John 16 : 13 « Howbeit
when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he
shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak:
and he will shew you things to come. »
Luke 4 : 18-19
«The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me
to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and
recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To
preach the acceptable year of the Lord..»
Today, we will be exploring one of the
representations of the Holy Spirit mentioned four times in the New Testament:
the Comforter. As the Comforter, the
Holy Spirit brings solutions to problems, light to darkness, and answers to
questions. He removes doubt with truth and guides the lost. In short, he
soothes troubled hearts. All bad situations inevitably produce one thing: a
troubled heart. The Holy Spirit comforts this heart by providing the help it
needs to resolve whatever is troubling it.
This help can take many forms.
Indeed, the Greek word used in Scripture to refer to the Holy Spirit as
the Comforter is parakletos, which can also be translated as "comforter"
, "consoler," "intercessor," and "advocate." (
https://www.bibletools.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Lexicon.show/ID/G3875/parakletos.htm)
In this sense,
the Holy Spirit comforts us in many ways. Here are a few of those ways:
1. He reveals the truth to us
1 Corinthians 2 : 12 « Now we have received, not the spirit of
the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that
are freely given to us of God»
When a troubled heart turns to God for peace, the Holy Spirit comes
through revelations in God's Word to offer guidance. He guides that heart
toward truth. In doing so, He dispels doubts, strengthens us, and reinforces
our faith.
2.
He increases our capacities
1 Corinthians 2: 13 « Which things also we speak, not in the words
which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing
spiritual things with spiritual»
1 Corinthians 12 : 7 « But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal »
The Holy Spirit helps us accomplish our mission by filling our gaps, repairing our weaknesses, and providing us with what we need to overcome our limitations at every level: spiritual, intellectual, physical, psychological, and so on.
3.
He intercedes on our behalf
Romans 8: 26 « Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.»
Indeed, since the Holy Spirit can probe the hearts of men, He knows our
desires and needs better than we do. And, since He knows the things of God, He can
express our desires to God better than we can, through speaking in tongues for
example.
4.
He guides us
Acts 16 : 6-7 « Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia and
the region of Galatia, and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word
in Asia, After they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia: but
the Spirit suffered them not.»
The Holy Spirit provides us with the necessary guidance and reveals
God's will to us as we walk with Him. He does this especially when we enter a
new season of life, so that we may fulfill God's will and not deviate from His
plan. He brings us out of
confusion.
Let's stay connected with the Holy Spirit and keep the faith!
