What could be better for a believer than having the presence of Jesus leading and guiding you every day? Anytime you have a problem, you can ask Jesus, and you have assurance because it\u2019s Jesus leading you. This is what the disciples had for three years as they followed Jesus and learned from Him because they were in His presence every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But when you read John 16:7, Jesus says something very interesting to His disciples. These men had left their homes, jobs, and everything else to follow Him because they believed He was the Messiah. But Jesus said these mind-boggling words: \u201cIt is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I depart, I will send Him to you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The disciples thought nothing could be better than the physical presence of Jesus in this world, so why was He saying it was to their advantage that He go away? This statement must have been startling to them. They must have thought to themselves, \u201cJesus, we left everything to follow You, and now You are saying it\u2019s better for us that You go away?\u201d This probably made no sense to them and may even have been discouraging because they did not fully grasp the purpose of Jesus on earth. They knew He was the Messiah, but they did not yet understand the full extent of His mission and that He would lay down His life for mankind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What Jesus said two thousand years ago to His disciples still stands true today for you and me. Jesus said we have an advantage, and that advantage is the ministry of the Holy Spirit. He is your advantage because Jesus Himself said so. In John 14:16 Jesus calls Him another Helper. So Jesus said we have both an advantage and a Helper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I don\u2019t know about you, but I believe what Jesus said with all my heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Think about what it means to have an advantage. An advantage means a benefit, gain, or favorable condition that puts someone or something in a better position than others. Glory to God! We have an advantage because of the Holy Spirit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jesus also said He is \u201canother Helper.\u201d The word \u201canother\u201d means one besides, another of the same kind. So when Jesus said \u201canother Helper,\u201d He was saying, \u201cI won\u2019t be the only One helping you, but the Holy Spirit will help you besides Me.\u201d In other words, He will do in My absence what I would do if I were physically present with you. Think about what an incredible advantage we have today because of the Holy Spirit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For thousands of years mankind has never had this kind of help. The people under the Old Testament had very limited access to the Spirit of God. The only three individuals who qualified to have the Holy Spirit upon them were Kings, Priest and Prophets. But even these three categories of people did not have the privilege of having the Spirit of God dwell inside them. The only time the Holy Spirit came upon them was to accomplish the purpose of God and then He would lift off of them. It was upon and not within, temporary and not permanent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, the Holy Spirit in our lives today is like Jesus standing beside us physically, helping and guiding us through life. The ministry of the Holy Spirit is the continuation of the ministry of Jesus here on earth today. No wonder Jesus said, \u201cIt is to your advantage that I go away,\u201d because Jesus in His physical form could not be in all places at all times. He was limited by His physical body. But the Holy Spirit is not bound by the limitations of a human body because He lives in us, for we are the temple of God. Therefore, we have unlimited access to Him every second of the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Think about the gift Jesus has made available to us by sending His Spirit to dwell in every believer. Jesus knew we could not live the Christian life without help, so He prayed to the Father to send us the Holy Spirit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We often think we would walk and live differently if we had the physical presence of Jesus with us every day like the disciples did. But even though the disciples were physically with Jesus for three years during His ministry, they were spiritually immature and, most of the time, did not understand His words. They even quarreled among themselves about who was the greatest in the Kingdom of God. Peter even denied Jesus three times because of the fear of man.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They believed He was the Messiah, but they still had a veil over their eyes, which was removed after the death and resurrection of Jesus. Then, after the Holy Spirit came upon them in the upper room, they were filled with fire and power to become witnesses for Jesus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Peter, who once denied Jesus out of fear, preached the first message of the Church, and three thousand people were saved after hearing him speak. How did a coward become so bold? It was the Holy Spirit. He is your Helper to live like Jesus every day and to be Christ\u2019s witness wherever you go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is the ministry of the Holy Spirit: to help us grasp spiritual things and to live Christlike lives in this world. You have an advantage so powerful that you need to recognize it and make use of it. You do this simply by looking to Jesus, feeding on the Word of God, and yielding to the Holy Spirit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Spirit always works within the boundaries of Scripture. He does not work outside the Bible. That is why we need to feed on the Word every day, because that is how the Holy Spirit moves in our lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I want you to pause and think about what it means to have an advantage in life. Do you truly believe the words of Jesus? Do you really believe you have another Helper? If your answer is yes, then your life will begin to look different. This is what believing the Word of God can do in your life. It produces results and bears fruit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Holy Spirit longs to help you and reveal Jesus to you every day. Ask Him to help you just as Jesus promised, and remember: you have an advantage in every area of your life because of the Holy Spirit.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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