The Holy Spirit as Our Helper

There is much for us to gain in attending to the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. He is called our Helper and, as such, there are several benefits He brings as we open ourselves to Him. Let’s look at some of the His amazing roles:

Sanctification: He enables us to live rightly. Someday we will be like Jesus. But, for now, we struggle with bad habits, sinful desires, and weak wills. One of the roles of the Spirit is to purify our lives so that, over time, we become more like Christ.

Conviction: One way He does that is by convicting us of sin. When we make a bad choice, we feel guilty. This is not the false guilt that other people sometimes try to put upon us. This is real guilt, brought about because we have done something offensive to God’s holiness. The purpose of the conviction of the Spirit is not to make us feel bad, but to bring us to a point of confession and repentance so He can make us pure again.

Empowerment: The Spirit also sanctifies us by giving us the power to live as Jesus lived. As we begin to rely on the Spirit, we find we are growing in purity and becoming more and more like Jesus. Over time we begin to realize the unwavering love of God and, out of gratitude, learn to make decisions that honor Him.

Truth: The Spirit of God also is the one who reveals truth to us through the Word of God. We are told that He inspired the people who wrote the Bible (2 Peter 1:21). The Bible is the Spirit’s book. Who better to be able to interpret the message of a book than the one who wrote it? We rely on the Holy Spirit to illuminate Scripture as we read it and to make it understandable to our minds and real to our hearts.

Intercession: He carries our prayers. We are told (Romans 8:26-27) that the Spirit hears our prayers, translates them into what they should be, and then presents them to God for us. Because of the work of the Spirit, we cannot pray a bad prayer. He makes our flawed prayers into what they should be before they reach the throne of God.

Comfort: The Spirit is also our comforter and friend. He provides strength when we are weak, defense when we are attacked, encouragement when we are down, and consolation when we are sad. The Spirit keeps our relationship with God alive, purposeful, and growing. He gives us the power to change internally, to relate to people outwardly, and to share the good news of Jesus with those around us.

“He that distributes variously, does it with choice, and judgment, and freedom of will. Such are the proceedings of the Spirit in his dispensations: to one, he gives one thing eminently; to another, another; to one, in one degree; to another, in another. Thus are the saints in his sovereignty, kept in a constant dependence on him.” – John Owen

Note: Some of this content was taken from The GodSense Journey: Exploring Sacred Pathways by Beverly Van Kampen.