Help Is on the Way - Part 2

Welcome to the In Touch Podcast with Charles Stanley for Wednesday, May tenth. God sent the Holy Spirit to live His life through each believer. Learn how to tap into His resources in part two of Help is on the Way. One of the gifts of God to every single one of His children is the person of the Holy Spirit. He's the one who convicted you of your sin to begin with. He's the one who gives you the faith to believe. He's the one who makes you aware of the reality of who Jesus Christ is.

So think about this. You and I have within us a Helper who is omniscient, knows all things, omnipotent, has all power, omnipresent, that is, all things are in His presence, but primarily He lives on the inside of us so that you can never be without Him. You say, well, wait a minute, I couldn't be without Him. Listen to what Jesus says.

He says He'll be with you forever. And I think about how many people sit in pews week after week after week and they don't even have any idea who He is. They're saved, but they don't know anything about Him.

Or they've just sort of heard about Him. And they've heard about those people who believe in the Holy Spirit and they put some kind of a category on all of that and they say, stay away from that. Well, you can't stay away from God.

And so, whatever else you may fear, remember this. The Holy Spirit is a Person of the Trinity sent by God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ to live on the inside of you to help you. He's there as your Helper. No matter what you face, He's adequate, ready, dependable, and He's also very wise. Now, what do you mean by being wise? Well, of course, He knows what to do and when to do it and how to do it, but He also knows something else. He's also wise enough not to do for you and me what God's made us to do for ourselves. So, we can't afford to be lazy and say, well, the Spirit of God's going to help me.

No, He's not. You can't be slothful, can't be lazy, careless, indifferent, and wasteful and expect the Holy Spirit to bail you out of all of that. He's not going to do it.

He'll convict you of it, but He's not going to bail you out of it. We're to live righteous lives, godly life. And you see, the truth is, we don't have any excuse for not living a godly life. The person who is God in the Spirit is living on the inside of us, and one of His responsibilities, primary responsibilities is to do what?

Watch this. To live out through our speech, through our body, through our ears and our eyes and our hands and our feet, the life of Christ. He says we are the body of Christ. Where is He? See, the Father's right hand. Well, where's the body? He's living in you. It's your body, my body, all the bodies of believers all over the world. We make up the body of Christ on earth. And listen, He has a plan for every single one of us, ready and willing to work out that plan every day. Well, think about some ways, for example, or some areas of our life in which He helps us. And one of the first ones is in our prayer life. Look, if you will, in the eighth chapter of Romans and notice what Paul says and the parts of speech he uses. Listen, he says in verse twenty-six, in the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness, Paul including himself. For we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

What in the world does that mean? Well, it simply means this, that sometimes you and I don't know how to pray like we ought to pray. We don't know how. Sometimes we don't know what to ask for. Sometimes we don't know what His will is. Sometimes we're not sure how we should pray for another person.

He says the Spirit of God who lives within us will do what? Intercede with us and through us with groanings. That is, sometimes don't you find yourself just crying out to God or praying to Him. And Lord, I don't know how to ask about this.

I don't know what's going on in this person's life. I just feel burdened to pray for them. Or maybe you're trying to find the Lord's will in your life.

And Lord, I don't know what Your will is, but I need You to show me. He's there to help us in our prayer. Well, let me ask you a question now.

Suppose I ask you this. When you pray most of the time, do you pray standing up, lying down, or kneeling? When is the last time you knelt on your knees before Almighty God and prayed? You've said, Well, I can pray standing up. I understand that. I can pray lying down.

I understand that. I can pray seated, standing, riding. When is the last time you got on your knees? You say, I don't have to get on my knees to pray.

Is it that you don't have to or you're too proud to? Ask yourself the question, When is the last time you got on your knees in acknowledgment of the supreme superiority, holiness, righteousness, the glory of Almighty God? Because there's not a single one of us who's worthy to come to Him. And I'm asking you, When is the last time you humbled yourself before Him?

Got on your knees to talk to your Heavenly Father. You say, Well, why do you have to get on your knees? You don't have to.

You don't have to. But when I think about who this is that I'm worshiping and serving, listen, He's not a bellhop. He doesn't just come running to me when I have something for somebody else to do. He is God, this righteous, holy God living on the inside of us, willing to help us. And we come to Him in prayer. And I made it a habit a long time ago, since I can remember, that before any day of my life is over, if I'm able to walk or get out of the bed or whatever, I'm going to get on my knees and talk to God. Does that make me holy?

No. But here's what it does do. It keeps me very aware of my unworthiness and His awesome glory and power and majesty as God. And when you and I, when a person cannot kneel to talk to the Father, it's because of pure pride.

