Daily Devotional: Monday, March 15

Speaker: Ben Sigman

Theme: The Holy Spirit

Weekend Music links on iTunes: Not to Us by Chris Tomlin; No Not One by Christy Nockels; Love Came Down by Ben Cantelon; Til I See You by Hillsong.

Read: John 14:15-28

Think: At the core of every stressor or worry, there lies one of two fears: the fear of being left alone, or the fear of being out of control. Jesus addresses the first of these fears as He is talking to the disciples in John 14. He is breaking it down to them that he is leaving- that he is not going to be there for much longer. He realized that this news would strike the chord of that most basic fear of being left alone, and He didn't want them to get stuck in the fear.

We all know what it feels like to feel lonely. We are told of people in the bible who shared these lonely times: Elijah prayed to God, "I am the only one left!" (1 Kings 19:14). A psalmist wrote, "I lie awake, lonely as a solitary bird on a roof," (Ps 102:7). And even Jesus cried out while on the cross, "Father, father, why have you abandoned me?" (Mark 15:34). These feelings are painful, yet common.

Jesus reminded his disciples that even though he would be gone in physical form, that He would send a "Helper". The Holy Spirit is described in various bible translations as the "Advocate", the "Counselor", "Friend," and the "Spirit of Truth." One of the biggest ways the enemy trips us up is tempting us to believe that we "have to do it on our own", or "it's up to us", or "there's no one out there for us." But the Spirit of Truth stays with us offering to be our Helper. Now sometimes, we don't think we need the help, but our mistakes have a way of reminding us of the truth.

The truth is, that we not only need the Helper, but that He is always there with us and we are never alone. The Holy Spirit is a constant Friend. Turning to Him, day by day, and moment by moment is all that is required to accept the help.

Do: Name at least one thing that you will be asking the Holy Spirit for help today.

Pray: God, remind me that I am never alone and that I don't have to feel the stress or pressure of having to do things on my own. Help me to depend on the Helper each day. When I hear you speaking to me, help me to have the strength to do what you say.

The eDevotional is written each week by a team of volunteers from Timberlake Church.

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