“I will send to you from the Father the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father.” (John 15:26, NIV)
Let’s close our week with one last look at being led by the Holy Spirit. If you’ve learned anything in this study, I hope that it is this: having the Spirit is such a good thing!
Yesterday, we opened the door on the idea of confidence. When we are led by the Spirit, we can act confidently in serving God and his kingdom. But how do we know if we have the Lord’s leading? Let’s consider that important question, because knowing the answer contributes greatly to securing the confidence we’re speaking of, in the same way that a great first drive can set up a golfer for the whole round.
In John 16, Jesus explained that the Spirit is our parakletos. If you think it insensitive that we invoke the Greek at this stage, please understand that Bible translators render three different meanings for this word. We’ll employ all three of these English words to equip our confidence in the Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is our Advocate. The most literal meaning of parakletos points to the fact that the Holy Spirit is on our side. With regards to confidence, we recognize in an advocate someone who makes a way for us, defending us against the challenges that come our way. Thus, we can be confident that when the Spirit calls us, he will also supply us with the protection we need to get the work done.
The Holy Spirit is our Counselor. In the John 16:13, Jesus spoke of the Spirit as our guide, the one who leads us into truth. You can be confident that when the Spirit of God is the one calling you, he will be clear in his direction. You won’t have to sort through muddled choices.
The Holy Spirit is our Comforter. One aspect of confidence is that we have peace about what we are being led to do. As our Comforter, we can count on the Spirit to supply us this peace when he calls; we gain his assurances deep in our own spirits.
Yes, the Spirit leads and leads us well. Now let’s set out to follow!
—
Jeff Hopper
August 3, 2012
Copyright 2012 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.