I don't have to do it. He is this holy God before whom every single one of us will one day, what? Bow and acknowledge that He is the Lord Jesus Christ. Don't you think we ought to get in the habit?

Think we ought to sort of do a little practicing? That one of these days we're going to kneel before Him. A second awesome thing the Holy Spirit does to help us is to help us with the Word of God. That is, He helps us interpret the Word of God. If you turn to First Corinthians, for example, in the second chapter, listen to what he says. People tell you, well, I've read the Bible and this, that, and the other.

Let me just say this to you. If a person's not a believer, they cannot understand the Word of God. You say, well, how do you know that? Because Paul states it clearly in First Corinthians chapter two. Listen to what he says, the natural man, that is a lost person, does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they're foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them because they're spiritually appraised or discerned.

Lost person can't. So, when you argue with somebody and they say, well, you know, I've read the Bible, but I don't understand that. Well, that's what God said.

You wouldn't. Don't push that in their face, but you know it's true. Or they may say, well, I read the Bible and I don't believe all that's true. Naturally they don't because the Bible says that it's foolish to them. But listen, you and I have the Holy Spirit to interpret the truth of God's Word.

So, watch this. The truth is, I may happen to be a vessel, but I'm not the teacher. The Spirit of God is the one who's the teacher. He's the only one who can discern. He's the only one who can give you understanding and enlighten your mind and mind about what the truth is about the Spirit of God and about the things of God, about the will and purpose and plan of God.

He's the one who does that. He's the discerner. Because He says, for to us God has revealed these things through the Spirit, for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. You want to understand the Word of God? Then when you read it, ask the Holy Spirit to give you understanding and show you how to apply it to your heart.

You think, for example, what about some of those verses that you've memorized and you go back to once in a while and all of a sudden you read the same verse and you think, my, my, my, I never saw that before. Why? Now, watch this carefully.

Why? Because the Spirit of God gave you deeper understanding. Now watch this carefully. The Spirit of God, here's how He helps us. He helps us by giving us understanding and insight into the Word of God according to where we are at that point in our life, what we're thinking, what we're going through, how we're feeling, what we're challenged with.

So what happens? He gives us new insights. You can read the same verse over and over and over again.

And then here you are at this point in your life and you go back and you read that same verse and God just has a message that goes straight to your heart. Had you read it before? Yes. Did you see that before? No. Why?

That's not where you were before. The Spirit of God is the discerner. He's the one who's the teacher. He's the one who brings to light the truth of God's Word. Then He helps us in the whole issue of sin. For example, He says when the Holy Spirit comes, He will convict us of sin, righteousness, and judgment.

What does that mean? He will convict us of our sin. That's how we got saved. Holy Spirit convicted us of our sin, made us where we needed Christ, showed us how to trust Him, convict the world of sin, righteousness, that is the righteousness of Christ, which makes it, which made it possible for Him to go to the cross and die and pay our sin debt in full because He was the only one who was righteous enough to do it. And He says, convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, the judgment that is to come. The Spirit of God will remind us that we're going to give an account to God one of these days. He reminds us and shows us what in our life is not right. For example, you move along in the Christian life and maybe you're heading in the wrong direction and you get what I call static in your heart. And that's the Holy Spirit doing what?

Warning you, watch it, heading in the wrong direction. That's not of me. That's not righteous. That's not Godly. That doesn't fit who you are.

That doesn't belong in your life. That's the work of the Spirit of God. If we didn't have the Holy Spirit of God in our life, we'd probably put up with some things that God does not want us putting up with and maybe not even be aware of it. It's the Spirit of God who makes us aware of these things. Then I think also that one of His works in our life is the fact of those moments of weakness and frailty we have in our life.

There are times, for example, when you, when there's a sense of weakness and you don't feel adequate and you just can't quite, you think, I just, I don't know what's going on. Did you realize that the Holy Spirit can energize your physical body? He can give you strength and energy to do what you normally would not be able to do. And I can think of many times in my life when I thought, God, I don't know how I'm going to be able to handle this or do this or say that or whatever.

And here's what I learned a long time ago, thank God. If I, no matter how tired I was, if I'd get on my knees or on my face before God and start talking to Him and just tell Him what I needed and that I needed a fresh new anointing or energizing of the Spirit of God in my life, about fifteen or twenty minutes of that, you can get up and I'm here to tell you there's nothing that can stop you. God knows how to deal with your human body. He knows when you need strength. He knows when you need encouragement. He knows when your spirit needs to be charged up. There's not a single facet of our life that He's not there willing to help us. In every aspect of our life, in those moments of weakness, He's there. For example, when we're tempted to doubt His truth and to doubt His promises, what does the Spirit do? The Spirit is there to help us. And here's what the Spirit's going to ask you. Would the Father lie to you? No.

