Our Counsellor

However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.

John 16:13 (NKJV)

Do you ever want to avoid spending time with God because you think He’s going to shame you for what you’ve done wrong or failed to do right? I used to think this. Somehow I picked up the belief that Holy Spirit’s job was to point out all my flaws, even though my parents taught me differently. The trouble is, this belief can take all the joy out of devotion time. In fact, if we think that Holy Spirit is going to nag us about every little thing we do wrong, we’ll avoid spending time with Him. Holy Spirit’s job isn’t to condemn believers; it’s to remind us of our right standing with God. Because of what Jesus has done, God has removed our sins from us “as the east is from the west” (Psalm 103:12). He says, “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more” (Hebrews 10:17). If God forgets our sins, it doesn’t make sense that Holy Spirit wants to shame us. God and Holy Spirit don’t have two different opinions. Constant reminders of the wrong you’ve done aren’t coming from Holy Spirit; He isn’t condemning you. It could be the devil, but more likely your own heart is making you feel guilty. Regardless, it’s not Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit’s job is to lead you into the truth of who God is and who you are in Christ, so don’t hesitate to spend time with Him. He wants to lift you up, because His presence is full of joy and love.