“But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” (John 14:26, NIV84)
Before Jesus was crucified, He promised the disciples that He would be with them even after death. One way that Jesus was with the disciples after death was through the work of the Holy Spirit. As seen in the scripture above, the Holy Spirit would be sent “in Jesus’ name” to the disciples after Jesus was gone (John 14:26). The Holy Spirit would do two things according to Jesus. The Holy Spirit would “teach you all things” and “remind you of everything I have said to you.” In doing so, the Holy Spirit would act as a spiritual “Counselor”, which is the exact word Jesus used to describe the Holy Spirit in the beginning of this of scripture.
When you decided to become a faithful child of God, a follower of Jesus, with obedience and trust in God and God’s word, the Holy Spirit was sent to you. If you have not committed your life to God in Christ, you should do so now! If you do not have the Holy Spirit, you need to ask God to fill you with it. Why? The Holy Spirit does two critical things. First, as a “Counselor”, the Holy Spirit will “teach you all things”. When you are in a relationship with God in Christ, there are many aspects of the spiritual life you need to learn. You need to understand the wiles of the devil, that evil forces are arrayed against you, that you can trust in God’s word, and so much more. All these things will come in time, as you grow in the Spirit. As a child of God, it is critical you gain this learning. Otherwise, you will not understand the spiritual things happening to you, why you are tempted, how faith works, and why you need to pray! The Holy Spirit is the one to teach you the intricacies of these spiritual gifts, wisdom, knowledge, and more. Without the Holy Spirit, you will mess everything up.
The second thing that the Holy Spirit as “Counselor” will do in you is “remind you of what Jesus has said to you”. These words of Jesus are crucial to your spiritual life. The Holy Spirit can teach you all things, but one of the greatest things the Holy Spirit can do is remind you of what Jesus has said. Let’s look at this a little closer.
When Jesus taught the disciples, they often didn’t understand His words or teachings. Several times, this became clear as the disciples did not understand a parable of Jesus, a teaching, or an instruction given by Jesus. Matthew 15:16, Mark 6:52, Mark 9:32, Luke 9:45, John 10:6, John 11:50 among other scriptures mention this fact. Jesus understood so much more than the disciples could grasp at the time. Jesus knew that the Holy Spirit would help His followers understand things one day. Jesus’ words, explanations, teachings, and plan became more and more clear as the disciples relied on the Holy Spirit to piece it all together after Jesus’ death and resurrection. Jesus’ words came back into the memory of the disciples when they later understood some important aspects of Jesus’ work. John 13:7 explains this in detail as Jesus is quoted as saying, “What I am doing you do not know now, but afterward you will understand”.
Because the Holy Spirit is a “Counselor” who will teach you all things and remind you of Jesus’ words, it is important that you realize that you need that counseling time. There are spiritual factors you do not understand. There are aspects of the spiritual life of which you may be unaware. Sin may blind you to certain realities. The Holy Spirit will “teach you” and “remind you of Jesus’ words” in order to keep you on the path that leads to righteousness. Don’t be surprised when the Holy Spirit encourages you, chastises you, cautions you, or condemns your sin. Don’t be surprised when Jesus’ words hit home for you. This work of the Spirit is all part of God’s action to save you.
After a particularly difficult year, Jerry Langdon could hardly stand his situation. With one problem after another, the year had taken its toll on Jerry’s calm. In the past twelve months, Jerry’s vacation house was broken into twice. His son was arrested for stealing. His boat engine needed an overhaul. His mother was diagnosed with cancer. His wife’s increased beer drinking was causing more and more fights to break out in the home. Jerry was struggling greatly. When he sat in church, he felt uncomfortable. When he prayed, his mind was filled with anxiety. Something had to change.
Jerry spoke to his doctor about anxiety pills. They helped a little but not enough. A friend suggested Jerry go to a therapist. That also helped a little. After months of therapy, Jerry was not getting over his anxiety, and everything seemed to be going against him. His life was falling apart, and nothing seemed to work.
Then, after a particularly bad argument with his wife, Jerry spoke to his best friend from church. The friend asked Jerry, “Have you taken all this to God? What is God saying to you?” Jerry was floored by the questions. In that moment, Jerry realized that he was not seeking help from God. He had sought help from doctors, medicines, pills, and therapy, but not from God. Jerry’s best friend mentioned a retreat for men that was coming up at church. Jerry cancelled all his plans and decided to go.
At the church retreat, Jerry was asked to spend extended time in prayer each day. At first, Jerry hated the quiet. He wanted to talk, to get out his frustration, to work through the problems. On the second day, Jerry decided to just go with the flow. Encouraged by the retreat leader, Jerry began to talk out loud to God when he prayed. Soon, Jerry realized that it was easier and easier to just talk things out with God.
Over that weekend, a number of realizations came to Jerry. He had so many “things” in his life like a boat, vacation home, and so much more, that his life was consumed with maintenance, cleaning, and responsibilities for all his possessions. Jerry had little time left over for God or his family. He also began to realize that stresses in their home were adding to his wife’s need to drink more often. As Jerry talked out loud to God in his prayer time, Jerry began to see that God was showing Jerry a lot of things that needed changing, attitudes that needed to be altered, and what was getting in the way of his peace. God was speaking to Jerry again! It felt good.
The Holy Spirit was teaching Jerry. The Holy Spirit brought up memories in order to explain Jerry’s struggle, sin, and weakness. That spiritual retreat not only opened Jerry’s eyes to everything going wrong in his life, but the retreat also reminded Jerry how much he needed to focus his choices and values around his love of God. Thereafter, life became easier as Jerry made needed changes. The Holy Spirit helped to point Jerry in the right direction.
