A Season of Seeds Day 17: Holy Spirit, Guide for Growth

When Spirit of truth comes, He will take you by the hand and guide you into all the truth there is. He will make sense out of what is about to happen and He will honor Me. John 16: 13-14

There are so many types of guides we may run into in our life so that we may grow in some area. We mostly aren’t shy about respecting the expertise of others and we welcome help when we can find it or afford it. We may engage a marriage counselor, a business mentor, a life coach, an accountant, a lawyer, a tax-preparer, a yoga instructor, a physical trainer, a lawn expert … the list goes on. Or we may be someone on this list who has a special skill and is hired by others!

There are also spiritual guides we count on to grow us in our lives: our pastor, our bible study leader, our parent or grandparent, maybe our favorite Christian author or musician. We trust that God speaks to us through these men and women who seem connected to God, vetted by our personal observations of them, what we know of their consistent walk with God and the power of the truths God uses them to reveal to us.

Above all these, we personally have Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth. Holy Spirit is a Person of the Trinity, the only Spirit. You do not need to put “the” in front of His name. Just call Him Holy Spirit. In Isaiah 58:11, God promises that He will continually guide us. This is how He grows us!

Holy Spirit is within us to glorify God (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). 
Holy Spirit is a Helper to guide us into truth (John 14:16-17).
Holy Spirit shares with us the thoughts of God (1 Corinthians 2:11-12).
Holy Spirit is a Helper who is a teacher and reminder (John 14:26).
Holy Spirit confirms we are His children (Romans 8:16).
Holy Spirit prays for us when we have no words (Romans 8:26).
Holy Spirit pours out the love of God within our hearts (Romans 5:5).
Holy Spirit strengthens fellowship (2 Corinthians 13:14).
Holy Spirit empowers us to increase in hope (Romans 15:13).  
Holy Spirit removes shame and gives us freedom (2 Cor 3:16-17).
Holy Spirit gives us power to be His witnesses (Acts 1:8). 

How do we access this power that causes growth and be sure that we are filled with His Spirit (Ephesians 5:18)? We are not filled when we are engaging in sin, when self is on the throne of our life or when we rely on our past or present works for feeling spiritual or right with God. Spiritual breathing is confessing any known sin (breathe out) and then asking to be filled with His Spirit (breathe in).

We were saved through faith and not through works. So we are also filled through faith, not through words or works. Pray and we are then filled with His Spirit. We are humbly connected to God in a powerful way. We are free to experience all of the above ways that Holy Spirit guides us through our lives and grows us up in Christ. Pray to be filled with His Spirit right now. When your sin disconnects you, confess and pray again. He will never leave you.

Holy Spirit, I confess my wrongdoing. I want to be guided and empowered by Your Spirit to grow into the image and character of Christ. Fill me. Thank You for filling me and freeing me for Your work. Amen.