Does He keep His promises? Yes. And you see, here's what happens. And this tickles me sometimes when I think about it. People said, Well, that's what I'm thinking.

Let me tell you something. The Spirit of God is the one who can, listen, who can place thoughts in your mind to think His thoughts. You thought they were your thoughts.

They're His thoughts. He's the one to remind you that God keeps His promises. He's the one that reminds you and me that God doesn't fail to keep those promises, that what He promises He will provide because all of heaven's power is behind Him. Then, for example, there are those times when you and I go through difficult times of sorrow and heartache because of loss of some loved one or whatever it might be. Friend, only God can help in those times. That's the work of the Holy Spirit.

And how many times have I seen it? Only the Holy Spirit can take a broken heart and do what? And mend it and mold it and encourage it and cover it and assure it right, listen, in the presence of the body of someone whom they love dearly. When it comes, for example, to what He wants you to do. Think about this.

God, watch this. First of all, it's the Holy Spirit who gives us spiritual gifts. He's the one who equips us to do the work that God has called us to do.

Every single person is equipped to serve the Lord in some way. You say, I don't know what mine is. Have you asked Him?

Oh, well, now I really haven't asked Him. Well, listen to this. Talents and skills and natural abilities, I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about those spiritual gifts. That discernment, that power, that potential to make an impact. The Spirit of God is what? Is there to help you and me to make an impact in the lives of other people, whoever it may be. The Spirit of God is there to equip us to do whatever God has called us to do. Here's the issue. You say, well, why doesn't that work in my life?

And there's one primary reason. The Spirit of God is not going to fight you. He's on the inside to equip you to live the Christian life. You cannot live the Christian life apart from the Holy Spirit.

You cannot. Well, let me ask you this question. If I name something that you want in your life, would you say amen? Is that fair enough?

Out loud. So we let everybody know that's what you want. Number one, do you want this in your life? Love. What about joy? Peace. Patience. Kindness.

Goodness. Faithfulness. Gentleness.

Self-control. Well, well, well, well. Then you know what? You've got it. Because that is the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

That's what He promises. You say, okay, now, wait a minute now. I want all of that in my life, but I don't have it.

Why do I not have it? You ready for this answer? One word, and then you're going to let me know how much you want those in your life. One word, surrender. Watch this. To the degree to which I surrender myself to the Holy Spirit, to that degree, will there be love, joy, peace, goodness, kindness, self-control, all the rest? You say, you mean to tell me that if I surrender my life to the Holy Spirit, that I can experience all that? Yes. Watch this. You say, but I don't think I have the ability. Right. I'm not sure I can do that correct again. You know why He sent a Helper?

Because we can't do it. Listen, one of the most significant moments in my life was when I realized out in the backyard in my study alone on the floor talking to God, and God helped me to understand for the first time in my life, although I'd been to seminary and I'd already been passed in two churches before that, that it was not my responsibility to live the Christian life. Whew! What an awesome sense of relief. It's His responsibility to live through me. And here's the way I learned it. I was preaching through the book of Galatians and I was coming to chapter five and I was getting worried.

Literally worried. I thought, God, I'd already got into the first part of it. I thought, the Sunday's coming when I've got to come to that twenty-sixth verse and the fruit of the Spirit. Lord, that's not true in my life.

On Sunday it is, but what about all those other days? Love, joy, peace, goodness, self-control, gentleness, kindness, I was sweating it. Because I was not going to tell somebody something that I did not know for certain. And I'd already come to this conclusion. God, You have got to teach me something I don't know. I cannot stand up here and tell these people something that's not true. Well, God wasn't late, but He's getting close. Because this is about three weeks before.

I realize for the first time in my life, He says, these characteristics are the fruit of the Holy Spirit, not of Charles Stanley. Not your responsibility. You've already got this many years to prove to being a failure and all that.

This is the way it works. You surrender your life totally to Me and watch Me work this in your life. And I can tell you, that was a defining moment in my life.

It was a shocker. Because I'd prayed and fasted and begged and pleaded and worked hard and struggled and strived and you name it. Was I happy? No. Was I being obedient to God? As best I knew how.

But you know what? I had missed the point that it isn't what we do, it's what He, our Helper, does in us and through us if we are willing to surrender everything to Him. Thank you for listening to Part 2 of Help is on the Way. If you'd like to know more about Charles Stanley or InTouch Ministries, stop by InTouch.org. This podcast is a presentation of InTouch Ministries, Atlanta, Georgia.