Jesus sent the Holy Spirit as a “Counselor” to the disciples. He also sends that same Holy Spirit to you. Learn to listen to the Holy Spirit. Learn to trust God’s word. Learn to lean on Jesus. Remember Jesus’ words and teachings when life gets complicated. Jesus arranged for the Holy Spirit to be in your life. So, what is the Holy Spirit, your “Counselor”, saying to you today?
When you decided to become a faithful child of God, a follower of Jesus, with obedience and trust in God and God’s word, the Holy Spirit was sent to you. If you have not committed your life to God in Christ, you should do so now! If you do not have the Holy Spirit, you need to ask God to fill you with it. Why? The Holy Spirit does two critical things. First, as a “Counselor”, the Holy Spirit will “teach you all things”. When you are in a relationship with God in Christ, there are many aspects of the spiritual life you need to learn. You need to understand the wiles of the devil, that evil forces are arrayed against you, that you can trust in God’s word, and so much more. All these things will come in time, as you grow in the Spirit. As a child of God, it is critical you gain this learning. Otherwise, you will not understand the spiritual things happening to you, why you are tempted, how faith works, and why you need to pray! The Holy Spirit is the one to teach you the intricacies of these spiritual gifts, wisdom, knowledge, and more. Without the Holy Spirit, you will mess everything up.
The second thing that the Holy Spirit as “Counselor” will do in you is “remind you of what Jesus has said to you”. These words of Jesus are crucial to your spiritual life. The Holy Spirit can teach you all things, but one of the greatest things the Holy Spirit can do is remind you of what Jesus has said. Let’s look at this a little closer.
When Jesus taught the disciples, they often didn’t understand His words or teachings. Several times, this became clear as the disciples did not understand a parable of Jesus, a teaching, or an instruction given by Jesus. Matthew 15:16, Mark 6:52, Mark 9:32, Luke 9:45, John 10:6, John 11:50 among other scriptures mention this fact. Jesus understood so much more than the disciples could grasp at the time. Jesus knew that the Holy Spirit would help His followers understand things one day. Jesus’ words, explanations, teachings, and plan became more and more clear as the disciples relied on the Holy Spirit to piece it all together after Jesus’ death and resurrection. Jesus’ words came back into the memory of the disciples when they later understood some important aspects of Jesus’ work. John 13:7 explains this in detail as Jesus is quoted as saying, “What I am doing you do not know now, but afterward you will understand”.
Because the Holy Spirit is a “Counselor” who will teach you all things and remind you of Jesus’ words, it is important that you realize that you need that counseling time. There are spiritual factors you do not understand. There are aspects of the spiritual life of which you may be unaware. Sin may blind you to certain realities. The Holy Spirit will “teach you” and “remind you of Jesus’ words” in order to keep you on the path that leads to righteousness. Don’t be surprised when the Holy Spirit encourages you, chastises you, cautions you, or condemns your sin. Don’t be surprised when Jesus’ words hit home for you. This work of the Spirit is all part of God’s action to save you.
After a particularly difficult year, Jerry Langdon could hardly stand his situation. With one problem after another, the year had taken its toll on Jerry’s calm. In the past twelve months, Jerry’s vacation house was broken into twice. His son was arrested for stealing. His boat engine needed an overhaul. His mother was diagnosed with cancer. His wife’s increased beer drinking was causing more and more fights to break out in the home. Jerry was struggling greatly. When he sat in church, he felt uncomfortable. When he prayed, his mind was filled with anxiety. Something had to change.
Jerry spoke to his doctor about anxiety pills. They helped a little but not enough. A friend suggested Jerry go to a therapist. That also helped a little. After months of therapy, Jerry was not getting over his anxiety, and everything seemed to be going against him. His life was falling apart, and nothing seemed to work.
Then, after a particularly bad argument with his wife, Jerry spoke to his best friend from church. The friend asked Jerry, “Have you taken all this to God? What is God saying to you?” Jerry was floored by the questions. In that moment, Jerry realized that he was not seeking help from God. He had sought help from doctors, medicines, pills, and therapy, but not from God. Jerry’s best friend mentioned a retreat for men that was coming up at church. Jerry cancelled all his plans and decided to go.
At the church retreat, Jerry was asked to spend extended time in prayer each day. At first, Jerry hated the quiet. He wanted to talk, to get out his frustration, to work through the problems. On the second day, Jerry decided to just go with the flow. Encouraged by the retreat leader, Jerry began to talk out loud to God when he prayed. Soon, Jerry realized that it was easier and easier to just talk things out with God.
Over that weekend, a number of realizations came to Jerry. He had so many “things” in his life like a boat, vacation home, and so much more, that his life was consumed with maintenance, cleaning, and responsibilities for all his possessions. Jerry had little time left over for God or his family. He also began to realize that stresses in their home were adding to his wife’s need to drink more often. As Jerry talked out loud to God in his prayer time, Jerry began to see that God was showing Jerry a lot of things that needed changing, attitudes that needed to be altered, and what was getting in the way of his peace. God was speaking to Jerry again! It felt good.
The Holy Spirit was teaching Jerry. The Holy Spirit brought up memories in order to explain Jerry’s struggle, sin, and weakness. That spiritual retreat not only opened Jerry’s eyes to everything going wrong in his life, but the retreat also reminded Jerry how much he needed to focus his choices and values around his love of God. Thereafter, life became easier as Jerry made needed changes. The Holy Spirit helped to point Jerry in the right direction.
Jesus sent the Holy Spirit as a “Counselor” to the disciples. He also sends that same Holy Spirit to you. Learn to listen to the Holy Spirit. Learn to trust God’s word. Learn to lean on Jesus. Remember Jesus’ words and teachings when life gets complicated. Jesus arranged for the Holy Spirit to be in your life. So, what is the Holy Spirit, your “Counselor”, saying to you today?