BIBLE STUDY - Your Best Source
Date: Mar 1, 2011
Topic(s): Obedience/Discipleship, Holy Spirit, Salvation
Scripture: John 15:26, John 14:26, Ephesians 3:16, Romans 8:26-27, Luke 12:12, John 14-17, 1 John 3:24
Did you know that you have all the help you need to live the Christian life? When you put your faith and trust in Christ, when you are in an intimate relationship with Him, you have the Holy Spirit as your ally--a limitless resource for living.
What Does God Say?
First John 3:24 tells us, "Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us" (ESV). The Holy Spirit is not just present in your life like a shadow looking over your shoulder, He is your power source for every need and your ally for every battle.
Paul addresses the power issue in his prayer in Ephesians 3:16, "That according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being" (ESV). The Holy Spirit powers you up; He gives you strength. You don't have to do it on your own.
The Spirit helps us in other ways too. Look at Romans 8:26-27, "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" (NLT). He helps us pray, and He intercedes for us even when we don't know what to pray.
In John 14:26, the Spirit is our teacher: "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 that I have said to you" (ESV). And He gives us the words to speak up for God, "For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say" (Luke 12:12, ESV).
My Thoughts
Jesus introduces the coming of the Holy Spirit to His disciples in John 15:26, "But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me" (ESV)
* How does He describe the Holy Spirit?
* What is the mission of the Spirit?
* Where does He come from or get His authority from?
Later in John 16, Jesus explains more about the ministry of the Holy Spirit or the Helper. Take a look at John 16:7-15, with these questions in mind:
* What will the Helper come to do to the world?
* What is the advantage of having this Helper?
* How will the Helper assist those who belong to Christ?
* What is the relationship between the Helper and the Father?
If you have time, read through John 14-17 to see what else Jesus says about the Holy Spirit and what He does for you.
My Part
For most of us, the Holy Spirit is the forgotten factor for living the Christian life. Where do you most need His help? Are you trying to "do it all" in your own strength or have you learned to tap into His power? Do you struggle to know how and what to pray about? Are you looking for comfort in things or other people instead of leaning on the Spirit? When you open your Bible, do you ask for His help and guidance to make it understandable and to live out what you learn?
These are the areas where the Holy Spirit proves to be our best ally. Take a few moments today to evaluate your life and to seek His assistance as you abide in Christ.
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