16). And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever. 17). Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeith him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him: for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
JOHN 14:16-17
Following the Last Supper, Jesus took time to teach the disciples more about His mission and what would happen after He left the earth. He knew their darkest times were ahead. He promised a Helper who would stand alongside them in the coming trials.
We often face life with a stiff upper lip, trusting our own abilities to get us through. Choosing to follow the Lord, however, involves a totally different mindset: We’re weaker than we could have imagined, but through the Holy Spirit, we are stronger than we dared to hope.
Whether our struggle is spiritual, emotional, or physical, we can rely on the Holy Spirit to help us. Paul shows us what this looks like. The apostle prayed that the Lord would take away what he referred to as a “thorn in the flesh.” Instead, God said His power would be “perfected in weakness” (2 Corinthians 6-9).
Too many Christians operate under the misconception that God helps us only when we have gone as far as we can go. In reality, His Spirit doesn’t simply add to our strength; rather, He is its inexhaustible source! When we admit we are powerless to help ourselves, the Holy Spirit gives us the strength we need to face any challenge with absolute confidence in God.
-IBC
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