The Role of the Holy Spirit

“Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.” — John 16:7

In John 16:7 Jesus uses several different words to describe the incredible work of the Holy Spirit: Comforter, Counselor, Helper, Advocate, Intercessor, Strengthener and Standby. Let’s take a look at what this means for our lives…

Comforter I believe one of the greatest lessons we can learn is to run to God first when we have a problem. When we are hurting, so many times we look to other people to help us feel better, only to discover they don’t have everything we need.

The Bible says that God is “the God of all comfort,” (2 Corinthians 1:3). The Holy Spirit who dwells on the inside of us knows us better than anyone else and, when life is painful, He has the ability to bring strength and healing right where we hurt. Yes, the Lord will often use others to bring us comfort, but running to God first opens the door for Him to help us in the best way possible.

Counselor It is simply amazing what can happen when we begin asking the Holy Spirit for help and answers to our problems.

Recently, I was having episodes of feeling really weak and tired. As I sought the Lord about it, He showed me I wasn’t eating often enough and my blood sugar was dipping too low. I adjusted my diet and everything went back to normal! When I later went to the doctor, he confirmed this was the problem. I believe we often spin our wheels looking for solutions when the Lord has our answers all along. The Holy Spirit is our Counselor, and as we seek Him, He can reveal in a few moments things we could never discover on our own.

Helper Did you know the Holy Spirit wants to help you with every little detail of your life? Maybe you are like I was. For years, I felt like it was okay to bring my “serious problems” to God, but I didn’t want to bother Him with the smaller things.

The truth is, the Holy Spirit is concerned about everything that concerns you—whether it’s a “serious” matter like a relationship issue…or something as simple as fixing your hair in the morning. “Help me!” has become one of my favorite prayers to pray. And the more we acknowledge the Holy Spirit and ask for help, the more we’ll discover His presence and ability in everything we do.

Advocate The Bible tells us that Satan is our adversary. In fact, it even calls him “the accuser of the brethren” (Revelation 12:10 NKJV). But there’s good news: We have an Advocate, the Holy Spirit, Who pleads to God on our behalf.

He’s not only our Advocate to the Father, but the Holy Spirit also accompanies us through life—helping us, defending us and giving us favor with others when we need it. Whatever situation you’re facing, you can take comfort knowing that God Himself is on your side.

Intercessor I don’t know where I’d be without the help of the Holy Spirit in my prayer life. The Bible says He not only intercedes on our behalf to the Father, but He also comes to our aid and helps us to pray that perfect prayer when we don’t know what or how to pray (Romans 8:26). First Corinthians 2:11 says no one knows the mind of God except the Spirit of God. That means regardless of the situation, the Holy Spirit can always help us pray the right prayer at the right time.  I encourage you to begin asking the Holy Spirit for strength as you go about your day.