God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth. (John 4:24, ESV)
When Jesus spoke of his inevitable death, he mentioned the benefit that his crucifixion would be to believers. John 16:7 quotes Jesus as saying
Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. (ESV)
The English Standard Bible calls the Holy Spirit the “Helper”; King James calls it “Comforter.” Whichever term we choose to use when referring to the Holy Spirit pales in comparison to how important it is to have the Spirit with us as we walk through life.
Holy Spirit, the Atmosphere Checker
I often refer to the Holy Spirit as the “atmosphere checker” — meaning that as we walk with the Spirit, we are granted the ability to recognize the environments we step into and shift them.
We also have an internal regulator with the Holy Spirit. I am a big comic book fan, and I equate the gentle nudgings of the Spirit to Spiderman’s spidey sense: it helps us realize when we may be in the presence of or are partaking in behaviors that could lead us away from God.
The Holy Spirit also helps us to carefully identify other Christians. The Bible tells us that we will know them (followers of Christ) by the fruit produced in their life (Matthew 7:16-20). We are admonished to test spirits through the Holy Spirit’s filter (1 John 4:1). I can’t tell you how many times leaning into the Spirit to receive revelation and understanding about a matter has been the saving grace in my life.
Seeking Truth Through the Holy Spirit
I believe that John 4:24 points out that through the Spirit of God are we able to seek truth. When we have the Spirit within us and around us, we are able to receive supernatural insight. It’s important to remember that the very first place we will find God’s truth is in the Word. Through study, God shows us his characteristics, he reveals, and he shows us what breaks his heart.
The next place to find the truth about God is through spending time in prayer. Even the Holy Spirit meets us there. Romans 8:26 says this:
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. (ESV)
When we are unsure what to pray, the Holy Spirit is there praying with and for us, thereby pointing us back in the direction of truth.
Since Jesus’s ascension, the Holy Spirit is the single most important thing he left to us. It comforts, helps, intercedes, and provides discernment about environments and spirits. We need to carry the Spirit with us at all times to truly enter into a deep relationship with God, to worship him in spirit and in truth.
Featured photo by Michael Kroul on Unsplash; in-text by Timothy Eberly on Unsplash
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