{"id":6296,"date":"2020-02-10T17:10:37","date_gmt":"2020-02-10T23:10:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jfbelievers.com\/?p=6296"},"modified":"2020-02-10T17:10:37","modified_gmt":"2020-02-10T23:10:37","slug":"the-comforter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.jfbduluth.com\/index.php\/2020\/02\/10\/the-comforter\/","title":{"rendered":"The Comforter"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

One of the distinct features of the Holy Spirit is the consolation He brings to His own people. Specifically referred to as our \u201cComforter<\/em>\u201d, the Spirit of Christ reserves some of His greatest work for those who grieve. And we praise Him for that. Nobody has a big problem being comforted. The real challenge on the other hand, is allowing ourselves to qualify<\/em> for it. If comfort is to be offered, there must be a reason for it, a legitimate need<\/em>. To know & experience the Holy Spirit as our Comforter therefore, will demand our misery, anxiety, and\/or despair\u2026all the things we hope and pray to avoid. But He cannot become a comfort<\/em> to us until we desperately need<\/em> it.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stay Put…<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The last command that Jesus gave to men on\nthis planet was to \u201cwait\u201d, and it was made in reference to the Holy Spirit. If\nHis disciples wanted what the Holy Spirit had to offer, they\u2019d be expected to\nremain patient. The Holy Spirit operates on a different timetable than we do,\nand we cannot rush (nor delay) His perfect work. Especially in regard to comforting\nus in difficult times. He cannot and will not become a comfort to us unless we diligently\nwait for Him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>When you run away from a difficult situation you\u2019re only running away from where the Holy Spirit was scheduled to meet you<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Exactly how hard it was for Christ\u2019s men to\nobey that final command is impossible for us to know. Until, of course, Jesus\nrequires the same thing of you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don’t Go…<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In times of crisis, the last thing we want\nto do is \u201cwait\u201d for help. But unlike some over-the-counter pain medicines, the\nHoly Spirit doesn\u2019t promise \u201cimmediate relief\u201d. Pain and suffering have too\nmuch intrinsic value for God to purge your life of them too quickly. Your job\nisn\u2019t to avoid pain at all costs. And it\u2019s not your responsibility to rush the\nwork of the Spirit. All God expects you to do is resist the temptation to walk\naway before He gets there to help. One of the greatest personal disciplines of\nany hurting Christian is to wait for the promise of Comfort.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you ever hope to experience the consolations of the Holy Spirit in times of crisis, you\u2019ll need to reject the cheap substitutes offered by the world. And there are many. You already know what they are, and you know which ones you\u2019re most liable to indulge in. Whether it be alcohol or naps, TV and ice cream, hot showers and comfort food, we have countless methods to cope with our gloom, none of which involve the Holy Spirit. If we won\u2019t wait upon Christ for comfort in times of distress, we may never experience the richness of the Holy Spirit\u2019s ministry. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some hapless Christians have already missed out on the greatest comfort they could ever have known because they left the place they were commanded to stay at. When you run away from a difficult situation you\u2019re only running away from where the Holy Spirit was scheduled to meet you.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just Wait…<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes we\u2019re in such a hurry for the wretchedness to end, we grab ahold of the first and easiest thing that promises relief. Unfortunately (for those with impulsive tendencies), the world is usually quicker to offer you reprieve than God is willing to come to your rescue. Rest assured, the Lord desires to comfort you. But He also wants your suffering to run its full course and have its full effect. The world, however, does not. The world has no interest in you becoming a better Christian. It only wants you to be comfy. Satan only wants you to be comfy. Your flesh only wants to be comfy, but God wants better things for His children. Far better things. That\u2019s why He\u2019s given us His Holy Spirit.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our Father allows suffering, not to push us away from\nHim, but to bring us closer. Never forget that. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are you in a particularly challenging situation\nlately? Count yourself blessed when you fall into various trials like yours. That\u2019s\nGod preparing you to experience His Holy Spirit in a way that\u2019s off-limits to\nthose who live a trouble-free life. Wait for the Holy Spirit to come and\nfulfill His ministry. He will<\/em> comfort\nyou in due time. It\u2019s what He does.    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFrom where does\nmy help come? My help comes from the Lord<\/em>\u201d Psalm 121<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One of the distinct features of the Holy Spirit is the consolation He brings to His own people. Specifically referred to as our \u201cComforter\u201d, the Spirit of Christ reserves some of His greatest work for those who grieve. And we praise Him for that. Nobody has a big problem being comforted. The real challenge on … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":6297,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6296","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pastors-notes"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.jfbduluth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6296","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.jfbduluth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.jfbduluth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.jfbduluth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.jfbduluth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6296"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blog.jfbduluth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6296\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.jfbduluth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6297"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.jfbduluth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6296"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.jfbduluth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6296"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.jfbduluth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6296"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}