“I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever” John 14:16
We tend to think of a helper as someone who does what we want done. But when Jesus promised to send the disciples another Helper, He was promising someone who would direct them, not the other way around. Jesus was promising His spiritual presence in the face of His physical absence. You see, the world thinks in terms of resources but God works in relationships.
Jesus made this promise in light of His relationship with the Father. “Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works” (John 14:10). He was teaching a critical lesson. We are to live in relation to Him the same way He lived in relation to His Father. “I do exactly as the Father commanded Me” (John 14:31).
Do you live in that kind of conformity to Christ? The problem is that we’re too easily satisfied with the world’s standards and ideas. As a result, we often try to live with good habits rather than in the power of the Spirit. We look to God for more resources without considering the condition of our relationship with Him. Remember, God works in relationships, and the quality of our relationship with Jesus depends entirely on how we respond to the Spirit each day.
He empowers us to live in obedience to Jesus, just as Jesus lived in obedience to His Father. That means the Holy Spirit never tells us to do anything contrary to the Word of God. He always produces love and loyalty to the Lord by directing our attention to Jesus. “When the Helper comes…He will testify about Me” (John 15:26).
Are you more focused on the resources you think you need, or on your relationship with the Lord? Simply trying to develop better habits and gather more resources will ultimately fail. The answer to whatever issue you’re dealing with today begins with obedience. God works in relationships, and there is no closer relationship than His Spirit living within us! How is the Holy Spirit directing you today?