The Holy Spirit, My Comforter

The Holy Spirit is the one that lives in us and guides us in our daily lives. He is the one that speaks to us in the still small voice telling us what to do and what not to do. The Holy Spirit is the one who brings back to our remembrance scriptures in different situations to comfort and remind us.

But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. John 14:26 (KJV)

The Holy Spirit teaches us all things (1 John 2:27). He helps us to understand what we read in the Bible. He gives us wisdom and revelation. He guides us into the truth of who God is and what His Word says. The Holy Spirit only speaks what He hears the Father say.

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. John 16:13 (KJV)

When we let the Holy Spirit guide us and have His way in us, it produces fruit. The fruit of  the Spirit seen in Galatians 5:22-23 can be seen as the different aspects of the character of Jesus Christ. The fruit of the Spirit portrays who Jesus is and who we are called to be. We are called to be loving, joyful, to have self control, etc.  As we let God have His way in our lives, we become more like Jesus and we are conformed to the image of Christ.

Let the Holy Spirit speak to you and lead you into all truth.

The Secret Place

What is the secret place?

The secret place is where you spend time with God, just you and Him alone. It is the place where you talk with God and you begin to know Him through His Word and His Spirit. It is the place where you encounter God on an individual basis and as you encounter Him, you become more like Him.

As Christians, we need to know the one that we serve, the one that we worship and adore. The only way we can do this is if we spend time with God. Spend time in His Word and in prayer. As we begin to do this, we would know who God is and who He has called us to be.

But you, when you pray, go into your room and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. Matthew 6:6 (NKJV)

The way that we get to know people is by talking with them, finding out who they are and what they like and what they don't like. It is same way that we get to know God. We talk to Him through prayer and we find out who He is through His Word.

In Luke 6:12, it says that Jesus went out into the mountain and prayed all night to God. Jesus the Son of God took time out of His day to go to a quiet place to pray to God. The one who knew no sin, saw that it was important to spend time with His Father. If Jesus can spend time with God in prayer, why can't we?

It says in Romans 8:29, "...He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son that He might be the firstborn among many brethren." This means that we should be Christlike and have the mind of Christ. We should take the example of Jesus to heart.

Spending time in the secret place should not come out of obligation but out of a desire to know God and to draw closer to Him. Set out a time that you can pray and read God's Word and become a dweller of the secret place.

O my dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the cliff,
Let me see your face, let me hear your voice. For your voice is sweet and your face is lovely. Song of Solomon 2:14 (NKJV)

Let the secret place become your home! 

Patience

Do you have those times when you are in the line at the cashier and the person in front of you has a lot of items and then they have a credit or debit card and that makes it even longer and you can't even go to another line or those times when you are waiting for the bus and it seems like you have been waiting forever?

 In these times, it may seem so hard to be patient and to just wait till the person is done or for the bus to come but we should be patient. We should strive to be patient in every situation. 

 

But you O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness.1 Timothy 6:11 (NKJV)

In the scripture above, it says to pursue patience. Patience should be something that we long to have and that we strive to be. Not only should we be patient in the natural things but also as it relates to God. They are times when we have to wait on God and be patient because His ways are different from our ways. God knows what is the best for us.

Wait on the Lord, be of good courage and He shall strengthen your heart.Wait, I say, on the Lord! Psalms 27:14 (NKJV)

In Acts 1:4, Jesus told the disciples to wait for the promise of the Father. As the disciples waited for the promise in the upper room, they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. If the disciples had not waited for the promise, they probably would have never been filled with the Holy Spirit. It is very important to wait because if you don't, you may ended up doing the wrong thing.

I waited patiently for the Lord and He inclined to me and heard my cry. Psalms 40:1 (NKJV)

So in everything, be patient whether it is standing in a line or waiting on God. Be patient!

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

In our lives, we always have decisions to make. We will always have to make a choice whether it is to go to a certain place or not indulge in certain company. God has given us a free will but there are times when it seems that these decisions are hard to make and you just don't know which direction to go.

In Proverbs 1:7, it says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. If we fear God, we have knowledge and wisdom. In these decisions that we have to make, we should ask God for wisdom and direction. He will instruct us and guide us on the right path, the path that is best for us.

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go

I will guide you with My eye. Psalms 32:8 (NKJV)

One of the ways that God guides us is through His Word. His Word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path (Psalms 119:105).  His Word is true, just and it will remain. By reading His Word, we get an idea of what He desires us to be as His sons and what He desires us to do in the earth. Every decision that we make should bring glory and honour unto God.

The Holy Spirit also guides us into what we should do. He guides us into all truth (John 16:13). The Holy Spirit is our guide, our comforter and our teacher.

For this is God, Our God forever and ever
He will be our guide even to death. Psalms 48:14 (NKJV)

Heavenly Father, I ask that You would guide us into all truth. That You would give us wisdom and understanding in every decision that we would have to make. I ask that You would order our steps in Your Word. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Trusting in Difficult Situations

Have you ever been in a situation where you just had to trust God no matter the outcome?

Recently I was at a concert where the electricity went off for the majority of the event and only came back on when it was coming to the end. Through the concert, I was praying to God asking Him to bring back on the electricity for the sake of the artistes. The whole time I was focusing on the situation rather than on God.

I then realized that there was no point in focusing on the electricity but rather to focus on God, to set my affection on things above (Colossians 3:2). It came to me that I had to put my full trust in God even when the circumstances seemed like they weren't going to change. I had to set my gaze on God and stop worrying about what could happen or what should happen. I had to surrender my cares and my burden to Him even as it says in 1 Peter 5:7 (NKJV)

   casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

So we should cast all our cares and burdens upon Him because He cares for us, loves us and does not want us to worry about anything. He says in Matthew 11:28-30 that His yoke is easy and His burden is light and He says to take His yoke upon us.

It may be hard at first to put all of our trust in God but God knows what is best for each and every one of us. He knows the past, the present and the future. His ways are higher than our ways.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding 
In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV)