Sometimes life can knock you over before you know what happened. Times like this can feel really unstable and you may be wondering “How can I find help?”.
It’s easy to feel stunned by everything and not know where to turn, and I hope you know that you are never alone! Not only is God constantly watching over you and ready to help whenever you call, but he has set up a bunch of different ways for us to connect with other people on the same journey! Fellow believers can be an enormous help during unstable times and are actually essential to our life with Christ. So, want to know more about how to find help when life knocks you off your feet? Dig in here.
Story:
I must confess—I love my iPhone. I think it is just too cool that I can pull it out, ask Siri to “find food near me” and within two milliseconds there are 7 options with direction, menus, and contact info! It’s awesome!
I remember when I didn’t have a cell phone at all. I actually made it to college before I ever had my own cell phone (what we called the generation before smart phones). Can you believe it!?! Do you know what made me slap down that first $100? Getting stranded in downtown West Philadelphia at 2 in the morning when my roommate’s car broke down and all the trains had stopped running. Neither of us had a cell and the world was in the phase where there were still phone booths around, but none of them were in service anymore. Good times!
After that terrifying 15-mile walk home that took almost 5 hours, I was ready to pay for that never to happen again! The safety offered by quick and reliable cell phone service was worth the money to me.
It’s funny how similar this is to our faith. We often think we are doing just fine until something comes along and knocks us on our butt! That’s when we look around and realize how lost we really are and how dangerous things are quickly becoming.
The good news? Jesus planned ahead! He gave us exactly what we need to handle whatever instability life brings—the Holy Spirit. This is the third part of the trinity that makes up God (three-in-one; God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit) and an essential part of our daily walk with the Lord. Now, the trinity is a difficult concept for even theologians to grasp, and I don’t want it to throw you off as you go through this material.
What you need to know is this: There is only one God. He is made up of three different parts, the father, son, and holy spirit. Each have their roles and together they make one complete God.
That’s the basics. I know it’s a little confusing, but I honestly think we aren’t meant to understand it completely because it exists within a context we can’t even grasp. In spite of all that mystery, the Bible is very clear about the existence and role of the Holy Spirit. It is God with us, and we have been given the Holy Spirit to help us know God and communicate his message to the whole world. Like right now, the Holy Spirit is helping me know what to write and what to omit—guiding me as I listen.
Bible Intro:
This passage is just one of many that details the role the Holy Spirit plays in our lives. It’s pretty clear that when things get rough, God’s Spirit is ready to help out! It is through the Holy Spirit’s presence in us that we can connect and know Father God and Jesus Christ. Jesus assures us with these words.
Scripture: John 14:15–27
Personal Questions:
- Have you ever spent time studying about the Holy Spirit?
- Do you understand so far what role the Spirit plays in your life?
- Can you think of a time when you experienced the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life? Maybe it’s something you just now realized!
- Do you believe that God exists as 3-in-1 and the Holy Spirit has been sent down to live among us? Why or why not?
- Why do you think we should treat our bodies like temples for the Spirit?
- What does this tell you about God/the Holy Spirit’s concern with things in the physical world?
Continue interacting with this topic here.
Prayer:
Dear God, I’m not even sure what to call you right now. This three in one thing is kind of maxing out my brain. I just want you to know that I am trying. I believe in you and the truth that you offer and I am just trying to wrap my brain around it all. Are you there to help me? Is that what the Spirit is for? Just teach me and guide me through all this, please, God. I want to have stability in my life and I believe that the Holy Spirit is a huge part of that. Please help. I love you. Amen!
