Your Personal Guide for Life
By Rick Warren
“I will ask the Father, and he will give you another helper who will be with you forever. That helper is the Spirit of Truth. The world cannot accept him, because it doesn’t see or know him. You know him, because he lives with you and will be in you” (John 14:16-17 GW).
My wife, Kay, and I once went to Ireland. We rented a car and drove around the country. At one point, we hired a guide. That person shared insights and experiences that we would have completely missed if we were on our own. We would have picked the wrong restaurants and seen the wrong things. But because we had a personal guide, we had the best experience possible.
In some ways, your life is like that trip. You have the choice of just wandering through on your own or getting a personal guide.
I have good news for you. God has provided you with both a guidebook (the Bible) and a personal guide (the Holy Spirit) for life.
Have you ever thought of why Jesus returned to heaven after his resurrection rather than just staying here on earth? He could have given us an ongoing, physical model of how to live. But he told his followers that it was better for him to leave.
He said: “It’s good for you that I’m going away. If I don’t go away, the helper won’t come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you” (John 16:7 GW).
This “helper” is called many names in the Bible, including “Holy Spirit,” “counselor,” and “advocate.” But how could this helper be better than having Jesus in the flesh?
In John 14, Jesus explains: “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another helper who will be with you forever. That helper is the Spirit of Truth. The world cannot accept him, because it doesn’t see or know him. You know him, because he lives with you and will be in you” (John 14:16-17 GW). When Jesus was physically present on earth, he was limited to one location—to wherever his physical body was at the time. But the Holy Spirit can be everywhere. He is in all of Jesus’ followers, helping us all at the same time.
One of the most important things you can learn in life is how to be led by the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:14 says, “Only those people who are led by God’s Spirit are his children” (CEV). If you are a child of God, the Holy Spirit will guide and lead you.
When you start the Christian life, you’re probably not very good at being led by the Spirit. You don’t know his voice. But as your relationship with the Lord grows, you will start to recognize his voice and know where he is leading you.
As you journey through life, don’t do it on your own. Make sure you have the Holy Spirit as your guide. Get to know his voice, and follow where he leads you.
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