s Enemy

As believers in Jesus Christ, we have chosen to follow Christ above all things, especially above the world. Jesus taught that we cannot be loved by this world because we are not truly a part of it.

No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be loyal to the one and have contempt for the other. You cannot serve God and wealth. (Mt 6:24 CEB)

The Bible reminds us that we can’t serve two different masters. So we must make a clear and firm choice about our allegiance.

If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. But because you are not of the world, since I chose you out of the world, the world therefore hates you. (Joh 15:19 MEV)

The world hates Christians because Jesus chose us out of the world, and we chose Jesus. We have put Jesus first above all other relationships, alliances, and commitments.

Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. (Jam 4:4 NKJV)

Friendship with the world equals hostility toward God and the Word of God. Many in the world malign and ridicule believers, and all those who value the Bible.

Stop loving the world and the things that are in the world. If anyone persists in loving the world, the Father’s love is not in him. ¹⁶For everything that is in the world—the desire for fleshly gratification, the desire for possessions, and worldly arrogance—is not from the Father but is from the world. (1 Joh 2:15-16 ISV)

Everything—EVERYTHING—that is in the world [ambition, avariciousness, passions, arrogance] is connected with this world’s way of doing things; and does not connect to a love of God the Father.

As we continue to choose to follow Jesus and to obey God’s Word, we would do well to seek God’s face and ask Him for continuing grace to live a holy life. We know that God hears and answers our prayers, so we may pray with confidence and assurance. God bless you.

Clothe Ourselves with Virtue

How can we clothe ourselves with virtue? For that matter, how can we “put on love” as instructed in Colossians 3:14? And note that Romans 13:14 tells us that we have “put on Christ,” as does Galatians 3:27.

And what virtues are we encouraged by God’s Word to put on?

¹²Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. (Col 3:12 NIV)

And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. ¹⁵Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. (Col 3:14-15 NIV)

Your love must be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. ¹⁰Be devoted to each other with mutual affection. Excel at showing respect for each other. (Rom 12:9-10 ISV)

. . . with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love . . . (Eph 4:2 NKJV)

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. (Gal 5:22-23 NASB)

Wow! This is an impressive list of virtues and good traits to pursue and to practice.

In the natural realm, when we want to be clothed, it is a conscious act of the will. Our clothes don’t fly through the air and attach themselves to us, right? We have to physically maneuver ourselves into the clothes, and then button or snap or zip them into place. And we have to choose exactly what items we want to wear each and every day.

As believers and followers of Jesus, we must be just as deliberate about what virtues we choose to use in every circumstance and situation in our lives. We must decide to be peacemakers, just as we must choose to be kind, humble, gentle, patient, peace-loving, joyful, faithful, and self-controlled.

As we make the decision each new day to follow Jesus, we must make the decision in every circumstance and life situation about how to react to our current challenges or trials.

In answer to our prayers to Him, the Lord will give us the grace and power that we need to weave these virtues into our lives. The Holy Spirit will guide us if we yield to Him in humility and obedience.

The Holy Spirit is the only One who can teach us and transform us into the image of Christ. And best of all, He can be trusted to guide us lovingly and faithfully. Hallelujah!

Do You Want Wisdom?

Who is wise? Let him understand these things. Who is prudent? Let him know them. For the ways of the Lord are right; the righteous walk in them. But transgressors stumble in them. (Hos 14:9)

To be wise, we must seek to understand God’s precepts and ways. Understand means to perceive the intended meaning of His Words and His ways. Another definition states that to understand means to apprehend clearly the character, nature, or subtleties of something.

Therefore, in order to be wise in God’s sight, we will clearly apprehend the character, nature, and subtleties of God’s Words and His ways—and His personality.

If you don’t feel that you’ve arrived just yet at that place, then study passages from the Bible every single day. Meditate upon what you’ve read. Ask the Holy Spirit to enlighten your understanding and to give you wisdom. He will answer your prayers.

He will open the eyes of your understanding and give you revelations into the Word of God and into God’s loving nature. Hallelujah!

Note: This is a reprint of our blog article dated 02/23/2017.

Benefits of Salvation

The Lord has given His people, those who have accepted Jesus as their Savior and Lord, many precious promises which inform us of the benefits and blessings of salvation. Today we’re looking at several of these promises.

