If you watched Saturday-morning cartoons or read comic books, you know about superheroes. These defenders of humanity were very strong and always showed up in the nick of time, ready to “save the day!”
But real life isn’t at all like cartoons. And it’s definitely more serious than a comic book. But even though we may feel like we have no one to help us in hard times, there is a superhero we can count on at all times. Through our faith in Christ, we have access to the extraordinary, supernatural power of the Holy Spirit every day of our lives.
When we accepted Christ as our Savior, the Holy Spirit came to dwell on the inside of us. That means a lot more than we can imagine, because He brought with Him all the power, the peace and the presence of God. He came to live in us and have constant fellowship with us.
Jesus told His disciples in John 16:7 (AMPC), “I am telling you nothing but the truth when I say it is profitable (good, expedient, advantageous) for you that I go away. Because if I do not go away, the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Advocate, Intercessor, Strengthener, Standby) will not come to you [into close fellowship with you]; but if I go away, I will send Him to you [to be in close fellowship with you].”
What they didn’t understand at first was that Jesus was with them, but the Holy Spirit would come to live in them. He is the same Holy Spirit—Comforter, Counselor, Helper, Advocate, Intercessor, Strengthener, and Standby—who lives in us today! And all of His authority, strength, comfort, creativity and help are available to us as we need it. All we have to do is ask.
He’s the real-life superhero who doesn’t just show up in the nick of time, but He is always there! And He is available to help you right now.
Do you need a Comforter? In 2 Corinthians 1:3, He is called the God of all comfort. When we are hurting, many times we look to other people to help us feel better, and often, we find they don’t have everything we need. But the Holy Spirit, who dwells on the inside of us, knows us better than anyone else, so He knows exactly how to bring the strength, healing and comfort we need. He will often use other people to comfort us, but we need to turn to Him first.
Maybe you need a Counselor. When you have a problem, who do you tell your troubles to? People can only help you to the degree that God enables them to help you. But it is amazing what can happen when we ask the Holy Spirit for answers to our problems. Now, I’m not saying don’t ever ask people for advice; the Bible tells us there is safety in seeking wise counsel. But if we seek the Holy Spirit first, He will guide us, either by giving us the answer directly or leading us to the right counsel.
Do you need the Helper? For years, I felt like it was okay to come to Him with my “serious” problems, but I didn’t want to bother Him with “small” things. The truth is it doesn’t matter whether it’s a serious issue, such as conflict in a relationship, or something as simple as fixing your hair in the morning. God is bigger than any of our problems, and He cares about everything that concerns us. The most spiritual prayer we can pray sometimes is simply, “Help me, Lord!”
How about an Advocate or Intercessor? The Holy Spirit prays for us and through us. The Bible says He not only intercedes on our behalf to the Father, but He also helps us to pray when we don’t know how or what to pray (see Rom. 8:26). And as our advocate, He is always ready to stand with us or to defend us. No matter what, He is always on our side!
Do you need a Strengthener? It’s the strength of the Holy Spirit that enables us to do whatever we need to do in life. I never start my day without asking Him to strengthen me—physically, mentally and every other way. Because no matter how strong, talented or capable we think we are, every single one of us needs God’s strength to accomplish His will in our lives.
As a believer in Christ, the Holy Spirit is in you. He wants to enable you to live your life to the fullest. He knows exactly what you need when you need it, and He is always ready and willing to help. He knows you better than anyone, and if you let Him, He will lead you according to His perfect plan for your life! {eoa}
