God's Supernatural Guidance

“All this I have spoken while still with you. 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 14:25-26)

Sent from the Father, in the name of Jesus, every true believer in Christ receives the gift of the promised Counselor–the Comforter–the precious Holy Spirit. It is He who is promised to teach us all things and to remind us of all the things Jesus taught. What a blessed assurance for the followers of Jesus! Who among us does not have a weak memory when our spirits have become troubled or disheartened? Perhaps we even find ourselves fumbling and stumbling and losing our way. The Person–not influence–of the holy Trinity is promised to abide within every believer of Jesus, teaching and enlightening all true lovers of the Lord in every age for all time, shedding light on the truth and bringing back to our memories all those things that have been taught. It is the Holy Spirit’s special responsibility to open the eyes of our understanding–teaching, leading, and empowering us into all truth:

“But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you.” 
(John 16:13-14)

Paul also tells us in 1 Corinthians:

We speak of God's secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. However, as it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him"–but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. (1 Corinthians 2:7-11)

What a needful promise this is! How many times do we, like the original disciples, stand scratching our heads in our lack of understanding, or find ourselves discouraged or shaking with fear for our lack of power? We need only listen to and heed the Spirit’s leading. Sometimes hearing His still small voice over the world’s megaphone is not easy. We must be still before the Lord and listen carefully for His voice.

Take It to Heart

Now it is God who makes us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.  (2 Corinthians 1:21-22)

“If a man is drawing on his own resources, he will soon run dry. It matters not what his powers may be, or how extensive his reading, or how vast his stores of information; if the Holy Spirit be not the spring and power of his ministry, it must, sooner or later, lose its freshness and its effectiveness. How important then, that all who minister (and live) in the gospel … should lean continually and exclusively on the power of the Holy Spirit. He knows what souls need, and He can supply it. But he must be trusted and used. It will not do to lean partly on self and partly on the Spirit.” (C. H. Mackintosh, Notes on the Book of Numbers, 1861)