The Need-Meeter

March 9, 2020

“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate (Helper) who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.” John 14:16-17 NLT

Jesus was preparing His disciples for His leaving. They didn’t fully grasp it and maybe couldn’t allow themselves to consider that He would be leaving. When Jesus said He was going to go and prepare a place for them, Thomas panicked and said they didn’t know how to get where He was going. He told them not to be afraid. He knew they needed Someone to be with them, and He would not abandon them. Then He told them about that Someone.

  • The Person who would be with them was the Holy Spirit. God the Father was going to send the Holy Spirit at Jesus’ request. The entire Trinity cooperated to fill this great need.
  • He is an Advocate. An advocate is someone who publicly supports, fights for, recommends. The Holy Spirit would be in their corner.
  • He is a Helper. This is the same word used in Genesis for Eve being given to Adam. This means someone who comes to help them do what they can’t do alone, and to do things they cannot do for themselves.
  • The Holy Spirit would never leave. He would be a permanent gift.
  • He would lead them into all truth. Think of it. All truth. Truth about God, truth about themselves, truth about the future, truth about direction—truth about everything.
  • Receiving the Holy Spirit would be something totally different than the world around them would understand or know. Jesus said that to receive the Holy Spirit a person must be looking for Him and be able to recognize Him. That ability comes from a relationship with Jesus.
  • Through their relationship with Jesus, the Holy Spirit lived with them but could also be in them. Jesus was promising the infilling of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost.

The disciples discovered that everything Jesus said was true. The Holy Spirit came and filled them with power and purpose. They turned the world upside down and lived impactful lives of great joy through every type of circumstance. The same Holy Spirit Jesus gave to them is available to us. We need a Helper. We need an Advocate who will never abandon us. We need to be led into all truth. Look for Him. Ask for Him. He is your gift.

  • Pray today that you will be so full of the Spirit that you will know His transforming power, and others will notice a difference.