The young lions lack and suffer hunger; but those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing. (Ps 34:10)

Wow! This passage says that those who seek the Lord will not lack ANY good thing! What a promise, and what a commitment! Were you aware of this promise?

Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. (Ps 37:4)

This Psalm says that as we delight in the Lord, He gives us the desires of our hearts. This is a powerful promise from God! What is it that you desire in life? Go to the Lord in prayer and tell Him what you desire and what you need. He will hear and answer your prayers. (1 Joh 5:15)

For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord will give grace and glory; no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly. (Ps 84:11)

This Scripture in Psalm 84 is very much like the one in Psalm 34, shown above. It’s reminding us that God withholds NO GOOD THING from the people who live upright, righteous lives. All who have accepted Jesus as our Savior and Lord have been justified and made righteous by the blood of Jesus. Jesus has become our righteousness. (1 Cor 1:30) This is a promise that you may claim for yourself.

Take these verses—these promises from God—to Him in prayer and ask for Him to fulfill them in your life. Persevere in faith and patience, and you will receive the very things that you’ve requested in order to bring glory and honor to God, the Father. (Joh 14:13-14) Hallelujah!

The Lord’s Swift Help

Here are Bible verses that remind us that when we need God’s help, we may need it suddenly and abruptly!

Come quickly to help me, my Lord and my Savior. (Ps 38:22 NIV)

Be pleased to save me, Lord; come quickly, Lord, to help me. (Ps 40:13 NIV)

Come closer, God! Please hurry and help. (Ps 71:12 CEV)

Lord, I cry out to You; make haste to me! Give ear to my voice when I cry out to You. (Ps 141:1)

The above verses show human beings calling upon the Lord for immediate and speedy help. We all turn to God in fear and anguish when we are facing some sort of crisis in our lives. But remember, God has already declared Himself as our Savior and Redeemer. (Isa 49:26; 60:16).

So we can have complete assurance that He hears and answers our prayers. (Pro 15:29; Joh 16:24; 1 Joh 5:14-15) Look up some of these verses and meditate upon them to build your faith.

Behold, the Lord rides on a swift cloud, and will come into Egypt; the idols of Egypt will totter at His presence, and the heart of Egypt will melt in its midst. (Isa 19:1, emphasis added)

The word “totter” means to stagger, wobble, quake, or lurch. When God’s power comes into a circumstance or a life, every false god and demon quakes and falls in fear and defeat. They recognize that Jesus is the Victorious One. (Joh 16:33; Col 2:15)

Notice that the imagery in Isaiah 19:1 mentions a swift cloud, which gives us a clue as to the decisiveness of the Lord when He has determined to take action on behalf of His people. So, in your moment of need, trust in the Lord and in His abiding and perfect love for you. Understand that the Lord will move swiftly (instantly) on your behalf at exactly the best moment—the one that He knows will bring about the most blessings for you.

As a matter of fact, the Bible tells us that the Lord LEADS US IN TRIUMPH in Christ. (2 Cor 2:14) Hallelujah! Allow Him (trust Him) to lead you triumphantly in every situation.

Long Life

Our God has promised to give His people long life as the verses shown below demonstrate.

You shall walk in all the way that the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live, and that it may go well with you, and that you may live long in the land that you shall possess. (Deut 5:33 ESV)
With long life will I satisfy him, and show him My salvation. (Ps 91:16)
My son, do not forget my law, but let your heart keep my commands; for length of days and long life and peace they will add to you. (Pro 3:1-2)
The fear of the Lord prolongs life, but the years of the wicked will be short. (Pro 10:27)
Who have been upheld by Me from birth, Who have been carried from the womb: even to your old age, I am He, and even to gray hairs I will carry you! I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you. (Isa 46:3b, 4)

God enjoys blessing and protecting us for we are His people. He has given us a calling and a mission to spread the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and to make disciples. (See Mat 28:18-20 & Mk 16:15) This is HOW we are to use the long lives that He has given to us!

We’re called to be witnesses to the ends of the earth, telling others about Jesus’ atoning work on behalf of all mankind. (See Acts 1:8) Not only that, but the Lord wants us to share our own testimonies of what He has done for each one of us. We all have testimonies to share of answered prayers and miracles that God has done on our behalf.

Making disciples is all about continuing the chain of redemption by passing on the faith that was passed to you. (See Rom 10:14-15) We are all called to use our long lives wisely on behalf of the Lord Jesus Christ.

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