Holy Spirit Help

The Holy Spirit resides within Christians, but they often grasp for verification as to when and how He helps them. The Holy Spirit does not overwhelm an individual’s personal choice, but He may prompt them to remember what they have studied or learned about biblical principles, and perhaps uses their conscience as motivation for words or actions. This being so, many Christian go beyond immediate interaction and attempt to reduce the guidance left in the New Testament into a manual of to do’s and to do not’s in their efforts to please God. If left unchecked, this activity can approach the practices of the Jewish law keepers in Jesus' time. Luke left a very important story from Jesus to address this,  “And a ruler asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.’” And he said, “All of these I have kept from my youth.” – Lk. 18:18-21 (ESV). This young ruler was trying to manage the results of his actions, and not the source from which his actions arose. Most Christians can claim they adhere to most of the biblical guidelines left by Jesus, but what person, regardless of age, has not had difficulty honoring their parents? Who has not embellished their witness about others, either right or wrong? If we are honest with ourselves, these are challenges for every person at various times, and some to a greater degree than others. As Christians, we need to focus more on the source which drives all our responses - our heart. In scripture the “heart” is the central focus from which all beliefs and motivations arise. When a person’s heart is focused on godly principles, their actions will be molded more and more into the actions Jesus wants from His followers. Every Christian has different interests, abilities, and motivations that must become aligned with Jesus’ desires. Christians today need to allow the Holy Spirit to guide them down their unique individual spiritual journey. There will be mistakes, sins, along the way, but if we continue to focus on the principles outlined in scripture, we will glorify God in some way with our actions. With this action, we can move away from trying to justify our own activities or words from developed lists of approved and questionable activities that focus on comparing our journey to the journeys of other people. If we will allow Him, the Holy Spirit will lead us to follow Jesus as the reference.