But when the Father sends the Advocate as My representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—He will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.
John 14:26
The most popular movie franchise of all time has to be Star Wars. Every movie tends to have a similar plot, but in each one, the main character always has a teacher or guide. Luke Skywalker is one of the main characters that is introduced to the audience with clear flaws and blind spots. Luke then goes through a process of growing and overcoming obstacles in order to destroy the Death Star and the evil Empire. None of these successes were possible without Obi-Wan Kenobi—who served as a guide. He pointed out things that Luke needed to change and taught him how to harness the power of the force. If you think about it, most movies have the same story—a flawed character who has to overcome obstacles so they can become a hero. Usually, this is only possible when there is a guide who helps them to grow and develop.
The reason why we love stories and movies like Star Wars is that we often see ourselves as that main character. We know we are flawed, broken, and that we need to grow. In that same way, we are all looking for a guide—someone to lean on who will help us to reach our full potential. When Jesus was leaving the earth, He reminded the disciples that He was sending the Holy Spirit to guide them. Although He was leaving, He knew the Holy Spirit would continue to teach them and to remind them of what He had told them. In this way, Jesus knew that it was better for Him to leave so the power and the guidance of the Holy Spirit would be made available, not just to the original disciples, but to everyone who believes. When a person puts their faith and trust in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit comes to live inside them. He leads and guides us as we follow Jesus in this life.
The Holy Spirit will guide us as followers of Jesus Christ if we listen to Him. Unfortunately, many of us have heard His voice and chose to ignore Him. It could have been that you felt uncomfortable about going to the party, but you still went. You might have been invited to hang out with a group of friends, and something inside you said to not get in the car, but you did anyway. It could also be that you were married and an attractive person began to flirt with you. Instead of looking down at your ring and remembering your commitment, you ignored it because you liked the attention. God speaks to us and guides us through the Holy Spirit, but we have to be sensitive to where He wants us to go.
How do you improve at hearing the Holy Spirit? You have to take time each day to ask God to lead you. Instead of waking up in the morning and running out the door, maybe you take the first few minutes of the day to say, "God, lead me, I want to follow You. On my own, I don't have what it takes, but with You and Your power, I am going to make it." Then daily, if you want to hear from Him, you have to make time to read the Bible. As you then go through the day, ask God for wisdom through praying short prayers, putting your faith and trust in Him. Today, let the Holy Spirit guide you where you need to go.
Moving Toward Action
When we don't have or listen to the Guide, we can get in lots of trouble. Take some time to journal about a time where you ended up in the wrong place because you weren't sensitive to the direction of the Holy Spirit. What happened and what did you learn from not following His lead? On the flip side, think about a time where God prompted you to do something, and you obeyed. What did you learn from following Him?
Going Deeper
Read John 14:15-26 (NLT)
“If you love me, obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you. No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you. Soon the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. Since I live, you also will live. When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.”
Judas (not Judas Iscariot, but the other disciple with that name) said to him, “Lord, why are you going to reveal yourself only to us and not to the world at large?”
Jesus replied, “All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them. Anyone who doesn’t love me will not obey me. And remember, my words are not my own. What I am telling you is from the Father who sent me. I am telling you these things now while I am still with you. But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.
