Devotional 02-20-2022

Our Need for the Holy Spirit

In John 14:26 and 16:7, Jesus described the Holy Spirit as being a Helper so crucial to the Christian life that He stated it was more advantageous for the Spirit to dwell among us than for Him to stay on Earth. However, many believers ignore the Spirit and His providence, choosing instead to rely on their own understanding and strength. Unfortunately, rather than growing and prospering spiritually, they often suffer from burnout, unfruitfulness, and discouragement. Thankfully, this defeated lifestyle is not what God intends for us, for depending on the Holy Spirit allows Him to address the needs we cannot fulfill. For example, the Spirit provides:

Empowerment. As fallen human beings, we have limited physical strength, a fleshly soul, and a corrupted sin nature. Thus, when we attempt to serve God or change ourselves in our own strength, we become fatigued, fall back into sin, and suffer from discouragement. These inadequacies are the reasons why we should be dependent on the Holy Spirit, as Romans 8:26 reminds us that He helps us in our weakness and Acts 1:8 tells of His role in strengthening us to serve God.
Spiritual Growth. Sadly, it is commonly believed that living the Christian life is solely our responsibility. However, when we attempt to do this in our own strength, we continually struggle with sin patterns, risk becoming legalistic, and suffer from discouragement. The Apostle Paul calls out this unnecessary behavior in Galatians 3:2-3, noting that because our salvation came by faith and not works, it is foolish to believe that we can live a godly lifestyle apart from faith and dependence on the Holy Spirit. Thus, Romans 8:13 notes that our ability to overcome sinful desires and behaviors cannot come from depending on our flesh, but only the Spirit.
Knowledge. Have you ever struggled to understand the Scriptures or experienced an opportunity to share the Gospel but could not because you struggled to find the words? These struggles occur when we rely on our own strength and understanding but can be overcome through depending on the Spirit. Specifically, John 14:26 reveals the Spirit's role in teaching us the things of God while Matthew 10:19-20 proclaims His ability to speak through us, giving us God's words to testify of Christ's salvation.
Guidance. Proverbs 3:5-6 warns of making decisions from our own understanding and without considering God's will. When we do so, we risk missing opportunities for God's blessings, placing ourselves in difficult situations, and falling into sin. Thus, depending on the Spirit is crucial, for He leads us away from sin (Gal 5:16), guides us into truth (Joh 16:13), and draws us to daily live according to His guidance (Rom 8:4).

While all humanity was created to need God, many Christians ironically live as if they do not. From struggling to abstain from sin to serving God in their own strength, this life of independence from the Spirit has unfortunately caused many believers and churches to become unfruitful, discouraged, legalistic, and soulish. Thankfully, these pitfalls can be avoided and even overcome by daily seeking the Spirit for empowerment, spiritual growth, knowledge, and guidance.

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